View source for Deemster

{{Short description|Judge in Isle of Man}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Politics of the Isle of Man}}{{More citations needed|date=March 2009}}

A '''Deemster''' ({{langx|gv|briw}}) is a [[judge]] in the [[Isle of Man]]. The [[Isle of Man High Court|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 language|English]] and [[Manx language|Manx]].

In the past, the First and Second Deemsters had ex officio seats in the [[Legislative Council of the Isle of Man]]. The Second Deemster was removed from the council in 1965<ref>Isle of Man Constitution (Amendment) Act 1965</ref> and the First Deemster in 1975.<ref>Isle of Man Constitution (Amendment) Act 1975</ref>

There are currently (2017) three full-time Deemsters. These are the First Deemster and [[Clerk of the Rolls]] (who is also the Deputy Governor), the Second Deemster, and an additional full-time Deemster. The offices of First Deemster, Second Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls are ancient offices. The offices of First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls were combined in 1918,<ref>Judicature (Amendment) Act 1918; see now High Court Act 1991 s.3A(6).</ref> and a new office of Deputy Deemster was created in 2002<ref>Civil Jurisdiction Act 2001 s.7</ref> but abolished in 2009.<ref>Administration of Justice Act 2008</ref> Additional part-time Deemsters (previously called ''Acting Deemsters'') are appointed from time to time to hear a particular case.

The First Deemster, Second Deemster and Judge of Appeal are appointed by, and hold office during the pleasure of, the [[Lord of Mann]]<ref>High Court Act 1991 s.3A</ref> ([[Advice (constitutional)|acting on the advice]] of the UK's [[Secretary of State for Justice]]). Additional deemsters are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of the First Deemster.<ref>High Court Act 1991 s.3B</ref> As ex officio Deputy Governor, the First Deemster acts in place of the Lieutenant Governor in the latter's absence, or during a vacancy in that office.

Unlike judges in the United Kingdom, Deemsters have no [[security of tenure]] and thus have no legal protection against dismissal by the government. The appointment and removal of Manx judges on the formal advice of United Kingdom politicians is seen as an effective alternative.

==Current Deemsters==
The current Deemsters are:

*First Deemster ({{langx|gv|Y Chied Vriw}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/mr1911/ch04.htm|title=Chapter 4 Manx Reminiscences, 1911}}</ref> and Clerk of the Rolls ({{langx|gv|Cleragh ny Lioaryn}}), [[Andrew Corlett]]
*Second Deemster (''Y Nah Vriw''), [[John Needham (Manx Judiciary)|John Needham]]
* Deemster Graeme Cook and
*[[Judge of Appeal]], [[Jeremy Storey]]

There is now officially a "Third Deemster", replacing the previous "Deemster".<ref>[https://www.courts.im/media/2870/annual-report-2021-final-draft.pdf]; this title was also used in the 2023 Tynwald Ceremony.</ref><ref>https://tynwald.org.im/spfile?file=/business/pp/Reports/2020-PP-0191(1).pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>

==List of Deemsters==

Owing to a lack of early records, the list cannot record any deemsters before 1408, and is therefore not necessarily complete for the earlier years. The dates given are those for the first appearance of a name in the records, although the person may have been in office for some time previously.

The list has been compiled from the ''Liber Juramentorum'' (the book recording the oaths taken by officers on appointment), the ''Isle of Man Statutes'' with additional names from the archive of David Craine.<ref>Journal of The Manx Museum, Sunday, January 01, 1961; Page: 42</ref>

==First Deemsters==
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*[[John McCristen]], 1408
*[[John Clerke (Deemster)|John Clerke]], 1417
*[[William McCrysten]], 1419
*[[Jenkin Moore]], 1419
*[[John Moore (Deemster)|John Moore]], 1496
*[[William McCorkill]], 1497
*[[Thomas Norris (Deemster)|Thomas Norris]], 1511
*[[Edward Corkill]], 1524
*[[Thomas Sansbury]], 1535
*[[John Lucas (Deemster)|John Lucas]], 1537
*[[Robert Samsbury]], 1540
*[[Hugh Clarke (Deemster)|Hugh Clarke]], 1567
*[[Robert Cristen]], 1576
*[[John Curghey]], 1585
*[[Ewan Christian (Deemster)|Ewan Christian]], 1598
*[[Henry Radcliffe (Deemster)|Henry Radcliffe]], 1629
*[[Hugh Cannell]], 1637
*[[John Cannell (Deemster)|John Cannell]], 1647
*[[John Christian (Deemster, born 1660)|John Christian]], 1660
*[[Thomas Norris (Deemster)|Thomas Norris]], 1660
*[[William Qualtrough]], 1663
*[[Thomas H. Fletcher]], 1663
*[[Edward Christian (Deemster)|Edward Christian]], 1669
*[[Charles Christian]]<br />(''assistant in the absence of his brother Edward''), 1678
*Daniel Mylrea, 1693
*[[John Parr (Deemster)|John Parr]], 1693
*[[Nicholas Christian]], 1724
*[[Charles Moore (Deemster)|Charles Moore]], 1736
*[[John Taubman (Deemster)|John Taubman]], 1739
*[[Daniel Lace]], 1757–1812
*[[John Quayle (Deemster)|John Quayle]], 1772
*[[John Lace (deemster)|John Lace]], 1793
*[[Norris Moore]], 1812–1819
*[[Thomas Gawne]], 1819–1823
*[[John Cosnahan]], 1819
*[[John McHutchin]], 1820
*[[John Christian (Deemster)|John Christian]], 1823–1847
*[[John Joseph Heywood]], 1847–1855
*[[William Drinkwater|Sir William Drinkwater]], 1855–1898
*[[Sir James Gell]], 1898–1900
*[[Thomas Kneen]], 1900–1905
*[[Stewart Stevenson Moore]], 1905–1916<ref>Journal of The Manx Museum, Sunday, January 01, 1961; Page: 42</ref>
}}

==First Deemsters and Clerks of the Rolls==
*[[Stewart Stevenson Moore]], 1916–1921
*[[Charles Callow|Charles Cheslyn Callow]], 1921–1934
*[[Reginald Douglas Farrant]], 1934–1947
*[[William Percy Cowley]], 1947–1958
*[[Sydney James Kneale]], 1958–1969
*[[George Edgar Moore]], 1969–1974
*[[Robert Kinley Eason]], 1974–1980
*[[Arthur Luft|Arthur Christian Luft]], 1980–1988<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48057|page=166|date=4 January 1980}}</ref>
*[[Jack Corrin|John William Corrin]], 1988–1998
*[[William Cain (deemster)|Thomas William Cain]], 1998–2003
*[[Michael Kerruish]], 2003–2010
*[[David Doyle (judge)|David Doyle]]  2010–2018
*[[Andrew Corlett]], 2018–present

==Second Deemsters==
<!-- This section is linked from [[Second Deemster]] -->
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*[[Peter John Heywood]], 1765–1768
*[[Daniel Mylrea]], 1768–1773
*[[Thomas Moore (Deemster)|Thomas Moore]], 1773–1794
*[[John Crellin (Deemster)|John Crellin]], 1794–1816
*[[Thomas Gawne]], 1816–1819
*[[John Christian (Deemster)|John Christian]], 1819–1820
*[[John McHutchin]], 1820–1821
*[[John Joseph Heywood]], 1821–1847
*[[William Drinkwater|Sir William Drinkwater]], 1847–1855
*[[John Clucas Stephen]], 1855–1880
*[[Alured Dumbell|Sir Alured Dumbell]], 1880–1883
*[[Richard Sherwood]], 1883–1884
*[[John Gill (judge)|John Frederick Gill]], 1884–1899
*[[Thomas Kneen]], 1899–1900
*[[Stewart Stevenson Moore]], 1900–1905
*[[Charles Callow]], 1905–1921
*[[Frederick Malcolm Lamothe]], 1921–1925
*[[Reginald Douglas Farrant]], 1925–1934
*[[William Percy Cowley]], 1934–1947
*[[Ramsey Gelling Johnson]], 1947–1954
*[[James Arthur Cain]], 1954–1957
*[[Sydney James Kneale]], 1957–1958
*[[Bruce MacPherson (judge)|Bruce MacPherson]], 1958–1963
*[[George Edgar Moore]], 1963–1969
*[[Robert Eason]], 1969–1974
*[[Arthur Luft]], 1974–1980<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=46436|page=12888|date=17 December 1974}}</ref>
*[[Jack Corrin|John William Corrin]], 1980–1988
*[[Henry Callow]], 1988–1993
*[[William Cain (deemster)|Thomas William Cain]], 1993–1998
*[[Michael Kerruish]], 1998–2003
*[[David Doyle (judge)|David Doyle]], 2003–2010
*[[Andrew Corlett]], 2011–2018
*[[John Needham (Manx Judiciary)|John Needham]], 2018–present
}}

==Deemsters==
*[[Andrew Corlett]], 2009–2011
*[[Alastair Montgomerie]], 2011–2019
*Graeme Cook, 2020–present

==Deputy Deemsters==
* [[Andrew Williamson (judge)|Andrew Williamson]], 2002–2007
* [[Andrew Corlett]], 2007–2009

==In fiction==

One of the main characters in [[Alfred Hitchcock]] 1929 [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] ''[[The Manxman (1929 film)|The Manxman]]'' is the deemster, and his holding this position is of central importance to the film's plot. The film is based on the 1894 novel of the same name  by the Manx writer [[Hall Caine]], who published another novel with a similar theme with the title ''[[The Deemster]]'' (1887).

The 1953 George Bellairs crime novel "Half-Mast for the Deemster" features the murder of the Deemster.

==See also==
* [[Tynwald]]
* [[Clerk of the Rolls]]
* [[Manx Judiciary]]
* [[Moot hill]]: where there were deemsters (dempsters)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}
*[http://www.courts.im Isle of Man Courts]

[[Category:Law of the Isle of Man]]
[[Category:Judiciary of the Isle of Man]]