Santon
| |
|---|---|
 Parish of Santon, Isle of Man | |
| Population | 691 [1] |
| OS grid reference | SC313726 |
| Sheading | Middle |
| Crown dependency | Isle of Man |
| Post town | ISLE OF MAN |
| Postcode district | IM5 |
| House of Keys | Middle |
Santon (Manx : Stondane), historically Santan, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man.
It is located in the south-east of the island (part of the traditional South Side division) in the sheading of Middle.
Settlements in the parish include Newtown.
For the purposes of local government, the whole of the historic parish forms a single parish district with commissioners. [2]
The Captain of the Parish (since 2003) is Donald James Gelling, CBE. [3]
Santon parish is part of the Middle constituency, which elects two members to the House of Keys. From 1986 until 2016 it was in the Malew and Santon constituency.
It has an area of approximately 8 square miles (21 km2) and is the island's smallest parish. The parish is now popularly known as Santon instead of the older Santan. Currently the Captain of the Parish is Mr Donald Gelling.
To the north of the parish is Newtown and the recently built estate of Mount Murray where the northern border along the Crogga River Glen is to be found. The western boundary is slightly east of Ballalonna Glen and the modern Fairy Bridge. The coastal extremities stretch from the mouth of the Crogga River at Port Soderick over Santon Head, Port Grenaugh and Port Soldrick to the mouth of the Santon Burn which rarely encroaches on Santon territory but forms the northwestern (inland) boundary for much of its course.
While the parish lacks size and good soil, it does have some high cliffs, ancient monuments, ruins, and various other scenery.
All along the Manx coastline, and particularly on the rocky slate headlands of the south, are the remains of promontory forts which date back almost 2,000 years. Four out of more than twenty have been excavated and several, especially in Santon, can be visited using the coastal footpath. All have a rampart on their vulnerable landward side, and excavations at Cronk ny Merriu have shown that access to the fort was by a strongly built gate. [4]
The Scandinavians who arrived in Mann in the 8th and 9th centuries sometimes re-used these Iron Age promontory forts, often obliterating the old domestic quarters with their characteristic rectangular houses; the fine example at Cronk ny Merriu has been used as the basis of the reconstruction in the House of Manannan.
The Isle of Man census of 2016 returned a parish population of 700, an increase of 1.3% from the figure of 691 in 2011. [1]
The ecclesiastical parish of Santon no longer exists as a separate area. Until 1 November 2012 it was coterminous with the civil parish (see below), but on that date part of the ecclesiastical parish of Braddan between Mount Murray and Port Walberry, including part of the Mount Murray estate, Port Soderick and Quine's Hill, was transferred to the parish of Santon. [5] On 1 February 2013 the parish of Santon and the parish of Malew (except a detached part of the latter to the west of Castletown) were united to form a new ecclesiastical parish of Malew and Santon. [6] The parish church of the former parish of Santon, which is now one of the four parish churches of the united parish, is St Sanctain. St Sanctain's stands on the site of an ancient 1500-year-old chapel Keeill - well before St. Augustine came from Rome to Canterbury. The name St Sanctain is of Irish origin and according to legend, the saint was a disciple of St Patrick and Bishop of Cell da Les (Church of Two Forts). Occasioned by an error, the church was referred to as St Ann (or Anne) during the 17th century and this lasted until it was officially corrected in 1891.
The living of Santon was in the patronage of the Crown, in the person of Her Majesty the Queen, the Lord of Mann. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was in the hands of the Abbot of Rushen Abbey. The united benefice of Malew and Santon is also in the patronage of the Crown. When the Queen appoints a new vicar, the Lieutenant Governor receives presentment documents signed by the Queen. At the Service of Institution and induction of a new vicar, these documents, together with the new vicar, are presented by the Lieutenant Governor to the Bishop of Sodor and Man with the request that the Bishop institute the nominee of the Crown. This duty is always carried out by the Governor in person.
The Isle of Man is an island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland in Northern Europe, with a population of almost 85,000. It is a British Crown dependency. It has a small islet, the Calf of Man, to its south. It is located at 54°15′N4°30′W.
A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to date to the Iron Age. They are mainly found in Ireland, Brittany, the Orkney Islands, the Isle of Man, Devon, the Channel Islands and Cornwall.
Ballasalla is a village in the parish of Malew in the south-east of the Isle of Man. The village is situated close to the Isle of Man Airport and 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town of Castletown.
Ballabeg is a village on the Isle of Man. It is in the parish of Arbory in the sheading of Rushen, in the south of the island near Castletown. There are several small villages and hamlets with the name, although Ballabeg in Arbory is the most well-known and populous.
Donald James Gelling CBE CP, CInstSMM is a Manx former politician, who is a former Chief Minister of the Isle of Man who served two terms as Head of the Government.
Michael is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located on the west of the island and consists of the three historic parishes of Ballaugh, Jurby and Michael.
Marown is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is the only landlocked parish on the Island.
Local governmentin the Isle of Man was formerly based on six sheadings, which were divided into seventeen parishes. The island is today divided for local government purposes into town districts, village districts, parish districts, and "districts", as follows:
Rushen, formally Kirk Christ Rushen, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man.
Braddan is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man.
Middle is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man.
Santon Burn is a watercourse in the Isle of Man.
Andreas is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island in the sheading of Ayre. The main settlement in the parish in the village of Andreas, which is also known as Kirk Andreas.
Saint Sanctain or Sanctan was a 6th-century Manx bishop, who originally came from Northern Britain.
Port Grenaugh is a cove in the south-east of the Isle of Man at the foot of Glen Grenaugh, in the parish of Santon, and the mouth of Grace's stream which originates in the Newtown area of the parish by Ballakissack farm.
Close to Port Grenaugh, Cronk ny Merriu is one of the remains of promontory forts in the Isle of Man. Cronk ny Merriu was previously considered by historians to be a prehistoric burial place due to its large grass-covered bank and name, literally translating to "Hill of the Dead". The bank and ditch created a defensive promontory fort at Cronk ny Merriu. Later, a rectangular building of Norse style and layout stood here, part of a system of coastal lookout posts used to protect the coastline and to police beach markets. Excavations of Cronk ny Merriu show that there was very little domestic activity, and that the Norse building likely didn't have permanent residency. It's suggested that the longhouse was primarily a building for those at nearby forts to shelter from harsh weather, rather than a place of defence itself. Although no scientific dating has been done, due to the similarities with fortified headlands throughout the Anglo-Celtic isles, archeologists strongly believe that this site dates back to the Celtic Iron Age.
The Crogga River is a river in the Isle of Man.
Arbory is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man.
Malew is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man.