Sources for the McCrysten and Christian family

Date: 1368 [unknown]
Location: Isle of Man. Cumberland, England

There are two basic issues confronting the Researcher into the Genealogy of this family.

They are open to public inspection but are not digitised

The surviving primary archive sources for the McCrystyn and Christian family are:

• The Christian Annals in the Manx Museum, a detailed compilation by the widow of the last owner of Milntown,
• A genealogy of the Christians deposited in the College of Arms in London, by John Christian Curwen in 1798 and
• A legalized pedigree of the Christian family, in the Genealogical Office of Dublin Castle.

Unless they can visit these locations, today's researcher needs to rely on the published works of those who have done so, principally, “The Yesterdays behind the Door”, Richard Glanville-Brown, and “Milntown”. A personal commentary on these secondary sources is below.

A Personal Review of the Secondary Sources

Kennedy-14080 11:23, 22 September 2020 (UTC)

The Yesterdays behind the Door (TYBTD) by Susan Hicks Beach (Christian-3293) 1956 Liverpool University Press

This is a slightly rambling (she was 90 when it was published) history of two of her antecedent families, the Christians and the Gregories.

Richard Glanville-Brown (RGB).

This is, I am told, an amazingly detailed summary of the researches of RGB into the antecedents of the Christian family all over the world produced by him in 2005 on CD. It has been used as a source by all the subsequent historians and by for example The Peerage. I have attempted unsuccessfully to contact him to acquire a copy.

I have used it as source where there is a detail which is supported by RGB (for example in earlier versions of a profile) where I cannot verify the detail in any other way, as on William's date of birth.

“Milntown“ Second Edition (DW) by Derek Winterbottom Alondra Books 2017

This is a history of the Isle of Man home of the Christian and Edwards families by a respected local historian. It is not available digitally.

The Bonfire

In 1852, Isabella, the only unmarried daughter of Deemster John Christian, 18th in descent from John McCrystyn in 1408, made a bonfire in the yard at Milntown and burnt old chests overflowing with deeds and other papers. Susan Hicks Beach describes this tragic loss of much of the history of the family as follows "She took great credit to herself for this performance which she would relate had occupied several days" (Page 19)