Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ixv. (1921), No. 7 



VII. Manx Mines and Megaliths. 



By W. H. Corkill. 



(Communicated bv W. J. Perry, B.A.) 



(Bead February 22nd, 1921. Received for publication March 2nd, 1921). 



Various forms of megalithic monuments are to be found in 

 the Isle of Man. The majority of them are to be found in 

 the hilly massif which forms the backbone of the Island. 

 The monuments may be classified as follows : — 



Stone circles. 

 Standing stones. 

 Menhir. 

 Cairns. 

 Cists. 



A detailed list of the monuments will be found in the 

 Appendix, but, to avoid confusion, our immediate attention 

 will be focussed particularly on the stone circles. 



Twenty-two remains, or sites of stone circles, have been 

 found, and, with three exceptions, all are on the hilly massif. 

 Which people built these circles and what were they doing on 

 the Island ? From flint weapons and chippings, and fragments 

 of pottery found in or near by the circles, we know these 

 people lived in the period of transition from stone to bronze. 

 That they came to the Island for the purpose of mining for 

 metals will be shown in this paper. 



Although many of the stone circles are built with stone 

 obtained locally, there are exceptions to the rule. At 

 Llergydhoo, near Peel, the remains of the stone circle consist 

 of six huge boulders of white quartz of varying size, one or 

 two weighing 10 cwts. each. The nearest place where quartz 

 exists naturally is, I believe, at Cronkbane, two miles away. 

 All the stone circles are near the tops of hills, and this fact 

 might suggest the stones to be glacial boulders, but, after a 

 very close inspection of the stones at Llergydhoo and else- 

 where, no evidence of their having been glacial boulders was 

 obtained. At Ballachrink, Maughold, the stones are not of 



June joth, 1Q21. 



