Sword of State

Date made: early 18th century

Description: This is the second Manx sword of state, made for the Dukes of Atholl in the 1700s. The original sword of state is still used by Tynwald in the parliamentary process when they meet each month and on Tynwald Day in July.

The original sword has its origins in the 1400s and is one of the earliest objects to associate the Island with the three legs of Man, the Manx national symbol. However, this second sword was probably made on the request of the Duke of Atholl himself. A letter written to the second Duke in 1736 by the then Governor, James Murray, describes the original sword of state as “a fine thing in the days of yore but now rusty and very paultry”.

The second sword is engraved with the arms of the Duke of Atholl and the family crest along with the three legs of Man. There was also supposedly a third sword of state, lost since the 1760s when the Lord of Mann sold his rights to the Island to the British Crown.

Object name: sword

Collection: Social History Collection

ID Number: L20001

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