RAMSEY HABROUR SUNSET

Skywatch - Ramsey Harbour Sunset

Ever heard of Fletcher Christian? As a special request to laxeylass a recap of the old tale, and a promise of a Laxey pic next week. Please someone remind if one doesn' t appear.

Fletcher Christian. Now there's name synonymous with all things mutinous and apparently Manx, that is the Isle of Man. Ooh er. How exciting!

Fletcher Christian was born In Cumberland in England, however he was related to The Christians of Miltown Ramsey. So explodes the first myth he was a Manxman. Afraid not! His family though did at one time, including the man himself, seek refuge in Ramsey to escape bad debts in England.

As we all know Fletcher Christian( Marlon Brando to me) instigated the Mutiny on the Bounty (more Isle of Man/Bounty links for another time) settled with a load of mutineers on the Isle of Pitcairn(many Manxmen amongst them) and then it all gets a bit hazy. In other words here starts the myth and fact nightmare. Always the way with the Island.

John Adams the last surviving mutineer gave several accounts of Fletcher's whereabouts, changing his story several times. Fletcher had committed suicide, he was killed by Pitcairn natives, or he escaped back to England, an onto the the Isle of Man.

The poet Wordsworth was distantly related to Fletcher Christian by marriage. It is rumoured that Wordsworth and Christian met in Bristol and Fletcher recounted details of the mutiny to him. Subsequently the Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner was written by fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and rumour has it, the Ancient Mariner was Christian himself. The reason was the poem bore uncanny details to certain events of the mutiny and time there after that were never for public consumption.

The date or place of Christian's death is still unknown. No remains have ever been found. Could he in fact of died on the island, with his Miltown Ramsey relatives? Who knows, but it's a great tale either way.

The Bounty has many Isle of Man links, which will keep for another post. Just think, on Pitcairn though, there are lots of little Manx descendants. Get around don't we! To go with the tale a Pitcairn sky, well a Pitcairn coloured sky over Ramsey, Isle of Man. Sometimes taking an image underexposed and failing light intensifies the colours much better.

Gary has designed his new website. Take a peek, if you can, at GARY BARKER ILLUSTRATION as I will be designing the same template for my new photography site and wondered how easy on the eye, and to navigate you find it.

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The concept was Dot's, the next host WIGGERS WORLD the guardians of skywatch now are Tom, Imac and Sandy