Name

Diocese of Sodor and Man

Description

The ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. Sodor derives from the Norse Sudreyjar, the Southern Isles. The diocese had its own bishop, its own cathedral at Peel (St German's), its own ecclesiastical courts, and its own relationship with the wider church that owed nothing to Canterbury and little to York. The Archbishop of Trondheim held metropolitan authority until Pope Calixtus III transferred the diocese to York in 1458 — a papal act, not an English one. Bishop Thomas Wilson (1698–1755) rebuilt the diocese over fifty-seven years, establishing parochial schools and libraries, translating scripture into Manx, and defending ecclesiastical jurisdiction against the civil power. After the Revestment, the clergy were excluded from Tynwald in 1776 without constitutional authority. The patronage of the bishopric was included in the 1829 final settlement, valued at £100,000.

Active Period

c.600–present

Also Known As

Bishopric of Sodor and Man

Place

Peel (St German's Cathedral)

Kirk Michael

Period

Celtic Kingdom

Norse Kingdom

Stanley Lordship

Atholl Lordship

Crown Administration

Type

Church

Diocese

Ecclesiastical Court

Book Chapter

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 16