I have finished the first phase of recording many of the ancient and historic sites of the Isle of Man on Google Maps. The map has been produced using some of the information contained on the c.1867-1870 OS Maps and was created to support my interest in Manx history. I am happy to make it public so others may enjoy it and there are currently around 2000 entries.

Please note:

• This first map is still a work in progress.  Revision and editing will initially occur followed by the inclusion of additional markers from other sources.
• Not all sites/features recorded on the OS Maps have been transferred to this map, purely those I am interested in at this time e.g. Chapels, Keeills, Churches, Tumuli, Cairns, Stones, Circles, Cists, Urns, Burial Grounds, Mounds, Forts, Camps, Wells, Springs and Others.
• Farmstead names have been included in a few instances in order to help identify a nearby site e.g. a keeill.
• It is not my intention to record ‘modern’ Christian churches unless they are on an older site e.g. Old Lonan Church is recorded but the ‘new’ parish church, built in 1834, is not.
• Many sites were straightforward to record but others were less so e.g.:
  • Some field boundaries changed shape and were altered/removed to either create larger fields or the land was developed in which case they often totally disappeared.  Marker placements in this instance are estimated.
  • Hill and mountain features were particularly interesting to plot as there is a lack of landscape features to help with this so some markers are a general indicator of a site location
  • Some sites do not have a specific location on the OS Maps e.g. some of the keeill locations were unknown as all surface trace of them was not evident at the time of the survey and it seems their location had passed out of living memory.  However, their general field location is provided and where this occurred a marker has been randomly applied to the relevant field.

Though the map highlights much of what we had in the late 1860s and is a partial representation of what exists now, I hope it encourages a deeper respect of our history and heritage and how important it is to protect every inch of our Island.  Despite the losses there is still much to see and explore and bringing many of the sites together like this – on a single map – makes it much clearer and obvious.  I am thrilled to see so many places I was not even aware of.  They beckon and say ‘Come find me, I’m still here waiting for you!’.

Please remember that the majority of these sites are on private land so if you intend to visit and explore them, always be mindful and respectful of this by seeking permission before entering someone else’s property.

Further maps are planned and work has already started on the following:

• All farmstead and property names
• Treens with farmstead names and keeills
• Wells only (not most of the general wells and springs on this map but the named wells of note recorded by Gill and others e.g. healing, holy, fairy wells etc)

If you find the map useful for your own research project(s) I would love to know what your interest is.  As well as historical research I will also use the map for investigating and plotting alignments and energy lines as I am a dowser with a particular interest in Earth Energies.

Ber Weyde
28 February 2020