The site of an early medieval chapel or keeill and burial ground thought to date to the period A.D. 500-1000, as well as a post-medieval execution site. There have been no visible remains of a keeill within living memory. During a visit in 1898 by the IoM Natural History & Antiquarian Society it was reported that graves had been found on the site and that stones had been removed from it for use in the construction of a nearby stable in 1825.
The site occupied the top of a low rise in a meadow when visited by J.R. Bruce in 1963-4. The burial ground, about 25 metres long on its longer axis, formed a slightly raised area of which the border is more evident on the north side.
The site consists of the grass-covered, flat-topped summit of a low hill which falls within a paddock associated with a private house. The Ordnance Survey First Edition 1:2500 mapping of 1867 shows a subcircular embanked enclosure at the grid reference provided, together with the annotation, 'Chapel & Burial Ground (Site of)'; towards the southwest of the interior the presence of a flagstaff was also marked. The enclosure measured approximately 24 metres across. The beginnings of a second embanked enclosure are shown on the same survey immediately to the northeast but are cut by a modern roadway and do not reappear on the other side of the road.
Further graves have been reportedly found elsewhere within the grounds of the property: these include several burials close to the house, approximately 150m from the enclosure. Traces of the burial ground were reportedly seen in 1898 and some bones found. Lintel graves have been noted, including one found to the east-southeast of the keeill site in 1954 and examined by B.R.S. Megaw and A.M. Cubbon of Manx Museum.
Several reminiscences collected in the mid-20th century amongst local residents suggested, by way of the name Keeill Woirrey, that the chapel had been dedicated to St Mary. No separate corroboration of this oral tradition has been identified: it should be noted that the chapel just 400m to the south-southwest (PRN 0032) shares the same dedication.
The Ordnance Survey’s 1:10560 map of 1870 shows a roughly oval mound here, about 25 metres long, with a smaller mound to the northeast which served as a gibbet mound until the early 19th century. This was used as a place of execution from the late 17th until the early 19th century.
The site of an early medieval chapel or keeill and burial ground thought to date to the period A.D. 500-1000. There have been no visible remains of a keeill within living memory. During a visit in 1898 by the IoM Natural History & Antiquarian Society it was reported that graves had been found on the site and that stones had been removed from it for use in the construction of a nearby stable in 1825.
The site occupied the top of a low rise in a meadow when visited by J.R. Bruce in 1963-4. The burial ground, about 25 metres long on its longer axis, formed a slightly raised area of which the border is more evident on the north side.
The site consists of the grass-covered, flat-topped summit of a low hill which falls within a paddock associated with a private house. The Ordnance Survey First Edition 1:2500 mapping of 1867 shows a subcircular embanked enclosure at the grid reference provided, together with the annotation, 'Chapel & Burial Ground (Site of)'. The enclosure measured approximately 24m across. The beginnings of a second embanked enclosure are shown on the same survey immediately to the northeast but are cut by a modern roadway and do not reappear on the other side of the road.
Further graves have been reportedly found elsewhere within the grounds of the property: these include several burials close to the house, approximately 150m from the enclosure. Traces of the burial ground were reportedly seen in 1898 and some bones found. Lintel graves have been noted, including one found to the east-southeast of the keeill site in 1954 and examined by B.R.S. Megaw and A.M. Cubbon of Manx Museum.
Several reminiscences collected in the mid-20th century amongst local residents suggested, by way of the name Keeill Woirrey, that the chapel had been dedicated to St Mary. No separate corroboration of this oral tradition has been identified: it should be noted that the chapel just 400m to the south-southwest (PRN 0032) shares the same dedication.
Stones from the foundations of a lost keeill were built into a stable wall at Lorn House in 1825. The stables and other outbuildings have been examined but no building stones have been identified as orginating from a keeill.
This two storey building has stone walls and a hipped slate roof, being basically square in plan and set within extensive walled grounds. The south and east facades have a clear architectural expression but the other elevations are confused by a curved projection extending the height of the building from ground to eaves. No interior inspection has been performed. The building appears to be in good repair with a collection of outbuildings. The front facade (east) has a central entrance porch of enclosed wooden panels around which are arranged rectangular windows in the adjacent stone walls. All of the windows are characterised by a cement rendered frame to their openings which is plain at the sides and head but curved below the sill. The southern facade is distinctive in that it has a wrought iron covered verandah across the full width. A central group of three windows (same style as elsewhere) is arranged around a curved projection extending the height of the building from ground to eaves. The building appears to be in good repair. The house has historic significance in that it was the residence of Governor Hope when built in 1847. Although the architecture is not of outstanding quality it has interest and the building, although all but invisible in Castletown, has always featured prominently in local events. It is suggested that it be listed for preservation.
The above assessment was prepared prior to the existence of Registered Building and Conservation Area legislation, in support of the building's protection.
The building has since been used as a corporate HQ and more recently as a private residence.
It was placed on the Protected Buildings Register in 2015 (No. 269).
The findspot of an early prehistoric flint scatter which included 5 blades, flakes and cores collected during the clearance of Lough Cranstal drain upstream from Kiondam Bridge.
Modern gun battery.
A gun battery was constructed near Lough House in 1797, as part of a wider response to the threat posed by foreign privateers to the Island's coastline and its shipping.
The battery appears to have been designed as one of several placed around Douglas Bay to provide interlocking fields of fire from one end of the bay to the other.
The Lough House battery was designed to accommodate two guns, which are present in a subsequent inventory of 1803, although the platform on which they were stood was deemed unserviceable.
Curphey places the Lough House battery approximately 750m north of Ballaquayle stream. There is no sign of earthworks in the area now, which is now occupied by a modern hotel.
Manannán mac Lir had another name: Orbsen. From Orbsen, Lough Orbsen — now Lough Corrib in Galway — took its name, because when his grave was being dug the lake broke forth from the earth. The name corruption is traced by O'Flaherty: Orbsen became Oreb, then Orib, then Corrib.
At Magh Ullin — now Moycullin — Uillin, grandchild of Nuadh of the Silver Hand, "overthrew in battle, and had the killing of, Orbsen Mac Alloid, commonly called Mananan (the Mankish man), Mac Lir (son of the sea), for his skill in seafaring." O'Flaherty records this in his West Connaught, published by the Irish Archaeological Society in 1846. In the middle of the seventeenth century, the lake was still called Lough Orbsen.
Keating gives Manannán's genealogy through the name Orbsen: "Mananan, the son of Alladh, the son of Elathan, son of Dalboeth, an immediate descendant of Nemedius, the progenitor of the Tuatha de Danans in Ireland." The Tuatha Dé Danann, Keating continues, "are still believed to rule the spirit or fairy land of Erin; to reign paramount in the lis, the cave, the mine; to occupy genii palaces in the deepest recesses of the mountains, and under the deep water of our lakes."
Under the deep water of our lakes. The god of the sea lies beneath a lake, and the lake came from his grave. Gill noted the connection in 1929: wells and lakes as thresholds to the Otherworld, and Lough Corrib as one of them — "said to have issued from the burial-place of Manannan MacLir."
The findspot of an early prehistoric flint scatter. It includes 4 Scrapers, 23 flakes, 9 chips and a quartz flake which were collected by G.W. Lamplugh in December 1894.
