Douglas, Isle of Man

In the absence of any archaeological data, the origins of the town may be revealed by analysis of the original street and plot pattern. The discovery of a bronze weapon in central Douglas,[2] and the large Ballaquayle Viking treasure hoard[3] on the outskirts (now in the Manx Museum and British Museum, London[4]), both in the 1890s, hint at the early importance of the site now occupied by Douglas. Scholars agree that the name of the town derives from Early Celtic 'Duboglassio' meaning 'black river'.[5] Douglas is twice referred to in the monastic Chronicle of the Kings of Man and the Isles: first in 1190, when the monks of St Mary's Abbey at Rushen were transferred there for a four-year stay; then again in 1313, when Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, spent the night at the "monastery of Duglas" on his way to seize Castle Rushen.[6] These may be references to the site of the later Nunnery, a little upstream from the port.

The first detailed documentation shows that in 1511[7] there were only thirteen resident households in the settlement clustered north of the harbour; most of the property there was classified as "chambers"[8] (unoccupied, unheated, single-celled structures) for which rent was paid by non-residents including clergy, officials and landowners from elsewhere on the island. This suggests that the town's nucleus originated as a non-urban port.[9] Speculation links the store buildings with the Irish Sea herring fishery, and the import/export trade.

In 1681 Thomas Denton described Douglas as "the place of greatest resort" on the Isle of Man, and by 1705 a clear picture of the early town emerges, with hints that its residential, market, and military defence functions were growing in importance[10] alongside the port facility. The town thrived in the next 60 years, as imposing merchants' houses, large warehouses, quays and a pier were built to accommodate the burgeoning "running trade" (smuggling): one of the stimuli for the town's expansion.[11] Other forms of trade also grew, and after the Revestment Act 1765, Douglas began to reap the benefits of transatlantic trade, due in part to co-operation at a local level with Liverpool.[12] Legitimate merchants who rose to prominence over the period included the Murreys, the Moores, and the Bacons.[12] The town's later prosperity was facilitated by the low cost of living, and the favourable legal status enjoyed by English debtors and half-pay officers.[13] The initial growth and development of the town owed much to its natural harbour (now the Inner Harbour), since greatly expanded and improved. Over the 18th century, the town's population rose from about 800 in 1710 to nearly 2,500 in 1784.

Throughout the 19th century, the town's demographics followed the same trends as the United Kingdom, due to the Industrial Revolution. The number of holiday visitors grew from the early 19th century,[12] and from around 1870 onwards, the town was transformed into a leading holiday resort. But there were increasingly unsanitary conditions, and poor quality housing; again reflecting a trend seen across the United Kingdom.[14] The open sewage, middens (domestic waste dumps), and smell from the harbour at low tide all contributed to the town's uncleanliness. Oil and gas lamps first appeared in the late 1820s and 1830s, the first hospital to join the Dispensary was built in 1850, and in 1832 the scenic Tower of Refuge was built in Douglas Bay to offer shelter and provisions for sailors awaiting rescue.[15] Douglas in the first half of the 19th century often suffered from the destitution of its population and the many epidemics, in particular cholera.[12]

The rise of Douglas as the social and economic stronghold was recognised in 1869, when it became the home of the island's parliament, Tynwald, and therefore the capital, an honour previously held by Castletown, a smaller town in the south of the island. Douglas's political landscape also changed significantly in the 19th century, in spite of the conservatism of some townsfolk: in 1844, for example, at a public meeting, the idea of a town council was rejected in favour of retaining the system of Town High Bailiffs; when the Town Bill Act was passed at Tynwald in 1852, the people of Douglas again rejected the idea. However, an Act passed later that decade, which did not include opt-out clauses, was accepted, and in 1860, Douglas elected its first town council, which was predominantly middle class in its makeup. The Town Commissioners could tackle the town's problems with greater efficiency, and by 1869 the sewage problem had been largely resolved.[12]

The Commissioners also worked to alter the anachronistic architecture of Douglas, built during the era of fishing and trading, and no longer amenable or safe for tourists. The proportion of the total Manx population living in Douglas was also expanding, with 35% living there by 1891. The Victorian and later modernisation of the town was achieved at the expense of the original maze-like layout of the oldest streets. These were cleared away in the new street schemes and slum clearances of the 1870s to 1920s. The town's infrastructure was radically altered for tourists' convenience, and in 1878 the Loch Promenade was constructed. In 1870, there were 60,000 visitors annually; by 1884, this had grown to 182,000. In 1887, 310,916 visited for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.[12]

Douglas Lifeboat Station

The earliest organised ferry services emerged between Douglas and Whitehaven, established by William Nicholson in the 1750s.[16] More formally, Nicholson's Packet Service began in 1765 or 1766, and the Post Office mail contract was secured by 1782. Sailings were irregular and heavily dependent on weather conditions. Steamer services brought a considerable improvement; the first regular link (en route between Greenock and Liverpool) was available from 1819.[17] The formation of what became the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1830 led to greatly improved services, and also laid the foundations for growth in both cargo and tourist traffic.[18]

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has a lifeboat station at Douglas. The first lifeboat station in the port was established in 1802. In 1825 it was one of the first lifeboat stations to be provided with a purpose-built lifeboat; this was at the request of Sir William Hillary, the founder of the Institution. It was not operational between 1851 and 1868, and it closed in 1895. The station, established in 1874, operates the Tyne-class lifeboat Sir William Hillary. There are three memorials to Sir William in Douglas: one in St George's Church where he was buried in 1847, one on Loch Promenade, and the other on Douglas Head near where in 1832 he established the Tower of Refuge.[19]

During the First and Second World Wars, Douglas and other parts of the Isle of Man were home to internment camps for "enemy aliens". Douglas held seven out of the ten internment camps on the island during World War II, including: Hutchinson, Metropole, Central, Palace, Granville and Sefton Camp. Sections of the Promenade were cordoned off and many guest houses were used for the purpose. The war dead of the island are commemorated on the Douglas War Memorial.

Douglas is now the main home of the island's offshore financial services industry, and also of the main shopping centre.

The town was the birthplace of the Gibb brothers, Maurice, Robin, both deceased, and Barry, the members of the Bee Gees.

Douglas was home to the Summerland leisure centre, which suffered a catastrophic fire in 1973.

In 2011 Douglas hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games.

• Commander Robert Benjamin Young, RN (1773 in Douglas – 1846 in Exeter) was an officer in the Royal Navy, he observed the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 from the deck of HMS Entreprenante
• Professor Edward Forbes FRS, FGS (1815 in Douglas – 1854 in Edinburgh) was a Manx naturalist.
• Arthur Forbes, 9th Laird of Culloden DL FRSE (1819 in Douglas - 1879 in Aldershot) was a noted Scottish landowner and amateur botanist. He was Deputy Lieutenant of Nairn and Ross
• Thomas Edward Brown (1830 in Douglas – 1897) was a late-Victorian scholar, teacher, poet and theologian
• Lawrence Adamson, CMG, (1860 in Douglas – 1932) was a schoolmaster of Wesley College, Melbourne, Australia.
• William Clucas Kinley (1866 in Douglas - 1920 in Brockley, London), Manx journalist and playwright
• Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney KCB KCMG DSO (1883 in Douglas – 1953 in Colchester) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy and Governor of Tasmania from 1945 to 1951
• Sidney Nowell Rostron (1883 in Douglas – 1948) was a Church of England priest, theologian, and academic. He was the first Principal of St John's College, Durham, serving from 1909 to 1911
• Bertram Kelly (1884 in Douglas – 1976) is credited with bringing electricity to the Island
• Harry Korris (1891-1971) was a British comedian and actor. He was a star of the hit BBC radio show Happidrome and starred in the 1943 film version
• Dorothy Pantin (1896 -1985), was the first woman doctor and surgeon of the Isle of Man.

• Gordon Manley FRGS (1902 in Douglas – 1980) was an English climatologist
• Toni Onley OC (1928 in Douglas – 2004) was a Manx painter noted for his landscapes and abstract works, he moved to Canada in 1948 and lived in Brantford, Ontario
• Bryan Kneale RA (born 1930 in Douglas) is a Manx artist and sculptor, described by BBC News Online as "one of the Isle of Man's best known artists."
• Derek Charles Robinson FRS (1941 in Douglas – 2002 in Oxford) was a physicist who worked in the UK fusion power program for most of his professional career
• Chris Killip (born 1946 in Douglas) is a Manx photographer who has worked at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 1991, where he is a professor of visual and environmental studies
• Barry Gibb, CBE (born 1946 in Douglas) is a British singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the group Bee Gees
• Angela Little (born 1949 in Douglas) is Professor Emerita at the Institute of Education, University of London. She is known for her work in primary education policy and practice in developing countries
• Maurice Gibb, CBE (1949 in Douglas – 2003 in Miami Beach) was a British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who achieved fame as a member of the British pop group the Bee Gees
• Robin Gibb CBE (1949 in Douglas – 2012 in London) was a British singer, songwriter and record producer, who gained worldwide fame as a member of the pop group the Bee Gees
• Francis Magee (born 1959 in Dublin) is an Irish-Manx actor, best known for his portrayal of Liam Tyler in the long-running British soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 1995. He was raised on the Isle of Man
• Phil Gawne BSc (born 1965 in Douglas) is a former Member of the House of Keys and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• Dave Moore (born 1966), Motorsport commentator
• Tim Kneale (born 1982 in Douglas) is a Manx sport shooter who specializes in the double trap
• Mark Cavendish (born 1985 in Douglas) is a Manx professional road racing cyclist
• Conor Cummins (born 1986 in Douglas) is a Manx motorcycle road racer
• Jamie Blackley (born 1991 in Douglas) is a Manx-born British actor, known for his role as Adam Wilde in the film If I Stay
• Amy Jackson (born 1992 in Douglas) is a Manx-born, Liverpool raised actress, who appears in Indian movies.
• Kieran Tierney (born 1997 in Douglas) is a Manx-born, Scottish international footballer. He plays for Arsenal F.C.