Andreas ( or ; gv, Skeerey Andreas) is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of

Ayre Ayre ( ; gv, Inver Ayre) is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Andreas, Bride and (Kirk Christ ...

. The main settlement in the parish in the village of Andreas, which is also known as Kirk Andreas.

History

There are several ancient monuments and sites located in the parish of Andreas.

Ballavarry Burial Mound Ballavarry Burial Mound is a Bronze Age burial mound in the parish of Andreas on the Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Lo ...

is a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

burial mound found a short distance outside of the village of Andreas.

Knock y Doonee Knock y Doonee (also spelled as Knock-e-Dhooney) is a significant historical and archaeological site in the parish of Andreas on the northern coast of the Isle of Man. The site has been in ritual use for centuries. Archaeological excavations ha ...

is a significant historical and archaeological site in Andreas. Archaeological excavations on the area have uncovered a bilingual ogham stone in Latin and Ogham; a Christian

keeill Keeill (also ''keill, keeil''; plural ''kialteenyn'') is a Manx Gaelic word for a chapel. Etymology The word is a Gaelic loanword from Latin ''cella'', which originally meant a storeroom, or a small room. In both English, and the Goidelic languag ...

(a small chapel); a Christian carved stone cross; and a

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

boat burial A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as the tomb for the dead and the grave goods, or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave. This style of burial was pr ...

. Severa
carved stone crosses
and slabs have been discovered in Andreas. Although many of the crosses are extant only as fragments and are located in the

Manx Museum The Manx Museum (Thie Tashtee Vannin) in Douglas, Isle of Man is the national museum of the Isle of Man. It is run by Manx National Heritage. In general, the museum covers 10,000 years the history of the Isle of Man from the Stone Age to the modern ...

, ''Thorwald's Cross'' for example can be viewed at St Andrew's Church. Several early Christian Manx keeills have been recorded throughout the parish although most have been destroyed when their remaining stones were removed for the construction of other buildings during the 19th century. * Knock y Doonee keeill. * Keeill Tushtag. * Ballagonnell Keeill. * Ardonan keeill.

Geography

Andreas borders

Jurby Jurby ( on, djúra-bý – deer settlement - animal park) () is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north-west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of Michael. Local ...

to the west, Bride to the east and

Lezayre Lezayre ( ; gv, Creest ny h-Ayrey), formally Kirk Christ Lezayre, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of Ayre. ...

to the south. The Irish Sea is to the north. The parish is low-lying. The most significant inland water feature is the Lhen Trench, which runs for about 7 km north–south, in parallel with the boundary with

. To the north the Scottish Southern Uplands and the Mull of Galloway can sometimes clearly be seen. The total area is about . The village of Andreas or Kirk Andreas is the only significant settlement in the parish. The nearest town, Ramsey, is 4 miles or 6 km away.

Local government

For the purposes of local government, the whole of the historic parish forms a single parish

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

with

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

s. The

Captain of the Parish The Captain of the Parish is an official in each parish in the Isle of Man—formerly the title was ''Captain of the Parish Militia'', but it is now only a titular honour. Historically the Captain of the Parish was authorised to raise his own mi ...

(since 2003) is

Dorothy Sayle Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

Politics

Andreas parish is part of the

Ayre & Michael Ayre & Michael is a House of Keys constituency in the north of the Isle of Man. It was created for the 2016 general election and elects 2 MHK It is easily the largest Keys constituency in area, and includes the parishes of Michael (parish), Michae ...

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

, which elects two Members to the House of Keys. Before 2016 it was in the

constituency.

Demographics

The Isle of Man census of 2016 returned a parish population of 1,397, a decrease of 2.1% from the figure of 1,426 in 2011.

Landmarks

Churches

St Andrew's Church in Andreas village was built in 1802 using stone from

Sulby Glen Sulby Glen is a partly wooded glen in the parish of Lezayre in the Isle of Man. It runs north to south and is about 5 km (3 miles) long. In places the floor of the glen is only 50 metres wide, with steep sides. The Sulby River rises in the n ...

as there was no local stone quarries. Although a large 120 ft bell tower was added in 1860, it was dismantled in 1945 to improve the safety of nearby

RAF Andreas Royal Air Force Andreas or more simply RAF Andreas is a former Royal Air Force station in the Isle of Man which was operational between 1941 and 1946. It was built in fields between Andreas and Bride in the north of the island. As was common ...

. The bell tower has never been restored to its original height. St Jude's Church is also located in the hamlet of St Jude's, was built in 1839. The Lhen Nature Reserve

Andreas Airfield

Near the middle of the parish is the former RAF Andreas airfield which operated between 1941 to 1946. It is home to a small number of privately owned light aircraft and also used by a gliding club.

Cronk y Bing Nature Reserve

Cronk y Bing is the site of a nature reserve in Andreas which extends all the way to the north tip of the Isle of Man at the

Point of Ayre The Point of Ayre ( gv, Kione ny Hayrey)''Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Three. Sheading of Ayre: (Kirk Andreas, Kirk Bride and Kirk Christ Lezayre)'' page 258 ''Kirk Bride'' by George Broderick – Turbingen ...

. It consists of heathland and extensive sand dunes. Plants such as marram grass, pyramidal orchid, and sea bindweed dominate the area.

References

External links

Manxnotebook Andreas
Detail about Manx parishes and description of the parish.

with full description of the parish and photographs

Isle of Man Building Control Districts
showing parish boundaries
Glenology - Manx Glens
An ongoing study of Manx glens, their locations and meanings. {{Authority control Parishes of the Isle of Man