The Quines in this family are from the parishes of Braddan and Onchan, just a few miles from Douglas.

This section of the web site is the story of my wife Joan's ancestors. I started this project in December 2005, knowing little about her family history.

I soon discovered that ancestors have wonderful stories to tell, legacies which extend far beyond just names and dates in the family tree. I found by working on this project that through a combination of genealogical and social history research you can fill in many gaps, allowing you to see a glimpse of their life story, the type of people they were, their work and where they lived... a picture of their time and place.

This site gives me the opportunity to share their fascinating stories.

In this Quine story the frontier between recorded data and the speculative is 1740, I have stopped at this point in the recorded genealogical history, but in 'the further in time' section is the speculative trail continuing further back.

Use the buttons on the left to explore this family section of the site.

 

The term ‘date born’ used in this report for early generations usually refers to the date a child was christened and not born, as in most cases the source information was a church record. This could mean that the actual birth was weeks or perhaps even months earlier.

 

 

A family tree is never complete, perhaps one day someone will be able to reach back earlier in time, further than I found possible.

Tales and legends from this district
All these places are within sight of where John of 1793 lived at his farm 'The Battery'. Also close to his house was the site of the Tynwald at Killabane (Keeill Abban = the Church of Saint Abban, this is where St Luke’s church now stands). The word Tin, or Ting, in the Icelandic language, signifies an assembly of the people: and Wald, a field or place. In older times the island parliament had met here.

Keeill Abban (the Church of Saint Abban)
St Lukes is built upon the site of an ancient chapel named Keeill Abban the previous church was dedicated to an Irish Saint Abban (He may also be known as Boniface)

Baldwin (Extracts from an article by J.J. Kneen) In regard to the name Baldwin or Boayldin; in spite of the fact that is called Baldall in the 15th century, I regard it as a relic of the festival of Beltane, and in fact its Manx name, Boayldin, is exactly similar in pronunciation to Boaydyn, the Manx for Beltane. The old scribes who wrote these names were notoriously careless in their spellings, and it seems very probable that the original pronunciation as found in Boayldin has been handed down by the people from mouth to mouth for long generations past

History of Tynwald Day - Old Tynwald Hill at Baldwin,
It was here where the Sheading Courts of Middle were held, of which we find a record in the Manx statutes for the year 1429 The origin of Tynwald Hill can be traced back to Baldwin it is located to the north of St. Luke's Church.

The name of the Homestead in which this Tynwald Court is situated is an extremely valuable one from an archaeological stand point; it is still called Algare, which is derived from a root 'ealg', meaning 'justice', and means 'A Place of Justice'. (Algare Farm is located some 800 metres south of St. Lukes Church)

The Royal Way. The route is recorded in the 13th Century Chronicles
Extracts from an article published in ‘The Manx notebook’ by W. Cubbon. Read at Keeill Abban, 28 July, 1927. (This would pass the land of John of 1793)

In mediaeval times it was of course very necessary that the King and his retainers should be present at Tynwald. Traffic to and from Norway and the Hebrides, which belonged to Mann, was probably more frequent than we can now imagine. In the time of the kingdom of Mann and the Isles, Tynwald was attended by eight representatives from the Out Isles, and there would be many followers. The eminent chieftains from the Hebrides, in addition to the Royal princes, would stay the night at Milntown, or Ballakillingan, or Ballure, and take the Royal Way, refreshed and with comparative comfort, in the morning.

The Royal Way was in reality what its title would indicate: an ancient track deliberately chosen and used in the middle ages by princely personages and their retainers when traveling from Ramsey port to Tynwald and to Castle Rushen. The document I have referred to was written in the latter half of the fourteenth century (the last incident mentioned is of the date 1376, when William de Montacute II was King of Man)-but the track was used centuries before that period.

After going through the pass, our Way takes a direction due south, over ling and gorse-covered spaces, and descends by Bare ny Ree (Gaelic for the Royal Way) on the southern slope of Carragbyn. Up to this point the Way is never in doubt: it is plainly visible all along.
It passes Keeill Abban, now called St. Luke's, and the site of an ancient Tynwald there. The record in the Statutes is dated 1429.

From Keeill Abban we can see across the valley to the east, where the Royal Way climbs from the two Baldwin bridges, where the Glass and the Awin Darragh meet. It goes up past the Rheyn farm house to Chibbyr Roney, to the Nab, to Corvonagh, and Ballawilley Killey. It crosses the Dhoo at Ballaquinney Mill, climbs past Ballingan and Corvalley. It goes through the mountain pass between The Mount and Slieau Chiarn, by the Braaid, and on to St. Mark's, and thence straight to Rushen Abbey and Castle Rushen, the Royal residence.

SHENN BEDN VEG CARRAGHYN. Told to W. Cubbon by John Kaneen of Castleward, 1918.
Long, long ago, in the oulden days, in the little everin' time of day, the Shenn Bedn Veg Carraghyn would be comin' from the Penypot side of Carraghyn mountain.

She would be carryin' her wheel on her shoulder, and puttin' it down on the broo of the mountain facing the settin' sun, and lookin' over the valleys of East Baldwin and West Baldwin.

She would be spinnin' end singin', and singing' and spinnin',and after a while she would take up her wheel on her shoulder, and go back by the Injebreck side of the mountain into the darkness of Awhallian.

And what was she coin', you're sayin'?She would be spinnin' the history of all the childher that would be born from time to time in the two Baldwins below.

She was the Lhiannan Shee, the friendly fairy of the Baldwins, and lookin' after them as they grew up.

But the time came when the young people would be after wantin' to know where she came from, what she was coin', and where she was goin'.

So the young men made up that they would put it to her.

'When the time came only one was bout' enough to meet her with his dogs.

He stood before her in the little everin', and when she saw him she didn' say a word. Her lips were movie' however, and her eyes were like stars. He couldn' see her for her eyes. He took fright, and his dogs began to yowl. He ran down the mountain to his companions. He was put to bed, but he didn' rise alive; and all his people died off.

'That was the last ever heard of Shenn Bedn Veg Carraghyn.'

NOTE- Just below where the old woman (called the Little Old Woman of Carragbyn) sat spinning is the site of the ancient Tynwald. There was also an early Celtic Keeill dedicated to St Abban, and the place is still called Keeil Abban. There is a Celtic Cross there, probably of the 7th or 8th century.


THE SHENN BANE CREG Y COWIN. Told by Paddy yn Boodagh of Druidale to Jack Leece. and told by him to W. Cubbon, 1927

An old woman of Creg y Cowin would be going around Baldwin from farm to farm spinning. She was going one day over the tops, across Keeill Abban, to Ulican to spin, and she lost her way in the mist. She was never found.

For a long time after, they would be hearing crying on the slopes above Ulican and Awhallian. They would go up the mountain, but they never found her. They would hear her crying, but they never saw her. They would see her shadow, but it would vanish like magic. Then a queer smell of herbs would float around, and the cry again be heard, but nothing to see.