Kirk Christ: A Brief History
The Parish of Rushen is located at the southernmost tip of the Isle of Man and covers the villages of Port St. Mary, Port Erin, Ballafesson, and Surby, as well as Cregneish and the Calf of Man. Whilst other ecclesiastical parishes on the island have in recent years seen geographical changes to their boundaries, Rushen, as one of the ancient parishes on the island, still preserves its original boundary.
Much has been written about Kirk Christ throughout the last century; most notably by Canon Leece in 1911, JJ Kneen in 1927, Rev. Duffield in 1935, Bruce in 1975, and Canon Gelling in 1998. All of these authors tended to focus on the events of the 19th century and earlier, and so events of the 20th century were left virtually unmentioned.
In 2017 the church underwent major renovations and it was considered an opportune time to write a fuller account of the history of the Parish Church. In this book you will gain an appreciation of the changes that have occurred at this Manx Church that has endeavoured to remain a the heart of an ever-changing community.
