The Crows in Manx Ministry
While tracing the Crow families of the Isle of Man, I kept coming across vicars and rectors. In Lezayre, three Crowes appear in succession on the parish clergy list. The trail leads from there to Jurby and across the Irish Sea to Charles Crowe, who became a bishop in Ireland.
Three Crowes in Lezayre
The parish list for Kirk Christ Lezayre records William Crowe in 1603, Silvester Crowe in 1614, and Edward Crowe in 1624. In Manx Worthies, A. W. Moore identifies Silvester as Edward’s father and William as Edward’s grandfather. Moore gives a different date for Edward’s time as vicar, so I’m keeping the two accounts visible while I look for the appointment record.
From Jurby to the Bishopric of Cloyne
Moore identifies Edward as Charles Crowe’s grandfather and says Charles is thought to have been the son of William Crowe, vicar of Jurby. If that parentage holds up, the account traces five generations from the first William in Lezayre to Charles. That’s the connection I want to follow back to the records.
Charles went to Ireland, taught in Dublin, and served as a chaplain and parish rector before becoming Bishop of Cloyne in 1702. He kept ties to the island. Moore records that in 1718 Charles conveyed property to the vicar of Lezayre and his successors.
A Crowe at Kirk Bride
The clergy list also names a William Crowe as rector of Kirk Bride in 1618. His entry gives us another parish to investigate. I’m keeping it separate from the Lezayre entry while I look for records that establish how the two appointments are connected.