Ewan Christian (1579 – September 1655) was a Manx politician and landowner on the Isle of Man. He held the position of deemster (the term for judges on the Isle of Man) for 51 years from 1605 until his death. He also held the position of Deputy-Governor of the Isle of Man 1634 to 1637. He was the father of controversial Manx political revolutionary and folk-hero Illiam Dhone.
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Early life and family
Ewan Christian was born at Milntown, Lezayre in the north of the Isle of Man to William Christian and his wife in 1579. Upon inheriting the family home at Milntown at the age of 14, he spent several years in Cumbria, where he met Katherine Harrison of Bankfield, Eastholme. They had 6 children together who survived to adulthood. He also recognised his three illegitimate children with Jane Woods.
Such was Christian's reputation for bolstering his family's influence that Lord of Mann, James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby joked that:someone in a pleasant Humour sayd that he thought the Deemster did not get so many Bastards for Lust's Sake, as in Policie, to make the Name of the Christians flourish.Christian and Harrison's youngest son, William, better known as Illiam Dhone, rose to prominence on the Isle of Man during the English Civil War after being appointed governor and receiver-general. He was executed for treason in 1663 partially due to his involvement in the Manx Rebellion of 1651 and accusations of embezzlement of state funds. He is considered a controversial figure on the island today.