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 ...

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.

Historic parish

Michael ( gv, Maayl) is one of the seventeen historic

es of the

. It is located on the west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of Michael. 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.

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), Michae ...

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 (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

, 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 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 C ...

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. 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, Isle of Man, Ramsey realised their t ...

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 sei ...

(

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 ...

). "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, 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 during ...

on top. The mound was built under Bishop Mark Hildesley 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 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.

References

External links

Isle of Man Building Control Districts
showing 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