In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Onchan like this:
KIRK-ONCHAN, or CONCHAN, a village and a parish in the E of the Isle of Man. The village stands near Bank's How, 2¾ miles NE of Douglas; took its name either from St. Conaghan, who was Bishop of Man in 540, or from St. Conanus, who was Bishop in 600; is beautifully situated; and has a post office under Douglas, Isle of Man. ...
The parish contains also the greater part of the town of Douglas; and extends thence on the coast to Growdale, and northward to the mountain Bein-y-Phot. Length, 6½ miles; extreme breadth, 3¼ miles. Pop. in 1851, 13, 021; in 1861, 14, 195. Houses, 2, 055. Pop., exclusive of Douglas, in 1851, 3, 400; in 1861, 2, 1 77. Houses, 369. Bank's How projects between Douglas bay and Growdale, and has an altitude of 394 feet. Bein-y-Phot, on the N boundary, has an altitude of 1, 772 feet; and Cairn-Gharjohl, on the NE boundary, has an altitude of 1, 461 feet. Castle-Mona and Derby-Tower are between Douglas and the village; and many delightful walks and drives are in the neighbourhood of Douglas. The Isle of Man hospital with 10 inmates, the House of Industry with 66 inmates, and also 111 persons in vessels, are included in the census returns of 1861. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Sodor and Man. Value, £150.* Patron, the Crown. The church stands at the village; was intended to be early English, but really shows no distinctive style; has a tower and spire; and looks well at a distance. An ancient Scandinavian cross, deeply carved with knot work, is in the churchyard, on the N side of the church; and another, with intricate knotwork, and with sculptures of two monstrous animals, is near. A Runic cross, which once stood in the churchyard, and which figures in several great antiquarian publications, has disappeared
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Onchan, in and the Isle of Man | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/26260
Date accessed: 17th May 2024
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