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Bemaken Friary

Archaeology

Medieval Franciscan friary. The single-storey building at the centre of the farmyard with its gable facing the road was the church of the Franciscan friary of Bemaken, founded in the 1300s following permission granted by the Pope in 1367. The grant provided for "a church or oratory, together with a bell-tower, bell, cemetery, houses and other necessary offices" to accommodate a community of twelve friars.


The most obvious feature of the church is the now-blocked east window, only part of which survives above a later doorway. The dressed stonework defines a Gothic window. The original roof profile can just be seen in the stonework below the gable verges. Inside, the creation of the doorway in the east gable has removed any evidence for an altar, though a recess where the south wall meets the gable almost certainly marks the position of a piscina. Door and window openings in the north and south walls have the shouldered lintel known as a 'Caenarvon arch', other examples of which may also be seen at Castle Rushen and the Monks' Bridge.


The west end of the building has been rebuilt, so the dressed stone surrounding a door and window in the west gable may not be original. The entire structure is now about 19 by 7m, but due to the reconstruction of the west end it is not known whether this reflects the proportions of the original building.


It has been suggested that elements of other medieval buildings may be preserved within the masonry of the farmhouse, though this has yet to be proved. Other structures may have been lost when the farmyard was improved during the early 1900s. A number of lintel graves were discovered around the same time in the area to the west of the church though whether these were contemporary with the friary or are evidence of an earlier burial ground is not clear.


Two stones bearing ogham inscriptions were found on the farm during the 1800s.

Connections

Book Chapters

  • Parish: Arbory
  • Sheading: Rushen
  • Grid Ref: SC2495070310

Sources

  • Isle of Man Heritage Environment Record
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