Isle of Man Genealogy

The Isle of Man (Manx: Ellan Vannin), or simply Mann (Manx: Mannin), is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between Scotland; England; Ireland and Wales. The head of state is the head of state of the United Kingdom, who holds the title of Lord of Mann and is represented on the island by a Lieutenant Governor. The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom nor the European Union. The country's government, Tynwald, thought to have been founded in 979, is one of the oldest established governments in Europe.

The island was inhabited as far back as the Mesolithic Period and came under Celtic influence during the Iron Age. It had a turbulent history and came under the rule of the Norse in 1079 but in 1266, Norway's King Magnus VI ceded the island to Scotland. The Isle of Man came under English control in the fourteenth century.

The official languages of the Isle of Man are Manx Gaelic and English although, by the middle of the twentieth century only a few elderly native speakers remained.

The population of the Isle of Man is about 80,000. Its capital is Douglas (Manx: Doolish) on the east coast and other towns are Ramsey (Manx: Rhumsaa); Peel (Manx: Purt ny hInshey); Laxey (Manx: Laksaa); Port Erin (Manx: Purt Chiarn) and Castletown (Manx: Balley Chashtal).

Featured content

 * Browse by Topic: Pages for the Isle of Man

Parishes

 * Andreas
 * Arbory
 * Ballaugh
 * Braddan (includes Douglas)
 * Bride
 * German (includes Peel)
 * Jurby
 * Lezayre
 * Lonan
 * Malew (includes Castletown)
 * Marown
 * Maughold (includes Ramsey)
 * Michael
 * Onchan
 * Patrick
 * Rushen
 * Santan

Useful websites

 * Isle of Man FHS
 * Isle of Man genealogy
 * ManxBMD
 * Manx National Heritage
 * Stirnet Limited: Families Database: Index (unfettered access requires fee or significant data contribution; manually search index for surnames of interest)


 * more websites ...

Did you know?

 * Since 1417, Tynwald Day, July 5th, has been the National Day on the Isle of Man. Only on this day does the Isle's legislature meet in St. Johns rather than its usual meeting place in the capital Douglas.