Coins celebrate 140 years of women's right to vote on Isle of Man

The names of the women who first voted in 1881 are featured on the coins

The 140th anniversary of the Isle of Man becoming the first nation in the world to give some women the right to vote has been marked in a set of commemorative coins.

Tynwald extended suffrage to women who owned land in 1881, 37 years before Westminster did the same.

Inspired by the original polling books, the four £2 pieces feature the names of some of the first women to vote.

Bill Henderson MLC said it was an "important" part of Manx history.

Designed by the treasury in collaboration with Tower Mint, the coins feature the names Esther Kee, Catherine Callow, Margaret Kelvin and Elizabeth Jane Goldsmith, who were the first women in line at their polling stations in the north of the island.

They voted in the constituency of Ayre, where elections to the House of Keys were being held in March 1881.

The coin design is take from the original poll book entries

The extension followed the passing of legislation by Tynwald earlier that year, which allowed unmarried and widowed women who were aged 21 and over, and who owned property, to vote.

The launch of the Pioneering Women's Suffrage Collection comes after a record number of women were elected to the House of Keys in the 2021 general election.

Mr Henderson said it was "very important" to highlight this part of Manx history to "help constitutional reform, help social reform, and raise general awareness".

He also paid tribute to the research undertaken by historians, including Steve Wright and Robert Fyson, which led to the discovery of the names on the original voting registers from 1881 in Manx National Heritage's archives.