DEEMSTER
William was born in a small bungalow in Peel, Isle of Man, to James Arthur Cain and Mary Lamb. James was in the RAF and during the Second World War he was posted around the country.
William had three younger siblings – Charles, Deirdre and Patricia.
William lived in both Belfast and Cambridge during the war years and gained a scholarship to King’s College choir school, alongside his brother, Charles.
The family moved to Harlow for a brief period before returning to the Isle of Man.
William went to Marlborough School. He returned to the Isle of Man in the holidays as his mother was in a sanatorium just outside Ramsey for two years with tuberculosis. The children were allowed to visit her but not go into her room, so they had to wave at her through a window.
William undertook his national service in the Tank Regiment, based in Libya and Egypt.
After that, he went to Worcester College, Oxford, to read law (it was also his father’s college). He was called to the bar in 1959.
William married Felicity Gregory, the daughter of a Methodist minister. They had three children.
In 1961, the newly married couple relocated to the Isle of Man, where William joined his father’s law firm, ‘T.W. Cain and Sons’.
When his brother, Charles, did his national service in Bahrain, he wrote to William complaining about the lack of greenery, so William picked one blade of Manx grass and sent it to Charles – as a reminder of home.
Charles, also became a lawyer, before moving into banking.
Charles was elected to the House of Keys – the part of the Tynwald (parliament) that residents vote for.
The Cain law firm had been created by their grandfather Thomas, who began life as a joiner, and was self-educated , ultimately becoming a lawyer.
William’s father died suddenly aged just fifty, leaving him in charge of the firm despite being young and relatively inexperienced.
In 1973, the Isle of Man suffered the Summerland disaster, when 50 people were killed in a fire at a leisure centre in Douglas. It was Britain’s worst civilian disaster since the war.
William was heavily involved in the subsequent inquiry.
In 1980, William was made Attorney General for the Isle of Man, a post he held until 1993. He felt that the island’s legal and governmental systems were antiquated and was determined to modernise them.
William repealed the death penalty, banned corporal punishment and legalised homosexuality. He also introduced proper regulation to the island’s financial sector and created the Manx Law Reports, ensuring legal records were properly maintained.
William faced opposition from traditionalists but continued to force the reforms through. Ultimately, this led to him being made a QC.
He served on the Isle of Man bench for over ten years as both second and first Deemster (an ancient title for Manx judges), as well as Clerk of the Rolls.
He enjoyed his leisure time too. William was a keen sailor and was often found sailing on the Irish sea with his family. He continued doing this right up until his death.
He had a love of nature and was a founder member of the Manx Wildlife Trust, serving as its chair for 36 years. His wife, Felicity, took over from William when he stepped down.
William was responsible for the Manx Wildlife Act which listed and protected the animal and plant species on the island.
He was also one of the Midweek Muckers, who volunteered to work at the Manx Wildlife Trust reserves.
William was a steam train enthusiast who volunteered at a local heritage line.
William retired from the legal profession in 2002.
The following year he was awarded a CBE for services to the Isle of Man.
In 2010, William was awarded the Cadbury Medal, the Wildlife Trust’s award for outstanding conservation work.
He loved the history of the island and traced the the Manx constitution from being a Norse kingdom to the present day. He had written part of the book ‘A New History of the Isle of Man 1405-1830’ (volume 4A).
William received the Tynwald Honour – ‘for outstanding contribution to the island’, and also the ‘Reih Bleeaney Vanannan’, the island’s highest cultural award.
William’s brother, Charles, died in 2015.
At William’s death, the President of the Tynwald, Steve Rodan, said, “It has been a privilege to know him and work with him for over 30 years. He was an absolute gentleman’.
RIP – Respected Island Preservationist
