FRIENDS OF THE LEECE MUSEUM

The Leece Museum in Peel has recently started a Friends of the Leece Museum Society and if you would like to join send a cheque as follows: £5 for an individual member, £12 for family membership and £25 for a life member. You will receive a regular newsletter and be invited to attend meetings.

In case you don’t already know, the Leece Museum is a small museum devoted to displaying objects, photographs and documents relating to Peel and the West? It is housed in the Old Courthouse on Peel’s east quay. This Court dates from the early 1700’s and has (still in it’s original state) it’s own gaol cell known as the “Black Hole”

Its archive of unique documents and photographs is of particular interest to folk who are researching family history, as well as to those with a general interest of life of a busy Manx fishing port in days gone by.

The Displays

There are two floors, with a plan for a mezzanine floor for more displays. On the ground floor there is the infamous Black Hole where the convicted were held for crimes such as drunk and disorderly, prostitution, livestock theft, deportation or murder. During the potato riots of 1820 it is said that 6 women and 1 man were held in the cell and when they were released the man came out very happy and tired.

During WW1 a huge POW camp was built at Knockaloe Moar on the outskirts of Peel to hold 23,000 internees plus 3000 guards & civilian workers. The Leece Museum has a very large collection of memorabilia from this period.

WW2 saw Peel again holding internees, this time in the Peveril camp, which was the Victorian boarding houses on the promenade and above. At the beginning of the war the camp was for ordinary internees (German refugees) but in 1941 these were replaced by British and Italian fascists held under article 18b of the defence regulations as potential security risks. Other detainees were 12.5a’s, such as Dutch and Norwegian refugees.

There is a research centre with up to date technology to facilitate archival research and to copy documents and photo's. Themed walks exploring the varied history and architecture of old Peel and the Castle can be booked for groups by prior arrangement

Telephone number is 01624 845366 or e-mail at leece.museum@iofm.net

Please send subscription to:

Friends of the Leece Museum c/o Ron Cooper, 23 Christian St, Peel, Isle of Man, IM5 1NW - mention the London Manx Society.

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Wendy Kneen 7 May 2002