Prehistoric worked flints, a fragment of a stone axehead, and coarse stone artefacts have been recovered on separate occasions from Ordnance Survey Field no. 1721 at Ballakeigan, Arbory.
Several findspots are recorded and the grid reference refers to the centre of the field.
Prehistoric worked flints and a coarse stone artefact have been recovered from Ordnance Survey Field no. 1721 at Ballakeigan, Arbory.
The precise findspot is not recorded and the grid reference refers to the centre of the field.
The artefacts are in the Manx National Heritage collections, accession no. 1988-0654.
Prehistoric worked flints have been recovered from the southern end of Ordnance Survey Field no. 1721 at Ballakeigan, Arbory.
It is noted during the excavation of the Iron Age site of Ballacagen in the adjoining field to the south by Dr G. Bersu in the 1940s that signs of prehistoric activity, including worked flints, were recovered.
The artefacts are in the Manx National Heritage collections, accession no. 1988-0642/2.
A fragment of a stone axehead was recovered from the southern end of Ordnance Survey Field no. 1721 at Ballakeigan, Arbory. Other flint and stone tools of similar date have also been found.
It is noted during the excavation of the Iron Age site of Ballacagen in the adjoining field to the south by Dr G. Bersu in the 1940s that signs of prehistoric activity, including worked flints, were recovered.
The axehead is in the Manx National Heritage collections, accession no. 1988-0642.
Modern horsewalk.
The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 First Edition mapping of 1869 shows a horsewalk at this location. The barn to which it was attached, located to the immediate west, together with the circular platform itself, have both been demolished to make way for a modern barn.
The findspot of a cremation burial, found during field walking and subsequently excavated by Dr Larch S. Garrad in 1983-84. A pot base was found with cremated material. White quartz pebbles were noted around the burial site. It was noted that similar quartz pebbles were found under PRN 0391.00.
The findspot of a Bronze Age urn, which was uncovered alongside a now lost hedgerow boundary. Scattered quartz pebbles were noted across the area surrounding the findspot, which may have been associated with a lost burial mound.
Ballakeighan is reached early on the 4.25-mile Billown Circuit lap out of Castletown, which the Southern Motor Cycle Club first raced in July 1955. Wikipedia's history of the circuit records fatal racing accidents at Ballakeighan Corner in both 1992 (Roger Allen) and 2013 (David Jukes), reflecting its reputation as one of the course's faster, more demanding bends.
Neolithic chambered tomb. The site consists of a simple rectangular chamber built of two very large side stones with an end stone wedged between them, opening to the SE. The chamber is exposed for its full height, roughly 1m - there is now no trace of a mound or cairn. A kerb of heavy stones, only one of which is missing, is set close to the chamber.
The chamber was already roofless in 1866, but cairn material existed within the kerb to the level of the chamber orthostats. A tall orthostat 3m to the East of the entrance appears to be an original feature. When surveyed in 1868 there were several prone slabs, one of which lay in front of the entrance and was thought to be part of the capstone. By 1872 this stone had been removed to the South and a fourth stone had appeared. The other prone slabs which today form a rough circle round the monument were added earlier this century, almost certainly as the result of agricultural activity.
Ballakelly is thought to be an early tomb with its small massively built rectangular chamber and minimal round cairn with flattened front; the detached standing stone is perhaps part of a proposed later elaboration of the front. The best parallells for this tomb, though not exact, seem to be in SW and S Scotland.
Neolithic chambered tomb. The site consists of a simple rectangular chamber built of two very large side stones with an end stone wedged between them, opening to the SE. The chamber is exposed for its full height, roughly 1m - there is now no trace of a mound or cairn. A kerb of heavy stones, only one of which is missing, is set close to the chamber.
The chamber was already roofless in 1866, but cairn material existed within the kerb to the level of the chamber orthostats. A tall orthostat 3m to the East of the entrance appears to be an original feature. When surveyed in 1868 there were several prone slabs, one of which lay in front of the entrance and was thought to be part of the capstone. By 1872 this stone had been removed to the South and a fourth stone had appeared. The other prone slabs which today form a rough circle round the monument were added earlier this century, almost certainly as the result of agricultural activity.
An Early Bronze Age flat axehead was found in a field near Ballakelly Cottage, Ballakilpheric, in 1975. The axe is considerably corroded.
The grid reference is centred on the field.
The axehead is in the Manx National Heritage collections, accession no. 1976-0105.
A turf covered mound which shows a high stone content. It has a diameter of 9.0 metres and an average height of 0.6 metres. It has a retaining circle of stones on average 0.5 metres high, 1.0 metres wide by 0.3 metres thick. Some small stones have evidently been dumped on top from field clearings.
The findspot of a scatter of Mesolithic flints, including flakes, blades, microliths. Some flakes are possibly of Bann Heavy-blade type. They were collected by Mr Alan Skillan and the record dates to 1 January 1983.
The site of a round cairn of late Neolithic or Bronze Age date. It was opened in 1865 and cup-marked stones were found as well as pottery sherds, a flint knife and the remains of a cremation burial. Later an urn was found nearby and reburied in the west hedge of the field, 107 metres west of the monument.
On the interior south wall of the cist is a deeply incised phallic symbol, not seen by Megaw 'which has not hitherto been reported and is unique on the Isle of Man'.
