Manx Church Law

	Manx Church Law
	Although the Manx Church is part of the Church of England, its law differs in important respects from that applying in England. These pages contain information about the ecclesiastical law of the Isle of Man, with particular reference to the differences from that of England.
	Acts and Measures are reproduced by permission of the copyright owner, the Treasury of the Isle of Man. © Crown copyright reserved
	PDF documents can be viewed and printed using a suitable PDF reader application, such as Foxit Reader or Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded free of charge.

Ecclesiastical law — general
The Law of the Manx Church	A brief outline of Manx Church law
Commentaries on works on English Church law
Churchwardens and Parochial Church Councillors in the Isle of Man	A commentary on MacMorran & Briden's Handbook for Churchwardens and Parochial Church Councillors (new revised edition, Mowbray. 2010) (48KB — requires a PDF reader)
Your Church and the Law in the Isle of Man	A commentary on David Parrott's Your Church and the Law (2nd ed., Canterbury Press, 2011) (258KB — requires a PDF reader)
Practical Church Management in the Isle of Man	A commentary on James Behrens' Practical Church Management (3rd ed., Gracewing, 2014) (56KB — requires a PDF reader)
Legislation
Church Legislation in the Isle of Man	An article which first appeared in the Ecclesiastical Law Journal in 1994
The Church Legislation Procedure Act 1993	The Act of Tynwald which enables the Sodor and Man Diocesan Synod to legislate for the Church in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man Church Measures	A list of Measures enacted under the Church Legislation Procedure Act 1993 (or its predecessor) with a summary of their effects
Isle of Man Church Measures	Click here for a printable text in PDF format of the above Measures (896KB — requires a PDF reader)
Re Robinson: the judgment of Deemster Farrant	The leading case on the application of United Kingdom ecclesiastical legislation to the Isle of Man
Church government
The Church Representation Rules as they have effect in the Isle of Man from 1 Jan 2023	The rules in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969, as modified in their application to the Isle of Man by the Church Act 1987 (of Tynwald) and subsequent legislation Note that the printed editions of the Church Representation Rules published by Church House Publishing and the online versions at legislation.gov.uk and www.churchofengland.org give the law as it has effect in England, not in the Isle of Man.
	Click here for a printable text in PDF format of the above Rules (222KB — requires PDF reader) Click here for a text of the Rules as they had effect before 1 May 2020
The Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 as it has effect in the Isle of Man	The legislation relating to the powers of PCCs, as modified in its application to the Isle of Man
The Churchwardens Measure (Isle of Man) 2013	The legislation relating to the appointment and tenure of office of churchwardens of parishes.
The Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 as it has effect in the Isle of Man	The legislation relating to the appointment of rectors and vicars of parishes, together with Notes for Guidance of Parishes on the operation of the Measure
The Mission and Pastoral Measure (Isle of Man) 2012	The legislation relating to pastoral reorganisation
The Standing Orders of the Sodor and Man Diocesan Synod	Click here for a printable (PDF) version (141KB — requires a PDF reader)
Mission Partnerships	A note on the groupings of parishes (which replaced rural deaneries as from 1 Jan 2013) Printable (PDF) version (56KB — requires a PDF reader)
Church courts
The Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 as it has effect in the Isle of Man	The legislation relating to the discipline of bishops, priests and deacons in matters not involving doctrine, ritual or ceremonial, as modified in its application to the Isle of Man
The Clergy Discipline Rules 2005 (SI 2005/2022) as they have effect in the Isle of Man	The procedural rules for disciplinary tribunals under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003, as modified in their application to the Isle of Man
The Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018 as it has effect in the Isle of Man	The legislation relating to the care of churches and the control of works affecting churches, as modified in its application to the Isle of Man (184KB — requires PDF reader)
The Faculty Jurisdiction Rules (Isle of Man) 2016 (SD 2016/231)	The procedure and forms for applications for a faculty (323KB — requires PDF reader)
Marriage
Church weddings in the Isle of Man	An outline of the legal formalities for a wedding in an Anglican church in the Isle of Man
Anglican Marriage in the Isle of Man	A guide to the law for clergy (220KB — requires PDF reader)
The Marriage Act 1984	So much of Act of Tynwald relating to the formalities of marriage in the Isle of Man as applies to marriages according to the rites of the Church of England
The Gender Recognition Act 2009 and the Church	A note on the effect of the Gender Recognition Act 2009 in relation to the Church of England (48KB — requires PDF reader)
Miscellaneous
The Church Act 1992	The Act of Tynwald dealing with the constitutions of the Sodor and Man Diocesan Board of Finance and the Church Commissioners for the Isle of Man; the functions of the Board; the disposal of Church land; schemes relating to ecclesiastical trusts; and the age limit for clergy who do not hold under common tenure.
The Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure 2009 as it has effect in the Isle of Man	The Measure creating Common Tenure, the terms of service for Anglican clergy and other church workers. Supplemented by Regulations (printable version – PDF reader required)
The Sodor and Man Diocesan Board of Finance	A brief account of the history and functions of the DBF (PDF reader required)
The Church Records Measure (Isle of Man) 2000	The legislation providing for the establishment of a diocesan record office and the safe-keeping of diocesan and parochial records A printable version of the provisions of the Measure relating to parochial registers and records, and relevant provisions of the Marriage Act 1984, is here (103KB); the directions given by the Bishop as to the safekeeping of parochial registers and records are here (66KB). (PDF reader required)
The Religious Charities Regulations 1999	The regulations which exempt certain Church of England and non-conformist Church bodies from registration under the Charities Registration Act 1989 Note that Church of England bodies (including charities) are exempt from registration under the Charities Registration and Regulation Act 2019 as "ecclesiastical charities".
A short note on Manx copyright law
History
Manx Church Law in the 19th Century	Evidence given by Sir James Gell and Mr S Harris to the Royal Commission on the Ecclesiastical Courts (from the report of the Commission, 1883, C.3760, vol. ii pp. 317-337)
The 1811 Impropriate Fund Act	The text of the Act of Parliament 51 Geo.3 c.ccvii, which settled the long-running dispute between the clergy of the Isle of Man and the Earls of Derby concerning impropriated tithes; with an introduction.
Sherwood's Manx Law Tenures	A handbook on Manx land law, written in the 1850's and published in 1899