St Trinian's Church is the roofless ruin of a small chapel at the foot of Greeba Mountain, adjacent to the main A1 Douglas - Peel Road in the parish of

Marown Marown ( , rhymes with "gown"; gv, Marooney) is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is the only landlocked parish on the Island. It is located in the centre of the island, in the sheading of Middle, though historical ...

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 ...

.Mona's Herald, Tuesday, 19 July 1960; Page: 6 Referred to in the

Manx language Manx ( or , pronounced or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the historical language of the Manx peop ...

as a "''Keeil Brisht''" (broken church), the church is the source of an ancient

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

x folktale concerning the

Buggane In Manx folklore, a (or ''boagane'') was a huge ogre-like creature native to the Isle of Man. Some have considered them akin to the Scandinavian troll. Manx folklore A shapeshifter, the buggane is generally described as a malevolent being that ...

, a huge mythical

ogre An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...

who lived on Greeba Mountain and who vowed that the church should never be completed.Peel City Guardian, Saturday, 10 September 1910; Page: 6Isle of Man Examiner, Friday, 21 June 1957; Page: 11

History

Tradition says that the church was erected in fulfilment of a vow made by a shipwrecked person. It was dedicated to the 4th century Scottish

Pict The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ear ...

ish saint,

Ninian Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...

, but later the name changed to Trinian. St Trinian's is recorded as a ruin of a 14th century church on an ancient site, as proved by the 7th century cross on the grave which can be seen at the front of the remains of the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

. The cross possibly marks the site of the founder's

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

in what would have been an original Manx Keeil. In connection with St Trinian's Church there was an independent

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

,Isle of Man Examiner, Saturday, 1 August 1903; Page: 3 whose tenants owed no immediate

fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin ''fidelitas'' (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fea ...

to the

King of Mann The King of Mann () was the title taken between 1237 and 1504 by the various rulers, both sovereign and suzerain, over the Kingdom of Mann – the Isle of Man which is located in the Irish Sea, at the centre of the British Isles. Since 1504, th ...

, though the Baron was the King's

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

. The barony lands were given by King Olaf II of Man in or about the year 1230, and successive charters or confirmations refer to the church of St Ninian and the hospitals at Ballacgniba and Balhamer.Isle of Man Times, Saturday, 21 September 1940; Page: 7 The Barony of St Trinian's therefore consisted of a religious house, the hospitals (or guest houses) and the church.Isle of Man Examiner, Friday, 25 September 1953; Page: 6 All the time the monks were at St Trinian's it may be assumed that the church was to all intents and purposes the parish church. The church belonged to the

Priory of Whithorn Whithorn Priory was a medieval Scottish monastery that also served as a cathedral, located at 6 Bruce Street in Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway (54.7357N, 4.415954W; OS grid reference NX445405). History The priory was founded a ...

, in modern

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

. Traditionally the plan of the old Manx churches is in proportion to that of St Trinian's: the length is about three times the breadth. After the collapse of the religious house the church was moved to a site on the hill beside the Rocky Lane above Ellerslie Farm, which was established as Old St Runius. There was certainly an earlier church on this site, but the structure which stands there today undoubtedly contains a great deal of material removed from St Trinian's. By the late 19th century and into the early 20th century, St Trinian's Church had become a popular venue for

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

s. For the first time in many hundreds of years divine service was conducted at St Trinian's on 4 September 1911. Contemporary reports state that a large number of people attended: far too many to be accommodated inside the chapel. The

Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Peel Cathedral, Cath ...

officiated, accompanied by the

Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man The Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man ( gv, Fo-chiannoort Vannin or ''Lhiass-chiannoort Vannin'') is the Lord of Mann's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excelle ...

Lord Raglan Baron Raglan, of Raglan in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 October 1852 for the military commander Lord FitzRoy Somerset, chiefly remembered as commander of the British troops ...

, who read the lesson, and the Reverend Clarke who read the prayers. Lady Raglan also attended; the Crosby Brass Band accompanied the singing. This led to other occasions when the church was used for worship. In September 1916 St Trinian's was used as one of the locations for the filming of '' The Manxman,'' a film based on the

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Hall Caine Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Caine's popularity during ...

.Peel City Guardian, Saturday, 23 September 1916; Page: 8 Caine lived in

Greeba Castle Greeba Castle is a castle on the Isle of Man. Etymology The name is derived from Scandinavian: Gnipa, ''a peak''. Location The castle is situated in the parish of German (but close to the boundary with Marown) on the main A1 Peel Road in the ...

, adjacent to St Trinian's. Despite more fanciful folk tales to the contrary, the most probable reason why the church remained unfinished is that it was being built some time in the early 14th century, while the island was under the rule of the Scots. Construction may well have halted in 1343, when

William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury William Montagu, alias de Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 3rd Baron Montagu, King of Man (1301 – 30 January 1344) was an English nobleman and loyal servant of King Edward III. The son of William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu, he entered the r ...

, conquered the island and expelled its Scottish owners,Holiday News, Saturday, 2 August 1958; Page: 10 who would have included the monks of

Whithorn Priory Whithorn Priory was a medieval Scottish monastery that also served as a cathedral, located at 6 Bruce Street in Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway (54.7357N, 4.415954W; OS grid reference NX445405). History The priory was founded ab ...

The Buggane of St Trinian's

A renowned Manx folk tale tells of the big

, a supernatural being which lived on Greeba Mountain, and strongly objected to the church roof being completed. Every time a roof was put on the chapel, the Buggane would come down from the mountain and throw it off. On the last occasion of the roof being almost finished, legend says that a young tailor named Timothy ClucasIsle of Man Times, Wednesday, 29 October 1890; Page: 3 wagered he would sit in the church all night and make a pair of

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

in order to

exorcise Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

the troublesome ogre. The Buggane rose from the ground, taunting Timothy, who did not look up but carried on stitching the breeches for all he was worth. Before the Buggane's taunts were finished, Timothy completed the breeches, and jumped out of the church just as the roof crashed in, dropping his needle and scissors as he made good his escape. The fiendish laugh of the Buggane arose behind him as he bounded off in flight, to which terror lent its utmost speed. Looking behind him he saw the Buggane closing on him, extending its jaws as if to swallow him alive. To escape its fury Timothy leaped into

consecrated ground In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

; bugganes were unable to stand on consecrated ground. In a fit of anger the Buggane ripped off its head and threw it at Timothy, where it exploded like a bomb. Timothy was unscathed, but the church of St Trinian has remained to this day without a roof. The Rev. Phillip Moore born in 1705; he was for 46 years

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

; he preached at Bishop Wilson's funeral and was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

. He got into Bishop Wilson's bad books when one night he masqueraded on the ruins of St Trinian's to scare the country people and to show them how wrong they were in believing in the mythical story of the Buggane.

Gallery

File:St Trinian's (1).jpg, File:St Trinian's (2).jpg, File:St Trinian's (3).jpg, File:St Trinian's (5).jpg, File:St Trinian's (7).jpg, File:St Trinian's (6).jpg, File:St Trinian's.jpg,

References

{{Reflist Keeills Churches in the Isle of Man

History

The Buggane of St Trinian's

Gallery

See also

References