Thirteen Crosses Traditional Cache

Little is known about the the thirteen crosses that were carved onto a rock here. One can only suppose that they commemorate the lives lost in a shipwreck.
The crosses themselves are equilateral, made of five squares, with the centre square uncarved. Each square is around 3 inches in length and width making the total length and width of the crosses 9 inches.

The Swiss flag, based on the banner of the Holy Roman Empire, features a cross that appears the same , but not identical. In 1848 the Swiss cross was composed of five equal squares — one in the centre and four as arms — a symmetrically square design, but the current cross just appears symmetrical to the casual observer. This is an illusion. In reality, each arm of the cross is 16.7% longer than its width giving it a less rock-solid look.



In Adrian Corkill's great book "Shipwrecks of the Isle of Man" he mentions that the style of crosses carved on the rock are likely to be pre 1800 and that between 1644 and 1799 not all Manx wrecks were recorded. Of his database of shipwrecks, he has found none recorded at this location with the loss of thirteen lives

If anyone knows anything about these crosses, please let me know.

My pet theory is from a story recounted by William Sacheverell, Governor of the Isle of Man from 1693 to 1694, in his book with the extremely long title, "An account of the Isle of Man: its inhabitants, language, soil, remarkable Curiosities, the Succession of Its Kings and Bishops, Down to the Eighteenth Century", from the section, "A Short Survey of the Isle of Man" -

..one Captain Leathes, who was Chief Magistrate of Belfast, and reputed a Man of great Integrity, assur'd me he was once Shipwreck'd on the Island, and lost a great Part of his Crew; that when he came on Shoar the People told him he had lost 13 of his Men, for they saw so many Lights going toward the Church, which was the just number lost.

Captain Robert Leathes who, as Sovereign of Belfast, presented "ye Rod of authority" to King William III, was one of the most important and enterprising of the Burgesses and the only one whose portrait appears in the Corporate Records. Elected as a Free Burgess, 26th August, 1669, he was a Justice of the Peace for the County of Antrim, Seneschall of the Mannor of Belfast; Sovereign of Belfast from Michaelmas 1686 to 1690: 1697: and 1714; Resigning as a Burgess in 1717, he was elected Constable of the Castle on 29th June, 1717. He, in conjunction with George McCartney, niger, or Black George McCartney, carried out the Water Supply in 1678. He also, in conjunction with Captain David Smith, introduced the manufacture of Pottery, closely resembling Delft, and is described as "a man of great ingenuity" by Sachaverell, who visited Belfast in 1698. An Oak Punchbowl bears the inscription :
"Presented to Robert Leathes, Sovereign of Belfast, and Agent to the Earl of Donegall, in the year 1690, it having been in the Donegall Family for upwards of 100 years previous."

The history books tell the tale of an Irish sea captain whose ship was wrecked off the coast of the Isle of Man and though he escaped himself, he lost thirteen men of his crew. When he came ashore he was astonished to find that the Manx already knew how many of his men had been drowned; on the night of the shipwreck they had seen thirteen lights moving in from the sea towards the churchyard near Castletown.