Buried Boats & Bizarre Rites

Balladoole

Several extremely fine Viking burials have been excavated in the Isle of Man, two of them of individuals buried in ships and amongst the first of their kind to be found in the British Isles. The position of the boat burial at Chapel Hill, Balladoole, can be seen picked out in white quartz boulders. Gerhard Bersu, interned in the Island during World War II, was responsible for excavating this and two other Viking graves as well as the great roundhouses at Ballacagen

Ballateare

The grave at Ballateare was simpler, but the findings were very dramatic, including the mutilated remains of a young woman sacrificed to accompany the dead man into the underworld. A sword, three spears and a shield were also found in this grave. All the artefacts from Ballateare can be seen in the Manx Museum.

The Pagan Lady

Recent excavation within Peel Castle on St. Patrick’s Isle, has produced evidence of at least seven more pagan burials, all located within a Christian cemetery. This hints at the integration of peoples, material cultures and beliefs which would ultimately shape the Manx identity.

The richest burial of all was of a woman interred with a cooking spit (a symbol of domestic power rare outside Scandinavia), knives and sewing equipment including a workbox, needles and shears.

"The Pagan Lady" had been buried wearing various personal ornaments, including 73 glass, amber and jet beads. All are different and unique; some came from far-flung locations, and others were already centuries old when they were deposited in the grave. Together they represent an exotic historic heirloom of considerable value to their dead owner.