' (), located close to

Port Grenaugh Port Grenaugh is a cove in the south-east of the Isle of Man at the foot of Glen Grenaugh, in the parish of Santon, and the mouth of Grace's stream which originates in the Newtown area of the parish by Ballakissack farm. Close by is Cronk ny ...

, is one of the remains of

promontory forts A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. The oldest known promontory fort is Amnya I in Siber ...

in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. ''Cronk ny Merriu'' was previously considered by historians to be a

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

burial place due to its large grass-covered bank and name, literally translating to "Hill of the Dead". The bank and ditch created a defensive promontory fort at ''Cronk ny Merriu''. Later, a rectangular building of Norse style and layout stood here, part of a system of coastal lookout posts used to protect the coastline and to police beach markets. Excavations of ''Cronk ny Merriu'' show that there was very little domestic activity, and that the Norse building likely didn't have permanent residency. It's suggested that the longhouse was primarily a building for those at nearby forts to shelter from harsh weather, rather than a place of defence itself. Although no scientific dating has been done, due to the similarities with fortified headlands throughout the Anglo-Celtic isles, archeologists strongly believe that this site dates back to the Celtic Iron Age. Several of the lookout posts, especially in Santon, where ''Cronk ny Merriu'' is situated, can be visited using the coastal footpath. The posts were protected with a deep ditch and a

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

strengthed by large stones on their vulnerable landward side. There'd also be a heavily protected gateway, with ramparts built up on either side, for those seeking shelter in the fort. The

Scandinavians Scandinavia is a subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also refer to the Scand ...

who arrived in

Mann Mann may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama * Mann (chess), a variant chess piece * ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine * Mann (rapper), Dijon Shariff Thames (born 19 ...

in the eighth and ninth centuries sometimes re-used these Iron Age promontory forts, often obliterating the old domestic quarters with their characteristic rectangular houses; the example at ''Cronk ny Merriu'' has been used as the basis of the reconstruction of the House of Manannan museum in

Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Pee ...

Etymology

Hill forts in the Isle of Man Historic sites in the Isle of Man Tourist attractions in the Isle of Man History of the Isle of Man In the

Manx language Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx ...

(hill) {{lang, gv, ny Merriu (the dead) means literally 'Hill of the Dead'.

Etymology

References