PARISH OF KIRK ARBORY

This parish is dedicated to two saints, St. Cairpre of Coleraine and St. Columba, and this dual dedication has persisted to the present day, the parish bearing the name of Cairbre or Cairpre, and the parish church Columba. Under the attraction of final ‘k’ in ‘kirk’, Kirk Carbery has become Kirk Arbory. In the 13th century the bishops of Mann and the Isles owned the parish church of Arbory and a great deal of land surrounding it, which by the beginning of the 16th century had shrunk to one twelfth.

A fair was formerly held in the parish on 'Laa’l Colum Killey,’ ‘St. Columba’s Day,’ (O.S., June 9 N.S., June 20); this was later transferred to St. Barnabas’ Day, (O. S. June 11; N. S. June 22). There was also a fair held in Ballabeg, in this parish, on ‘Laa’l Simon,’ ‘St. Simon’s Day,’ Oct. 28th, and it is quite possible that this fair was originally dedicated to the patronal saint Cairbre, whose dedication date was Oct. 11th.

The parish of Kirk Arbory extends about 6 miles in length from north to south, and two miles in breadth from east to west. The area of Kirk Arbory is 4477.238 acres. The parish church is situated on the main road, in the village of Ballabeg. Kirk Arbory has not such an extensive coast line as Kirk Christ and Kirk Malew, and numerically its place names suffer in comparison. The greater part of these are post-Scandinavian, but the name Colby indicates Norse settlement, and it is probable that many Norse names have been displaced by Gaelic ones.

It was in this parish where the famous Periwinkle Fair was held on Shrove Tuesday, the principal commodities offered for sale being periwinkles and ginger-bread.

Near Ballabeg may be seen an old chapel which belonged to a monastery of Franciscans founded in 1373.

In Manx the parish is called ‘Skyll Chairbre’ or ‘Skyll Colum Killey’.

Earliest records of the parish name:

1153 - Bull of Pope Eugenius III. Terra Sancti Carebrie.
1231 - Bull of Pope Gregory IX. Terra Sti. Columbæ herbery vocatem.
1291 - Rotuli Scotiæ (19 Ed. I) Ecciesia Sancti Carber.
1511 - Man. Roll. Parochia Sti. Columbæ.
1595 - Durham, Kirk Kerebery.
1648 - Blundell, Kirk Arbery, Harberey or Kirberry.
1703 - Man. Roll., Kirk Arbory.
1723 - Dioc. Comm. Book, Ecclesia Paroch. Sti. Columbi.
1728 - Dioc. Comm. Book, Kirk Arbory.

(source: The Place-Names of the Isle of Man by JJ Kneen, 1925; artwork Saint Columcille by Rowan Lewgalon http://bit.ly/12L6RfL)