Name

Tynwald

Description

The parliament of the Isle of Man, widely considered the longest continuously operating parliament in the world. Established at the assembly field at St John's, where a four-tiered mound — Tynwald Hill — has served as the site for the promulgation of law for at least a thousand years. The name derives from the Old Norse þing-völlr, the assembly field. Laws not promulgated at Tynwald Hill were not, in Manx understanding, fully laws. The legislature met in two places: the chapel of St John the Baptist for ordinary debate, and the hill itself for ceremonial promulgation. After the Revestment, Tynwald was silenced for eleven years (1765–1776) and the outdoor ceremony at St John's did not resume until 1770. Colonel Smith legislated behind closed doors from 1777. The institution survived every change of overlord — Norse, Scottish, English, Crown — because the people who operated it understood that their smallness was their protection. Tynwald still meets every July on the hill where it has met since before the Normans came to England.

Active Period

c.979–present

Also Known As

Tinwald

þing-völlr

Place

Tynwald Hill, St John's

Chapel of St John the Baptist

Period

Norse Kingdom

Stanley Lordship

Atholl Lordship

Crown Administration

Modern Era

Type

Legislature

Parliament

Book Chapter

Chapter 7

Chapter 12

Chapter 16

Chapter 18