Thie Tashtee Troailtagh – Stoyr ny Reddyn Mooarey

Large Object Store – three items from Manx history and three different stories.

Our large object store at Balthane holds many different items from many different parts of Manx History. Here we have picked three objects from the store that tell three different stories from different parts of Manx History: An ordinary looking chair that played a small part in the conversion of many ordinary Manx people to Methodism, a frightening fellow from the later years of the Manx tourism boom, and an old mower with a maker’s name that is not all it seems.

Caair Wesley (R-0138)

Va John Wesley ny phreachoor ren cur er bun yn Agglish Vethodagh. V’eh troailt mygeayrt as preacheil ayns baljyn er fud ny hellanyn shoh, as tra nagh row eh lowit jannoo ymmyd jeh keeill y valley veagh eh preacheil çheu mooie. Haink Wesley dys Mannin son yn chied cheayrt ayns 1771 as ren eh jannoo ymmyd jeh’n chaair shoh dy hassoo er traa v’eh preacheil ayns Balley Chashtal.

Va ram boiraghyn ec ny Manninee ec y traa shen: va ram sleih feer voght, as haink meshtallys dy ve ny cooish vooar son va ram jough lajer neu-chostal çheet stiagh syn ellan kyndagh rish yn ‘running trade’. My shen, fodmayd sheiltyn cre’n fa ren paart dy Vanninee soiaghey mooar jeh goan Wesley.

Haink yn Agglish Vethodagh dy ve ennoil dy liooar ayns Mannin. Va ymmodee kialteenyn Methodagh troggit ayns shoh, as ta ram jeu foast ayn. As shen myr va ayrn scanshoil caair feer chadjin ayns caghlaa shennaghys Ellan Vannin.

Wesley Chair

John Wesley was a preacher and founder of what we now call the Methodist Church. He travelled around preaching and when local parish churches would not allow him to use their pulpits he would preach outdoors. In 1771 Wesley came to the Isle of Man and preached to a large crowd in Castletown, standing upon this chair so the crowd could see and hear him. He wrote about the occasion in his journal, remarking that the whole of Castletown came out to hear him.

Many of the ordinary Manx people converted to Methodism. John Wesley’s messages of social reform and temperance appealed to a population of very poor people during the time smuggling made strong spirits readily available. Methodist Chapels sprang up all over the island and many still stand today. It’s extraordinary to think this very ordinary chair played its own part in shaping Manx history.

Dracula viosh yn White City Ghost Train (2007-0175)

Keayrt dy row va thousannyn dy leih çheet dys Mannin voish Sostyn son ny laghyn seyrey oc. Va ymmodee buill troggit son ny skibbytee boghtey shoh, goaill stiagh halley kiaull er koine Kione Droghad. Va ram reddyn elley çheu-mooie jeh’n halley neesht dy ghoaill argid veih ny skibbyltee boghtey shoh, goaill stiagh thieyn bee, shappyn as fun fair.

Va’n Halley Kiaull currit mow liorish aile ayns 1962, as ga nagh row monney skibbyltee boghtey foast cur shilley er yn ellan ec yn traa shen ren yn fun fair ec White City tannaghtyn foshlit son feed blein lurg shen raad veagh yn dooinney shoh lheim magh er sleih er y Ghost Train.

Dracula character from White City

Just over one hundred years ago the Isle of Man was a very popular tourist destination. Each year hundreds of thousands of visitors travelled to the island,

Many venues for music dance and entertainment opened up to cater for the thousands of tourists. One such place opened on Onchan Head, an outdoor theatre quickly followed by a music hall, amusement arcade and fun fair.

When the music pavilion was destroyed by fire in the 1960s tourism was already in decline on the island but the White City fun fair remained open for another 20 years where this scary fellow would jump out on thrill seekers on the Ghost train.

1974 – 0300 Buinneyder

Ren daa ghaaue, Kneen as Martin ass Skylley Andreas jannoo yn buinneyder shoh. V’ad er n’akin fer elley agh cha row ad son geeck son echey son v’eh feer chostal. Myr shen hooar ad peeshyn dy fuygh as nappinyn as ren ad ‘patternyn’ son y vuinneyder assdoo. Eisht hie ad dys y foundry ayns Doolish as ren ad geddyn y buinneyder shoh jeant lesh ny patternyn v’ad er n’yannoo. Hug ad yn ennym oc hene er neesht! Foddee shiu gynsagh ny smoo mychione John Kneen as clashtyn eh loayrt Gaelg ayns shoh: Skeealyn Vannin.

Mower 1974-0300

Kneen and Martin, two blacksmiths from Andreas made this mower. They had seen a mower just like it for sale but instead of paying the high price they decided to make one themselves. They copied the mower by carving pattern pieces into wood and turnips. They then had the mower cast at Gellings Foundry in Douglas, and had their own names marked on the machine. You can learn more about John Kneen and hear him speaking Manx on iMuseum here: Skeealyn Vannin