Lonan ( ; ) is one of the 17

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. It is located on the east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the

sheading Local government 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 into town districts, villa ...

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 (parish), Lonan and Maughold (parish), Maugh ...

. Other settlements in the parish include Baldrine and Ballabeg.

Local government

For the purposes of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

, 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 governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

, formed by merging the former

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of Laxey with the parish districts of Lonan and Maughold. 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 wards 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 (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

, which elects two Members to the House of Keys.

Geography

The parish extends from near Port Groudle in the south to the Snaefell mines and Brandywell Corner (on the TT course 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 and Clay Head; and the bays are Bulgham Bay, Laxey Bay, 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, a

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

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

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, 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). In 2018 Laxey Bay was designated as a Marine Nature Reserve 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