Kirk Arbory Pinfold, The Friary
Period: Late Medieval - Modern
NGR Easting: 225160
NGR Northing: 470140
Description: Medieval and Modern pinfold.
Kirk Arbory pinfold stands close to the junction of the Douglas and Castletown roads, south of the Friary and the modern settlement of Ballabeg; routes from the village are effective in connecting the locality with the rest of the parish.
The pinfold is subrectangular, with boundaries constructed mostly from sod hedging, although rubble and drystone walling makes up the east side. The longest side is 45m, the shortest 25m, and area of the enclosure is 0.13ha or 0.32 acres.
The entrance was on the south side, close to the Douglas Road. An archive photogrpah in the Manx National Heritage collections shows a wide entrance with a lintel above head height. The approach is now blocked by a modern structure.
Each parish was responsible for the maintenance and repair of its own pinfold. Their origins are uncertain although an early statute of 1422 confirms that the customary laws relating to their maintenance and use were already well established.
View map location on Archaeology Data Service
Site & Monument Type: pinfold
Category: National Monuments Record: Archaeological Sites [single-site]
Site ID number: 0021.00