Name

Lordship of Mann

Description

The feudal sovereignty of the Isle of Man, held under Letters Patent from the English Crown. The grant to Sir John Stanley in 1405 was made 'to Sir John Stanley and his heirs for ever' — a custodianship of an operating nation, not ownership of a territory. The Lords appointed Governors, received customs revenues, and held criminal jurisdiction, but the Island governed itself through its own institutions. The Stanleys held the lordship from 1405 to 1736, the Atholls from 1736 to 1765. The title changed from King to Lord under the 2nd Earl of Derby. Parliament purchased the sovereign rights in 1765 for £70,000 under the Isle of Man Purchase Act. The Duke retained land, manorial rights, and ecclesiastical patronage until the final settlement of 1829. The Crown has held the title Lord of Mann since 1765. No monarch since the Revestment has stayed on the Island the way the Stanleys stayed.

Active Period

1405–present (Crown from 1765)

Period

Stanley Lordship

Atholl Lordship

Crown Administration

Type

Sovereignty

Feudal Grant

Lordship

Book Chapter

Chapter 3

Chapter 8

Chapter 10

Chapter 13

Chapter 18