Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets.

The Norwegian diocese of Sodor was formed 1154, covering the Hebrides and the other islands along the west coast of Scotland. The name in the original Norse was Súðreyjar or Sudreys, or "southern isles", in contrast to the Norðreyjar, the "northern isles" of Orkney and Shetland. The Isle of Man was included in with these southern isles. This diocese was a part of the archdiocese of Trondheim.

Norway retained control over all these islands until 1266, when they were ceded to Scotland. In 1334, Man was detached from the Scottish islands and in 1765 the island came under the British crown.

The cathedral of Sodor Diocese was on St Patrick's Isle at Peel (the only city on Man). It is possible that the origin of the name "Sodor" was lost and its meaning was applied to this islet as the seat of the bishop. The termination "...and Man" appears to have been added in the 17th century by a legal draughtsman ignorant of the proper application of the name of Sodor to the bishopric of Man. By the latter part of the 16th century the terms "Sodor" and "Man" had become interchangeable, the bishopric being spoken of as that of Sodor or Man. Until 1604 the bishops invariably signed themselves "Sodorensis"; between that date and 1684, sometimes they used "Soderensis" and sometimes "Sodor and Man"; and since 1684 all bishops have invariably signed "Sodor and Man".

Since Man is outside of the United Kingdom, the Bishop does not count as a Lord Spiritual and does not sit in the House of Lords. However, he is a member of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man.

The Island of Sodor

As the preceding explanation shows, there is no "Island of Sodor", even though the existence of a Church of England diocese styled "Sodor and Man" would seem to indicate the contrary. The non-existent Island of Sodor was therefore an entirely logical choice for the Rev. W.V. Awdry – an Anglican minister – to select as the imaginary setting for his Railway Series books, which were later turned into the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

The fictional island is supposed to be in the Irish Sea, between the Isle of Man and Lancashire. It is usually shown as much larger than Man.

See also

• List of Church of England dioceses