The four-horned Loaghtan sheep
The rabbit was introduced, but hedgehogs, mice and rats arrived by accident.
Of passing interest are the mainland animals which did not arrive. There are no badgers, foxes, moles or water rats. There are no snakes. Only the common and sand lizards represent the reptiles. No toads or newts are to be found, and it is only recently that frogs have become established.
The Isle of Man sadly has no squirrels, but perhaps, as the red squirrel is being so hard-pressed in the UK, a sanctuary may be offered one day.
History
Today the lives of the Islanders are closely tied to the influence of their forefathers. Their way of life makes the Isle of Man unique, and its people justly proud of their rich heritage.
As I walked Raad ny Foillan I was very much aware that I was walking hand in glove with history – seeing the same scenes Celtic eyes had seen, treading the same paths Pictish hunters had trod, resting on the same stones where Palaeolithic man once sat, and gazing out to sea as they had gazed. Raad ny Foillan continually passes sites where much of Manx history occurred. There are remains of dwellings, magnificent castles, places of worship and graves of Manx forefathers. Many excellent books and booklets, written by notable authorities (see Appendix B for the Select Bibliography), recount the history of the island in detail. Below is a brief historical summary to enable the walker to recognise and appreciate the features along the coastline in the context of the island’s history.
Neolithic stone circle, Mull Hill
The earliest archaeological remains are of Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) peoples dating from 2000BC. They were hunters and gatherers using flint tools. Although many such tools have been found in Britain, only one has been found on Man, discovered in the soil of Rushen Abbey.
The next arrivals were the Neolithic Picts. They were a small, swarthy-skinned people, bold seafarers whose dwellings have been found on most coasts of Western Europe. Some settled in the Isle of Man, where they followed a prosperous lifestyle as herdsmen and farmers, exercising their bold spirits by raiding Roman Britain and earning the title of the dreaded ‘Painted Men’.
The Picts lived in pit dwellings. A circular hole was dug in the ground and the earth from the pit piled around it. Suitable poles were anchored in the earth wall and sloped inwards to form a roof. Branches were woven between the poles and covered with a thatch of reeds, leaving a smoke hole in the centre.
During the construction of Ronaldsway Airport a fine Pictish dwelling was discovered. Many artefacts, now in the Manx museum, led to the opinion that the family were ‘farmers, happy, prosperous and well settled’. A stone axe found in the Ronaldsway dwelling was made at the Pike o’ Stickle axe ‘factory’ in Langdale, in the English Lake District. Five stone plaques were also found at Ronaldsway, the like of which have not been discovered elsewhere in the British Isles. The largest one is oval, 3 inches long, as thin as a penny, and contains chevron and diamond patterns. Its use remains a mystery.
The Picts lived in groups or clans, the bala being the clan or family territory. The many place names beginning with Balla merely mean ‘the farm of’, followed by the owner’s name or the name descriptive of the territory. As time passed the island became divided into a north and south territory – the north comprising the sheadings of Glenfaba, Michael and Ayre; the south those of Garff, Middle and Rushen. These Pictish names are still in use today.
The arrival of the Celts around 200BC was a most important event in the island’s history. The Celts arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age and, being driven westward by other invaders from the continent of Europe, established themselves in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. In the Isle of Man they founded the language and the nation. The Manx language is closely related to Gaelic and is still spoken fluently by a few dedicated students. It is, however, in daily use in place names, family names, ceremony and song.
The Celts brought with them the skills and techniques of smelting iron. They built many forts on hills and promontories, which suggest that times were unsettled; the hill fort on South Barrule was the most important. The Celts drove the Picts into the more barren areas of the island, but in time they mingled to become one people.
Around the fifth century Christianity arrived with monks from Ireland. On the footpath the sites of many ancient keeills (churches) tell of the conversion of the island. One of these early saints was St Machud or Maughold who, it was said, died in AD533 and was buried in Maughold churchyard. Scriptural scenes are depicted on some of the Celtic crosses in the collection at Maughold churchyard.
The Viking raiders first attacked Man in 798. The island became a ‘Viking lair’ from which attacks were launched on the neighbouring coasts. In 880 Harold Haarfager included Man in his Kingdom of the Southern Isles or Sudry, and united the Isle of Man politically.
King Orry, or Gorry, namely Godred Croven, after fighting against Harold at Stamford Bridge, conquered the Isle of Man. He established the Norse system of government as the national system, the Tynwald or Thingwald becoming the National Assembly (thing – an assembly; vollr – a field). The Millennium of Tynwald was celebrated in 1979 by the introduction of the long-distance footpath across the island named the Millennium Way.
The history of the Manx nation continued to be troubled. In 1266 the island was sold to Scotland for 4000 marks, Alexander II becoming Lord of Man. In 1313 Bruce attacked and captured the Scandinavian stronghold on the site where Castle Rushen now stands. It was sold yet again in 1392 to William le Scrope. He was executed by Henry IV and the island was given to Henry Percy, Duke of Northumberland. There were changes still to come as the Percy’s rebelled against Henry and in 1403 the island was given to John Stanley, ‘in perpetuity’, on the payment of homage and two falcons to him, and every future King of England, on his coronation day.
Celtic wheel cross at Maughold church
The Stanleys ruled as kings of Man for 350 years and a settled period of history began. Sir John Stanley, who was an absentee landlord and never visited the island, appointed a governor, who in turn appointed commissioners. On Lady Day 1423 a Tynwald court was summoned and the first Tynwald Manx ‘Magna Carta’ with written laws was recorded. So Tynwald and the House of Keys (the Scandinavian word keise meaning ‘elected’), presided over by the Governor, dealt with the legislation of the island.
Queen Elizabeth II became Lord of Man in I952. The island is still governed by its own parliament which meets, according to tradition, outdoors on 5 July, the Old Midsummer Day, on the Tynwald Hill at St John’s. The foundation laid by the early settlers has moulded the island’s way of life as you see it today and provided the means of legislation for the 1961 Rights of Way Act, the act which has completed Raad ny Foillan for us to enjoy.
RAA NY FOILLAN: THE WAY OF THE GULL
ROUTE 1
| Start | The Way of the Gull |
| Distance | 98 miles |
The Way