Another Old Church Yard Post!
This is another post of one of the island's old churchyards - this time Bride Parish in the north of the island - where my mother's family have lived, and been buried, for at least the last 300 years - probably longer. I went particularly to look for the gravestone of my great-great-great-grandfather - which I know is there - I've seen it. But could I find it this time? No. However there are stones here for a few of my other Howland relatives, and some other fascinating ones - including a couple of children (following a comment last time by winsomeone), and the grave of someone who fought at Trafalgar on board HMS Temeraire...
Bride church used to have a number of Viking and Celtic crosses in a little lean-to beside the church door - now there are only a couple of them, and a couple of fragments, inside the church - I have a feeling that one or two others must have gone to the museum.
Here are the two decent ones - a rather nice wheel-header and one with what looks like ogham running down the side. Unfortunately they didn't have wee cards on like Braddan so I don't know what the ogham might say...
But the interior of the church is lovely. When both my sister and I got married, Mum was living in a different parish, and we were brides not in Bride, but in Maughold. So I tend to associate this church more with family funerals! But it would be a lovely place to be married.
Now for pictures taken in the old church yard - the original one, which is older than the current church which was mainly built in 1876 - although there has been a church on the site since the late twelfth century.
General view of the old churchyard -
This, original, churchyard runs east from the east end of church for forty or fifty yards. It became more or less full by the early twentieth century, even though they seem to have recycled some of the spaces near the church. The new churchyard is bigger and is behind the north wall of the church. I have pictures of the new churchyard too, and the exterior, but will put them in another post.
About 1/4 of the people buried in the old church yard are Christians - as opposed to christians! In other words Christian is the family name - like Fletcher Christian.
This black stone in the middle is for one of these many Christians - Thomas Christian of 'Chardon, US America, late of Andreas'. Note how America is just 'some place' even to the person who engraved the stone in 1902!
Here is the grave of a six year old - unusual in that he has a plot, and headstone, to himself.
Here is one of my ancestors -
And some more of them -
Another infant on the last one - Charles aged 3 months died on Christmas day - his father died only two months later. We tended to recycle names, too. I like that last stone - the way the real ivy is balancing the ivy engraved on the headstone, even though the story it tells is sad.
Probably enough Howlands there - now a few 'sea-related' stones.
This is the gravestone of John, son of Daniel and Mary - there is too much ivy to read his surname - quite possibly Christian or Howland - of Ballaquark in this parish. But it is the rest of the inscription that fascinates me - "Who was blown off this coast on the 24th October 18?? and perished at sea aged 19."
I guess he was probably in one of the small one-man fishing boats - but he might just have been standing too close to the edge.
This is the headstone of Mark Henry Joughin of Ballawhannell. "Who was a passenger when the S.S. Ellan Vannin was lost with all on board,at the entrance to the River Mersey, December 3rd 1909, aged 44."
The Ellan Vannin is the only vessel of the Isle-of-man Steam Packet to have been lost in peacetime. We all recognise the name.
And this one is the headstone of John Cowell - who died in 1863 - but who was wounded on board HMS Temeraire in the battle of Trafalgar, when he was only 19.
Finally, just another general view -
Which made me wish that, as well as the camera, I'd taken a tub for blackberrying.
The pictures of the 'new' churchyard are a little different - but some of them are worth sharing with those of you who like a good graveyard (looks at Bogwitch and Kortirion especially...). So I will upload some of them to photobucket over the next couple of days. Might be more of a threat than a promise!
Bride church used to have a number of Viking and Celtic crosses in a little lean-to beside the church door - now there are only a couple of them, and a couple of fragments, inside the church - I have a feeling that one or two others must have gone to the museum.
Here are the two decent ones - a rather nice wheel-header and one with what looks like ogham running down the side. Unfortunately they didn't have wee cards on like Braddan so I don't know what the ogham might say...
But the interior of the church is lovely. When both my sister and I got married, Mum was living in a different parish, and we were brides not in Bride, but in Maughold. So I tend to associate this church more with family funerals! But it would be a lovely place to be married.
Now for pictures taken in the old church yard - the original one, which is older than the current church which was mainly built in 1876 - although there has been a church on the site since the late twelfth century.
General view of the old churchyard -
This, original, churchyard runs east from the east end of church for forty or fifty yards. It became more or less full by the early twentieth century, even though they seem to have recycled some of the spaces near the church. The new churchyard is bigger and is behind the north wall of the church. I have pictures of the new churchyard too, and the exterior, but will put them in another post.
About 1/4 of the people buried in the old church yard are Christians - as opposed to christians! In other words Christian is the family name - like Fletcher Christian.
This black stone in the middle is for one of these many Christians - Thomas Christian of 'Chardon, US America, late of Andreas'. Note how America is just 'some place' even to the person who engraved the stone in 1902!
Here is the grave of a six year old - unusual in that he has a plot, and headstone, to himself.
Here is one of my ancestors -
And some more of them -
Another infant on the last one - Charles aged 3 months died on Christmas day - his father died only two months later. We tended to recycle names, too. I like that last stone - the way the real ivy is balancing the ivy engraved on the headstone, even though the story it tells is sad.
Probably enough Howlands there - now a few 'sea-related' stones.
This is the gravestone of John, son of Daniel and Mary - there is too much ivy to read his surname - quite possibly Christian or Howland - of Ballaquark in this parish. But it is the rest of the inscription that fascinates me - "Who was blown off this coast on the 24th October 18?? and perished at sea aged 19."
I guess he was probably in one of the small one-man fishing boats - but he might just have been standing too close to the edge.
This is the headstone of Mark Henry Joughin of Ballawhannell. "Who was a passenger when the S.S. Ellan Vannin was lost with all on board,at the entrance to the River Mersey, December 3rd 1909, aged 44."
The Ellan Vannin is the only vessel of the Isle-of-man Steam Packet to have been lost in peacetime. We all recognise the name.
And this one is the headstone of John Cowell - who died in 1863 - but who was wounded on board HMS Temeraire in the battle of Trafalgar, when he was only 19.
Finally, just another general view -
Which made me wish that, as well as the camera, I'd taken a tub for blackberrying.
The pictures of the 'new' churchyard are a little different - but some of them are worth sharing with those of you who like a good graveyard (looks at Bogwitch and Kortirion especially...). So I will upload some of them to photobucket over the next couple of days. Might be more of a threat than a promise!