Garff
Coordinates: 54°15′40″N 4°23′49″W / 54.261°N 4.397°W
Garff (Manx: Garff) is one of the six sheadings in the Isle of Man. It is on the east of the island and consists of the historic parishes of Lonan (including the former village district of Laxey) and Maughold, and the district of Onchan. Historically, under an Act of Tynwald of 1796,[1] Onchan was in the sheading of Middle.
The origin of the name is uncertain. Kneen (1925)[2] suggests that it derives from the Norse gröf (NB not grðf, which is a typo there), meaning a pit or ravine (cognate with "grave").
Since May 2016, Garff is also a new local authority, a parish district, formed by merging the three former local authorities of Laxey, Lonan and Maughold mentioned above, each of which have been designated as electoral wards. The new Garff Commissioners style their district as a "sheading" even though it excludes Onchan.
Garff is also a House of Keys constituency (excluding (most of) Onchan). It was originally a three-seat constituency, but this was reduced to two seats in 1893 and one seat in 1986. Until 2016 it was heavily under-represented by having only a single MHK. However in the 2016 general election it elected 2 MHKs (the new constituency also includes the (sparsely populated) parish of Onchan, i.e. excluding the village of Onchan).
MHKs and elections
| Year | Election | Turnout | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1867 |
General Election |
No information available | |
| 1875 |
General Election | ||
| 1881 |
General Election |
John Allen Mylrea elected, no other information available | |
| 1886 |
General Election | ||
| 1891 |
General Election | ||
| 1896 |
General Election | ||
| 1900 |
By-Election |
Due to the resignation of J. A. Mylrea, no other information available | |
| 1903 |
General Election |
| |
| By-election called following the resignation of John Killip | |||
| 1908 |
By-Election |
| |
| No information available on unsuccessful candidates from 1908-1985 | |||
| 1908 |
General Election |
| |
| 1913 |
General Election |
No information available | |
| 1919 |
General Election |
No information available | |
| 1924 |
General Election |
| |
| 1929 |
General Election |
| |
| 1934 |
General Election |
| |
| 1946 |
General Election |
| |
| 1951 |
General Election |
| |
| 1956 |
General Election |
| |
| 1962 |
General Election |
| |
| 1966 |
General Election |
| |
| 1971 |
General Election |
| |
| 1976 |
General Election |
| |
| 1981 |
General Election |
| |
| By-election called following the elevation of Edgar Mann to the Legislative Council | |||
| 1985 |
By-Election |
| |
| Garff loses the District of Onchan and becomes a single seat constituency | |||
| 1986 |
General Election |
79% |
|
| By-election called following the election of Sir Charles Kerruish as President of Tynwald and thus his elevation to the Legislative Council | |||
| 1990 |
By-Election |
59.6% |
|
| 1991 |
General Election |
64% |
|
| By-election called following the re-elevation of Edgar Mann to the Legislative Council | |||
| 1995 |
By Election |
61.7% |
|
| 1996 |
General Election |
64.5% |
|
| 2001 |
General Election |
63.7% |
|
| 2006 |
General Election |
| |
| 2011 |
General Election |
| |
| Garff becomes a two-seat constituency | |||
| 2016 |
General Election |
| |
