This is the first book ever devoted to the chambered tombs of the Isle of Man and, though there are no more than nine surviving monuments, they are of considerable interest and importance because of the central location of the island in the north Irish Sea where cultural influences and traditions of tomb building are mixed – and no doubt populations too. These monuments, still impressive reminders of the past in our contemporary landscape, belong to the early 4th millennium BC when farming, one of the most significant movers of change in society, first came to the Isle of Man. These vast stone chambers speak of the power of ancestors, the continuity of family groups and the importance of the land and territory which sustained them. Work on this book was begun in the 1960s by Audrey Henshall, the foremost authority on these monuments in Britain. It has been edited and brought up to date for publication by Frances Lynch and Peter Davey and contains a comprehensive study of previous work on the tombs, new plans and commentary on each site, and also a review of the associated finds from excavation. Appendices provide the final reports on previously unpublished excavations at King Orry’s Grave and Ballaharra.
