The site of the 19th century Snaefell lead mine complex situated near the head of Laxey Glen. This mine opened circa 1856 when the main shaft was sunk on the left bank of the eastern tributary of the Laxey River. This main shaft reached a depth of 171 fathoms in 1895. The mine continued operating into the early part of the 20th century. The present site has been much disturbed by the reworking of the 'Deads' by Metalliferous Holdings Ltd.
Snaefell (washing floor site SC408874), a Lead and Zinc mine at the head of the main Laxey valley, was an offshoot of the Great Laxey operation and subsequently independent. Its washing floors and complex system of multiple contour leats was several times re-modelled, the waterwheels and turbines being repositioned and augmented. A footpath comes down from the north, a branch of which runs from the Mountain Road at the north end of the Verandah and later splits to provide access to both the head of the Cornaa valley and the lower Laxey area. There is also pedestrian access up a long track from Agneash village.
From the two powder houses on the hillside above the main washing floor site, you can see the main leat. Although it has been cut by landslips it was wide enough to act as a dam. One capped shaft and a chimney survive, with one water-trough support downstream on it, on the right (west) stream bank opposite the main shaft. Most structures now obvious were left when Metalliferous Holdings Ltd. installed a ball crushing mill and modern flotation tanks when they were reworking the deads in the 1950s. There is an unidentified older stone building in the gully downstream and wooden water ducts sometimes erode from the recent waste dumps.
The main leat which supplied water to the Snaefell Lead Mine. From the two powder houses on the hillside above the main washing floor site, you can easily see the main leat. Although it has been cut by landslips it was wide enough to act as a dam.
The Snaefell Mountain Railway ends at the peak of Snaefell mountain. It is the only electric railway in the British Isles and has been in operation since 1895, running from Laxey to Snaefell, a distance of 5 miles (8 kilometres).
Prehistoric flint scatter.
A single worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Snuff the Wind by CH Cowley.
The name is locally used for the area surrounding the Cross Vein mine. In the absence of more precise details, the grid reference is that of the Cross Vein mine and is provided for indicative purposes only.
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 an early prehistoric flint scatter, including a pressure-flaked Ronaldsway type Neolithic arrowhead. Circa 6 Mesolithic Heavy-blade type flakes found in the Snugborough area were also reported to Dr L.S. Garrad (PRN 2045.00).
The findspot of an early prehistoric flint scatter, including circa 6 Heavy-blade type flakes found in the Snugborough area and reported to Dr L.S. Garrad. A pressure-flaked Ronaldsway type Neolithic arrowhead was also found in the area (PRN 2045.10).
Collection of four historical appendices covering 17th-century Manx customs (stranger reception protocols), a 1682 benevolence collection order, 1600 security incidents, and debt imprisonment law. These provide contemporary documentation of Manx governance structures, feudal obligations, and legal procedures predating the 1765 Revestment.
Chapter from a 1900 History of the Isle of Man covering the rise and evolution of the smuggling trade from the late 17th century through 1765. Traces the involvement of merchants like Richard Maguire and Josiah Poole, parliamentary interventions (1711 Act, 1726 Act), and the impact of duties on contraband goods including tobacco, tea, spirits, wine, and East India commodities. Essential overview of the smuggling context preceding the Revestment.
A scholarly historical chapter examining smuggling on the Isle of Man following the 1765 Mischief Act and the 1767 Act, analysing the immediate panic, subsequent resumption of smuggling, and eventual suppression through 1798 reforms. Draws on eyewitness accounts, Parliamentary speeches, and the 1791 Commissioners' Report to trace patterns of illicit trade in spirits, tea, tobacco, salt, and grain through 1853.
Chapter II, Section 3 of a 1900 history of the Isle of Man covering the smuggling trade and revenue enforcement after the 1765 Revestment. Details the impact of the Mischief Act (1765), the Act of 1767, and subsequent anti-smuggling measures, including eyewitness accounts of conditions post-1765, the 1791 Commissioners' Report recommendations, and the 1798 Act reforms. Extensively documents smuggling patterns, commodities, and the eventual decline of illicit trade.
A scholarly chapter on smuggling in the Isle of Man following the 1765 Mischief Act and subsequent revenue legislation. Covers the panic caused by enforcement, recommencement of smuggling, the 1767 Act, 1791 Commissioners' recommendations, and post-1798 decline of smuggling with residual illicit trade in spirits, tea, tobacco, salt, and grain flour until c. 1853.
A detailed academic chapter on Manx trade and industry following the 1765 Revestment, covering commercial restrictions, the licence system, manufacturing (linen, cotton, flax, woollen goods), shipbuilding, and the gradual liberalisation of trade. Examines how the connexion with Great Britain both restricted and occasionally benefited Manx commerce, and documents the rise of industries including printing newspapers and the impact of steam communication.
A comprehensive historical chapter on Manx trade and industry following the 1765 Revestment, covering commercial restrictions imposed by Westminster, the oppressive licence system, revival of trade through steam communication, shipbuilding, linen manufacture, and the gradual liberalisation of trade policy. Directly addresses the economic consequences of the crown's acquisition of sovereignty and the island's integration into British commercial frameworks.
Bronze Age burial mound. This burial mound stands at the edge of a cultivated field. Agricultural activity has in the past encroached on its eastern side, but it still survives to a maximum diameter of 19m and is 1.5m high. Fragments of urns inverted over secondary burials have in the past been found near the top of the mound. Below these a stone cist was also found.
Prehistoric flint scatter.
A small quantity of worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Sour Close Stream by CH Cowley.
The stream drains from Knockaloe Moar, and in the absence of a more detailed description the grid reference relates to a point midway along its course from the main landholding to the River Neb, and is provided for indicative purposes only.
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.
Prehistoric flint scatter.
A single worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Sour Close Stream by CH Cowley, from the 'Field a little below Patrick Bridge'.
No further details concerning the circumstances of the discovery were recorded and the grid reference relates to a point part-way along the course of the stream for indicative purposes only.
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.
Prehistoric flint scatter.
A single worked prehistoric flint was recovered from Sour Close Stream by CH Cowley, from the 'Field opposite Raggart'.
This relates to OS Field no. 0106. The grid reference relates to a point midway along the course of the stream through the field and is provided for indicative purposes only.
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 Mesolithic flint scatter which includes a Heavy Blade spearhead and scattered 'Bann' type flints collected from along Sour Close stream.
South Barrule is a prominent hill in the south of the Isle of Man, rising to 1,585 feet. Its name derives from the Norse Varda-fjall ("Beacon fell"), indicating its use as a beacon station in the Norse signal system. The summit is crowned by a large Iron Age hillfort, one of the most significant prehistoric monuments on the Island.
Iron Age hillfort.
The inner rampart is enclosed by an almost concentric outer defence lying 20-30m distant. This outer rampart is the more substantial and obvious of the two because of its exposed stonework, and the excavator suggested that the inner rampart was partially dismantled to provide material.
The outer rampart was revetted on the inside by a turf bank, and on the outside by an almost vertical stone wall. Today the wall stands to a height of almost 2m, but the amount of fallen material suggests that it would originally have been significantly higher.
Recent survey and geophysical prospecting suggests that the most likely entrance through the outer defences lay on the western side, where two lengths of the rampart overlap, creating a defensible passageway.
