![]() |
---|
Attorney General of the Isle of Man | |
---|---|
First holder | John Quillin |
The Attorney General (Manx : Yn Turneyr Theayagh or Yn Ard-Turneyr) [1] of the Isle of Man is the government's senior legal adviser and has an ex officio (non-voting) seat in the Legislative Council and in Tynwald Court.
The Attorney General is a Crown officer, rather than a member of the Isle of Man Government. He is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the UK Secretary of State for Justice. [2]
Walter Wannenburgh was appointed to the office in October 2022 following the death in January 2022 of John Quinn QC, who first held the post in an acting capacity until 2017, while Stephen Harding was suspended and after Harding resigned. Harding was charged with perjury and committing acts against public justice, but after two trials in which the juries were unable to agree a verdict, it was announced that no further criminal proceedings would be taken. [3]
The Isle of Man had become physically separated from Great Britain and Ireland by 6500 BC. It appears that colonisation took place by sea sometime during the Mesolithic era. The island has been visited by various raiders and trading peoples over the years. After being settled by people from Ireland in the first millennium AD, the Isle of Man was converted to Christianity and then suffered raids by Vikings from Norway. After becoming subject to Norwegian suzerainty as part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, the Isle of Man later became a possession of the Scottish and then the English crowns.
His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. They can exercise the powers of the Attorney General in the Attorney General's absence. Despite the title, the position is usually held by a barrister as opposed to a solicitor.
A Deemster is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also promulgate the Laws on Tynwald Day by reading out brief summaries of them in English and Manx.
The Speaker of the House of Keys is the principal officer of the House of Keys, the lower house of the Isle of Man legislature. The Speaker is elected from the membership of the House at its first sitting after an election. He is responsible for controlling the procedure of the House and for the authoritative interpretation of its standing orders. He sets the business of the House and authorises the order of business of the House for each sitting. The Speaker uses the letters SHK after his name.
The Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of the Lord of Mann. The executive head is the Chief Minister.
The Judge Advocate of the Fleet was an appointed civilian judge who was responsible for the supervision and superintendence of the court martial system in the Royal Navy from 1663 to 2008.
The Judge of Appeal is a part-time judge in the Isle of Man High Court who only sits in the Staff of Government Division, the appeal court.
Arthur William Moore, CVO, SHK, JP, MA was a Manx antiquarian, historian, linguist, folklorist, and former Speaker of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man. He published under the sobriquet A. W. Moore.
Fenodyree in the folklore of the Isle of Man, is a hairy supernatural creature, a sort of sprite or fairy, often carrying out chores to help humans, like the brownies of the larger areas of Scotland and England.
Glashtyn is a legendary creature from Manx folklore.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Isle of Man:
Edward Pennefather PC, KC was an Irish barrister, Law Officer and judge of the Victorian era, who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
Sir Wadsworth Busk was Attorney-General of the Isle of Man from 1774 to 1797. He was knighted in 1781.
Stephen Mark Harding QC, LL.B was Her Majesty's Attorney General for the Isle of Man and ex officio Member of the Legislative Council from 2011 to 2016.
Thomas William Cain was a First Deemster of the Isle of Man.
Solicitor General for New South Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General. They can exercise the powers of the Attorney General in the Attorney General's absence. The Solicitor General acts alongside the Crown Advocate, and Crown Solicitor, and serves as one of the legal and constitutional advisers of the Crown and its government in the Australian state of New South Wales.
Sir James Gell was a Manx lawyer, who was the First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls in the Isle of Man. He was also the first Manxman to become Attorney General of the Isle of Man.
Alfred Walter Adams, QC was a Manx lawyer who became the Clerk of the Rolls on the Isle of Man.
John Louie Marie Quinn QC was the Attorney General of the Isle of Man. He was appointed to that office in 2017, having filled the role in an acting capacity since 2013. In 2013, he was also appointed as a member of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man. Quinn was born on 9 May 1954. He was educated in Lancashire and Cheshire, and was married with seven children. Quinn died on 2 January 2022, at the age of 67.
Edmund Evans Greaves Goodwin was a Manx language scholar, linguist, and teacher. He is best known for his work First Lessons in Manx that he wrote to accompany the classes he taught in Peel.