Ballaugh Church

Ballaugh ('place of willows') is a Norse-era parish in the northern plain. The church contains Viking-era cross fragments and the parish has extensive flat farmland ideal for detecting. The area was settled by Norse farmers who divided the rich agricultural land into the treen and quarterland system that survives today. WHY DETECT HERE: Flat, well-drained farmland that has been continuously cultivated since Viking times. The northern plain was the most productive agricultural area and therefore the wealthiest. Norse farm settlements (now lost) dotted this landscape — each one a potential source of finds. Fields close to the church or on elevated knolls (where farms tend to be sited) are highest priority.