Ringforts study by Dr Peter J. Davey
Date(s): 2004-2005
Creator(s): Centre for Manx Studies
Scope & Content: Lecture: The ringfort on the Isle of Man: a case of insular amnesia?
Summary statement ‘Manx ringforts: British or Irish?’
Lecture notes; 4 x A4 typed pages of notes to be referred to during the lecture.
A4 copies of the PowerPoint slides for the lecture; 45 images in all.
Research papers
Master lists of Iron Age site in the Isle of Man; 6 A4 pages in all, the final list is 2 pages; including annotated copies of earlier lists; these lists include the ringfort sites.
List of Ringfort sites in the Isle of Man; 4 A4 pages including annotated copies; sites only lknown through air photographs are marked APO.
Ringfort plans taken from the 1st Edition of the 25” map and mounted together on A4 sheets; 9 A4 sheets plus 25” A3 copy of the site of the Buggane in Andreas.
SMR printout for Smeale Beg, Andreas; 1 A4 sheet.
Working plans at 1:1250 of Ballagarmin, Cronk Mooar, The Black Fort, Ballacarnane Beg and
Knock y Doonee displaying archaeological features and finds; 5 A4 pages.
A4 maps of ringforts and double ringforts on the Isle of Man; frat versions and final copy used in the lecture; the seventh map is reduced and has a list of landowners in manuscript on the reverse.
The Irish ringfort context
Extracts from: Marshall, J.D.C 1991 Forgotten places of the North Coast Northern Ireland: Clegnagh Publishing pp. 74-75 and 146-147.
Ariel photograph of Portballintrea earthworks.
Review of: Marshall Walsh, Claire Walsh, Rourke, G D, Murray E V and McCormick F 2005. Illaunloughan Island: An Early Medieval Monastery in County Kerry Bray: Wordwell by Cormac Bourke in Ulster journal of Archaeology third series Vol 63, 2004.
Correspondence
25 01 2005 David Radcliffe to PJD with comments on Port y Candas; list of carbon dates from the site; pollen diagram and location of excavation plan.
19 11 2004 PJD to Estyn Jones about Welsh and Irish ringforts or ‘Rath’s’.
19 11 2004 PJD to Colman Etchingham offering a Manx ringfort paper for the Irish medievalists conference.
Administration / Biographical History: Some 34 Manx ringforts were identified, five had been excavated, three by Bersu in the 1940s, which were interpreted as large timber ‘roundhouses’ and two more by Gelling in the 1970s, one of which Port y Candas was re-examined by the Centre of Manx Studies (CMS) in 2000. Whilst Bersu’s sites contained material of largely British provenance, dating from c. AD100, Gelling’s sites produced early medieval finds of Irish type. The paper, for which this archive belongs, was a re-examination of the evidence for the Manx ringforts and an attempt at placing then in an Irish Sea culture, historic and linguistic context.
A lecture was given by PJD entitled: The ringfort on the Isle of Man: a case of insular amnesia? The paper produced for this lecture concluded that the ringfort sites, which are not included in the Manx Archaeological survey, not scheduled as Ancient Monuments and not in the ownership of MNH (only one being accessible to the public) should be bought into the main stream understanding of early Manx medieval history. The ringfort sites are uncertainly dated and do not form part of the Story of Man, which for the period is dominated by ecclesiastical sites and is over shadowed by Bersu’s interpretation of ‘roundhouses’ which provided the necessary images and detail for pre-Viking age Man.
People:
Peter Davey (PJD), David Radcliffe, Jenny Woodcock (JJW), Colman Etchingham and Iestyn Jones
Language: English
Collection: Manuscript Archive
Level: FILE
ID number: MS 14146/67
Access conditions: No regulations or restrictions are implemented on this material. Advance notification of a research visit is advisable by emailing library@mnh.gov.im