Andreas ( or ; gv, Skeerey Andreas) is one of the seventeen
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
es of 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 = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. 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 Chris ...
. 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 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 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 (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.
Severa
carved stone crossesand 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 mode ...
, ''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
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
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
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 north the Scottish
Southern Uplands
The Southern Uplands ( gd, Na Monaidhean a Deas) are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the other two being the Central Lowlands and the Grampian Mountains and the Highlands, as illustrate ...
and the
Mull of Galloway
The Mull of Galloway ( gd, Maol nan Gall, ; ) is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, at the end of the Rhins of Galloway peninsula.
The Mull has one of the last remaining sections of natur ...
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
Ramsey may refer to:
Geography British Isles
* Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England
* Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England
** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey"
* Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...
, is 4 miles or 6 km away.
Local government
For the purposes of
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
, 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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
with
Commissioners.
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.
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), Micha ...
constituency, which elects two Members to the
House of Keys
The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
History
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in L ...
. Before 2016 it was in the
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 Chris ...
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 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 p ...
. 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.
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
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
land and extensive sand dunes. Plants such as marram grass, pyramidal orchid, and sea bindweed dominate the area.
References
External links
Manxnotebook AndreasDetail about Manx parishes and description of the parish.
with full description of the parish and photographs
Isle of Man Building Control Districtsshowing parish boundaries
Glenology - Manx GlensAn ongoing study of Manx glens, their locations and meanings.
{{Authority control
Parishes of the Isle of Man