# Lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man

The lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man (Manx: Fo-chiannoort Vannin or lhiass-chiannoort vannin) is the Lord of Mann's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excellency".
No Manx-born person has ever been appointed lieutenant governor, although Manx-born first deemsters (ex officio deputy governors) have taken on the role temporarily during an interregnum between governors, and during periods when the lieutenant governor is off-island.
The official residence of the governor is Government House, Governor's Road, Onchan.
In the past, the lieutenant governor wielded considerable judicial, fiscal and executive power on the island. However, the office lost his prerogatives as Head of the Judiciary in 1921, as Head of Government in 1961, as president of the Legislative Council in 1980 and finally as president of Tynwald in 1990. Today the role of lieutenant governor is essentially ceremonial, although certain powers under Isle of Man legislation do still fall to the governor or governor-in-council (a decision on the advice, and with the approval of, the Council of Ministers).

## History

It was often asked what was the proper title of the chief executive of the island, and whether there were any words in the commissions of the lieutenant governors which suspended their functions during the presence in the island of the lord of Mann or a governor of the Isle of Man. Such a question was considered in 1877 by the eminent Manx advocate James Gell, who referred to a search he undertook at the Rolls Office, the results of which are included in a list of 83 appointments of governors between 1595 and 1863. Not all appointments during that period are listed in this article as it was difficult to trace appointments prior to 1639; at about that time the practice began of keeping a distinct book for the enrolment of commissions. In addition, after that date certain commissions were also omitted to be enrolled. For instance, no record of the appointment of the 4th Duke of Atholl as governor in 1793 could be traced.
Historically the designations "governor", "lieutenant" (that is, the king's or queen's or lord of Mann's lieutenant) and "captain" were synonymous. Only one reference to deputy lieutenant is made, that of Governor Horton's appointment in 1725. In some commissions expressions designating the office, such as governor; captain general and commander-in-chief; chief governor and commander-in-chief; chief governor; and governor-in-chief and captain general; may well imply the conferring of powers, civil and military, though the designation given may possibly affect the rank of the person appointed, as between himself and others holding similar or analogous appointments.
If the sovereign intended not to bestow the full powers of a governor on a specific person, then the limitations had to be expressed on the face of the commission. However no record of such an amendment exists, and although any legal power exercised could not be questioned as to its legality by any subject, a governor as between himself and the Crown, would be controlled as to the exercise of his powers by his instructions and would therefore be accountable for any injudicious use of them.
A lieutenant governor or deputy governor having a commission with no express limitation to their powers, could perform all the functions of a governor while his powers were in force.
James Gell twice held the office of governor of the Isle of Man: first during the illness of Lord Henniker, Gell being appointed deputy and presiding at Tynwald; and second during the interregnum between Lord Henniker's death and the appointment of Lord Raglan.
Whilst Gell was appointed deputy governor on the first occasion, he was appointed acting governor in the second instance, an important distinction. The Dukes of Atholl were the last supreme governors of the Isle of Man, until the Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765, also known as the Act of Revestment. All governors since then had been lieutenant governors, but Gell's appointment as acting governor was on a par with the position of the Duke of Atholl, and he had the right to appoint a lieutenant governor had he so wished. So his office as acting governor carried with it greater authority than that of lieutenant governor; this fact Gell himself pointed out to the Home Office.
The term "lieutenant governor" was not used before the Act of Revestment in 1765; the term "deputy governor" was used instead. The appointments of Peter Legh (1596), Ratcliffe Gerrard (1639), Roger Nowell (1660), William Sacheverell (1692), Thomas Huddlestone (1700) and Alexander Horne (1713) as deputy governors can therefore be seen as temporary appointments during a vacancy.
Lieutenant governors and deputy governors could exercise the powers of a governor of the Isle of Man in one respect: they could appoint deputies. In the cases of Charles Stanley (1702) and Bishop Isaac Barrow (1774) this prerogative was specifically granted; however over time it became common custom amongst successive lieutenant governors. This would allow governors to appoint deputies for specific periods or purposes, such as during the governor's absence on specified occasions, or during his illness when not absent; the list below illustrates this and shows the great number of appointments made by governors of deputies during their absence. For instance the various appointments of Deemsters McYlrea and Taubman can be seen as examples of appointments for executing judicial functions.
Before the Act of Revestment, deputies were expressly appointed to act during absence, except in one case: that of Bishop Isaac Barrow in 1664. In this case, the deputy governor, Roger Nowell, acted whilst Governor Barrow was on the island, sometimes along with him and sometimes solely. This was an exceptional case; it was probably not intended that the Bishop have more to do with temporal affairs than was absolutely necessary.
After revestment, the appointments of lieutenant governors Henry Hope (1773), Richard Dawson (1775 and 1777), Alexander Shaw (1790), Henry Murray (1804) and Cornelius Smelt (1805) were also expressly held during the absence of the governors. The appointments of Lieutenant Governors John Ready (1832), Charles Hope (1845) and Francis Pigott Stainsby Conant (1860), say nothing as to the presence of a governor-in-chief, and these three persons were therefore appointed to be "merely" lieutenant governors. It may be the case with the appointment of Colonel Ready that it was not intended for him to take the office of governor-in-chief, and therefore no allusion was made in the commissions of the lieutenant governors to their office. However, it appears that without any words expressly suspending the functions of a lieutenant governor, they would as a matter of course be suspended.

## Appointment

Before 2010 the lieutenant governor was appointed by the Crown on the advice of a panel led by the government of the United Kingdom. In July 2010 the government of the Isle of Man announced that the next lieutenant governor would be appointed on the advice of an entirely local panel, comprising the chief minister, the president of Tynwald and the first deemster. The new procedure was used for the first time a few months later to choose Sir Paul Haddacks's successor.

## Proposed change to title

In October 2005 Tynwald sought to change the title of the lieutenant governor to Crown Commissioner. This proposal was sent to the British Department of Constitutional Affairs for submission to Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann, for approval. However, in April 2006, after much public disapproval, Tynwald reversed its proposal and withdrew its request for royal assent. Thus the lieutenant governor's title remained unchanged.

## List of governors

List of governors :
| Date appointed | Appointee name | Appointed office | By whom appointed | Remarks |
| 1 Aug 1595 | Thomas Garret (or Gerrard) | Captain | Queen Elizabeth I | Appointment pending the dispute as to the succession to the island in the House of Stanley. |
| 3 Jul 1596 | Peter Legh | Captain and governor | Lord Keeper and other offices of state for Queen Elizabeth | To act during the absence from the island of Thomas Garret. |
| 30 Mar 1639 | Ratcliffe Gerrard | Deputy governor | Lord of Mann (Lord Strange; later, 7th Earl of Derby) | To act during the absence from the island by Sir Charles Gerrard, governor. |
| 20 Jul 1639 | Ffoulks Hunckers | Captain and governor | Lord of Mann; 7th Earl of Derby | In place of Sir Charles Gerrard. |
| 20 Jun 1640 | John Greenhaigh | Captain and governor | Lord of Mann; 7th Earl of Derby | In place of Sir Ffoulks Hunckers. |
| 12 Nov 1652 | John Sharples | Deputy governor | Commissioners of Lord Fairfax, to whom the Isle of Man had been granted during the term of the Commonwealth of England | To be deputy governor as to the Civil Magistracie thereof. [This appointment confers limited powers and excluded military authority]. |
| 16 Jul 1660 | Roger Nowell | Governor, captain-general and commander-in-chief | Lord of Mann (Charles, Earl of Derby) | Appointment following the restoration of the monarchy. |
| 16 Jul 1660 | Richard Stevenson | Deputy governor | Charles, Earl of Derby | To sit during the absence of Governor Roger Nowell. |
| 11 Dec 1662 | Henry Nowell | Deputy governor | Governor Roger Nowell | To act during the absence of the governor. |
| 18 Sep 1663 | Henry Nowell | Deputy governor | 7th Earl of Derby | To act during pleasure, in place of Thomas Stanley. |
| 31 May 1664 | Isaac Barrow | Governor | Lord of Mann (Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby) | To hold and exercise the said Office by himself, or by Henry Nowell, his deputy or some other sufficient person who he should think fit [This was looked upon as an exceptional appointment, for the Deputy Nowell acted sometimes alone, and sometimes along with the governor - Mills Statute p. 137]. |
| 28 Jul 1673 | Henry Nowell | Governor | William, Earl of Derby (by his Guardian, Duke of Ormonde) | |
| 10 Apr 1677 | Henry Stanley | Governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | |
| 13 Apr 1678 | Robert Heywood | Governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | |
| 16 Mar 1690/1 | Roger Kenyon | Governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | |
| 6 Apr 1692 | William Sacheverell | Deputy governor | William, Earl of Derby | To take on him the whole government, during pleasure [probably governorship vacant]. |
| 10 Oct 1692 | Richard Stevenson (Water Bailiff)John Rowe (Clerk of the Rolls) | Deputy governor | Deputy Governor Sacheverell | The appointment is stated on the face of it to be made by order of the Right Honourable the Lord of this Isle [This is quite remarkable. Deputies appointed by a deputy, but apparently made by special authority]. |
| 9 May 1693 | William Sacheverell | Governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | |
| 15 Jun 1695 | Nicholas Sankey | Governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | |
| 28 Jul 1696 | John RowePeter HeywoodDeemster John Parr | Deputy governor | Governor Sankey | To act jointly. |
| 30 Oct 1700 | Thomas Huddlestone | Deputy governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | To take upon him the whole government during pleasure. [This was probably a temporary appointment during a vacancy of governorship]. |
| 10 Mar 1700/01 | James Cranstoun | Deputy governor | Lord of Mann (William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby) | |
| 21 Nov 1702 | Charles Zedenno Stanley | Chief governor and commander-in-chief | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | To exercise office by himself, or his sufficient deputy or deputies, during pleasure. |
| 3 Dec 1702 | Robert Mawdesley | Deputy governor | Governor Stanley | During pleasure. |
| 30 Oct 1702–03 | Deemster John Parr | Deputy governor | Governor Stanley | During absence of Deputy Governor Mawdesley. |
| 12 Jul 1703 | John RoweChristopher Parker (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Governor Stanley | To act during the absence of Deputy Governor Mawdesley, on the departure of Deputy Governor Parr, who had been called by the Lord of England on weighty business. |
| 25 Nov 1703 | Robert Mawdesley | Deputy governor | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | Confirmation of Mawdesley's previous appointment as deputy governor by Governor Stanley. [This confirmation seems to have amounted to an appointment as governor, which he styled himself afterwards]. |
| 17 Jul 1712 | Deemster John Parr | Deputy governor | Governor Mawdesley | To act during the governor's absence in England. |
| 20 May 1713 | Deemster John Parr | Deputy governor | Governor Mawdesley | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. |
| 18 Jul 1713 | Charles Zedenno StanleyAlexander Horne | Chief governor & deputy governor | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | The deputy to act in the absence of the governor. |
| 17 Oct 1713 | John RoweWilliam Sedden (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Governor Stanley | To act jointly during the absence of Governor and Deputy Governor Horne. |
| 13 Oct 1714 | John RoweWilliam Sedden (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Deputy Governor Horne | To act during the absence of Deputy Governor Horne in England. (This is an appointment of deputies by a deputy.) |
| 25 Jun 1718 | John RoweWilliam Sedden (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Deputy Governor Horne | To act during Deputy Governor Horne's absence from the Isle of Man. [See above.] |
| 9 Jul 1718 | Capt. Alexander Horne | Governor & commander-in-chief | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | |
| 27 Jun 1719 | John RoweWilliam Sedden (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Governor Horne | To serve during Governor Horne's absence. |
| 1 Jul 1719 | John RoweWilliam Sedden (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Governor Horne | To serve during Governor Horne's absence. |
| 25 Jun 1721 | John RoweWilliam Sedden (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Governor Horne | To serve during Governor Horne's absence. |
| 23 Apr 1723 | John Sanforth (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Governor Horne | To serve during Governor Horne's absence. |
| 29 Apr 1723 | Deemster Daniel McYlrea | Deputy governor | Governor Horne | To act jointly with Deputy Governor Sanforth during Governor Horne's absence. |
| 22 May 1723 | John Sanforth (Water Bailiff)Deemster Daniel McYlreaJohn Rowe | Deputy governor | | If one be sick or absent, the other two to act jointly. (This was probably a temporary appointment during vacancy in governorship.) |
| 3 Oct 1723 | John Lloyd | Governor or lieutenant | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | |
| 27 Feb 1724/5 | John RoweNicholas ChristianJohn Sanforth (Water Bailiff) | Deputy governor | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | This was probably a temporary appointment during a vacancy in governorship. |
| 14 Sep 1725 | Thomas Horton | Deputy lieutenant governor | Lord of Mann (James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby) | |
| 12 May 1726 | James HortonJohn BrownellMaj. Gen. John Woods | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. If one be sick the other two to act jointly. |
| 9 Jul 1727 | James HortonJohn BrownellMaj. Gen. John Woods | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. If one be sick the other two to act jointly. |
| 13 Jul 1727 | James HortonJohn BrownellMaj. Gen. John Woods | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. If one be sick the other two to act jointly. |
| 12 Jul 1728 | James HortonJohn BrownellMaj. Gen. John Woods | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. If one be sick the other two to act jointly. |
| 5 Mar 1728/9 | James HortonJohn BrownellMaj. Gen. John Woods | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. |
| 25 Jun 1731 | James HortonDeemster Charles Moore | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. |
| 30 Jun 1732 | James HortonDeemster Charles Moore | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. |
| 30 Jun 1733 | James HortonWilliam StonierDeemster Charles Moore | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. If one be sick the other two to act jointly. |
| 29 Apr 1734 | James HortonWilliam StonierDeemster Charles Moore | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence from Isle of Man. If one be sick or absent, other two to act jointly. |
| 30 Jul 1734 | James HortonWilliam StonierDeemster Charles Moore | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | |
| 26 Dec 1734 | William StonierDeemster Charles Moore | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during absence of governor. |
| 8 Oct 1735 | Deemster Charles MooreDeemster Daniel McYlrea | Deputy governor | Governor Horton | To act during governor's absence. |
| 9 Mar 1736 | James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl | Governor and commander-in-chief | | On the death of 10th Earl of Derby. |
| 1736–37 | Deemster Charles MooreDeemster Daniel McYlrea | Deputy governor | Governor Murray | To act during governor's absence from island. |
| 7 Apr 1744 | Deemster John TaubmanDeemster Daniel McYlrea | Deputy governor | Governor Murray | To act during governor's absence from island. Each empowered to act during incapacity by sickness or other impediment of the other. |
| 1 Jun 1744 | Patrick Lindesay | Governor and commander-in-chief | Lord of Mann James, 2nd Duke of Atholl | |
| 27 May 1746 | Deemster John TaubmanDeemster Daniel McYlrea | Deputy governor | Governor Lindesay | The commission states that the governor, by his present indisposition, is disabled from attending the Courts on the next Circuit (that is, of the Sheading or Common Law Courts). The deputies to act during the governor's illness. (This is a case where deputies were appointed whilst the governor was on the island.) |
| 14 Jul 1749 | Deemster John TaubmanDeemster Daniel McYlrea | Deputy governor | Governor Lindesay | The commission states that the governor by his present indisposition in unable to execute his post and office. The deputies to act during his illness. (Similar to the case preceding, deputies were appointed whilst governor was on the island). |
| 2 May 1751 | Basil Cochrane | Governor and commander-in-chief | Lord of Mann James, 2nd Duke of Atholl | |
| 17 May 1760 | Deemster John TaubmanDaniel McYlrea (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Basil Cochrane, governor | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. Each empowered to act in case of sickness or other impediment of the other. |
| 26 Mar 1761 | Deemster John TaubmanDaniel McYlrea (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Basil Cochrane, governor | To act during governor's absence from the Isle of Man. Each empowered to act in case of sickness or other impediment of the other. |
| 2 Jun 1761 | Deemster John TaubmanDaniel McYlrea (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Basil Cochrane, governor | The governor being ex officio be jointly chancellors with respect to the causes to be heard. |
| 8 Jul 1761 | Deemster John TaubmanDaniel McYlrea (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Basil Cochrane, governor | To act during the governor's absence from the island. Each empowered to act in case of sickness or incapacity of others. |
| 22 Jul 1761 | John Wood | Governor and commander-in-chief | Lord of Mann James, 2nd Duke of Atholl | |
| 1 Oct 1763 | Daniel McYlrea (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Governor Wood | The commission states that the governor by his present indisposition is rendered incapable of presiding at the Sheading Courts which are to be held at Peel. |
| 18 May 1764 | Daniel McYlrea (Receiver General) | Deputy governor | Governor Wood | |
| 16 Dec 1764 | John Wood | Governor and commander-in-chief | Lady of Mann (Charlotte Murray, Duchess of Atholl with the concurrence of her husband) | This is a re-appointment following the accession to the throne of King George III. |
| Revestment |||||
| 21 Jun 1765 | John Wood | Governor-in-chief and captain general | King George III | This is a re-appointment following the Revestment. |
| 6 Aug 1773 | Henry Hope | Lieutenant governor | King George III | To act in the absence of Governor Wood and to perform the duties of governor *First appointment of lieutenant governor. |
| 13 Jul 1775 | Richard Dawson | Lieutenant governor | King George III | |
| 31 May 1777 | Edward Smith | Governor-in-chief & captain general | King George III | Appointed following the death of Governor Wood. |
| 31 May 1777 | Richard Dawson | Lieutenant governor | King George III | |
| 26 Nov 1790 | Alexander Shaw | Lieutenant governor | King George III | |
| 14 Feb 1793 | John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl | Governor-in-chief & captain general | King George III | |
| 4 Aug 1804 | Henry Murray | Lieutenant governor | John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl | The commission states: "Whereas the Honourable Alexander Shaw, last Lieutenant Governor of this Isle, hath resigned the said office of Lieutenant Governor, and no other person hath yet been appointed by His Majesty to fill the same: And whereas I find it necessary to remove forthwith from the said Isle to attend public business in Great Britain." The lieutenant governor is appointed to act during the absence of the governor-in-chief or until His Majesty's pleasure be known. [This is the only appointment of a lieutenant governor made by a governor of the Isle of Man since the Revestment]. |
| 8 Jun 1805 | Cornelius Smelt | Lieutenant governor | King George III | Appointment in like terms as Lieutenant Governor Dawson's appointment in 1777. |
| 1 Dec 1832 | John Ready | Lieutenant governor | King William IV | The appointment is simply to be lieutenant governor during pleasure. |
| 21 Nov 1837 | John Ready | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | New appointment following the accession of Queen Victoria. |
| 8 Aug 1845 | Charles Hope | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | |
| 13 Sep 1860 | Mark Hildesley Quayle, Clerk of the Rolls | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | To act as deputy governor to exercise all functions and powers of such office until a lieutenant governor shall have been appointed. |
| 20 Oct 1860 | Francis Pigott Stainsby Conant | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | Similar appointment as Lieutenant Governors Ready and Hope. |
| 28 Jan 1863 | Mark Hildesley Quayle, Clerk of the Rolls | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | To act as deputy governor to exercise all functions and powers of such office until a lieutenant governor shall have been appointed. |
| 29 Jan 1863 | Henry Loch | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | To act as lieutenant governor during pleasure. |
| 24 Apr 1882 | Spencer Walpole | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | |
| 1893 | Joseph West Ridgeway | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | |
| 1895 | John Henniker-Major, 5th Baron Henniker | Lieutenant governor | Queen Victoria | |
| Jul 1902 | James Gell, Clerk of the Rolls | Deputy governor | King Edward VII | To act as such during the indisposition of Lieutenant Governor Henniker. Appointed deputy governor in the first place. |
| Oct 1902 | James Gell, Clerk of the Rolls | Acting governor | King Edward VII | Following the death of Lieutenant Governor Henniker. (Office therefore as acting governor carried with it greater authority than that of lieutenant governor.) |
| 1902 | George Fitzroy Henry Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan | Lieutenant governor | King Edward VII | |
| 1919 | William Fry | Lieutenant governor | King George V | |
| 1928 | Claude Hill | Lieutenant governor | King George V | |
| 1932 | Montagu Sherard Dawes Butler | Lieutenant governor | King George V | |
| 1937 | William Spencer Leveson-Gower, 4th Earl Granville | Lieutenant governor | King George VI | |
| 1945 | Geoffrey Rhodes Bromet | Lieutenant governor | King George VI | |
| 1952 | Ambrose Dundas Flux Dundas | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1959 | Ronald Herbert Garvey | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1966 | Peter Hyla Gawne Stallard | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1974 | John Warburton Paul | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1980 | Nigel Cecil | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1985 | Laurence New | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1990 | Laurence Jones | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 1995 | Timothy Daunt | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 2000 | Ian David Macfadyen | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| Sep 2005 | Michael Kerruish, First Deemster | Deputy governor | Queen Elizabeth II | Acting during vacancy. |
| Oct 2005 | Michael Kerruish | Deputy governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 2005 | Paul Haddacks | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 2011 | Adam Wood | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 2016 | Richard Gozney | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 2021 | John Lorimer | Lieutenant governor | Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 2021 | John Lorimer | Lieutenant governor | King Charles III | |