BREW family

[Frances_mnb]

when you say early - how early - the Island claims to be Christian by the 6th Century (ie well before England).

By 1600 the Island was nominally Protestant (ie Anglican or these days Church of England (CofE)) prior to 1540s it would have been Catholic - traces of Catholic practice lingered well past 1600.
As the Island started to become a centre for smuggling into the countries surrounding the Irish sea there was a small influx of Irish sometimes Catholic but usually strong Protestant, a few Jews could be found among the merchants as could also be a few Dutch and other European nationals (eg French) - post 1765 and the removal of much of the smuggling the Island started to embrace Methodism originally a group still within the CofE but increasingly with separatist tendencies - the Manx were especially attracted by its use of Local preachers which allowed them to show their independence of England - this remained the case until post WW1 with the Island split 50/50 between CofE + Methodists - however the relationship was seldom hostile many chapel goers used the CofE parish church + the CofE goers would happily go to hear a good preacher.
The only foreign intervention occurred in the late 1830's when the early Mormons had a mission to the Island and gained quite a few converts many of whom emigrated to the USA but this cult was a spent force by the 1880s.
A fair amount of this history is on my website www.manxnotebook.com