The site of a Bronze Age burial cist recorded on an annotated 1:10560 scale map produced by P.M.C. Kermode. It measured 0.8 metres by 0.6 metres and, elsewhere, Kermode states that it was composed of thin slabs and contained ashes.
A burial cist noted by P.M.C. Kermode, who recorded that 'When the old highway quarry at Ballavale was being cleared, there was found a small Cist of thin slabs, 2 foot 9 inch square by 2 foot deep, with ashes. This was close to the OS Triangulation mark, 393 feet.' There may be some confusion between this record and PRN 0504.10.
The site of an early medieval cemetery recorded on an annotated 1:10560 scale map produced by P.M.C. Kermode. Its proximity to the Bronze Age burial cist PRN 2202.00 suggests that one or the other of these records may be erroneous.
The reported site of a stone circle or possible a ruined round barrow with its kerb stones exposed. A stone axehead is said to have been found here also.
Kermode recorded that 'When the old highway quarry at Ballavale was being cleared, there was found a small Cist of thin slabs, 2 foot 9 inch square by 2 foot deep, with ashes. This was close to the OS Triangulation mark, 393 feet.'
In the nearby granite quarry, circa 1900, Mr T.W. Moore on clearing the ground found stone axeheads (kept at the Manx Museum, Accession Nos. 1954-0600 & 1954-0591) and pounders (Accession Nos. 1954-0620 & 1954-1654) in what appeared to have been a circle of stones.
The Neolithic/Bronze Age implements are listed under 'Oatland' or 'Oatland Granite Quarry' with the addition of a stone axehead chipped to sharp edges, the cutting end ground and polished, Accession No. 1954-1653 donated by Mr R. Lace in 1918.
This stone was originally found built into the church tower as a door lintel, before being displayed for a time in the churchyard during the second half of the 19th century. The stone is incomplete and consists of the lower part of a broken shaft very similar to Manx Cross 135.
One face shows two scaley dragons trapped in entwined bands. A horizontal band of step-pattern forms a border below. The other face has been divided into panels divided by similar bands; the lower one shows triquetra knots ending in spirals and notches; above is a panel of plait-of-seven; there must have been a third panel, now lost.
One edge bears a plain step-pattern along its surviving length. The other edge carries an inscription in runes which is now incomplete, the surviving portion translating, 'Odd raised this cross to Frakki his father but Thor...'
The carving is a typical example of the Mammen style which was current in the later 10th century.
Odd's Cross dates to the late Norse period. It is the broken shaft of a pillar cross and has a runic inscription. It measures 87.5 centimetres high x 28 centimetres maximum width x 16.5 centimetres minimum width and 9 centimetres thick. It was found at a mound in the churchyard which can no longer be identified on the ground. It is kept in Braddan Church and is recorded as Manx Cross No 136 (109).
The Odin Stone is one of a group of cross slabs dating to the 6th to 12th centuries AD which have been found at or near St Patrick's church, Jurby.
It is a fragment of the lower end of a cross-shaft, carved on one face with ring-chain and human and animal figures on other. It measures 78.5 centimetres by 51 centimetres by 7.5 centimetres. It is kept in the north porch of Jurby Church.
A building site, where chance finds of Manx micaceous medieval sherds and a coroner's slate token had been found, was excavated in 1981 under the direction of L.S. Garrad, Manx Museum. The finds are kept in the Manx Museum. No structures or any additional finds were uncovered.
The site of a small 19th century lead mine is recorded in this area. Known as the Ohio or East Baldwin Mine, it lay in the East Baldwin valley 50 yards north of Ballawyllin mill, and began working around 1866. It proved a costly operation for little return: 'Mineral Statistics' recorded only 24.5 tons of lead ore and 39 tons 8 cwt of zinc-blende raised (in 1872 and 1874-75), and the workings struck 'a junction of veins with an exceedingly puzzling piece of ground', with productive ore confined to limited zones. The mine reached a depth of 92 fathoms by 1878, with an intention (apparently unfulfilled) to extend to 104 fathoms.
This cross, popularly known as Olaf Liotulfson's Cross, once stood on a mound outside the churchyard. It was moved into the churchyard to a site adjacent to the former church, which once extended further east of the present structure, and then later, around 1890, moved again into the church itself for protection. The precise location of the mound is now unknown, but is likely to have been the original site of the burial of the individual for whom the cross was raised.
The slab is wheel-headed, while its sides are cut away to leave a wide base and a tapering shaft. The foot of the slab, now hidden, has been further cut to create a tenon that would have originally fitted into a stone socket. There is a record of a socket stone having been found, but its whereabouts are now unknown.
One face shows a cross without a ring; the head shows four interlocking bands which terminate in triquetra knots in each arm. The shaft is decorated with tendril pattern interlace, the space to the left has key-fret pattern, and that to the right ring-chain interlace, headed by a small Celtic cross. A plait-of-three terminating in knots encircles the head of the cross.
The other face shows a similar cross, but the limbs are connected by a broad circular ring. The head is treated in a similar manner to the other face but here the bands terminate in a looped buckle and ring design. The shaft shows an adaptation of this buckle and ring treatment. The panel to the right of the shaft has a plait-of-four. The panel to the left bears a runic inscription which translates, 'Olaf Liotulfson erected this cross to the memory of Ulf his son.' The Old Norse name element "Liot" is the same word as that found at the end of the modern Manx surname Corlett.
The two faces of the cross might almost be a celebration of the most distinctive patterns seen on the Manx crosses, with no less than five different designs appearing on the cross-shafts and the panels to either side. Based upon the style of decoration, the cross dates from AD 950 - 1000.
This 10th-century Runic inscribed cross, now kept in Ballaugh Church, was found in the churchyard.
The cross is beautifully carved and has a partially rounded head. The interlacing of the cross-head and choice of patterns indicate the influence of Gaut. It bears the Runic inscription 'Thorlaf, the son of Thorjolf, erected this cross to his son Olave'.
The cross is now inside the church in front of the south wall. It bears an inset numbered bronze plaque no 106. It measures1.15 metres high and has a maximum width of 52 centimetres, a minimum width of 33.6 centimetres and is 5.7 centimetres thick.
The Old Grammar School, on Castle Street in Castletown overlooking the harbour, is described by Manx National Heritage as the oldest roofed building on the Isle of Man, dating to around the 1200s. It was originally built as St Mary's Chapel, serving the medieval community that grew up around Castle Rushen, before Bishop Thomas Wilson converted it into a grammar school around 1710. For nearly two centuries it educated boys, predominantly from wealthy families, and its former pupils went on to become Members of the House of Keys, judges, and lawyers. The school closed in the 1930s, and in 1950 the building was saved from demolition when the surrounding medieval streets of old Castletown were cleared. It is now open to the public as a small museum, sometimes visited as part of Castletown Heritage Tours.
The Old House of Keys in Castletown was the meeting place of the House of Keys, the elected lower chamber of Tynwald, from 1821 to 1874. Designed by Thomas Brine and completed in January 1821 at a cost of £1,039 10s, it replaced an earlier chamber in the Bishop's library that had been criticised as inadequate. In 1866 the Keys underwent a pivotal reform, moving from a self-elected body to one chosen by popular vote, following sustained public pressure. When Douglas became the island's capital the Keys relocated to the Court House there in 1874, and the Castletown building was later used by Dumbell's Bank and then Parr's Bank before becoming Castletown's Town Hall. Manx National Heritage restored the building in 2000 and opened it as a museum in 2001, recreating its appearance at the time of the 1866 reform.
Modern church.
The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 First Edition mapping of 1867-8 shows Braddan parish church at this location.
The present parish church was built in 1773. The interior, aside from several Victorian mural memorials, is potentially little changed from Georgian times, and includes a remarkable three-part pulpit. A friends organisation is responsible for the restoration work which has been undertaken in recent decades.
The impetus for reconstruction in the 1770s was a need for additional space, and it seems likely that this was achieved, based on observations made during modern restoration work, by the eastwards extension of the church.
The 1773 rebuild seems likely to have resulted in the present arrangement of fenestration, and it is noteworthy that at least one window-head includes re-used sculptural fragments from an earlier structure.
Modern cemetery.
The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 First Edition mapping of 1867-8 shows Braddan parish church and its burial ground at this location.
The present parish church was built in 1773. The surrounding burial ground contains many fine Victorian and Georgian headstones and tombs, reflecting the burgeoning development of Douglas through the 19th century. The largest memorial is an obelisk erected to Lord Henry Murray, a younger brother of John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, and briefly lieutenant-governor of the Island until his death in 1805.
Medieval chapel.
The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 First Edition mapping of 1867-8 shows Braddan parish church and its burial ground at this location.
The present parish church was built in 1773, but incorporates masonry and individual stones of much older date. The 1773 rebuild seems likely to have resulted in the present arrangement of fenestration, and it is noteworthy that at least one window-head includes re-used sculptural fragments from an earlier structure. An early stone gable cross also implies an earlier church on the site. A reference to a synod held at Braddan in 1291 suggests further tantalising potential for Medieval structures.
Medieval burial ground.
The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 First Edition mapping of 1867-8 shows Braddan parish church and its burial ground at this location.
The present parish church was built in 1773, but incorporates masonry and individual stones of much older date. The surrounding burial ground contains many fine Victorian and Georgian headstones and tombs, but the burial ground is likely to have its origins in the medieval period, the extent of which is unknown.
The discovery of a Viking Age sword suggests the presence of an early 10th century burial, and the recovery of several carved stone cross slabs confirms the site's continued use during the 10th century for the burial of Christians of Scandinavian heritage.