You can find out more about the history of Jurby Church at an exhibition that’s being staged there.

More details of the history of the church were revealed when a section of the churchyard wall was blown down in a storm in February.

Stones from the old keeill and the old church were found.

It became apparent that it was only after the new church was completed that the old church was taken down.

Materials from that, from remains of a keeill and from broken up Manx crosses had been used to build the churchyard wall.

From a section of wall less than six metres long two Manx rosses were discovered, one described by Andrew Johnson from Manx National Heritage as a fragment of a large, water-worn pebble, measuring about 18 x 15 x 8cm. 

The motif is a twin-link, and looks as if two links of a chain have been set at right-angles to each other to create a cross-shaped figure.  There are quite a number of examples of this kind of motif on Manx cross-slabs.

This is thought to date from around AD 600 and its main significance is that it suggests that the keeill itself may date from this time. This is supported by the discovery of a stoup, a cup used for holy water, which may date from AD 500-1000 found in a grave in 1988.

Andrew Johnson described the second cross as a large fragment from an even larger monument, the decorated part of which may have been as much as 1.5 to 2 metres high, and probably dates to the 11th century. 

This second stone is a major discovery because of its large size, its unique decoration, the unworn quality of its carving, the probable shape of the monument when originally complete, its location, and the uses to which it has been put after it served as a monument.

Photos and more details of the crosses and their discovery can be seen in an exhibition at Jurby Church which runs daily from 10am to 4pm until August 17. From July 17 the exhibition will also include material about the old church.

Even before these recent discoveries the Jurby Church site, with its St Patrick dedication, its Viking burial mound, Manx crosses in the church porch, a unique church building and the Commonwealth War Graves is arguably the most significant heritage site in the north of the island.

At the heart of that site is St Patrick’s Church.

From around 2008 there was talk of closing the church.

Sandra Kerrison, churchwarden and the secretary of the Friends of Jurby Church, said: ‘With the building in a poor state of repair, a dwindling congregation and a historic debt to the diocese it was more a case of when the church closed rather than if.’

In 2014 The Friends of Jurby Church was formed with a mission to secure the future of St Patrick’s Church, Jurby.

From funds raised a central heating system and a composting toilet were installed and during 2018 schedules of work were drawn up to repair and restore the building.

It was to be another four years before all the necessary permissions were given to carry out emergency repairs on the south elevation and roof.

By the time work began building costs had doubled from the estimates of 2019 and the building had deteriorated considerably.

Restoration work to the south side of the building is almost finished and the east wall and most of the north wall have had the old paint stripped off.

Sandra Kerrison added: ‘For four years we were mindful of the house martins nesting on the north side of the church but the delays in starting the work gave them an opportunity to build their own nests rather than use the ready made nests which were put up by the contractors on the south side.

‘While we wait for them to leave the nests the walls which have been stripped will be painted and the windows and gutters restored.

‘We now need to raise more funds towards the repair of the west elevation and tower and to carry out some essential repairs inside the church later in the year.’

The focus of the Friends’ own fundraising this summer is to enable them to create a display area so that the Manx crosses can be safely returned to the church and viewed.

It is important that all exterior work is completed before the winter and that the newly discovered Manx crosses can be brought back into the church in the next few months.