Balladoyne. Two slab-lined graves were discovered in 1937 by workmen digging sand and gravel on the south edge of St John's plateau overlooking the railway station in the southernmost part of field 2910 on OS Sheet 9/12 (circa SC 27968160). The complete removal of this part of the plateau was subsequently monitored by G.J.H. Neely (Inspector of Ancient Monuments) who identified and surveyed a further thirty slate-slab lined and roofed graves with extended burials and a kiln-like structure containing charcoal. Five skulls were preserved at the Manx Museum for examination but the other burials and slate slabs were removed and re-buried nearby. No other finds were discovered in the graves but just beyond the foot of Grave 29, a group of Viking weapons, possibly representing a burial dating from the 9th century, were found.
The finds were (i) a two-edged iron sword, 32 inch long (broken in six places and about 4 inch missing) of Jan Petersen type M, with a few fragments of wooden scabbard adhering to the blade (ii) an iron socketed-spearhead of Jan Petersen type K, broken across the socket, with traces of a woven linen for binding, in the socket. Traces of a coarser fabric were found adhering to the blade (iii) A bowl-shaped iron shield boss, 6 inch in diameter. The objects were found in a layer of sand about 2-3 foot below the original turf line and at the same general level as the slab-lined graves.
The evidence was not sufficient to date the whole cemetery to the Viking Age but it seemed not unlikely that it belonged to the transition period when Viking settlers were turning to Christianity. The Cover slab of Grave 3 bore unique, lightly-incised designs on both faces, probably representing 200 morphic and/or human and symbolic figures, but could not be assigned to any definite period. It could not be assumed that the designs were of Early Christian or Viking Age; the style being more akin to prehistoric art groups. The slab may have served a totally different purpose.
Two slab-lined graves were discovered at Balladoyne in 1937 by workmen digging sand and gravel on the south edge of St John's plateau overlooking the railway station in the southernmost part of the field numbered 2910 on the 1869 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map. The complete removal of this part of the plateau was subsequently monitored by G.J.H. Neely (Inspector of Ancient Monuments) who identified and surveyed a further thirty slate-slab lined and roofed graves with extended burials and a kiln-like structure containing charcoal. Five skulls were preserved at the Manx Museum for examination but the other burials and slate slabs were removed and re-buried nearby.
No other finds were discovered in the graves but just beyond the foot of Grave 29, a group of Viking weapons, possibly representing a burial dating from the 9th century, were found. The finds consisted of a two-edged iron sword, 32 inches long (broken in six places and with about 4 inches missing) of Jan Petersen type M, with a few fragments of wooden scabbard adhering to the blade, an iron socketed-spearhead of Jan Petersen type K, broken across the socket, with traces of a woven linen for binding, in the socket. Traces of a coarser fabric were also found adhering to the blade. A bowl-shaped iron shield boss, 6 inch in diameter, was found.
These objects were found in a layer of sand about 2-3 foot below the original turf line and at the same general level as the slab-lined graves. The evidence was not sufficient to date the whole cemetery to the Viking Age but it seemed not unlikely that it belonged to the transition period when Viking settlers were turning to Christianity. The Cover slab of Grave 3 bore unique, lightly-incised designs on both faces, probably representing 200 morphic and/or human and symbolic figures, but could not be assigned to any definite period. It could not be assumed that the designs were of Early Christian or Viking Age; the style being more akin to prehistoric art groups. The slab may have served a totally different purpose.
Prehistoric flint scatter.
A small quantity of worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Ballaellis by CH Cowley.
The name would appear to be in error for Bellellis. No further details concerning the circumstances of the discoveries were recorded and the grid reference relates to the farmstead for indicative purposes only.
The antiquary Charles Harry Cowley was an avid collector of worked flint and coarse stone artefacts revealed by agricultural activity, mainly on farms located around Peel, and occasionally from further afield. He was active from 1900 until 1943. His entire collection of artefacts, together with a daybook cataloguing his discoveries, was later donated to Manx National Heritage.
A short-horned Neolithic cairn, orientated west-northwest to east-southeast, located 400 metres northwest of Ballafayle house, to the east side of the lane. It is a Protected Monument.
According to P.M.C. Kermode it is a horned barrow without passage or chamber, containing a cremation burial. Measuring from tip to tip of the horns it was originally 19 metres, the cairn itself measuring 17.5 metres from the middle point of this chord to the far end. The remains of the curved facade of the forecourt were visible and 16 metres of the one retaining wall built of coursed slabs and converging towards the southeast end. The forecourt was paved and the body of the cairn consisted of loose stones.
It now consists of a wall up to 20.0 metres long west-northwest to east-southeast and 0.3 metres high, its top being level with the interior. This wall begins to curve at its east end. From the west end of this wall another wall, turf capped and 0.7 metres thick and 0.8 metres high, curves off to the south-southeast. The tops of some erect stones are exposed here. Two others have heights of 1.0 and 0.7 metres with average sides of 0.5 by 0.3 metres. Around the remainder of the site are a considerable number of small prostrate stone slabs. A well-built wall-face of long slabs revets the northeast side of the cairn for a length of 16 metres. At the southeast end is a vertical joint, and a wall of smaller stones continues as a facing of the rounded rear of the cairn. Along the southwest edge, which Kermode did not investigate, a wall-face of small stones can be traced. In the southeast part of the cairn several upright slabs protrude, but their function is obscure. Kermode suggested that the present rounded end of the cairn was an addition to a square-ended cairn. Ballafayle belongs to the long barrow or long cairn tradition, without a stone chamber.
Neolithic burial cairn.
The cairn was long used as a source of stone for nearby roads and boundaries, and was not recognised as a prehistoric monument until the 1920s. By then much of the southern side of the structure, and parts of the west-facing facade, had been lost. The wall revetting the north side of the cairn is however largely intact. The field bank which until excavation defined the surviving westerly extent of the cairn and bounded the adjacent road, persists within the enclosure that now protects the monument, but is a confusing anachronism as it does not form part of the cairn facade, despite possibly incorporating some displaced material from it.
The lower part of the body of the cairn survives as a stoney spread, and was found during excavation to contain pockets of cremated material. No chamber has been recognised within the cairn, the suggestion being that cremation took place on the half-constructed cairn before additional material was added on top.
Geophysical survey suggests that the cairn once extended both southward and westward.
A short-horned Neolithic cairn, orientated west-northwest to east-southeast, located 400 metres northwest of Ballafayle house, to the east side of the lane. It is a Protected Monument.
The cairn covered cremated remains. Within the cairn and particularly down the middle line was an abundance of peat ash with some charcoal, while the stones bear signs of great and prolonged heat some having been fused. There were no side or covering stones. The cremations in a pit are related to the Yorkshire cremation pit tradition.
The possible site of a late prehistoric round house settlement. It was visible as a single ring in 1949 but is not visible under the grass in normal conditions.
Modern two-storey loomshed.
The loomshed was occupied by the celebrated Ballafesson hand-weaver, Alfred Hudson, whose loom is now displayed at Cregneash.
Hudson took over the business from his father in 1902, and worked until he retired in 1922. Following his death in 1938 his equipment was passed to the Manx Museum in 1939.
Modern chapel.
The original Wesleyan chapel at Ballafesson dating from 1794 was replaced by the present structure in 1846.
It now serves as the methodist hall.
Modern chapel.
The present Wesleyan chapel at Ballafesson opened in 1953. It originally served as the Sunday school, before redevelopment of the site resulted in the earlier chapel of 1846 being converted for use as a hall.
The site of an early medieval keeill or chapel, which would have been in use between circa AD500 and AD1000. It is shown on the 1870 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map, by when the site is likely to have already been largely ploughed down.
The Manx Archaeological Survey (1918) only briefly refers to the site, stating that it was “still remembered”. The brevity of the note is such that it is not clear whether it was the building and cemetery, or their location, that was still recalled in the early decades of the 20th century. The Ordnance Survey does however record that “numbers of stone-lined graves containing human bones have been turned up by the plough”, quoting the authority of four named individuals.
The field in which the site lay is now under agricultural use.
The site of an early medieval keeill or chapel, which would have been in use between circa AD500 and AD1000. It is shown on the 1870 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map, by when the site is likely to have already been largely ploughed down.
The Manx Archaeological Survey (1918) only briefly refers to the site, stating that it was “still remembered”. The brevity of the note is such that it is not clear whether it was the building and cemetery, or their location, that was still recalled in the early decades of the 20th century. The Ordnance Survey does however record that “numbers of stone-lined graves containing human bones have been turned up by the plough”, quoting the authority of four named individuals.
The field in which the site lay is now in agricultural use.
The site of an Early or Middle Bronze Age burial cist containing a cremation burial. The cist was excavated by Basil Megaw in the mid-20th century. Indeterminate flint flakes from the same field suggests some scanty Neolithic activity in the area.
