Events

AT 2.30 P.M. FOLLOWED BY TEA

With one exception:       29 March 2025:         AGM in the Manx Museum Lecture Theatre at 2.00 pm

2024

Saturday 19 October
Philip Pain
John de Vesci, Victor at the Battle of Ronaldsway 1275 - "Who do you think he was?”
In 1275 the Isle of Man was invaded by a force led by John de Vesci, acting on behalf of King Alexander III of Scotland. The Battle at Ronaldsway saw the last Norse King of Man defeated, and the end of Viking rule. The talk will look at the ancestry of John de Vesci, somewhat in the style of the popular TV programme "Who do you think you are? The results are unexpected and cast doubt on the long established view of Manx history. Rather than being the start of Scottish rule, was it a continuance of the Anglo-Norman conquest of Britain?  With that in mind, the talk offers a new possible insight on an Anglo-Norman relic, the Maughold Parish Cross.

Saturday 16 November
Terence McDonald
Manx Law Makers - The Vanguards of Justice
The Manx legal profession is a unique profession as its history and development does not follow the same pattern as other common law jurisdictions in the empire/commonwealth. Terence will vivaciously explain the distinctions and give reasons why the Manx profession is autochthonous.

Saturday 14 December
Cori Phillips
The Harlot next door – a history of one street in Peel
Getting away from the headlines and into the houses, this talk explores the history of one Peel street through the stories of the people that lived there. From serious issues to some serious skeet, stolen hearts to stolen washing and heroes to harlots (alleged) - the small original stretch of West View (nos 2-15) has it all.

2025

Saturday 18 January
Carys Owen
Photographs of a Political Prisoner: James Brown of the Isle of Man Times
In accounts of journalist James Brown’s 1864 dispute with the House of Keys, photographs of Brown taken in prison are commonly used as illustrative tools. However these photographs, and the other known images of Brown, have never been examined critically. This lecture will explore their production, circulation, and role in producing Brown’s legacy.

Saturday 15 February
Peter Geddes MBE
Bradda Mines
The Laxey Mines Research Group (LMRG) has for many years been tirelessly exploring and surveying the labyrinth of Bradda mines, both North and South, removing falls and spoil, bridging precipitous shafts and building ladder ways. Peter will tell of recent discoveries – below and above ground – and their work to create access and make safe Bradda mines.

Saturday 29 March
Annual General Meeting at 2 pm
Followed by Dr Catriona Mackie
Women in Manx Politics
The Women in Manx Politics project explores the experiences of women in Manx politics from 1919 to the present, using data analysis, documentary research, and interviews with women MHKs. This lecture will outline some of the findings of the project, exploring the way in which gender and politics intersect in a small democracy with no strong party institutionalisation.