The Offshore British Crown Dependency area of Isle of Man

Population and area summary of the area of Isle of Man

 

 

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The area of Isle of Man is extinct and no longer exercises administrative power, its functions and responsibilities have been transferred or absorbed by new authorities.

 

 

Historical notes about The Offshore British Crown Dependency area of Isle of Man

Isle of Man is an island belonging to the Crown of England, situated between 54° 2’ and 54° 25’ N. lat., and 4° 17’ and 4° 50’ W. lon. Placed in the middle of the St George’s Channel, it is within easy reach of the various countries of the United Kingdom, the distance from the Point of Ayre to Burrow Head, N.N.E., being 16 miles; from Peel to Lough Strangford in Ireland, N.W. by W., 27 miles; from Maughold Head to Whitehaven, E. ¼ N., 31 miles; and from the Calf of Man to Holyhead, S.S.W., 45 miles. The length of the island in the direction N.E. by N. and S.W. by S. from the Point of Ayre to the Sound of Calf, is 33 ¼ miles. The greatest breadth is from Bank’s Howe, near Douglas, to Ballanayre, to the north of Peel, 12 ½ miles. Its circumference is about 75 miles. The area is estimated to be about 145,000 acres. The population of the island at the census of 1881 was 53,492.

Approaching the island from the west by Douglas Bay the whole outline of the coast, with its variations of light and shade, its green hills, its dark cliffs, and its rocky headlands, presents a scene of surpassing grandeur. The first object that strikes the eye is Maughold Head, a bold promontory, forming the north-eastern point of the island, and which seems to start up suddenly from the water’s edge; while behind it, the summits of Snaefell, 2024 feet in height, and North Barule, 1842 feet, the two highest mountains on the island, rise gradually into view. Towards the north the coast is bold and precipitous, with lofty cliffs that dip sheer down into the water, divided here and there by deep guilles, through which the mountain streams, often rich in trout, find their way to the sea. Southwards the highlands shelve gradually down, till at Castletown, the ancient capital of the island, and still retaining the nominal capital island, and still retaining the nominal distinction of being the metropolis, though the seat of government has been virtually transferred to Douglas, the land is quite flat. From this point the land rises again, till its rugged coast-line terminates in the Calf, a rocky island some 5 miles in circumference, but containing very little cultivated ground. It is, in fact, a mere pile of lofty crags, some 500 feet high, inhabited by rabbits and sea-fowl. The Sound which separates the Calf from Spanish Head on the mainland is full of dangerous currents; and the iron-bound coast in this neighbourhood has been the scene of many a terrible shipwreck.

Spanish Head is the grandest of all the majestic and precipitous headlands of the island. It rises straight out of the sea to a height of more than 300 feet pierced by numerous chasms, which bear evident traces of a volcanic origin. It derives its name from the fact that several of the ships of the Spanish Armada were dashed to pieces there is the awful storm which proved England’s best ally. At the southern extremity of the Calf are two remarkable rocks, called the Burrow and the Eye. They rise to a height of 100 feet above the sea; both are pierced with natural archways, and one of them, the Eye, is perfectly insulated.

Inland a range of mountains extends from north-east to south-west, affording extensive views of the beautiful and varied scenery of the island, and which have been rendered more accessible by the construction of several good roads. Trees are not plentiful; but the green hills which bound the valleys on either side attract the eye of the pedestrian by their variations of shade and colour, and the picturesque form of their outlines. On a clear day the view from Snaefell is grand in the extreme, and England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are distinctly visible. Of the ten principal rivers in the island, the largest is the Sulby; there are also numerous brooks and rivulets. It is this plenitude of water which gives such refreshing variety to the scenery of the Isle of Man.

Lead, zinc, iron and copper are found in various parts, and there is no question but that its mineral wealth is very great. The oldest mines in the island are those at Laxey, Foxdale, and Bradda. In modern times a great improvement has taken place in agriculture; the productive character of the soil has been developed; and the exports of grain, green crops, and cattle (more particularly the latter) have increased enormously. Lime is readily obtained from the beds of carboniferous limestone in the neighbourhood of Castletown and Port St Mary, and after almost every storm thousands of tons of seaweed are carted off the coasts and used as manure. The fisheries, though no longer the sole industry of the island, as in former times, if piracy and smuggling be excluded, still afford employment to a large proportion of the inhabitants. The number of Manx fishing boats, decked and un-decked, is upwards of 600, employing about 3,800 men and boys, and 3,600,000 square yards of netting. The herring is the chief source of revenue, and Port St Mary, as well as Peel, on the western shore of the island, has a large share of the fishery; its inhabitants own about eighty fishing-smacks, manned by 600 men and boys. The number belonging to Peel is more than twice as great; but the Cornish and Irish fishing-boats, which are, together, far more numerous than all those of the Manxmen, are wont to assemble at Port St Mary. The Manx fishermen and peasants are good, honest, sober, and quiet fold, much like those of the Hebrides and the western and northern coasts of Scotland.

The island has many antiquities, old customs, and places of historical interest. At St John’s, about 3 miles on the Douglas side of Peel, is Tynwald Hill, an artificial mound some 80 feet in diameter, and about 12 feet in height. Here, on the 5th July each year, are promulgates all the laws that have been passed by the Manx Parliament during the preceding year. The ceremony is made the occasion of a great meeting of the people, and the chief authorities attend divine service in the chapel of St John. This custom is said to date back more than 1000 years. Peel Castle, so familiar to the readers of Sir Walter Scott’s “Peveril of the Peak,” for the last 100 years has been nothing more that a beautiful ruin. Two of the chapels mentioned by Waldron still remain, dedicated respectively to St German and St Patrick. The former, indeed, is still the cathedral of the diocese of Sodor and Man; for although it has long been a dilapidated condition, it has never yet been replaced by another, and open-air services are held among the ruins during the summer months. The ruins stand some 50 yards from the land, on a rugged island, which is in reality the spur of a ridge of rocky hills gradually shelving down to the shore.

The early history of the Isle of Man is rather obscure, but there is not much doubt that the people are of Celtic origin, the Manx language having strong affinities with the Irish and the Gaelic of the Highlands. A Manx tradition states that in the beginning of the tenth century Orry the Dane arrived with a strong fleet, and landed in the north of the island. The people, maddened by the tyrannical acts of their king (Thorstein), were glad to receive such a powerful leader as Orry, and they at once placed themselves under him. It is states that when Orry landed he was asked whence he came. Upon this he pointed to the Milky Way in the heavens, and said “That is the road to my country.” Hence to this day the Manx name for the Milky Way is, Raad mooar Ree Gorree, i.e. “the great road of King Orry.” Orry and his followers were heathen worshippers of Odin. During the eleventh century the Danes in the Isle of Man and those in Dublin maintained a very close connection, but subsequently we find the Scandinavians in power. In 1246, however, Alexander, king of Scotland, purchased the right and title of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides for 4000 marks sterling, but on the king’s death the Manx placed themselves under the protection of Edward I of England. In 1397 Sir William Scroop, afterwards earl of Wiltshire, purchased the island, but it subsequently came into possession of the Earl of Northumberland. He was deprived of it in 1406 by Act of Parliament, when it was granted to Sir John Stanley, his heirs and successors, on his paying to the kings of England a cast of falcons at their coronations. It continued in the Derby family, with some interregnums, until 1735. In 1753 James, second duke of Athole, became Lord of Man in his wife’s right; but the British crown finally purchased the island from the Athole family. Since 1805 the island has been under lieutenant-governors appointed by the crown and responsible to them. The lieutenant-governor, The Governor’s Council, and the House of Keys constitute the three political estates of the island. The last is now elected by the people, and the qualification of a voter is fixed at “£4 annual value, owners and tenants all round.” A still more liberal measure of reform also was adopted – the granting of the franchise to female property-owners. By this last Reform Act the number of voters has been largely increased. The working of popular represented in the government of the island has been infused new life and energy into the conduct of affairs. The erection of harbour works at various ports, the construction of railways, the extension of local government in the towns, reforms in the system of jurisprudence, the introduction of compulsory elementary education, and the establishment of a daily mail between Liverpool and Douglas may be enumerated among the improvements which have been effected.

The natives speak a dialect of Erse known as Manx, which is rapidly becoming obsolete. It has, however, been preserved from being totally lost by the Manx Society, which has published a complete dictionary and grammar of it. The country people still retain a plentiful store of those fantastic legends which overawed the reason of a credulous age and excite the curiosity of our own. During the last twenty or thirty years, since the establishment of steam communication with other parts of the kingdom, the island has risen into great favour as a watering-place. The number of visitors is increasing every year as the island gets better known. Its genial climate, beautifully clear sea water, and picturesque scenery, are most powerful attractions as a health and rest resort. The principal towns in the island are Castletown, Douglas, Peel and Ramsay.

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