Bishopscourt (previously known as Ballacurry, in Manx : the farm of McCurry or O'Curry) [1] consists of a 17th-century mansion house, the St Nicholas (Private Chapel) in the Church of England Diocese of Sodor and Man, and the former estate of Ballachurry or Bishopscourt Manse.
Previously the official residence of the Bishop of Sodor and Man, the current Bishopscourt House and estate are now in private ownership.
Bishopscourt is situated north of Kirk Michael on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road and is known as a historic point in the TT races, adjacent to the 16th Milestone road-side marker of the Snaefell Mountain Course close to the tertiary C19 Orrisdale Loop Road junction.
The Bishopscourt Manse and the Bishop's Glen form part of the boundary of the parishes of Michael and Ballaugh. The bishop's Chapel of St Nicholas was the diocese's pro-cathedral from 1895 [2] until the estate's sale in 1976. [3] One of its former owners was Lord Bishop George Lloyd of Chester, who married his daughter to the son of Chancellor David Yale.
From 1643 to 1651, the grandson of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Derby, James Stanley, used the palace as his summer estate while the see was vacant. [4] During the English Civil War under Cromwell, Commander-in-Chief Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, appointed James Chaloner as Governor of the Isle of Man, who used the palace as his primary residence. [4]
The palace is over 700 years old and was sold around 2020 for about 6 million pounds. [5] [6]
The current residence dates from the 17th century; the former moated King Orry's Tower and previous timbered residence was rebuilt by Bishop Thomas Wilson from 1698 after finding the 'house in ruins nothing but a sentient tower and chapel remaining entire'.
Bishop Wilson rebuilt in the present castellated baronial style, and it was enlarged by Bishop Claudius Crigan from 1784 onwards. The King Orry's Tower was repaired and restored by Bishop Crigan in preparation 'to reside at Bishopscourt, to repair and even rebuild the ruins of which as all was ruins has cost a very severe expense'. [7]
The chapel dating from 1651 adjacent to King Orry's Tower was demolished around 1815 and replaced by a Georgian Chapel on the same site, which itself was replaced by a Victorian Gothic Chapel of St. Nicholas on a slightly different site by Bishop Horatio Powys. [8]
Further renovation occurred after a fire in 1893 destroyed the hall section of Bishopscourt house. [9] A tree was planted in the garden by King George V of England in 1920 during a visit. [5]
The Isle of Man had become physically separated from Great Britain and Ireland by 6500 BC. It appears that colonisation took place by sea sometime during the Mesolithic era. The island has been visited by various raiders and trading peoples over the years. After being settled by people from Ireland in the first millennium AD, the Isle of Man was converted to Christianity and then suffered raids by Vikings from Norway. After becoming subject to Norwegian suzerainty as part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, the Isle of Man later became a possession of the Scottish and then the English crowns.
Laxey is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse Laxa meaning 'Salmon River'. Its key distinguishing features are its three working vintage railways and the largest working waterwheel in the world. It is also the location of King Orry's Grave.
Peel is a seaside town and small fishing port in the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of German but administered separately. Peel is the third largest town in the island after Douglas and Ramsey but the fourth largest settlement, as Onchan has the second largest population but is classified as a village.
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
The Diocese of Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets. Today, the bishop's office is in Douglas and the cathedral is in Peel. The diocese is not generally called either "Sodor diocese" or "Man diocese".
Peel Castle is a castle in Peel on the Isle of Man, originally constructed by Norwegians. The castle stands on St Patrick's Isle which is connected to the town by a causeway. It is now owned by Manx National Heritage and is open to visitors during the summer.
The Cathedral Church of Saint German or Peel Cathedral, renamed Cathedral Isle of Man, is located in Peel, Isle of Man. The cathedral is also one of the parish churches in the parish of the West Coast, which includes the town of Peel. Built in 1879–84, it was made the cathedral by Act of Tynwald in 1980.
Ballaugh is a small village on the Isle of Man in the parish of the same name, in the sheading of Michael. It is the only village in the parish.
Santon, historically Santan, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man.
Castle Rushen is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle is amongst the best examples of medieval castles in Europe and is still in use as a museum and educational centre.
The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.
The Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury.
Thomas Wilson was Bishop of Sodor and Man between 1697 and 1755.
Bishop's Court Halt was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the residence of the local bishop in the Isle of Man and was a stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
Isaac Barrow was an English clergyman and Bishop, consecutively, of Sodor and Man and St Asaph, and also served as Governor of the Isle of Man. He was the founder of the Bishop Barrow Trust. During his time as Bishop of Sodor and Man and Governor of the Isle of Man, he enacted significant social, political, and ecclesiastical reforms. He is sometimes confused with his more famous namesake and nephew, Isaac Barrow (1630–1677), the mathematician and theologian.
Arthur Henry Attwell was Bishop of Sodor and Man from 1983 to 1988. He served as Dean of Kimberley, South Africa, from 1953 to 1959 and afterwards as Rector of Workington, Cumberland.
The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where the bishop's seat is located, is in the town of Peel. St German's was elevated to cathedral status on 1 November 1980.
Richard Finn Blackburn is a British retired Anglican bishop. From 2009 until 2018, he served as the Bishop of Warrington — the sole suffragan bishop in the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool; he was also temporarily the acting Bishop of Sodor and Man, 2016–2017.
Peter Andrew Eagles, is a British retired Anglican bishop. From 2017 to 2023, he was the Bishop of Sodor and Man; he was consecrated a bishop in the Church of England in June 2017, and he was installed in September 2017. He is a former chaplain of the British Army, serving as Archdeacon for the Army (2011–2017) and the Deputy Chaplain-General of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department (2014–2017).
Stephen Herbert Wynn Hughes-Games (1862–1923) was an English chaplain, theologian and poet with strong ties to the Isle of Man.