1887.19.4

Collection type

Object

Description

Votive offering, 1877 penny.

Geographical reference

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Europe > Northern Europe > United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Isle of Man Marown Chibbyr Roney [Chibbyr Runey] [Chibber Rona]

Cultural groups

Manx

Person

Field collector Ernest Bickersteth Savage

PRM source Ernest Bickersteth Savage

PRM source Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1886

Date collected

29 April 1886

Acquisition information

Donated: 07/1887, uncertain Transferred: 07/1887, uncertain

Materials and processes

Material Metal

Dimensions

Diameter: max 31 mm approx

Object numbers

Accession number: 1887.19.4

Research and responses

For a brief account of Chibbyr Roney, i.e. [St] Ronan's well, and the practices relating to it, including the 'votive rags and coins', see pages 226-227 of 'Water and Well-Worship in Man', by A. W. Moore, Folklore, Vol. V, no. 3 (September 1894), pp. 212-229 (photocopy in RDF). Moore relates (page 227-8): 'Its water is supposed to be a marvellous cure for sore eyes. An educated Manxman, now living, told the writer that it had completely cured his brother, who was nearly blind, and that he himself, when his eyes were weak, had received great benefit from it. He simply took some of the water home in a bottle to bathe his eyes, and did not condescend to go through the ordinary ritual, which consisted, as usual, in / walking round the well, repeating the same prayer as at Chibber Lansh, leaving a rag, and either dropping a coin in the well, or leaving three white pebbles close to it, the pebbles being the offerings of those who were too poor to put in a coin. The Rev. E. B. Savage, who visited this well three [sic; see below] years ago, found no rags [sic; see below], but there were a number of halfpence in the well, and a large pile of white pebbles close by it. He sent some of the coins and pebbles [sic; see below] to the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Oxford, retaining some for the proposed Manx Museum.' He also notes (page 227, n. 2): 'Mr. Savage thinks that the three pebbles indicate some survival of Phallicism; but, as they prayed in the name of the Three Persons, it is more likely to be Trinitarian.' He also notes (page 228): 'I may mention that, since the visit of the Rev. E. B. Savage, some ardent folk-lorists have evidently been to the well, as I found that the pile of pebbles had almost disappeared.' NB According to the PRM's records, Savage collected the material (including rags, twigs, and coins, but no pebbles) on 29 April 1886, eight (not three) years before the publication of Moore's article. [JC 6 7 2006]

Search terms: Religion, Medicine, Ornament, Currency, Religious Offering, Medical Accessory, Coin