Lewis Crellin (1901–1990) also known as Louis Crellin or Lewis y Crellin was a

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 ...

scholar and teacher who was involved with the revival of the

on 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 ...

in the 20th century and the Manx independence movement in the 1960s.

Early life

Lewis Crellin was born in

Foxdale Foxdale (; ; – 'waterfall dale or valley'), also called Balley'n Eas (meaning "waterfall-town in Manx"), is a village consisting of the on the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road with the junction of the A24 Foxdale to Braaid road and the A40 ''T ...

on the

, but was orphaned at an early age and raised by his grandparents. Although Crellin was raised in an area that still had a significant number of older Manx speakers, he took no interest in it himself until he was much older.

Manx language

Crellin started learning Manx was he was nearly 40 years old. He learned Manx by visiting the elderly native speakers around the Island, who in turn introduced him to the small community of Manx language enthusiasts that included figures such as Walter Clarke, Doug Fargher, and Charles Craine. By this time Crellin was living 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 ...

and was attending Manx classes with the former Peel Harbour Master, Captain James Kinley, and Caesar Cashin. In later years, Crellin himself taught Manx classes in Peel and shared his knowledge of Manx history, folklore, and wildlife in summer walks that he led. He achieved a high standard of Manx and has been described as "one of the most enthusiastic and talented linguists of his generation."

Other interests

Crellin also collected folklore and stories and wrote his research on them. He had a keen interest in horticulture, botany, ornithology, and astronomy and during his lifetime was considered an authority on "all things Manx". He was known for having a beautifully maintained garden where wild birds would come "to his hand to be fed." He was a founding member of Mec Vannin, a small political party aimed at gaining full independence and establishing the Isle of Man as an independent sovereign state. His collection of stories based on his own experiences, as well as a lifetime of research, was published by

Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh , also known as the Manx Language Society and formerly known as Manx Gaelic Society, is an organization dedicated to, and was founded in 1899 in the Isle of Man to, promote the Manx language. The group's motto is (Without language, without co ...

in 1976. Recordings were later made and distributed for free to accompany the book.

References

External links

Skeealyn Lewis Crellin
A collection of Manx language stories written by Crellin {{DEFAULTSORT:Crellin, Lewis 20th-century Manx writers Manx language 1901 births 1990 deaths Manx educators Manx nationalists Manx language activists