Next Wednesday (February 21), UCM’s history and heritage public lecture will be given by Professor Sir David Wilson, who be exploring the Scandinavian settlement of the Isle of Man in light of recent research on the ornament and inscriptions on the crosses.

The image provided by the handsome, bearded Vikings who sometimes inhabit the quay in Peel is splendid theatre; but, as the actors are well aware, is no true image - and not merely because they all seem to wear horned helmets which no self-respecting Viking would have been seen dead in. David Wilson’s lecture provides a truer picture of the Scandinavians who settled in the Isle of Man in the course of the 10th century and whose presence led to the foundation of the Norse kingdom of Man and the Isles, which is the ultimate reason for the island’s semi-independent status today.

The picture which he will provide is of a sophisticated and reasonably wealthy group of settlers, who took land here and formed a powerful force in the troubled political events which took place in the lands around the Irish Sea.

Their sculptured crosses tell of their conversion to Christianity and of the process by which they achieved it, showing how the gods and heroes of the North were used as part of this process.

The crosses - unique to the island - also illustrate something of the wealth and social fabric of the Island in the tenth century, as the two peoples - Manx and Scandinavian - gradually drew together.

This was a period of great turbulence in the lands around the Irish Sea and in the Scottish Islands and Norway, in which the inhabitants of the island took part.

Sir David Wilson lives in Castletown and is a leading specialist in the art and archaeology of the Viking Age. His book on early Manx sculptures is published by Manx National Heritage.

The lecture will take place at 6pm in the Main Hall at University College Isle of Man, Homefield Road, Douglas. All are welcome, and no booking is required. The lecture will be recorded and made available online at a later date.

Further details at http://catrionamackie.net/lectures/.