Name

Governor of the Isle of Man

Description

The Lord of Mann's representative on the Island — his lieutenant, his eyes and ears, the person who sat at the top of Tynwald Hill when the Lord could not. Under the lordship, the Governor's oath required him to 'truly and uprightly deal between the Lord and his people, and as indifferently betwixt party and party as this staff now standeth.' The Governor was a mediator, a constitutional participant. After the Revestment, Wood's commission came from the Privy Council — a British procedure. 'The Lord and his people' became 'the king and his subjects.' The language of custodianship was replaced by the language of possession. Colonel Smith arrived in 1777 'a total stranger to the manners, laws, and customs of the Isle of Man' and within days began legislating behind closed doors. No Manx-born person has ever been appointed Lieutenant Governor.

Active Period

c.1405–present

Also Known As

Lieutenant Governor (from 1773)

Place

Castle Rushen (historic)

Government House, Onchan (modern)

Type

Executive

Governor

Book Chapter

Chapter 8

Chapter 11

Chapter 12