Events

2026

Saturday 17th October 2026 – 2.30 pm
Derek Winterbottom
St Adamnan’s Church and Lonan parish
St Adamnan’s Church and the Parish of Lonan is the story of the four churches of Lonan from the earliest times to the present day and features Canon John Quine and the inevitable Archibald Knox.

Saturday 14 November 2026 – 2.30 pm
Laura McCoy
Developments in the Natural History collection at the Manx Museum
Museum collections are not static and to develop, access and maintain them requires specialist knowledge. Since starting in the role in 2017, Laura McCoy, the current curator of natural history at Manx National Heritage, has continued to work on the collections under her care and this talk will highlight some of the projects that have taken place in the last nine years.

Saturday 12 December 2026 – 2.30pm
Peter Jones
‘The pipes, the pipes are calling’ (Church organs of the Isle of Man)
Peter Jones has been the island's organ-builder for almost 50 years, and has seen much change in the churches, their clergy, their congregations and their instruments in that time.This illustrated talk will attempt to explain a little of the mysteries of organ-building tuning and maintenance, together with some of the unexpected incidents along the way.

2027

Saturday 23 January 2027 – 2.30pm
Dr Marie C. Weale
From the Mouth of Manx Mother's: The Histological results from an assessment of maternal health AD500 – 1500
The first 1,000 days of life are critical in shaping long-term health, with growing clinical research linking early-life vitamin D deficiency to later morbidity and mortality. This study investigates evidence of vitamin D deficiency in past populations of the Isle of Man, using human skeletal remains from four medieval sites dating from AD500–1500. Adopting a multi-method approach, the research explores the prevalence, timing, and potential long-term consequences of early-life nutritional stress. This presentation focuses on the first phase of data collection: dental histology, which provides a unique record of childhood development and physiological disruption. The findings provide the first direct bioarchaeological evidence of vitamin D deficiency in past Manx populations, offering new insights into childhood health and nutritional stress in the medieval past. Acknowledgements: The research has been funded by Culture Vannin and supported and facilitated by Manx National Heritage.
Please note: This presentation will contain images of human skeletal remains.

Saturday 20 February 2027 – 2.30pm
Sue King
‘Ham & Eggs and Turtle soup’
The Isle of Man has a colourful and often surprising history of meals eaten outside the home. After delving deep into Manx culinary archives, local writer Sue King now offers a fascinating insight into the food that fuelled the Island and its visitors from the early 1800s to the new millennium, through an exploration of menus, dishes, ingredients and culinary influences.

Saturday 20 March 2027
Annual General Meeting at 2.00 pm
Followed by Peter Geddes MBE – Bradda Mines at 2.30pm
For over four years, the Laxey Mines Research Group rebuilt the interior of the north Bradda Mine - creating bridges over shafts, ladder ways, and platforms. Peter Geddes, the group's founder, recounts the history of Bradda Mines and takes us on a fascinating tour deep within Bradda Head to look at the work that has taken place.

Any changes to the programme will be notified to members by email, also via our web site
www.manxantiquarians.com and on Bluesky: @IOMNHAS and our FaceBook page
www.facebook.com/IsleofManNaturalHistoryandAntiquarianSociety

Annual Subscriptions are due on 1st March 2027 – individual reminders will be sent by email/post