THE Isle of Man was the first country in the world to give the vote to women in national elections, 37 years before the opportunity was given to women in the UK.

This is one of the facts contained in Manx National Heritage’s iMuseum which has launched a special news section on Isle of Man elections from 1866 to 1956.

In 1881 the right to vote was extended to unmarried women and widows who owned property in the Island, and as a result 700 women received the vote, comprising about 10% of the Manx electorate.

In England women had to wait until 1918 for the right to vote, and until 1928 for all women to be eligible to vote.

The original right to vote had been extended to a limited proportion of the Island's population and calls continued to be made for a greater number to be eligible to vote. In the 1870s, out of a population of 53,000, only 4,333 were eligible to vote in elections.

With the House of Keys general election only a week away, the imuseum looks back at the history of Tynwald and its origins under the Vikings in the 9th century.

The website also gives fascinating information about the House of Keys in the 17th and 18th centuries and looks back at the origins of the name “Keys” and the 19th century introduction of the title “Speaker of the House of Keys”.

See also . . .