St Mary's Isle (also known as Conister Rock or the Tower of Refuge, Manx: <span lang="gv" class="">Kione y Sker</span> or <span lang="gv" class="">Creg Voirrey</span>) is a partially submerged reef in Douglas Bay on the Isle of Man. Prior to 1832 the rock was the property of the Quane family until John Quane, Attorney General of the Isle of Man, presented the rock to Sir William Hillary, in his capacity as President of the Isle of Man District of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to build the Tower of Refuge. Since then the custody of St Mary's Isle has been held by each president of the local lifeboat association.

The reef is not far from the ferry terminal. Its eastern part, the Conister Shoals, had to be blasted away when a new harbour breakwater was built in the early 1980s. The rocks are only fully submerged at spring high tides; they can be accessed very briefly on foot at low spring tides.

Etymology

Conister is a corruption of the Manx meaning the 'head of the reef'.

St George rescue

On Friday 19 November 1830, under the command of Lieutenant John Tudor R.N., the packet steamer St George arrived in Douglas from Liverpool with mail and passengers. The St George belonged to the Saint George Steam Packet Company of Liverpool and at that time was engaged in competition with the newly established Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

Once her passengers and mail were unloaded, the St George proceeded to take her anchorage in the vicinity of Conister Rock using the fixed chain cable which had been secured for the task. The night was stormy, with strong gusts of wind from the southwest which increased in ferocity as the wind backed to the southeast on the morning of November 20. At 05:00hrs the chain cable holding the St George began to give way and she began to drive in between the Pollock and Conister rocks.

:THE feudal Keep, the bastions of Cohorn,

:Even when they rose to check or to repel

:Tides of aggressive war, oft served as well

:Greedy ambition, armed to treat with scorn

:Just limits; but yon Tower, whose smiles adorn

:This perilous bay, stands clear of all offence;

:Blest work it is of love and innocence,

:A Tower of refuge built for the else forlorn.

:Spare it, ye waves, and lift the mariner,

:Struggling for life, into its saving arms!

:Spare, too, the human helpers! Do they stir

:'Mid your fierce shock like men afraid to die?

:No; their dread service nerves the heart it warms,

:And they are led by noble HILLARY.

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NOTE

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14 'And they are led by noble Hillary.'

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The TOWER OF REFUGE, an ornament to Douglas Bay, was erected chiefly through the humanity and zeal of Sir William Hillary; and he also was the founder of the lifeboat establishment at that place; by which, under his superintendence, and often by his exertions at the imminent hazard of his own life, many seamen and passengers have been saved.

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File:The Thomas Parker, wrecked on St Mary's Isle..JPG|The schooner Thomas Parker, which was wrecked on St Mary's Isle during a storm on 26 October 1867

File:Tower 04.jpg|The pleasure cruiser MV Karina, under the command of Capt. Stephen Carter, passes the Conister Rock.

File:TowerofRefuge.jpg|The Tower of Refuge

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Other uses

Conister Trust, a local Manx financial services institution, has been named after Conister Rock since its founding in 1935.

See also

  • Douglas Harbour

References

  • History of the Tower of Refuge