Raby Mooar Well (213) – Patrick

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Information

Raby Mooar Well, Patrick.  

At Rheaby-mooar there are the remains of a chapel, walls two feet high; burial ground bout quarter of an acre in extent. The ancient baptismal font — a rude granite block — lies there, about three yards distant from a well in the neighbourhood of the chapel.

Reference

Vestigia Insulae Manniae Antiquiora, translated and edited by HR Oliver, Esq, M.D. (1860)

 

 

The graveyards attached to keeylls are occasionally of large extent. There are on the hill at Reaby, in the parish of Patrick, the remains of a keeyll, surrounded by a cemetery, which is 40 yards long by 26 yards wide. The interior of this church is 17 feet by 9 feet 6 inches, and in its centre lies half buried its old square font. In the field, named Magher-y-Ruillick, in which the keeyll is, there is a well, the water of which is supposed to have been used for sacred purposes. Near the well is a large circular flat mass of granite, which has in its centre a round cup-like cavity about three inches deep. This may have formed the socket of a cross. Mr. Quirk, the proprietor of the estate, informed the Commissioners that he had not been able to ascertain the name of this keeyll.

Reference

First Report of the Archaeological Commission, (1878)

 

Some field names are mentioned in relation to Raby Mooar farm, in particular:

Magher Rhullick, “Graveyard Field,” which contains the keeill, the well which was once reputed curative, and the cemetery.

Reference

A Manx Scrapbook by W Walter Gill (1929)

Location

The well does not exist per se but a patch of wet ground has been reported.  There is no well marked on the OS but the word ‘Font’ appears in the NW corner of the field and the well appears to have been near the Font per the 1860 report above.

Access

Private land.  Landlowner’s permission required.

Links

NLS OS 6″ Sheet VII Surveyed: 1869 Published: 1870

Vestigia Insulae Manniae Antiquiora

First Report of the Archaeological Commission, 1878

Blog post on a visit to the keeill in 2016; includes a photo of the wet patch which may be the site of the well.

Contact

If you have any information on this well please contact me and quote well record number (213) as this will help identify which well you are referring too.