![IOM Gaut's Cross Michael by Malost](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/IOM_Gaut%27s_Cross_Michael_by_Malost.JPG)
Michael ( gv, Maayl) is one of the six
sheading
Local government ( gv, gurneilys ynnydagh) in the Isle of Man was formerly based on six sheadings, which were divided into seventeen parishes (today referred to as "ancient parishes"). The island is today divided for local government purposes i ...
s of the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. It is located on the west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es of
Ballaugh
Ballaugh ( ; , ) is a small village on the Isle of Man in the parish of the same name, in the sheading of Michael. It is the only village in the parish.
The parish adjoins Jurby to the north, Lezayre to the east, Michael to the south and sout ...
,
Jurby
Jurby ( on, djúra-bý – deer settlement - animal park) () is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north-west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of Michael.
Local ...
and
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
.
Historic parish
Michael ( gv, Maayl) is one of the seventeen historic
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es of the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
.
It is located on the west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
.
Other settlements in the parish include
Barregarrow
Barregarrow ( gv, Bayr Garroo ) is a district located between the 13th milestone and 14th milestones on the A3 Castletown to Ramsey road including the area of the Barregarrow cross-road junction and the C4 Ballaleigh Road and B10 Sartfield (Bran ...
.
Local government
For the purposes of
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
, the whole of the historic parish forms a single
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
with
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
s.
The district of Michael was formed in 1989 by the re-amalgamation of two local authority areas, Michael village and the larger rural area of Michael parish. These two local authority areas had been separated from one another in 1905.
The
Captain of the Parish
The Captain of the Parish is an official in each parish in the Isle of Man—formerly the title was ''Captain of the Parish Militia'', but it is now only a titular honour. Historically the Captain of the Parish was authorised to raise his own mi ...
(since 1970) is
John James Martin Cannell
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
.
Politics
Michael parish is part of the
Ayre & Michael Ayre & Michael is a House of Keys constituency in the north of the Isle of Man. It was created for the 2016 general election and elects 2 MHK
It is easily the largest Keys constituency in area, and includes the parishes of Michael (parish), Micha ...
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
, which elects two Members to the
House of Keys
The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
History
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in L ...
. Before 2016 it was in the
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
constituency.
Geography
Michael Parish has, according to the 2016 census, 1,591 residents,
down from 1,729 in 2011. It is a mainly agricultural area on the west coast of the island. It was until 2016 a
House of Keys constituency
These are the constituencies used in the elections to the House of Keys, the lower house of the parliament of the Isle of Man.
Constituencies from 2016
Constituencies from 1986–2011
The constituencies used for the 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, ...
. The only significant settlement in the parish or district is the village of Kirk Michael.
The TT motorcycle race course known as the
Snaefell Mountain Course
The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' is used principally for the Isle of Man TT Races and also the sep ...
runs through Kirk Michael village.
Michael District stretches from the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
in the west, inland to Druidale in the east and from Orrisdale in the north to Glen Cam in the south.
The district contains few settlements; the main village is Kirk Michael. There is a coastal strip, about 3 km wide, of agricultural land, and the remainder of the parish consists of moorland, of which the highest points are Slieau Freoaghane (), Sartfell (), Slieau Curn () and Slieau Dhoo () (together known as the Michael Hills).
The main road running through Kirk Michael village forms part of the
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...
road race course, on the A3 leading towards
Ballaugh Bridge
__NOTOC__
Ballaugh Bridge is located on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey road and adjacent to the road junctions with the A10 Ballaugh to Ramsey coast road and the tertiary C37 Ballaugh Glen Road in the parish of Ballaugh in the Isle of Ma ...
.
Kirk Michael is served by buses between Peel and Ramsey (and also between Douglas and Ramsey via Ballacraine). It is on the course of the former
Manx Northern Railway
The Manx Northern Railway (MNR) was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.
History
When the people in the town of Ramsey realised their town was not going to ...
.
The village
The name of the village is derived from "Kirk" ("Church") of Michael. The parish church of St Michael in the village contains a large collection of Manx
Norse crosses.
The village is served by several small local shops, a primary school and a public house.
The
Mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
Hotel, the local public house is named in connection with Bishop's Court and was once patronised by
Fletcher Christian
Fletcher Christian (25 September 1764 – 20 September 1793) was master's mate on board HMS ''Bounty'' during Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage to Tahiti during 1787–1789 for breadfruit plants. In the mutiny on the ''Bounty'', Christian se ...
(
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...
). "Christian" is a popular Manx surname. On the same plot of land as the Mitre Hotel stands the Ecclesiastical Courthouse. First built in 1766, at the request of Bishop Wilson, and then later rebuilt in 1835, it was the last working rural courthouse on the Isle of Man.
Infrequent bus services run to the towns of
Ramsey
Ramsey may refer to:
Geography British Isles
* Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England
* Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England
** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey"
* Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...
,
Peel and
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
.
Other places of interest
Local areas of interest include:
*Glen Wyllin village and Glen Wyllin itself (the Glen was once the site of a trout farm but the farm was lost due to
coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
). Glen Wyllin now has a seasonal camp site.
*Cooildarry Nature Reserve (in the upper part of Glen Wyllin).
*Bishop's Court, the former residence of the Bishop of
Sodor and Man
The Diocese of Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets. Today, the bishop's office is in Douglas and the cathedral is in Peel. The diocese is ''not ...
but now a private residence, is located about 2 km north of Kirk Michael village, on the boundary with Ballaugh. The grounds and chapel of Bishop's Court are opened to the public occasionally. Bishop's Court Glen, on the other side of the TT course, and shared with Ballaugh, was once the private garden of the Bishop. The glen includes an artificial mound called Mount Aeolus, which resembles
Tynwald Hill
Tynwald Day ( gv, Laa Tinvaal) is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually observed on 5 July (if this is a Saturday or Sunday, then on the following Monday).
On this day, the Island's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, instead of ...
, and The Cave of the Winds. Until 1987 the mound had two
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
on top. The mound was built under Bishop
Mark Hildesley
Mark Hiddesley or Hildesley (9 December 1698 – 7 December 1772) was an Anglican churchman. He served as vicar of Hitchin in Hertfordshire and later as Bishop of Sodor and Man between 1755 and 1772, where he encouraged Bible translations in ...
to commemorate the victory of Captain Elliot over the French
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
François Thurot
François Thurot (22 July 1727 at Nuits-Saint-Georges near Dijon in eastern France – 28 February 1760 off the Isle of Man) was a French privateer, merchant naval captain and smuggler who raided British shipping during the Seven Years' War.
E ...
off the coast near Ramsey in 1760.
*
Cronk Urleigh
__NOTOC__
Cronk Urleigh (; "hill of the forecourt"; archaic ''Reneurling'') is a stretch of road situated at the 15th Milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey in the parish of Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man.
Description
The nearby ...
is a small hillock near Kirk Michael which until 1428 was the site of the
Tynwald
Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of ...
Courts.
File:Douglas Road Corner IMG 0003.JPG, TT course safety devices at Douglas Road Corner, the right-hander entering Kirk Michael village
File:Kirk Michael, The A3 - geograph.org.uk - 481850.jpg, The main A3 road leading through Kirk Michael village after Douglas Road Corner
MHKs & Elections
The following information is incomplete.
The constituency was abolished in 2016.
In literature
Most of the action of ''
The Deemster'' takes place in Michael Sheading.
In film
Glen Wyllin (Glen Mooar) beach was used as a location in the 2004 film
Five Children and It.
See also
*
Local government in the Isle of Man
Local government ( gv, gurneilys ynnydagh) in the Isle of Man was formerly based on six sheadings, which were divided into seventeen parishes (today referred to as "ancient parishes"). The island is today divided for local government purposes i ...
References
External links
Isle of Man Building Control Districtsshowing parish boundaries
Glenology - Manx Glens An ongoing study of Manx glens, their locations and meanings.
A Manx NotebookIOM Guide: Kirk MichaelIOM Guide: Bishop's CourtMultimap of the areaManx National HeritageIsle of Man Census 2006 PDFConstituency maps and general election results
{{House of Keys constituencies
Sheadings of the Isle of Man
Constituencies of the Isle of Man
Parishes of the Isle of Man