Bushell's House, Calf of Man
SC 15236594
Bushell's House is a ruined structure which was thought to stand on the site of an early medieval keeill or chapel and a burial ground. The ruins appear to be those of a small, supposedly cruciform building which is said to have been used by the 17th century adventurer and prospector Thomas Bushell, who lived in self-imposed exile on the Calf of Man during the period 1626-9.
The site was examined by Bruce and Neely in September 1931, who reported that the remains were not compatible with any known type of keeill and that there was no definite proof that they represented Bushell's residence.
They recorded the remains as consisting of the lowest courses of a narrow rectangular building, 55 feet long aligned due north and south. On the east side, an opening, 2 feet wide, appeared to be an original entrance, while on the same side a projecting wing formed a 'transept' to the main structure; there were indications of a counterpart to this wing on the west side. The foundation of a cross-wall was faintly visible and it is possible that the entire T-shaped area with its thinner walling may have been of a different date to the rest of the structure. There were also differences in construction between the east and west sides of the building. The west side was practically only a stone revetting to the earth bank beyond which the free standing east wall consisted of a number of large upright slabs connected by dry-walling laid in roughly horizontal courses. The east wall of the main building north of the modern building is 0.6 metres wide and is faced on the east side with upright stone slabs about 0.4 metres high.
The site may have been robbed of stone by the Ordnance Survey in 1866-68 to build an adjacent marker cairn. A small, ruined, rectangular hut has been built in the north-east angle of the projecting wing. It is situated on the highest and most exposed part of the island and seems more likely to be a look-out post than a normal dwelling.
There was no visible trace of a burial ground.
Connections
Book Chapters
- Grid Ref: SC1523065940
Sources
- Isle of Man Heritage Environment Record