New book features Isle of Man's 'forgotten' kingdom

Andrew McDonald has been visiting the Isle of Man for research for 20 years

The rich history of the Isle of Man features in a new book which aims to highlight an era that "tends to slip between the cracks of historical writing".

The work focuses on the dynasties of the island and Hebridean Islands over a 200-year period.

A Visitor's Guide To The Medieval Kingdoms Of Man And The Isles, 1066-1275 is by Professor Andrew McDonald.

He said it was a "quick introduction" to a "fascinating period".

Prof McDonald, who teaches history at Brock University in Canada, has been visiting the Isle of Man for various projects for the past 20 years.

He said the book covers the period after the Vikings "had stopped being stereotypical Vikings" and a Scandinavian-influenced dynasty that was "thoroughly Christianised" emerged.

Castle Rushen is said to be part of the legacy of the period

The island was at the centre of "a sort of miniature seaborne kingdom" during the period that was sometimes described as "a forgotten kingdom or a lost kingdom of the British Isles", Prof McDonald said.

"It's not a region and a period that, outside of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides at least, people tend to know about."

He said the legacy of the period was "huge" in terms of the cultural heritage including the building of Peel Castle, Castle Rushen and Rushen Abbey and the creation of Tynwald.

The project has been supported by Manx National Heritage.

The organisation's Allison Fox said the book made what was a complicated period more "accessible" to those reading about it for the first time.

She said: "We often look at the Isle of Man in isolation, and the idea behind this publication is really to see how the island was central to this kingdom, but also how its geographical counterparts in that kingdom operated and the various relationships as well."

Prof McDonald will be giving a talk on the book at its official launch at the Manx Museum later.