Old Kirk Braddan Church and Crosses.
In yesterday's post I had a picture of Odd's Cross, a piece of ninth century Viking carving from Old Kirk Braddan Church. When I stopped by there on Saturday I took a few more photos than just that one. They include some pictures of the church yard and a couple more thousand year old crosses.
I went into the churchyard from the main road, over a very old stile, rather than through the gate on the road above. This is the sign that explains how long there has been a place of worship on the site.
This is that rebuilt church... Actually they eventually built a new one just across the road in 1876, which is why this one is Old Kirk Braddan - but they still hold services in the old one, as you can see.
I just love the way the stones are now on odd angles, all higgledy-piggledy and with ferns and ivy, even montbretia, growing out of some of the tombs!
And this one which has the memorials on top with their own little roof - giving a two storey effect - the dates on it seems to be in the 1820s.
The central one here is the grave of someone who worked for the Isle of Man Steam Packet 'for many years' before his death in 1877 - so presumably almost since the company was formed in 1830.
Here it is closer up -
His epitaph, for those of you who like this sort of thing, reads;
Here at anchor I do lay
With many of our fleet.
In hope again for to set sail
Our Admiral Christ to meet!
His wife's is less interesting;
All the pains and griefs are over.
Every restless tossing passed;
Perfect joy and peace for ever
Safely home in heaven at last.
The names in the church yard are mainly 'local' - they were Skillicorns and some of the stones in the other pictures are for families of Kellys, Killeys, Kewleys and Cains.
I was rather taken with this one though -
In case you can't read that easily - what it says is; Here under lyeth the body of the Reverend Mr Patrick Thompson, Minister of God's Word 40 years, at present Vicar of KK Braddan, aged 67 Anno 1673. Deceased ye 24th of April Anno 1689.
So the stone was made for him 16 years before he died! I wonder where they kept it?
This is the interior of the church - as you can see it is very plain, although there is a fine pulpit with a slightly lower lectern as part of it, and a few memorials around the walls.
It is quite dark inside, and I took it with just the natural light - so it is not terribly clear.
I have to admit that I didn't really look at the memorials, I was more interested in the ancient carved crosses in the back of the church. Here are a few of them -
Those are ; on the left(according to the little piece of paper under it) a 'cross patee found built into a wall near the church in 1856'. Beside it is a wheel headed cross 'with a badly designed figure of eight design surrounded by an oval ring with twist-and-ring patters. The shaft is decorated with a rectangular panel having a loop-plait in two parallel columns. The general character shows Anglian influence, but the execution is faulty.' The person who wrote the label was, clearly, not impressed! They found it being used as part of a stile before they brought it to the church.
The one only just visible at the right is Thorstien's cross - it is very worn in places - presumably because it was being used as a doorstep into the church for many years! It is called Thorstien's Cross because there are readable runes that say Thorstein erected this cross to the memory of Ofeig son of Krina.
This large Wheel headed cross is actually known as the Braddan Cross -
It stands 5 feet high, and was made in the ninth century. You can just about make out the figures of a couple of lions, and Daniel is on there somewhere, too.
Odd's Cross is the one I posted yesterday - well actually it is just the upright - they seem to have mislaid the side arms and head - goodness knows where they are, probably built into a barn somewhere. This bit had been used as a lintel in the doorway to the church tower - the rest was probably lopped off so that it fitted...
It's called Odd's Cross because the runes say Odd raised this cross to the memory of his father Frakki. It then has the fascinating two words But Thor and then we come to the bit that's lost. Bother!
Anyway - back to the outside of the church - this is a slightly more orderly area of the church yard - about as orderly as it gets. Is that a yew? I think it is, but I'm not good at tree ID, I fear. It really ought to be.
And finally -
Yes - it is a bier - just parked beside the church - or not so much a bier as a bogie for coffins! Wonder how old the pram was that they got the wheels from? And when they made it?
So - I have to admit, despite all the ancient, ancient stuff, my favourites are the seventeenth century 'made in advance' stone, and the bogie!
I went into the churchyard from the main road, over a very old stile, rather than through the gate on the road above. This is the sign that explains how long there has been a place of worship on the site.
This is that rebuilt church... Actually they eventually built a new one just across the road in 1876, which is why this one is Old Kirk Braddan - but they still hold services in the old one, as you can see.
I just love the way the stones are now on odd angles, all higgledy-piggledy and with ferns and ivy, even montbretia, growing out of some of the tombs!
And this one which has the memorials on top with their own little roof - giving a two storey effect - the dates on it seems to be in the 1820s.
The central one here is the grave of someone who worked for the Isle of Man Steam Packet 'for many years' before his death in 1877 - so presumably almost since the company was formed in 1830.
Here it is closer up -
His epitaph, for those of you who like this sort of thing, reads;
Here at anchor I do lay
With many of our fleet.
In hope again for to set sail
Our Admiral Christ to meet!
His wife's is less interesting;
All the pains and griefs are over.
Every restless tossing passed;
Perfect joy and peace for ever
Safely home in heaven at last.
The names in the church yard are mainly 'local' - they were Skillicorns and some of the stones in the other pictures are for families of Kellys, Killeys, Kewleys and Cains.
I was rather taken with this one though -
In case you can't read that easily - what it says is; Here under lyeth the body of the Reverend Mr Patrick Thompson, Minister of God's Word 40 years, at present Vicar of KK Braddan, aged 67 Anno 1673. Deceased ye 24th of April Anno 1689.
So the stone was made for him 16 years before he died! I wonder where they kept it?
This is the interior of the church - as you can see it is very plain, although there is a fine pulpit with a slightly lower lectern as part of it, and a few memorials around the walls.
It is quite dark inside, and I took it with just the natural light - so it is not terribly clear.
I have to admit that I didn't really look at the memorials, I was more interested in the ancient carved crosses in the back of the church. Here are a few of them -
Those are ; on the left(according to the little piece of paper under it) a 'cross patee found built into a wall near the church in 1856'. Beside it is a wheel headed cross 'with a badly designed figure of eight design surrounded by an oval ring with twist-and-ring patters. The shaft is decorated with a rectangular panel having a loop-plait in two parallel columns. The general character shows Anglian influence, but the execution is faulty.' The person who wrote the label was, clearly, not impressed! They found it being used as part of a stile before they brought it to the church.
The one only just visible at the right is Thorstien's cross - it is very worn in places - presumably because it was being used as a doorstep into the church for many years! It is called Thorstien's Cross because there are readable runes that say Thorstein erected this cross to the memory of Ofeig son of Krina.
This large Wheel headed cross is actually known as the Braddan Cross -
It stands 5 feet high, and was made in the ninth century. You can just about make out the figures of a couple of lions, and Daniel is on there somewhere, too.
Odd's Cross is the one I posted yesterday - well actually it is just the upright - they seem to have mislaid the side arms and head - goodness knows where they are, probably built into a barn somewhere. This bit had been used as a lintel in the doorway to the church tower - the rest was probably lopped off so that it fitted...
It's called Odd's Cross because the runes say Odd raised this cross to the memory of his father Frakki. It then has the fascinating two words But Thor and then we come to the bit that's lost. Bother!
Anyway - back to the outside of the church - this is a slightly more orderly area of the church yard - about as orderly as it gets. Is that a yew? I think it is, but I'm not good at tree ID, I fear. It really ought to be.
And finally -
Yes - it is a bier - just parked beside the church - or not so much a bier as a bogie for coffins! Wonder how old the pram was that they got the wheels from? And when they made it?
So - I have to admit, despite all the ancient, ancient stuff, my favourites are the seventeenth century 'made in advance' stone, and the bogie!