A Concise History of the Isle of Man

The aim of this very brief history is not to inform completely about the history of the Isle of Man, but rather to provide a context for the rest of the information on this website, and to give a rough idea of the colourful history of the Isle of Man.

It has been proven that the Isle of Man has been inhabited since the Mesolithic Age, and it is probable that these inhabitants reached the Island from the north-west of England in around 5,000 B.C., when a land link still existed. Towards the end of the Mesolithic Age, there is proof that another people arrived on the Island, almost certainly from northern Ireland. Shortly after this period, new ideas on land cultivation and new methods of making pottery and other implements reached the Isle of Man. These were probably spread by the sea trade from the Mediterranean, that travelled around the coasts of Spain, Portugal and France and into the Irish Sea. The Irish Sea was on a major trade route between the Mediterranean and Scandinavia, and in this Neolithic period offered advantages over a route through the English Channel.

During the Bronze Age, the Isle of Man was a convenient "stepping stone" in the Irish Sea for the numerous merchants who travelled to Ireland to trade gold and copper, both of which existed in Ireland. In the Iron Age, the Isle of Man was never invaded as such by the Romans, but they definintely knew of its existence, just as they knew of the existence of Ireland. Trading took place between Britain and Ireland, as did raiding, and it is likely that the traders and pirates could have made the Isle of Man their centre, given its convenient position. Archaeological evidence shows that the inhabitants of the Isle of Man were of a Celtic culture during this period, similar to those of Ireland, Scotland, and to a lesser extent Wales. It was in during the Celtic years that Christianity first reached the Isle of Man. Christianity had originally entered Britain under the Romans, and had gradually spread. Travelling missionaries brought Christianity to the Isle of Man, as they attempted to spread it through Celtic Britain. The popularity of Christianity in the Isle of Man in the Celtic period is shown in the high number of churches dedicated to Celtic saints. In addition to this, some 200 sites of "keeills", or primitive churches, have been discovered throughout the Island.

In the latter part of the eighth century, Vikings began to raid Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Vikings started to conquer and settle in areas of the coast of Ireland, the west of Scotland, parts of north-west England and Wales, and the Isle of Man. In 979 the government of Tynwald was formed, but little is known about this event. It was Godred Croven, also known as "King Orry", ruler of the Isle of Man from 1079-1095 who further developed the Manx political system. The system that Godred devised has had a profound bearing on subsequent developments in Manx politics. Godred's descendants ruled the Isle of Man until 1265. England and Scotland were, however, both gaining power, and in the later years of Viking rule began to attempt to gain control of the Viking lands in Britain. After a battle for the Western Isles in 1263, the vanquished Viking king was allowed to keep the Isle of Man under the truce agreement. When he died, Norway handed over control of the Isle of Man to Scotland, ending the years of Viking rule.

The end of the period of Viking rule heralded the start of a period of trouble on the Isle of Man. The Manx initially refused to accept Scottish rule and revolted, but in 1290 control over the Isle of Man passed to England when Queen Margaret of Scotland died. Control of the Isle of Man remained insecure, and after several English rulers, the Isle of Man once again passed in Scottish hands in 1313. Until 1346, it is difficult to say who actually ruled the Isle of Man, as rulership over the Island passed so many times between England and Scotland in these thirty three years. Under Edward III, the English had dealt the Scots a decisive blow at the battle of Neville's Cross, near Durham, and thus the English were, in effect, masters of the Isle of Man from this time onwards. After a succession of lords, the Isle of Man went, in 1405, to Sir John Stanley, who became "King" or "Lord" of Man. Sir John Stanley's descendants ruled the Isle of Man for over three hundred years.

The Stanleys ruled the Isle of Man peacefully until the time of the English civil war. The title of King of Man was given up in 1504, to be replaced by Lord of Man. Apart from this, the Stanleys' rule was, for the most part, uneventful. At the time of the English civil war, the Lord of Man was James Stanley, seventh Earl of Derby, a royalist and felt honour bound to give active support to the King. He raised an army of 5,000 men to fight for King Charles, and equipped them at his own expense. The Manx troops were incited by their commander, Edward Christian, to rebel against James Stanley, and the proposed revolt gained enormous support from the Manx people. James Stanley then went to the Isle of Man to try to appease the rebellion, and managed to arrive at a deal with the Manx representatives who met him. Christian saw that he had been outwitted by Stanley, and called attention to questions which he believed had been overlooked, whereupon he was promptly ruled out of order by Stanley and later arrested. In order to satisfy the people Lord Stanley reduced tithes, but proceeded to change the land tenant system in order to give himself more control. The people were, for the time being, appeased, and Stanley could concentrate on building the Island's defences against the Parliament forces. The burden of the Isle of Man's incresed military bore heavily on the people, and discontent once again began to rise.

After the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Parliament attempted to make a bargain with Lord Stanley for possession of the Isle of Man, to which Stanley bluntly refused. When an attempt was made to regain the crown for Charles II, Stanley once again rushed to give his support. In 1651 he took 300 Manx foot-soldiers with him to England, but he was defeated and later executed. The Isle of Man had been left under the care of Stanley's wife, Countess Charlotte. When the Parliamentary force arrived on the Isle of Man and the Countess learned that her husband had been executed, she offered to surrender. The Manx were unhappy with the way they were being ruled by the Stanleys, and had no heart to defend the Island. William Christian, or Illiam Dhone as he was also known, was the leader of those who were discontent with the Stanleys' rule, and it was largely due to him that the Manx defence against the Parliamentary force fell so easily. A short era of rule under Lord Fairfax, to whom Parliament granted the Isle of Man, was ended when Charles II was restored, and Charles Stanley, eighth Earl of Derby became Lord of Man.

The Stanleys' rule of the Isle of Man ended when the tenth Earl of Derby died without leaving any children. The Lordship passed to the second Duke of Atholl, James Murray, in 1736. The reign of the Dukes of Atholl was to be short, however, as the British government wished to buy the Isle of Man. The British government had been considering ways to stamp out the huge smuggling trade that had built up in the Isle of Man, and the solution that was arrived at was to make the King of England sovereign over the Isle of Man, with the right to collect Manx customs duties. The Isle of Man was sold by the third Duke of Atholl for the sum of �70,000 in 1765. This came as a humiliating blow to the Manx people, as their kingdom had been destroyed by a deal that they had no part in. Tynwald remained but its powers were severely limited, and only concerned things that did not cost money.

The result of the revestment of the Isle of Man was widespread poverty for the Manx people, as the British government refrained from putting taxes gained from the Isle of Man back into the Isle of Man. As poverty grew, the Manx became ever more anxious to control their own finances and revenues. Henry Loch was appointed governor of the Isle of Man in 1863, and shortly afterwards decided that the Island's future prosperity depended upon developing trade and tourism. Loch further stated that the Manx government must obtain power to raise and spend money on harbours in order to achieve these developments. In 1866, after lengthy negotiations, reforms were passed that made the House of Keys an elected body, and gave Tynwald a degree of control over revenue and tax spending. This was the foundation of the modern system of government in the Isle of Man, and after 1866, the Manx government began to develop into its present form.

Since the reforms of 1866, the Isle of Man has capitalised on its unique relationship with Britain, and has developed into a thriving offshore banking centre. Throughout the twentieth century, the Isle of Man had remained stable, and has achieved gradual progress. The Island had no direct involvement in the World Wars, although Manx soldiers fought in both, and during the Second World War there were internment camps on the Island. The Isle of Man has a tradition of governmental stability, and this has no doubt contributed to its economic achievements. The Manx government has the aim of maximising the standard of living on the Isle of Man, whilst protecting its precious environment and quality of life.

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