Ramsey and the North

Ramsey and the Northern Plain - Photograph by R C Clarke

Ramsey, or "Hrafns-eyr" Ravens Isle as it was known in Viking times, was so called because it was originally a settlment sited on a sandy island at the mouth of the Sulby river. Its wide bay and gently sloping beaches were ideally suited for the Viking Longships. It was here in 1079 that "Godred Croven" or King Orry as he became known, landed with his army, and during the night concealed 300 of his warriors on Skyhill or "Scacafell" as it was then known. The following day with their aid he won the battle which gave him the kingship of the Island, and brought the Island under Norse domination for the next 300 or so years, which is why many of the major place names are of Norse derivation.

This domination ended when Somerled, the Jarl of Argyll, arrived with a fleet of sixty ships and drove them out.

There is also a record of the assembly in 1205 of a fleet of 100 war galleys in Ramsey Bay under the command of Rognvald, for a marauding expedition to Ireland.

It was in Ramsey too, that Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots landed his army in 1313 he then marched to Douglas where he stayed overnight at the Nunnery before marching on Castle Rushen, laying seige and taking it. The only time the Castle fell.

It was likewise in Ramsey Bay during the Cromwellian period that Colonal Duckenfield arrived with the Parliamentry forces to enforce the Islands submission to the Commonwealth, a proceeding rendered unexpectedly easy by William Christians hasty, and, as some considered, treacherous surrender.

It was here also the William III brought his fleet, after which he proceeded to Ireland and won the momentous Battle of the Boyne. Hence the name King Williams Bank, given to that great sandbank N.E. of Ramsey where one of his ships went aground.

In more recent times during the middle of the 19th century it was Ramsey that led the way in shipbuilding. The very first oil tanker, or ship designed to carry bulk oil was built in the Ramsey shipyard, she was called "The Jane" and we have records of her on passage to Ramsey from Philadelphia with a cargo of bulk oil in 1853. Later that same year was launched in Ramsey the famous Euterpe or "Star of India" as she is now. She is still in remarkably good condition, and is preserved as a floating musuem in San Diego.

Ramsey has produced some quite remarkable people including Sir Mark Cubbon, who became the Governor General of the state of Mysore in India, the only state which did not take part in the Indian mutiny, because of his fairness in looking after the people. Another remarkable man was born in Maughold, a parish which includes part of Ramsey. He was William Kennish, whose work in surveying and directing the project, led to the building of the Panama Canal .

And much more recently still, during the last war, Ramsey was turned into one of the major internment camps for 18 B class internees. Most of the seafront hotels and guest houses were taken over and adapted to suit the requirements of the authorities. After the war was over, some of the hotels and guesthouses were restored to thrie formwer glories, but most were converted into flats to meet the needs of those returning. Ramsey is now a residential town, perhaps having a breather after its colourful past