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Tynwald Hill

Tynwald Hill is located in the little village of St. John's on the main highway between Douglas and Peel. It is an artificially constructed mound consisting of three tiers and is set at one end of an open turfed area at the other end of which is the Royal Chapel of St. John. The hill is a modest affair, measuring around 80 feet in diameter and around 12 feet in height. However, it is of great significance to the Manx nation, symbolising the Island's sturdy independence and reminding us of the part played by the Norse seafarers in bequeathing to us the origins of our system of government.

On 5th July, Tynwald Day, the quiet, rustic scene is transformed into one of colour and pageantry as Manx residents and visiting tourists alike join together at St. John's to celebrate the Island's national day. The processional way between the hill and the church is lined by a military band and guard of honour and bedecked with flags.The path is strewn with rushes. After a service in the church, which is relayed to the waiting crowds, the Lieutenant Governor accompanied by the Members of the House of Keys and of the Legislative Council and other officials and dignatories proceed from the church and assemble on the hill. Wreaths are laid at the National War Memorial. The main purpose of the occasion is to read the titles and a brief description of the new laws which have been enacted by the Tynwald Court during the past year. This is done both in English and in Manx. A formal meeting of Tynwald then takes place in the church and this assembly which dates back well over a thousand years comes to a end.

An unusual feature of this annual open air meeting of Tynwald is that Manx residents who have a grievance for which they have exhausted all the normal channels of appeal, may present a Petition for Redress of Grievance to the Tynwald Court.

Following the ceremonial part of the occasion, a fair with amusements and market stalls takes place on the fair field adjacent to the hill.

The word Tynwald stems from the Norse Thing-Vollr meaning an assembly field. It has counterparts throughout the Scandinavian world and the lands which they settled. There were two grades of "Thing", an Al-thing being a meeting of a whole nation and a Hus-thing being an assembly of a town or community. The Icelandic assembly has the name Althing and the place where it originated is called Thingvellir. In the Faeroes it is known as the Lagting, or Law Assembly. The Norwegian parliament is the Storting. The town of Dingwall on the Moray Firth in Scotland has the same origin as Tynwald.

In the 18th century a writer noted regarding Tynwald that - "The word Tin, or Ting, in the Icelandic language, signifies an assembly of the people: and Wald, a field or place. There is neither history nor tradition respecting the erection of this mount, which is probably of great antiquity". The mound is nowadays thought originally to have been a burial mound of the Bronze Age. Similar sites were found throughout the Scandinavian lands and are said to have been raised as altars to the god Thor. From religious sites they developed into places where people of a community gathered together.

Tynwald assemblies have been held at other sites on the Island. In 1422 one took place at Kirk Michael and others have taken place at Castle Rushen and at Keill Abban. In modern times, as well as the annual open air ceremony at St. John's, Tynwald meets at regular intervals at Douglas.

Although the Icelandic Althing was founded earlier than was Tynwald, the Althing did not have a continuous existence. The Manx Tynwald claims to be the world's oldest continuous parliament.