[8] The Norwegian diocese of Sodor was formed in 1154, covering the Hebrides and the other islands along the west coast of Scotland.

[9] Thereafter it was held by feudal Lords of Man (the Stanleys, Earls of Derby, from 1406 to 1736 and the Dukes of Atholl from 1736) until the lordship was purchased by the British Crown in 1765.

The bishop Thomas Stanley was not a supporter of the reforms (particularly the reallocation of his Diocese from the Province of Canterbury to the Province of York in 1542) and was deprived of office by Henry, but was briefly reinstated under Mary I, who restored Stanley to office,[10] but was separated[clarification needed] once again under the religious settlement under Elizabeth I.

Since the Isle of Man was not part of the Kingdom of England, the Act of Uniformity 1662 passed at the English Restoration did not apply to it, so Thomas Wilson was free to introduce worship in the Manx language during his episcopate (1697–1755), and to resolve issues of clergy discipline resulting from the Isle of Man's unique status.

However, the present bishop signs "Sodor as Mannin", the Manx Gaelic equivalent, as did her predecessor.

The original cathedral of the Diocese of Sodor and Man was on St Patrick's Isle at Peel.

This cathedral fell into disuse during the 18th century and for many years the bishop's chapel at Bishopscourt, near Kirk Michael, served as a pro-cathedral.

[18] The name of the diocese served as inspiration for the fictional Island of Sodor, the primary setting of Wilbert Awdry's The Railway Series and the later Thomas the Tank Engine TV series, which place the island in the Irish Sea.