Isle of Man – from Norse kingdom to self-governing Crown Dependency
The Isle of Man has been inhabited since the Mesolithic, and later Celtic settlers brought the Gaelic speech from which the Manx language developed. Early Christian missionaries left numerous carved stone crosses and small chapels, known as keeills, across the island.
From the ninth century Norse settlers arrived, and the island became the centre of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, which also included the Hebrides. This Norse heritage lives on in Tynwald, the island's parliament, which is often described as the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, and in its annual open-air assembly on Tynwald Hill. With the Treaty of Perth in 1266, Norway ceded the island to Scotland, and control then passed back and forth between Scottish and English kings until English rule prevailed in the fourteenth century.
From the early fifteenth century the Stanley family, later Earls of Derby, ruled as Lords of Mann, followed by the Dukes of Atholl. In 1765 the British Crown purchased their rights, partly to curb smuggling. The nineteenth century brought steamships, mining and tourism, while the island kept its own laws and institutions. During both world wars it housed internment camps. In the twentieth century self-government expanded, and the island built up a strong financial sector, while the TT motorcycle races made it famous worldwide.
Today the Isle of Man is shaped by its own parliament, the revival of the Manx language and its close yet distinct relationship with the United Kingdom.
Do you have stories, photos or memories from the Isle of Man? Share them with the community in the Local History section.