The Grand Master Oddfellows Story

Born in Blackburn England 1817 he settled in the Isle of Man with his parents in 1821. Some 200 years ago. They kept the Eagle and Childe pub in Hayward Place North Quay and then kept The Old Market Inn, Chapel Row just around the corner. He went to Douglas Commercial School in Bath Place where the Steam Packet offices now stand. He shared a classroom with the sister in law of the great poet William Wordsworth. He was the Peoples Warden of Old St Matthews Church where the Manx Legion Club now stands in Market Hill, and later founded the new St Matthews Church in Ridgeway Street along North Quay. The famous Manx poet T.E. Brown was a member of the congregation. James Rae Fielding was a member of the Isle Man Hospital committee which later founded Nobles Hospital. Throughout all this time he kept a barbers shop on North Quay for 63 years and saw the redevelopment of the area in 1895 when the Town Hall, Library, and Market Hall (now Noa bake house) was built. In 1862 he was made the Grand Master of The Manx Oddfellows Society given the great works he achieved in his lifetime. He died at the age of 94 in 1912 and was laid to rest in Old Kirk Braddan Church; just on the famous Isle of Man TT Course.

Thank you for taking this journey of discovery. Keep checking back here for more content as we keep researching.

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If you’d like to find out more about the modern day Oddfellows head on over to 

www.oddfellows.co.uk. You can even join them for a small annual subscription and they continue to do very good work for communities to this day.

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All the best Philip Jolley - James Rae Fieldings Great Great Great Grandson and founder of Isle of Cider.