Archaeology

Items

Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 51)
This fragment was found in 1900 during renovation work near the east end of the church. It bears the remains of a 'Celtic' cross set in front of a circle, within a rectangular surround.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 53)
This broken slab was found already broken during renovation work to the church in 1900. It bears a 'Celtic' cross with short lateral arms and an extended lower limb forming a shaft, all with a double outline. Small circles are carved between the arms, the outer arcs of which have the effect of creating a reduced ring connecting the limbs.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 54)
This small fragment was found in the vicarage garden west of the churchyard in 1894. It was lost prior to 1950. It bore the head and arm of a cross set within a ring.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 55)
This weathered slab was found in 1895 re-used as a step leading to a barn in a farmstead which once stood south of the road opposite the vicarage. It bears faint traces of an equal-limbed 'Celtic' cross and ring bordered by fine lines, which are now almost completely worn away.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 59)
This unusual cruciform stone was apparently found close to the remains of the Western Keeill. The stone would originally have been cruciform in outline, but the right arm is now broken off. A raised boss stands in relief at the centre of the cross. Two bands are carved across the extended lower limb, between which is a vertical line of five hollows. A square panel containing an incised cross is carved into the head of the cross.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 70)
This stone was found in the churchyard, about 20m south of the west end of the church. It is a fine wheel-headed slab, one face of which shows an equal-limbed 'cross pattee' set in a broad ring, bordered by a double bead. The ring is supported on a very short, broad shaft, below which the stone extends to form a mortice intended to fit into a socket stone. The other face has only the outline of the ring and shaft.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 80)
This broken slab was used as a lintel in the church and recovered in 1900 during renovation works. The surviving piece is from the shaft of a large cross. One face shows a panel of key-pattern above which is a second panel containing a double-beaded loop-twist. The other has the remains of interlacing at the top, below which stands a figure carrying an object; by his side is a pastoral staff, suggesting that he may be a bishop or abbot, perhaps carrying a closed book. At the bottom of the slab is a stag, and the disembodied limbs of another four-legged animal above.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 82)
A badly-damaged piece shows, within a rectangular panel, a shafted cross with a circle connecting the expanding limbs, which are decorated with interlaced rings. The centre of the cross is undecorated, giving the appearance of a cross within the cross. The circle and border of the panel bear plaits-of-four.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 84)
This fragment of a wheel-headed cross was found at the churchyard during the 19th century. One face bears part of the head of the cross and ring, and the upper part of a shouldered shaft. The centre of the cross contains an incised ring, but is otherwise undecorated, as is the ring. The shaft, in contrast, is filled with a double-beaded interlace of double twist and diamond-shaped rings.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 87)
This small fragment was apparently found in the village, but its history is unknown. It is a fragment of the face of a larger piece, with the remains of a border of C-spiral and interlace. Incised, radiating lines suggest that the slab, when complete, may have served as a sun-dial.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 88)
This fragment was found close to the east window of the church during renovation work in 1900. It is a flake from the face of a slab bearing a wheel-headed cross, and bears a section of the arc of the ring connecting the limbs. The ring is decorated with plait-of-three.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 89)
This small fragment was found during renovation work to the church in 1900. It is part of a larger slab and shows a portion of a band with a double-beaded plait-of-four. The curvature of the band suggests that it is part of the arc of the ring surrounding a wheel-headed cross.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 90)
This rectangular slab was found in the churchyard in c.1870. The slab is edged with bead-moulding, bears the outline of a shafted cross rising from a square pedestal. The remains of a connecting circle survive above the arms of the cross. In the centre are the faintest traces of an endless ring of plait-work.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 91)
This large and unusual slab was found in the churchyard just to the east of the church in 1841. One face bears two wheel-headed crosses connected by a cross shaft. The larger of the crosses consists of a plain cross in relief set on a plain ring. At the other end of the slab a diminutive cross is set within a broad circle bordered by bead-moulding, which despite weathering shows traces of plaitwork.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 96)
This badly worn rectangular slab was discovered in 1858. It had been used as a step leading up to the western gallery of the church. The slab bears a simple shafted cross surrounded by a ring which is bordered by bead-moulding. The side panels depict two seated figures facing the cross each stretching out an arm to support the cross shaft. The figures are thought to represent St Paul and St Anthony, the Desert Fathers whose extreme religious asceticism in the deserts of Egypt won many admirers. Below these figures are two riders on horseback, whose steeds also give the impression of supporting the cross. At the base of each panel is a third, fragmentary figure which may possibly be a hound. A very fragmentary inscription survives set in a panel on the cross shaft. There are some parallels in the style of carving with that found on some Pictish monuments in southern Scotland, particularly in the Strathearn area. The original cross is so fragile that it is displayed in the Manx Museum. A replica is at Maughold.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 97)
This rectangular slab was originally noted in 1871, but was only recovered from over the west door of the church, where it had been re-used as a lintel, during renovation works in 1900. It is broken along its length, but each face still shows a 'Celtic' cross set in a ring. On one face the cross is decorated with a plait-of-four which continues into the limbs. A bead moulding around the edge of the cross terminates in volutes which support the foot of the shaft. To the left of the shaft stands a priest, who reaches out to support the cross, while below the volutes are the remains of two stags pursued by hounds and a huntsman on horseback. On the other face the shaft is formed by a double-beaded loop-twist that continues in a single bead to form the circle, which surrounds the limbs of a small cross filled with a plait-of-four. The shaft is bordered by double bead mouldings which terminate at the foot and below the head in spirals. To the right of the shaft is a boar hunted by hounds, and below the foot of the shaft a stag is attacked by a hound. The surviving edge bears a plait-of-three.
Maughold Cross Slab (Manx Cross 98)
This slab once stood on the village green west of the churchyard, though its earlier history is unknown. It is one of the largest cross slabs to have been found on the Island, and among the most highly decorated. One face bears a cross with vertical limbs stretching almost the full length of the slab. The cross is edged with a plain bead, which forms a minature ring around the crossing of the limbs. The cross is undecorated except for several figures and a small ring of step-pattern in the centre, to either side of which is a bird. On the lower limb are the Virgin and Child, while on the upper is a priest with hands raised, a pastoral staff at his side. Above him are the remains of a cockerel, symbol of the Resurrection. The two arms also contain birds. The surrounding panels are filled with interlace, including some unusual key-pattern and key-fret. The other face is divided into two panels, the space between decorated with key-pattern and spirals. The upper panel, cable-bordered, contains a cross similar to that on the other face. Above the left arm is an unfinished key-pattern, while above the right is a step-pattern and a plain twist. Below is a plait-of-three on the left, and an angular design on the right. The lower panel is divided down the middle. To the left a hound chases two stags and a hind, while on the right is a horseman. The rest of the panel is filled with a number of interlace motifs, including a plait-of-four and an angular keyfret. One edge has an incised design akin to a line of waves in profile, either side of which are a series of dots; below are two compressed C-spirals back to back, and below these, a plait-of-three. The other edge is decorated with a flat border, within which a series of motifs are carved from top to bottom: angular key-fret, diagonal rings interlaced, double spirals back to back, rectangular key-pattern, diagonal rings again, and a double beaded plait-of-three, with pellets.
Maughold Head Burial Cairn
Bronze Age burial cairn. This prominent summit is crowned by a substantial cairn measuring more than 10m in diameter. Although untested, it is thought to be funerary, though it may be no more than a landmark.
Maughold Head Burial Cist
The site of an undated burial cist reported on Maughold Head.
Maughold Head Crop Mark
A cropmark of unknown significance seen on aerial photographs.
Maughold Head Fort, Maughold
Defended hilltop; cairn; lookout. This prominent summit is naturally defended by cliffs and steep slopes to the north-east and south-east, and to west and north by an artificial bank. There are signs of a possible entrance at the most westerly point, but it is not entirely clear whether these features represent a truly defended site. Similarly, the cairn on the summit, which is substantial and more than 10m in diameter, could be funerary or no more than a landmark. The Castle Rushen Papers contain a document dated 1627 which lists the 'hills of the day watch and the ports of the night watch', from which a watch system was kept around the coastline of the Island from Medieval times: Maughold Head was the point from which a daytime watch was maintained until at least the 17th century.
Maughold Head Fort, Maughold
Defended hilltop. This prominent summit is naturally defended by cliffs and steep slopes to the north-east and south-east, and to west and north by an artificial bank. There are signs of a possible entrance at the most westerly point, but it is not entirely clear whether these features represent a truly defended site.
Maughold Head Watch and Ward Beacon
Medieval lookout. This prominent summit is naturally defended by cliffs and steep slopes to the north-east and south-east, and to west and north by an artificial bank. The Castle Rushen Papers contain a document dated 1627 which lists the 'hills of the day watch and the ports of the night watch', from which a watch system was kept around the coastline of the Island from Medieval times: Maughold Head was the point from which a daytime watch was maintained until at least the 17th century.
Maughold House
A post-medieval house in Maughold.
Maughold Lime Kiln
The site of a lime kiln which is shown as an "Old Lime Kiln" on the 1870 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map and was presumably out of use by that time.  The kiln stands alongside a right of way leading to the sea, suggesting that limestone was imported via this track from a landing place on the coast.