Click an image to enlarge…
The Grove at Ramsey/IoM
As a previous post recalls, Ann & I, although on holiday in the Isle of Man, we combined the break with some research into an obelisk memorial stone in Everton Cemetery… to Duncan Gibb, a Liverpool Merchant operating in the city, during the 1800’s… and who bought and renovated a holiday home in Ramsey on the Isle of Man, called ‘The Grove‘… this research was to send us on a journey around the Island.
I feel, that I must give special thanks to the staff of the Grove, for allowing me to see literature on the Gibb family, not seen by the average visitor, which opened new avenues of research, I would also like to express thanks to the staff at the Manx Archives, for help in locating reference materials, which helped us immensely for locating graves around the Island.
The Manx Museum
The Gibb’s book
After our visit to the The Grove… Ann and I went the Manx Archives, housed in the Library Section of the Manx Museum in Douglas. I was looking for the small booklet, which had been given to us at the Grove, to read, but not take away… This booklet was to prove invaluable, in my research (and I subsequently sourced a copy on Ebay, and it was waiting for us in the post when we arrived home)…
Duncan & Janet Gibb
After searching Burial Registers of the day, we discovered that the small church of St. Mary’s in Ballure (near Ramsey), had fallen into disrepair during the early 1940’s. This is the church and graveyard in which, the Gibb’s family graves, were located. However, we also found through our reseach that the church had been privately bought, and renovated to create a house. The headstones had been moved to the boundary walls, and the graveyard landscaped to provide gardens to the house. So we the following day, we called at the Manx tourist information in Douglas, to plan our visit to the church and hopefully find the ex church, and its headstones. We boarded, the Manx Electric Railway at Laxey, and with the superb help and local knowledge of the conductor… made our way to the church… the train stopped, especially for us to alight at the driveway of the old church… Fantastic !!!
The entrance to St. Mary’s Ballure
Ann discovers the Duncan & Janet headstone
click to read the inscription…
Another stone to members of the Gibb family
click to read the inscription…
The following day, we were in search of another member of the Gibb family, this search was to take us to the south of the Island… for we were on the track of Duncan Gibb’s, eldest son… Duncan Gibb Jnr and his wife Sarah (nee Turnbull). We had found them in the Manx Archives, to be located in the Rushen Parish Church, of Kirk Christ, near Port Erin, and so this time, travelling by road bus, and with the help of the driver… we were put off, at the road which gave us the shortest walk to the church and its graveyard…
Kirk Christ, Rushen, IoM
The interior of Kirk Christ
Armed with the Plot Maps for the church graveyard, we made our way around the the cemetery to where we would locate the plot required, and find it we did…
Duncan & Sarah’s Memorial Stone
click above to read inscription…