Saint Mary’s de Ballaugh is one of the churches in the Parish of The Northern Plain the others being St Mary de Ballaugh, St Andrew, Andreas, St Patrick, Jurby and St Stephen, Sulby.
A parish church has existed in Ballaugh, and presumably was located on the same site as the present Old Church where at least as long ago as the year 1231, when it was mentioned in a Papal bull.
The Church has continuously been dedicated to St. Mary, “Our Lady,” and Canon Quine holds that the second syllable in the parish name means ‘lady’. The Anglo-Saxons had a word ‘hlafdige’*, loaf or bread-giver, which was the origin of the modern word lady. This implies that the Anglo-Saxon language was once used in the Isle of Man. There is evidence, both in documents and in inscribed crosses, that Man was conquered by the Angles of Northumbria, but the occupation is not believed to have lasted long.
The Rev. James Wilks, one of the most famous rectors of Ballaugh, held that the original name was ‘Bat-ne-laghey’, “with ‘laghey’ signifying mud, wherewith this parish formerly abounded,” and Mr J. J. Kneen’s version is ‘Balley-ne-loghey’, “the place of the lake” – this particular lake being situated in the area still called the Dollagh, which means “black lake.”
The Old Church now was replaced in 1832, but its use has been kept alive by weeknight services and special Sunday services in the summer.
The late Miss Winifred Kneale, daughter of the then rector, had a great affection for these weeknight services and did much to keep them going.
The building was enlarged by Bishop Wilson in 1717, but has the appearance of something really ancient, and the quaint slanting gate pillars – “nutcrackers” as they have been described – have often been admired.
The Rev. John Mason Neale, a High Church leader, and the author of many beautiful translations of the hymns of the early Church, visited the Isle of Man in 1848 and made notes on what he called its ecclesiology.
He says of Ballaugh Old Church that “though new, it is evidently rebuilt on the old plan, and its west facade is extremely interesting. It has a western porch, which I suppose resembled that at Kirk Maughold, and from this two-flat square-edged pilasters rear up to the campanile” i.e. the bell tower “which is of the same character as in our own Saxon churches. It is much to be wished that the original work remained as it is.”
The arch over the main doorway is of old red sandstone and Norman in its style of architecture. Canon Quine also describes the porch as Norman in character.
A year after Neale’s visit, the church was shortened by about a third and the chancel, which apparently included a stone marked with the initials of Bishop Wilson, and a flat tomb containing a Latin inscription composed by the Bishop in memory of his friend and fellow-prisoner, the Rev. William Walker, was taken away.
There was another alteration in 1879, by the Rev. William Kermode. He noted, in the north-eastern corner, a block of red sandstone bearing the word “salvation,” the letter “t” being shaped so as to form the centre of a cross. Mr Kermode came to the conclusion that this was the foundation of a former church and that the word “salvation” was inscribed in obedience to the passage of Isaiah, “Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.”
In the churchyard is a sundial that dates from 1813 whilst inside the Church is an eleventh century Runic Cross, the only one found in Ballaugh, to date, which shows features of the famous sculptor, Gaut. Also inside the Church is ancient red sandstone baptismal font and two cane-backed sanctuary chairs given by Bishop Wilson.
A very beautiful little church and well worth visiting even if parking is a bit tricky.
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Source: An introduction to the Architecture of the Isle of Man by Patricia Tutt (ISBN:978-1-907945-10-6)