A royal writ issued by King Edward II commanding bailiffs in England, Ireland, and Wales to arrest malefactors from the Isle of Man who supported Robert de Brus (Robert the Bruce) and had caused damage to the Crown and its subjects. The writ authorizes detention in royal prisons pending further royal command. This document demonstrates early medieval royal jurisdiction over the island and the Crown's concern with Manx political allegiances during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
A royal writ from King Edward II (or successor) commanding English bailiffs to arrest malefactors of the Isle of Man who supported Robert de Brus (Robert the Bruce) and had caused damage in England. The document demonstrates medieval English crown authority over the Isle and its inhabitants, and was part of the Monumenta de Insula Manniae collection. Similar writs were issued to bailiffs in Ireland and Wales.
A royal writ from King Edward III commanding the release of goods and chattels of the Bishop of Man, seized at the port of Lowestoft after a storm at sea. The Bishop was en route to Rome on ecclesiastical business. The document illustrates the status of Man under English allegiance and sovereignty, and the protection of Manx subjects' property rights in English ports.
A writ from Edward I to the Sheriff of Northumberland commanding the Bishop of Durham to appear and show cause why the King should not resume the Isle of Man into his hands as a matter of right. The document traces Edward's claim through his ancestors' historical seisin and references the previous grant to John Balliol. This is a foundational document for understanding pre-Revestment claims to Manx sovereignty.
A writ issued by Edward I commanding the Sheriff of Northumberland to summon Anthony de Bec, Bishop of Durham, to appear before the King to show cause why the Isle of Man should not be resumed into royal hands. The King asserts that his ancestors and he himself held Man as of right, and had granted it to John Balliol of Scotland while reserving royal rights. This document demonstrates early English Crown claims to sovereignty over Man and the legal mechanism of resumption.
A dual-language (English and Latin) royal writ from Edward III commanding his Justice of Ireland to investigate and prosecute Irish raiders who attacked Manx merchants and officials transporting ransom payment to Scotland. Documents early medieval Isle of Man's sovereignty, trading relationships, and vulnerability to maritime violence.
A royal writ from Edward III (14 Edward III) addressed to customs officers at Lowestoft, ordering the release of goods belonging to the Bishop of Man that had been seized after the Bishop was driven to port by storm while travelling to Rome. The document establishes the Bishop's status under royal allegiance and faith, and invokes this as grounds to override local customs regarding seizure of strangers' goods. Relevant to understanding medieval Manx sovereignty, the Church's autonomy, and early English royal authority over the island.
A bilingual (Latin and English) royal writ issued by Edward III commanding the seizure of the Isle of Man into the Crown's demesne, appointing three commissioners to execute and safeguard the island. This early medieval precedent for Crown control is relevant to understanding the constitutional status of Man prior to the 1765 Revestment and demonstrates earlier assertions of royal sovereignty.
A bilingual (English and Latin) royal writ issued by Edward III commanding the seizure of the Island of Man into the Crown's demesne. The document appoints three officials (William le Taillour, Haver Macoter, and Gilbert Makstephan) to take possession and hold the island. This is a foundational document for understanding Crown claims to Manx sovereignty preceding the later feudal grants to the Derby and Atholl families.
A royal writ issued by Edward IV in 1476 temporarily suspending a heraldic dispute between John Lord Scrope and Thomas Lord Stanley regarding the right to bear the arms of the Earl of Man. The king ordered Scrope to abstain from using the arms while both lords served the Crown in France and Normandy, without prejudice to Scrope's future claims. This document illustrates feudal claims to Manx titles and the Crown's authority over their symbols.
A 1220 royal writ from the King of England to the Justices of Ireland, instructing them to render military assistance to Reginald, King of Man, against threats from the King of Norway. The writ confirms Reginald's fealty to the English Crown and his claim to English protection. This document illustrates the early medieval status of Man within the English sphere of influence and the island's vulnerability to Norwegian claims.
A medieval royal writ from King Henry III of England to the Justices of Ireland, commanding them to render military aid to Reginald, King of Man, against threats from the King of Norway. The document affirms Reginald's homage to the English Crown and establishes Man's feudal relationship to England. It is a key source for understanding early medieval Manx sovereignty and Anglo-Manx political relations.
Burial ground. This small, walled enclosure served as a burial ground for Quakers from 1672, and is the only example on the Isle of Man. Tradition states that lintel graves have been found, and that the site of a medieval chapel lies nearby, but neither can be confirmed.
The possible site of an early medieval cemetery at the site of a post-medieval Quaker Burial ground. A small, walled enclosure at the site served as a burial ground for Quakers from 1672, and is the only example on the Isle of Man. Tradition states that lintel graves have been found here, and that the site of a medieval chapel lies nearby, but this has never been confirmed.
The possible site of an early medieval keeill or chapel at the site of a post-medieval Quaker Burial ground. This small, walled enclosure served as a burial ground for Quakers from 1672, and is the only example on the Isle of Man. Tradition states that lintel graves have been found here, and that the site of a medieval chapel lies nearby, but this has never been confirmed.
Medieval burial ground.
The site was investigated by the Manx Archaeological Survey (1915) and the remains of a medieval chapel were found, lying within a well-defined enclosure about 45m long by 40m wide. The remains are now rather more fragmentary.
The findspot of a single flint flake found at the keeill at the Barony. It is now in the Cowley Collection at the Manx Museum. It is thought to probably be associated with a bowl barrow or cairn at this location.
Bronze Age barrow cemetery; medieval chapel and burial ground. Approximately fifteen burial mounds have been surveyed on the Barony hilltop. Amongst them are the remains of a medieval chapel which was investigated by the Manx Archaeological Survey (1915) and found to measure 7.2 by 3.8m internally. The Survey noted that the western end of the chapel was largely destroyed and the structure is now obscured by field clearance stones. It lies within an enclosure about 45m long by 40m wide.
Rushen is one of the six sheadings (administrative divisions) of the Isle of Man, covering the southern part of the Island. It takes its name from Castle Rushen in Castletown and encompasses several parishes including Malew, Arbory, and Rushen, forming the historic heartland of Manx governance.
Rushen Abbey is a ruined medieval monastery in Ballasalla, founded c.1134 as a daughter house of Furness Abbey in Lancashire. Originally a Savignac foundation, it became Cistercian when the Savignac order merged with the Cistercians in 1147. It was the most important religious house on the Isle of Man and played a central role in the Island's ecclesiastical and cultural life until the Dissolution.
Cistercian abbey founded in 1134, the only abbey on the Island. The monks of Rushen compiled the Chronicon Manniae et Insularum, the chronicle that preserved the Island's history from the Norse period onward. A Manx document, produced on Manx soil, preserving a Manx understanding of the past. The manuscript now sits in the British Library in London. There have been campaigns to bring it home. It has not come home yet. Henry VIII dissolved Rushen Abbey in 1540, its assets stripped and sold off in three months.
A two storey tower, provisionally identified as the abbot's private lodging. Now known as the Pigeon Tower, owing to its later conversion to a dovecote.
