Medieval burial ground. When the site was investigated by the Manx Archaeological Survey in 1911, the chapel was described as standing on a slight eminence, though this is now less obvious. It is not certain if this represents the remains of a burial ground, but the recovery of two stone monuments would appear to imply the presence of burials.
An early medieval inscribed stone which has a plain outline cross within a ring incised on one face. It was found in 1911 and measures 20.3 centimetres by 16.5 centimetres by 7.5 centimetres. The stone is kept at Andreas parish church.
Medieval cross slab. During excavation of the keeill by the Manx Archaeological Survey in 1911, a small broken boulder was recovered with a plain cross outlined within a ring incised on one face (Manx Cross 37).
This broken boulder was found in 1911 amongst stones being cleared from the keeill by the Manx Archaeological Survey. On one side is pecked an equal limbed cross in outline, with open-ended arms. Four irregular arcs link the limbs of the cross to provide a rather oval frame.
Medieval chapel and burial ground. The site lies on an open, south-facing slope on cultivated ground, within a fenced enclosure. When investigated by the Manx Archaeological Survey in 1911, the chapel was described as standing on a slight eminence, though this is now less obvious. The structure is orientated ENE-WSW, and measures 9.7 x 8.2m internally. The walls average 1.1m in thickness, and stand to a maximum of 1m. The walls are constructed using beach boulders and surface stones (no quarried stone is available close by in the glacially-derived landscape), packed with sandy material. Stonework was particularly noted on the inner faces of the 'south' and 'west' walls, but was otherwise only intermittently visible. The outer wall faces are obscured by material derived from the collapse of the building, and the weight of material was found to have forced the 'north' and 'south' walls inwards.
The doorway is in the 'west' gable, and the threshold was found to be sunken below the level of the ground outside. A slight rebate in both walls of the doorway suggests that the door was positioned roughly in the middle of the thickness of the wall. A socket stone on which the door might have pivoted, was also found.
A large flat slab was found on the altar at the 'east' end of the chapel, having slipped from its original position forming the sill of an east window. No other evidence for windows was recognised.
The chapel was found to have had a cobbled floor, on which the altar had been constructed. This substantially survived, with a plain slab forming the altar top and measuring 0.7 by 0.4 by 0.05m. The slab had been carefully balanced on side slabs, one of which was still in position, and would have created an altar table standing 0.6m high.
A substantial number - over one hundred - white quartz pebbles were found in the vicinity of the altar, and probably represent votive or prayer offerings.
No firm evidence of burials was met with, although two monuments were recovered. One of these was a small broken boulder with a plain cross outlined within a ring incised on one face (Manx Cross 37). The other, a tall pillar of slate (see Manx Cross 5) bears bilingual inscriptions in Roman and Ogham characters recording the burial of Ammecatus son of Rocatus.
Medieval chapel. When investigated by the Manx Archaeological Survey in 1911, the chapel was described as standing on a slight eminence, though this is now less obvious. The structure is orientated ENE-WSW, and measures 9.7 x 8.2m internally. The walls average 1.1m in thickness, and stand to a maximum of 1m. The walls are constructed using beach boulders and surface stones (no quarried stone is available close by in the glacially-derived landscape), packed with sandy material. Stonework was particularly noted on the inner faces of the 'south' and 'west' walls, but was otherwise only intermittently visible. The outer wall faces are obscured by material derived from the collapse of the building, and the weight of material was found to have forced the 'north' and 'south' walls inwards.
The doorway is in the 'west' gable, and the threshold was found to be sunken below the level of the ground outside. A slight rebate in both walls of the doorway suggests that the door was positioned roughly in the middle of the thickness of the wall. A socket stone on which the door might have pivoted, was also found.
A large flat slab was found on the altar at the 'east' end of the chapel, having slipped from its original position forming the sill of an east window. No other evidence for windows was recognised.
The chapel was found to have had a cobbled floor, on which the altar had been constructed. This substantially survived, with a plain slab forming the altar top and measuring 0.7 by 0.4 by 0.05m. The slab had been carefully balanced on side slabs, one of which was still in position, and would have created an altar table standing 0.6m high.
A substantial number - over one hundred - white quartz pebbles were found in the vicinity of the altar, and probably represent votive or prayer offerings.
This stone pillar was found during excavation of the chapel (IOMHER 0343.00) in 1911. It stood just to the west of the chapel, not far from the doorway in the west gable. standing in a keeill. It bears an ogham inscription along one edge and an inscription in Roman capitals on one face, 'AMMECAT FILIUS ROCAT HIC IACIT'. Both record the burial of Ammecatus, son of Rocatus. The stone is now on display in the Manx Museum.
The smaller barrow in a pair of barrows or burial mounds. The 1870 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map shows a large mound with a smaller mound abutting its western side.
This smaller barrow measures about 5 metres in diameter and up to 0.5 metres high. It reportedly was opened in 1880 and Viking weapons were discovered within the mound. A note by Dr F.S. Tellet, of Ramsey states they were found 'in a flagged cist' in the barrow, and that a perforated stone disc was also found with them. The upper part of the blade of an iron sword, with a crescentic hilt guard is now kept in the Manx Museum Accession No. 1954-3741). The base of a socketed iron spearhead with wings on the socket also came from this barrow (kept in the Manx Museum Accession No. 1954-3742).
The larger barrow is recorded as having suffered damage by cattle erosion in the past, to the extent that it had to be fenced off for protection. This larger mound has been described as "a gorse covered mound which by its size and topographical situation - on a small hillock - is comparable to known Viking burial mounds… The top of the mound is eroding away. Height 2.5 m; Diameter 16.0 m."
The larger of a pair of barrows or burial mounds. The 1870 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map shows a large mound with a smaller mound abutting its western side.
The larger barrow is recorded as having suffered damage by cattle erosion in the past, to the extent that it had to be fenced off for protection. This larger mound has been described as "a gorse covered mound which by its size and topographical situation - on a small hillock - is comparable to known Viking burial mounds… The top of the mound is eroding away. Height 2.5 m; Diameter 16.0 m."
The smaller barrow measures about 5 metres in diameter and up to 0.5 metres high. It reportedly was opened in 1880 and Viking weapons were discovered within the mound, including part of a sword, part of a spearhead (PRN 0272.00).
A flint scatter and pottery sherds of probable Bronze Age date found in the area of the Early Medieval Knock y Dowan barrows, which have produced Viking artefacts.
The findspot of a sandstone boulder with incised markings, possibly a 'pattern stone'. Gelling considered it to be comparable to those at the early medieval metalworking site at Kiondroghad.
The suspected site of a post medieval "Watch and Ward" lookout position. The Hill for the Day Watch for Santon parish was at Knockloghan, as mentioned in a document dating to 1627 in the Castle Rushen Papers. The associated Port for the Night Watch was at 'Gren Vicke', now called Port Grenaugh (at SC 317704). An annotated 6 inch map shows 'Watch Hill' recorded by W. Cubbon at NGR SC 32737344, some 500 metres from Knock-y-Laughan farmhouse.
The early 17th century manuscript in the Castle Rushen Papers records, on a parish-by-parish basis, an arrangement whereby a coastal watch was kept for potentially unfriendly shipping. It has been suggested by BRS Megaw (director of the Manx Museum 1940-57) that this system of 'Watch and Ward' had its origins in Norse times (1941), whilst more recently Johnson (2002) has proposed that promontory forts reoccupied during the medieval period formed part of the system.
Historic estate in Kirk Patrick, west of Peel.
Robertson’s survey of the principal estates of Kirk Patrick listed Knockaloe among properties valued at between about £100 and £300 a year and upwards. In 1798 he identified James Quirk as proprietor of Knockaloe and captain of the parish.
James Quirk also appears in Robertson’s list of members of the House of Keys. He entered the Keys in 1795 and was then described as “James Quirk, Esq.; Knockaloe.”
The estate was associated earlier with the Radcliffe family. Robertson’s description of Kirk German church recorded an inscription to Captain Sylvester Radcliffe of Knockaloe, buried on 30 December 1731 aged seventy-eight. The Kirk Patrick register later recorded Captain Charles Radcliffe of Knockaloe, buried in March 1783 aged fifty-six.
The name also appears in a smaller neighbouring property, which Robertson rendered as Knockaloe and glossed as “little”, belonging to Mr Corrin.
In the twentieth century Knockaloe became the site of the large First World War civilian internment camp. The present evidence pack points to several published memoirs dealing with internment there, including Time Stood Still by P. Cohen-Portheim and Round the World to Freedom by P. Stoffa, but those references are bibliographical rather than substantive extracts. A fuller camp description should therefore be based on a targeted evidence pass rather than these index entries alone.
Prehistoric flint scatter.
A small quantity of worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Knockaloe by CH Cowley, from 'Quayle's Field next to Ballamoar'.
The description possibly relates to one of the fields to the west of the Sour Close stream, which forms the boundary between the two quarterlands.
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 single worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Knockaloe by CH Cowley, from 'Corrin's Lower Garden'. No further details concerning the circumstances of the discovery were recorded.
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.
The findspot of a large amount of Neolithic Ronaldsway type material from within the field numbered as 42 on the 1869 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map. The finds come from the site of what appears to be a circular structure which appears as a cropmark on historic RAF air photographs.
The findspot of a large amount of Neolithic Ronaldsway type material from within the field numbered as 42 on the 1869 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map. The finds come from the site of what appears to be a circular structure which appears as a cropmark on historic RAF air photographs.
The site of a burial cist of Neolithic or Bronze Age date which was discovered by Mr Broderick in 1916 while making a new path at the "Knockalaoe Alien Camp." The cist was undisturbed, though had been filled by soil which had percolated through from above. When excavated it was found to contain no trace of bone or pottery but did contain two worked flints and a perforated stone axe hammer. The cist itself measured approximately 1.1 metres long, up to 56 centimetres wide and 46 centimetres high. The axe hammer had a round butt and sharp edges.
