Peel Castle
Peel Castle ( Cashtal Purt-ny-Hinshey in Manx ) is a ruined castle in Peel on the British Isle of Man , which was originally built by the Vikings . The castle stands on St. Patrick's Isle , which is connected to the city by a causeway. Today it belongs to Manx National Heritage and is open to the public in summer.
history
The castle was built in the 11th century by the Vikings under the rule of King Magnus III. built by Norway . There were older Celtic monastic buildings on the island, but the first Viking fortifications were made of wood. The easily visible round tower was originally part of a Celtic monastery, but later received battlements . In the early 14th century, most of the towers and walls were built mainly from the red sandstone , which is found in abundance in the area. After the end of Viking rule, the church continued to use the castle as a cathedral stood there - the bishopric of the diocese of Sodor and Man - but it was abandoned in the 18th century.
The castle remained fortified and new fortifications were added until 1860. The buildings inside the castle are mostly ruins today, but the outer wall has remained intact. Excavations in 1982–1987 produced an extensive cemetery and the remains of the original wooden fort of Magnus III. revealed. One of the most spectacular finds is the tomb of the “Pagan Lady” from the 10th century, in which a beautiful Viking necklace and a depository of silver coins from around 1030 were found.
Others
The most famous “resident” of the castle is the Moddey Dhoo or “Black Dog”.
Peel Castle can be seen today on the £ 10 note issued by the Isle of Man government.
Peel Castle is sometimes confused with the English Piel Castle , which is located on Piel Island , about 50 km east of the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea . This is particularly the case with regard to the poem by William Wordsworth , which Piel describes but which he writes "Peele". Especially since we know that Wordsworth also visited Peel Castle and wrote several times about the Isle of Man.
Peel Castle was also suggested as a possible location for Avalon from Arthurian legend .
Ruins of St German Cathedral
The ruins of a church in the castle walls are those of the earlier St German Cathedral. As with the other buildings in the courtyard, the cathedral is completely missing the roof. An investigation into which repairs would be necessary to restore the cathedral was carried out by Robert Anderson in 1877 for the island's lieutenant. But none of the proposed repairs were ever carried out.
A crypt with pointed arches is located under the cathedral choir. The building is 10.2 meters × 4.8 meters × 2.7 meters at its western end and slopes down towards the entrance in the east.
In the middle of the transept is the grave in which Samuel Rutter , Bishop of Sodor and Man , was buried in 1661 .
In the former main nave of the cathedral there is now a cemetery.
In 1980 the parish of St German, part of the Diocese of Sodor and Man of the Church of England , was transferred to the newer Cathedral of Peel on Albany Road in Peel.
Individual references and comments
- ^ William Wordsworth - Itinerary Poems of 1833 . Isle-of-Man.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ↑ Wordsworth's lines on Peele Castle, sometimes referred to as Peel Castle on the Isle of Man, actually refer to Peele in Foudrey near Barrow.
- ↑ Kelly D. Whittaker: Avalon's Location . ElectricScotland.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ↑ Frances Coakley: The Ruined Cathedral of St. German, Peel, Isle of Man . In: A Manx Note Book: An Electronic Compendium of Matters Past and Present Connected with the Isle of Man . 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ A b c Robert Anderson: Scheme for an Extensive Reparation of the Ruins of Peel Castle and St. German's Cathedral, Isle of Man . In: A Manx Note Book: An Electronic Compendium of Matters Past and Present Connected with the Isle of Man . 1877. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
Web links and sources
- Peel Heritage Trust website.
- Floor plan of the old Cathedral of St German (around 1727).
- Peel Castle . Isle of Man Guide.
Coordinates: 54 ° 13 ′ 35.2 " N , 4 ° 41 ′ 56.8" W.