Lonan ( ; gv, Lonan) is one of the 17

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 east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the

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 ...

Garff Garff () is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located on the east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) and consists of the two historic parishes of Lonan and Maughold. Before 1796 it also included t ...

. Other settlements in the parish include

Baldrine Baldrine is a village in the Isle of Man. It is close to the east coast of the island, about 3 km south of Laxey and 6 km NE of Douglas. It is in the historic parish of Lonan, in the sheading of Garff. For administrative purposes it is ...

and

Ballabeg Ballabeg ( glv, Balley Beg) is a village on the Isle of Man. It is in the parish of Arbory in the sheading of Rushen, in the south of the island near Castletown. There are several small villages and hamlets with the name, although Ballabeg in ...

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 ...

, since May 2016 the historic parish of Lonan has been part of a single Garff

local authority 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 ...

, formed by merging the former

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

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 ...

Laxey Laxey ( gv, Laksaa) is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse ''Laxa'' meaning 'Salmon River'. Its key distinguishing features are its three working vintage railways and the largest working waterwhee ...

with the parish districts of Lonan and

Maughold Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the patron saint of the Isle of Man. Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a ban ...

. Until this amalgamation, the village district of Laxey had been separated from its surrounding parish of Lonan since 1895. Laxey, Lonan and Maughold are still separate

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s of the combined district of Garff. 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 ...

(as of 2019) is Stephen Patrick Carter.

Politics

Lonan parish is part of the

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 ...

Geography

The parish extends from near Port

Groudle Groudle, or Groudle Glen, a glen on the outskirts of Onchan on the Isle of Man, is formed in a valley leading to the sea at the small port of the same name. It is one of the officially-listed Manx National Glens. Groudle was a remote hamlet bo ...

in the south to the Snaefell mines and Brandywell Corner (on the

TT 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 ...

to the east of Beinn-y-Phott), a distance of some , and has an area of . It is an upland district, being hilly and barren in parts, and dropping sharply into the sea, with the exception of a few small deep, sheltered glens. The highest point in the parish is Mullagh Ouyr (near Snaefell) at . Its coastline is high and rocky, and broken by several headlands and small bays; although there is a stretch of mostly sandy beach from Laxey to Garwick Bay. The main headlands are

Laxey Head Laxey ( gv, Laksaa) is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Man. Its name derives from the Old Norse ''Laxa'' meaning 'Salmon River'. Its key distinguishing features are its three working vintage railways and the largest working waterwhee ...

and

Clay Head Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...

; and the bays are Bulgham Bay,

Laxey Bay Laxey Bay ( gv, Baie Laksaa) is a coastal feature and Marine Nature Reserve on the east coast of the Isle of Man in the north Irish Sea. Geographically it is bounded by Laxey Head ( gv, Kione Laksaa) to the north and Clay Head ( gv, Kione ny Cle ...

, and Garwick Bay. The only significant valleys are Laxey Glen, a popular tourist site extending from the Snaefell mines to the sea, and Glen Roy, which leads into Laxey Glen at Laxey village.

History

Henry Skillicorne Henry Skillicorne (c. 1678–1763) was a Manx-born merchant mariner who after some four decades trading out of Bristol began a second career as the first serious developer of the spa waters in Cheltenham. Regarded as 'the founder of Cheltenham as a ...

, a

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

sea captain who was later instrumental in developing the spa waters at

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, was born at Ballaragh in this parish in 1678 or 1679. According to the Garff Commissioners' road sign, Lonan is the home of the Lonan Gentlemen's Fellowship, "world motor cycle land speed record holders" (at

Bonneville Salt Flats The Bonneville Salt Flats are a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. A remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, it is the largest of many salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake. It is public land managed by the Bur ...

). In 2018

was designated as a

Marine Nature Reserve Marine nature reserve (MNR) is a conservation designation officially awarded by a government to a marine reserve of national significance. Republic of Ireland Lough Hyne, a marine lake off of County Cork, is Ireland's only marine nature reserve. Un ...

for its important wildlife and habitats.

Religion

The parish church, All Saints Church, is at Boilley Veen (not marked on small-scale maps, but grid reference 430830). It was built in the 19th century as a more conveniently located substitute for the ancient structure of St Adamnan's Church. This 19th century church closed in October 2014 owing to lack of funds for maintenance, leaving Lonan with no parish church.

Demographics

The Isle of Man census of 2016 returned a parish population of 1,579, an increase of 2.9 per cent from the figure of 1,533 in 2011.

References

External links

Parish District of Garff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonan (Parish) Parishes of the Isle of Man