Jurby

Jurby (Old Norse: djúra-bý – deer settlement - animal park) (locally /ˈdʒərbiː/) [2] is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north-west of the island (part of the traditional North Side division) in the sheading of Michael.

Jurby Parish sign, illustrating the close ties between the parish and the Royal Air Force

Jurby
  • Manx: Skeerey Jorby

St. Patrick's Church, Jurby

Parish of Jurby, Isle of Man
Population776 [1]
OS grid referenceSC3702298134
SheadingMichael
Crown dependencyIsle of Man
Post townISLE OF MAN
Postcode districtIM7
House of KeysAyre & Michael

Local government

For the purposes of local government, the whole of the historic parish forms a single parish district with Commissioners.

The Captain of the Parish (since 1999) is John James Quayle.[3]

Politics

Jurby parish is part of the Ayre & Michael constituency, which elects two Members to the House of Keys. Before 2016 it was in the Michael constituency.

Demographics

The Isle of Man census of 2016 returned a parish population of 776, a decrease of 2.7% from the figure of 797 in 2011.[1] According to the 2011 Isle of Man census, 3.5% of Jurby residents reported that they could speak, read or write in the Manx language.[4]

Geography

The parish of Jurby, which lies on the north-western coast of the island, borders those of Andreas to the east, Lezayre to the south-east, and Ballaugh to the south. It is low-lying overall: the highest elevations are some coastal dunes with a height of up to 39 metres.

There is an industrial park on the old RAF Jurby Airfield, but otherwise the district is almost entirely agricultural. Apart from the Jurby airfield buildings, there are no significant settlements in the parish.

Landmarks

Airfield
Main article: RAF Jurby

Jurby Airfield was originally used as a Royal Air Force training base in World War II. During the 1950s it was used as a training camp for Officer cadets on short term commissions in the RAF. The course lasted three months. Part of the airfield is now used as an industrial and retail estate. The old runways and taxiways now form the Jurby motorcycle race track.

The grassland surrounding the airfield harbours many wildflowers, as the land has never been ploughed. Skylarks can be heard in summer when there are no races on. A large part of the airfield therefore has statutory protection under the Wildlife Act 1990 as an Area of Special Scientific Importance.

Museums
Main article: Jurby Transport Museum

A museum dedicated to transport in the island, the Jurby Transport Museum, is housed in an old aircraft hangar.

Another museum nearby, the Isle of Man Motor Museum, was officially opened by the Lieutenant Governor on 22 May 2015.[5][6]

Church
Main article: St. Patrick's Church, Jurby
Viking carved cross at Jurby.

A tiny 8th century chapel dedicated to St Cecilia (the patron saint of music), was Jurby's first recorded church. St Cecilia's Day on 22 November was the parish festival day. There are several Viking carved crosses and gravestones within the church. Medieval objects have occasionally been excavated when new graves were prepared in the church grounds.

In medieval times the church was part of the Whithorn diocese in South West Scotland. This caused some political trouble when the English and Scots were at war; the Bishop invited the Scottish clergy of Jurby to visit him and was criticised by English authorities for fraternising with the enemy.

The present St. Patrick's Church, Jurby was built during the war with help of RAF Jurby. There are a number of war graves, for British, Commonwealth and Polish servicemen. They died mostly from aircraft training accidents.

The church is set on a slight headland on the coast and there are views south to Peel, north to Scotland, and inland across the rural north of the island, towards the hills.

Prison
Main article: Isle of Man Prison

The Isle of Man Prison operated by the Isle of Man Prison Service is located at Jurby.

Treens

Jurby was historically subdivided into five treens:[7]

  1. Sertfell
  2. Knoksewell
  3. Dalyott
  4. Slekby
  5. Le Soulby

See also
  • RAF Jurby Head, an offshore air weapons range operational between 1939 and 1993
  • St. Patrick's Church
  • Interior of St. Patrick's Church
  • St. Patrick's Church and graveyard
  • Aerial view of the Airfield with Jurby visible in the distance.
  • RAF Jurby Head
  • Interior of Jurby Transport Museum

References
  1. "2016 Isle of Man Census Report" (PDF). Gov.im. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  2. Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Two. Sheading of Michael: (Kirk Michael, Ballaugh and Jurby) pages 205 & 245 Jurby by George Broderick – Turbingen ; Niemeyer NE:HST (1995) Manx Place- Name Survey, Max Niemeyer Verlag Tűbingen ISBN 3-484-40138-9 (Gesamtwerk) 3-484-40130-3 (Band 2) Druck und Eiband: Weihert-Druck GmbH Darmstadt.
  3. "Captains of the Parishes". Culture Vannin. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  4. The Manx Gaelic language in education in the Isle of Man (PDF) (Report). 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. "Motor museum opens its doors". Isle of Man Today. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  6. "Father and son open Isle of Man Motor Museum in Jurby". BBC News. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  7. isle-of-man.com: Treens and Quarterlands Retrieved 18 December 2017.
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