[From Feltham's Tour, 1798]

KIRK PATRICK.

THE origin of the name is evidently from St. Patrick, who, though a native of Scotland, was adored here, and whose memory the piety and reverence of his countrymen honoured with the consecration of several of their churches.*

This parish, in the vicinity of Peel, is bounded by German on the N.; by Marown on the N.E.; Malew on the S.W.; and by the Irish sea on the W. It was united to German until 1714;when the separation took place, the present church of St. Patrick was built on the ruins of an odd Roman-catholic chapel, and has a very neat appearance.

The rivulet that empties itself into Peel harbour rises by different branches in this parish; and Glenmoai rivulet falls into the sea, four miles below Peel, at a creek of that name. Niarble is a creek or inlet in this parish.

The mountains are Dauty, Shlewhallan, part of South Barrule, Kion-slue, and part of Archalogon.

In this parish are a bleaching-house and flax-mill belonging to Mr. Thomas Shimmin, and two corn mills. The roads from Peel to the end of Daulby, and from Mullin-achley to Peel. pass through this parish.

The lead mines at Fox-Dale afford rich and abundant ore;they are near South-Barrule, and belong to the Duke of Athol;near them is a beautiful cascade. Trials have been made for coal, but hitherto without success.

There is a bridge of one bold arch over the river, between Peel and Kirk Patrick. The soil is a gravelly loam, and pretty fertile; it yields good crops when manured with lime or marl. Red clay marl abounds, but the lime-stone and lime are procured from the south side, near Castletown. The best slate quarries in the island are in this parish; and a good fishery on its coast for herrings and grey fish. The lead mines afford the richest dead ore of any in England, but have not lately been wrought. Timber thrives here, of which Pallamoar, and the neighbourhood of the vicarage, afford pleasing specimens. The parish is about two miles broad, and near ten miles in length.

As instances of longevity in this parish, the present vicar buried in one day, a man and his wife, who had been three years married, one was 99 and the other 97 years of age.

Here, in one year, also were buried five persons, the youngest of whom whom was 85 years of age.

The barony of Bangor and Sabal, situated in this parish,consists of six computed, and seven real quarterlands. His Grace the Duke of Athol has a grant of this barony for a term of years from the crown, fourteen of which (1797) are unexpired.

The former vicars, as far as I can ascertain, were, the Rev. Matthias Curghey; the Rev. Robt. Radcliffe, collated in 179D,vicar-general; and the present Rev. Evan Christian, who is vicar-general, collated Oct. 18, 1769.** The vicarage-house is pleasantly embosomed in trees, three quarters of a mile from the church, near Ballamoar, which is the grove of the island.

In Kirk Patrick church-yard, are interred several persons of the ages of 71, 73, 76, 78, 80, 87, and 90 years.

The church is a neat-modern building, 25 yards long and 19 feet broad, having a wing with a pewed gallery over it, 28 feet deep; the ceiling coved and two handsome seats in the chancel, in which the interment of the dead was forbidden by Bishop Wilson.

This building was erected by the exertions of Bishop Wilson in 1710, when Capt. Silvester Radcliffe, and his son Charles Radcliffe, with the consent of their respective wives, gave part of their estate of Knock-aly-Moor, to build the church, church yard, vicarage-house, and garden on; and the parishioners each agreed to give every personal assistance. " The church," says Bishop Wilson, "I consecrated on St. Peter's day 1715, built new from the foundation. And besides my charge, I added 1001. towards bettering the endowment.

"1716, I built" (says Bp. W.) a new school-horse at St. Patrick's, and recovered the glebe, which had been leased out by Governor Ireland.

" 1739, I gave 20l. for a glebe to Kirk Patrick and German. "Towards the building and endowing of St. Patrick's new church,the bishop expended 731. being arrears of the bishop's revenue during the vacancy. He also gave out of his own private purse,a pulpit, reading-desk, clerk's-seat, and a pew for the vicar's family; and also the communion-table, carpet, and rails. And on the day of consecration 501., the interest for the vicar's perpetual use, which, with 721. given by his Lordship afterwards,was laid out on an estate in Kirk-Patrick called Pallymore, for the perpetual use of the vicars of Kirk-Patrick and German, &c.

Footnotes

* Vide Statistical Account of Scotland, by Sir John Sinclair, vol. xiii. p. 249.

**The office of Vicar-general is analogous to that of Chancellor to a Bishop in England.

See the particulars in the act of Tynwald, in Stat. Laws, 8vo. 1797, page 140.