*- A A 4
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
 
 TI IE- 
 STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN
 
 BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 A HISTORY OF THE ISLE OF 
 
 MAN. With a New Map of the 
 Island. In 2 vols., demy 8vo, cloth 
 gilt, 32$. 
 
 " For the first time the history of the Isle of Man has been 
 written critically, In a scholarly and scientific spirit. Mr. 
 Moore has not only used all the available records and 
 authorities ; he has sifted them with searching judgment." 
 Daily Chronicle. 
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN, 
 PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON, E.G.
 
 THE STORY OF 
 
 THE ISLE OF MAN 
 
 BY 
 
 A. W. [MOORE, M.A. 
 
 MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF EDUCATION. 
 
 Author of 
 
 ' A HISTORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN ; " " MANX SURNAMES AND PLACE-NAMES 
 "SODOR AND MAN;" "THE FOLKLORE OF THE ISLE OF MAN," ETC. 
 
 SECOND IMPRESS/ON. 
 
 5llustrate. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN 
 PATERNOSTER SQUARE 
 
 1902.
 
 \A U Rights Reservtd."]
 
 G7O 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 I HAVE to thank the Rev. S. A. P. Kermode, M.A., 
 X and a Committee of Public Elementary School 
 Teachers for many valuable suggestions. I have 
 also to thank the Rev. F. F. Cornish, M.A. (Head 
 iy. Inspector of the N.W. district of England and Wales, 
 \ of which the Isle of Man forms a part), who has 
 * read the MS. of this book, for the following kind 
 ^ remarks about it : 
 
 "I was very glad when I heard that you were going 
 
 to write a short history of the Isle of Man for schools, 
 
 N- and having read it, I think it is quite adapted for the 
 
 ^ use of our older scholars ; for it gives a plain, pleasantly 
 
 v written and well rounded off account of the fortunes 
 
 ^ of your Island, beginning in the half-mythical past 
 
 x and ending in the realities and duties of the present. 
 
 If this little book does its work as a first step in 
 
 local history, we may look forward to its leaving 
 
 the readers with the desire to learn more upon the 
 
 same subject. Thus they would naturally be led to 
 
 Peveril of the Peak and see how Scott's glowing 
 
 imagination has lighted up the connexion between 
 
 the history of England and of Man in those stirring 
 
 times.
 
 vi PREFACE. 
 
 "If, on the other hand, they aimed at gaining a 
 completer view of the whole course of Manx history 
 they would have recourse to the fuller works which 
 have been written by Sir Spencer Walpole and 
 yourself. 
 
 "I feel sure that the Elementary School Teachers 
 will be prompt to recognise the value of the instru- 
 ment that you have put into their hands ; and it is 
 no small advantage to scholars following such a 
 line of study that the objects and places of historical 
 interest are so easily within reach of any Manxman 
 who wishes to visit them." 
 
 I put forth " The Story of the Isle of Man " in 
 the earnest hope that not only may it be found both 
 useful and interesting by its little readers, but that 
 it may serve to increase their love for their native 
 land. 
 
 A. W. MOORE. 
 
 CRONKBOUKNE, 
 September, 1901.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTION i 
 
 CHAPTER L THE LEGENDS . . . . . . 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. THE LEGENDS EXPLAINED ... 9 
 
 Part i. Our Land and its Earliest Inhabitants (g 13). 
 Part 2. S. Patrick and S. Columba (14 16). 
 
 CHAPTER III. THE NORSEMEN 19 
 
 Part i. Conquest and Settlement (19 22). 
 Part 2. Government, etc. (23 7). 
 Part 3. Their Church (2832). 
 
 CHAPTER IV. THE HOUSE OF GODRED CROVAN . 35 
 
 Part i. Godred I. to Reginald /., 1079 1187 (35 8). 
 Part 2. From Reginald I. to the end of Norse Rule, 
 1187 1266 (39 41). 
 
 CHAPTER V. THE "THREE-LEGS" OF MAN . . 42 
 
 CHAPTER VI. SCOTTISH AND ENGLISH RULE (1266 
 
 1405) 47 
 
 CHAPTER VII. THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736) 52 
 
 Part i. The Stanleys from 1405 to 1627 (52 5). 
 
 Part 2. The Reformation (568). 
 
 Part 3. The Government (59 61). 
 
 Part 4. Our Forefathers between 1405 and 1660 (62 4). 
 
 Part 5- The Great Stanley, 1627 1651 (65 70).
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGF 
 
 CHAPTER VII. THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (1405 
 1736) continued. 
 
 Part 6. Edward and William Christian (71 5). 
 Part 7. The Last Stanleys, 1660 1736 (768). 
 Part 8. The Manx Magna Carta and Bill of Rights 
 
 (7982). 
 
 Part 9. Bishop Wilson (838). 
 Part 10. J0hn Stevenson and William Walker (91 3). 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. . . 94 
 
 Part i. The Revestment (94 7). 
 
 Part 2. The Manx Bible (989). 
 
 Part 3. The Fourth Duke (100 2). 
 
 Part 4. Manx Soldiers and Sailors (103 6). 
 
 Part 5. The People (107 12). 
 
 CHAPTER IX. RECENT HISTORY . . . . . 113 
 
 Part i. Political Reform (113 16). 
 Part 2. Social Reform (117 19). 
 Part 3. Industrial Reform (120 23). 
 Part 4. Heroes of the Lifeboat (124 9). 
 
 CHAPTER X. SOME MANX WORTHIES . . . 130 
 CONCLUSION. OUR HERITAGE , . . . . 134 
 
 APPENDIX A. GEOGRAPHY 137 
 
 APPENDIX B. CELTIC PLACE-NAMES AND SURNAMES 140 
 APPENDIX C NORSE PLACE-NAMES AND SURNAMES 141
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 s. PATRICK'S ISLAND ........ 17 
 
 CROSS AT KIRK MICHAEL . . , , . . . 3$ 
 
 RUINS OF RUSHEN ABBEY ....... 2Q 
 
 s. GERMAN'S CATHEDRAL AND PEEL CASTLE . . . 33 
 
 MAUGHOLD CROSS 45 
 
 CASTLE RUSHEN 49 
 
 JAMES, 7TH EARL OF DERBY 67 
 
 BISHOP WILSON 85 
 
 BALLAUGH OLD CHURCH 89 
 
 CAPTAIN QUILLIAM, R.N. . i ..... 104 
 
 LORD LOCH 115 
 
 THE TOWER OF REFUGE ....... 125 
 
 THE REV. T. E. BROWN , , , 133
 
 THE 
 
 STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 WHAT I intend to do in this Book is to tell you 
 something about the history of the Isle of Man, or 
 Elian Vannin, as it is called by Manx-speaking 
 people. I shall try to show you how in ages long 
 past one race of people after another came across 
 the sea to settle in our island; how in time the 
 descendants of these various races became one people, 
 the ancestors of the present inhabitants ; how Manx- 
 men used to live in former times; and what have been 
 the most important changes in government, religion, 
 laws, and social conditions, which our country has 
 undergone, and by whom these changes were brought 
 to pass. 
 
 Although the history of which I am going to 
 speak is only the history of a little island, and not 
 that of a great nation like England or France, it is, 
 nevertheless, very important to us Manx people, 
 because this little island is our own country. If 
 we study it in a right spirit, it will help us to 
 fulfil our duty more thoroughly, to be better and 
 more useful men and women. It will teach us to 
 feel grateful to those men of former times whose 
 labours have won for us the freedom and the 
 prosperity which we now enjoy; it will help us to 
 
 I.M. B
 
 2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 value these blessings which were obtained for us by 
 so great efforts and sacrifices; and it will show us 
 how we too may do something to make our country 
 a happier and better place for those who will live 
 in it when we have passed away. 
 
 Before I begin to talk about the history of our 
 island, it is necessary to explain some words which 
 I shall often have to use. These words are State, 
 Laws, Government, Legislative, Executive, Constitu- 
 tion, Sovereign, Taxes, Excise, Customs, and Revenue. 
 When we speak of a State, we mean the people of 
 a country, formed into a sort of society to protect 
 and help one another, and to manage those affairs 
 which belong to the people as a whole. England, 
 France, Germany, and the other nations of Lurope, 
 are States. Our own little island kingdom is also 
 a State, though it has the same Sovereign as a 
 larger State, the United Kingdom of Great Britain 
 and Ireland. Every society (your own family, for 
 instance) has to have some rules which the people 
 who belong to it are obliged to obey. The rules of 
 the State, which its members (or citizens, as we 
 call them) are required to obey, are called Laws. 
 
 The person, or set of persons, to whom the chief 
 authority in a State is granted, is called the Govern- 
 ment. The duty of the Government is to take care 
 that the laws are obeyed, and, when it is necessary, 
 to make new laws. The power which the Govern- 
 ment has of making laws is called its Legislative 
 power; the power by which it carries the laws into 
 effect is called its Executive power. 
 
 Government takes different forms in different kinds 
 of States. The three forms which we shall mainly 
 have to consider in the following pages are: 
 
 (i) A Despotic Government, in which one person 
 has the sole control :
 
 INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 (2) An Oligarchical Government, where a few 
 persons have the control ; 
 
 (3) A Constitutional Government, in which one 
 person is the head, who is, however, guided and 
 limited in his actions by a body of customs and 
 laws, which have gradually sprung up, called the 
 Constitution. 
 
 The great principle of a Constitutional Govern- 
 ment is that the person at its head, called the 
 Sovereign, obtains the obedience of the people, on 
 the condition that he is himself obedient to the 
 Constitution. 
 
 As members of this State you have duties towards 
 it. I will not, however, speak of them now,* but 
 will confine myself to telling you about some of 
 your rights, or, in other words, what duties the 
 State owes to you. 
 
 It has to defend you from enemies abroad and at 
 home. For the first purpose, it has the Army and 
 Navy,t and, for the second, the judges and police, 
 with court-houses and prisons. It has also to make 
 roads and keep them in order, to build school-houses, 
 provide teachers, to support the aged and deserv- 
 ing poor, and those who have lost their minds, 
 whom we call lunatics, to send your letters and 
 telegrams all over the world,! to make break- 
 waters, piers, &c. But soldiers and sailors, judges 
 and policemen, and the makers of warships, break- 
 waters, piers, and all kinds of public buildings have 
 to be paid for. How, then, is the necessary money to be 
 obtained ? by Taxes, What are Taxes ? they are, or 
 should be, payments made by all in proportion to their 
 
 * See CONCLUSION. 
 
 t The Isle of Man is defended by the Army and Navy of Great 
 Britain and Ireland ; and the Post Office of that kingdom attends 
 to its letters and telegrams. 
 
 B 2
 
 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 means, and they are, or should be, for the good of 
 all. They are of two kinds, direct and indirect. I 
 can best explain the difference between them by 
 giving instances of each. Let us take direct taxes 
 first : Suppose that the School Board of a parish has 
 to obtain money to carry on its school ; to do this 
 it levies a rate upon every householder in the parish 
 according to the value of his house ; and this tax, 
 or rate, has to be paid to the collector who is sent 
 to receive it. Other direct taxes are paid in a 
 similar proportion according to a man's house or 
 income. A tax has to be paid, too, for leave, or 
 licence, to carry a gun, to keep a dog and so forth. 
 
 As to indirect taxes, every time you drink a cup 
 of tea or a glass of beer you pay an indirect tax. 
 Let us see how this is. Indirect taxes, or duties, are 
 of two kinds. The first, called Excise, is paid on 
 articles, such as beer, which are made in your own 
 country. The second, called Customs, is on articles 
 which are imported, or brought in, from other 
 countries. The maker, or importer, as the case 
 may be, pays the tax, and he then raises the price 
 he sells at high enough to repay him for the cost 
 and trouble of the tax. Whoever, therefore, uses 
 those articles pays the tax on them in proportion to 
 the amount of them which he uses. The money 
 thus obtained by taxes forms the Income, or Revenue, 
 of the State. 
 
 You have now learned something about the duties 
 of the State towards you ; and I trust that, when 
 you have read this book through, you will also have 
 learned, not only how well our little State has 
 performed these duties, but how right and necessary 
 it is that you, in your turn, should do your duty 
 to it.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE LEGENDS. 
 
 M Bold words affirmed, in days when faith was strong 
 And doubts and scruples seldom teased the brain, 
 That no adventurer's bark had power to gain 
 These shores if he approached them bent on wrong : 
 For suddenly, up- conjured from the main, 
 Mists rose to hide the land : that search though long 
 And eager might be still pursued in vain." 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 Only way of Learning about Early History. For 
 more than eleven hundred years after the birth of 
 Christ, there were no written accounts of events in 
 our island. The only way, therefore, in which we 
 can learn what took place here is by means of the 
 stones, or legends, which passed on from one gene- 
 ration to another, and have come down to our own 
 time. But this way is at best an imperfect and 
 uncertain one, because, as you know quite well, a 
 story, wl en it has been repeated by even a few 
 people, becomes very different at the end from what 
 it was at the beginning. In the old days, when 
 there were very few books, men were paid for telling 
 stories, and it is probable that the more wonderful 
 their stories were, the more money they got. You 
 know, too, how much more likely it is that an 
 interesting story will be remembered than an 
 uninteresting one, even if the interesting story be 
 false and the other true.
 
 6 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Supposed Origin of the Isle of Man and its Name. 
 Many of the stories which have come down to us 
 are evidently false, but others have some truth in 
 them, and we are often able, as I shall try to explain 
 later, to find out what parts of them are true and 
 what are false. And now, let us come to the 
 stories. Some of them, as was natural, were told 
 with the object of explaining things that people were 
 most anxious to know. One of these was how the 
 Isle of Man came to be where it is. The explana- 
 tion the story-tellers gave of this was that Finn 
 MacCoole a very favourite hero of Manx legends 
 having defeated a Scottish giant in the North of 
 Ireland, was running after him, and when he found 
 that he was unable to catch him, he thrust his hands 
 into the ground, tore up the rocks and clay and 
 threw them after him. But he missed the giant, and 
 the rocks and clay fell into the midst of the Irish 
 Sea and formed the Isle of Man, while the place 
 they were torn out of became Lough Neagh. I don't 
 think I need say whether this story is true or not ! 
 
 The next thing that people wanted to know was 
 how the island got its name and who lived in it. 
 To the first question the answer was that it got its 
 name from an Irish hero called Manannan-Beg-Mac-y- 
 Leirr, "Little-Manannan-son-of-the-Sea," who was its 
 king, and also a great magician. We are told that : 
 
 " It was not with his sword he kept her, 
 Nor with his arrows, nor his bow ; 
 But when he would see the ships sailing 
 He hid her right round with a fog. 
 He'd set a man upon a hill, 
 You'd think there were a hundred there ; 
 And thus did wild Manannan guard 
 That island with all its b.oty." 
 
 The Fairies. To the second question the answer 
 was that the first inhabitants of the island were
 
 THE LEGENDS. 7 
 
 little and slenderly formed people called fairies, who 
 wore green and blue clothes, with red caps. Their 
 weapons were only arrows headed with flints, but 
 they were so helped by the knowledge of magic 
 possessed by their king, Manannan, and by their 
 priests, or druids, that it took many years to conquer 
 them. When they were beaten, they retired into 
 the green mounds, so common in the island, and 
 their conquerors, who were a race of giants, con- 
 tinued to fear them because of their magical powers. 
 So sure were our forefathers of the truth of this that 
 they thought it necessary to prevent the fairies from 
 being angry and doing harm by calling them "the good 
 people " and by putting out food and water for them 
 at night. According to another story, the fairies 
 and their king were still living among their con- 
 querors when holy men came from Ireland and drove 
 them out. This story has been preserved in the 
 following ancient ballad : 
 
 " Then came Patrick into their midst ; 
 He was a saint full of virtue ; 
 He sent Manannan on the wave, 
 Away with all his bad servants. 
 And of all those that were evil, 
 To them he showed but little grace ; 
 Those that were of the conjuror's race 
 He destroyed and put to death." 
 
 The ballad then proceeds to relate how S. Patrick 
 and others converted the people to Christianity : 
 
 "He blessed the land from end to end, 
 And ne'er left a poor person there, 
 That was bigger than a child, who 
 Refused to be a Christian. 
 Patrick then blessed S. German, 
 And left him the bishop in it, 
 To strengthen the faith more and more, 
 And little chapels made he there.
 
 8 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Then came Maughold from the West, 
 And he came on shore at the Head, 
 And built a church and yard around. 
 Connaghyn the next came in, 
 And then arrived Marown the third." 
 
 These are a few of the stories which take the 
 place of history, or the record of actual events.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE LEGENDS EXPLAINED. 
 
 Part i. Our Land and its Earliest Inhabitants. 
 
 " It's clad in purple mist, my land, 
 In regal robe it is apparelled, 
 A crown is set upon its head, 
 And on its breast a golden band 
 Land, ho ! land." 
 
 T. E. BROWN. 
 
 Geology. We know now that the Isle of Man was 
 not hurled by Finn MacCoole into the midst of the 
 Irish Sea, but that it was built up millions of years 
 ago from mud and sand at the bottom of the ocean. 
 
 This mud and sand became hardened into slaty 
 rocks, and then mighty forces squeezed these rocks 
 together and raised them up in a great mass far 
 above the water. Out of this mass, mountains, 
 hills and headlands were carved by the long-continued 
 action of the rivers and the sea. At times, our island 
 has been part of a continent, and, at other times, it 
 has been surrounded by the sea as at present, because 
 the level of the land has been, and is, constantly 
 rising and falling under the action of forces inside 
 the earth, though so slowly that you could only 
 notice any change after thousands of years. These 
 forces have burst forth occasionally in terrible 
 volcanoes, and between Scarlet Point and Poolvash 
 we can see where lava, or molten rock, has poured
 
 io THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 out, and where showers of volcanic ashes have fallen 
 at some long distant period. After many ages, when 
 the island had grown into nearly its present shape, 
 there came a period of bitter cold. Everything was 
 covered with great masses of ice, which ground and 
 smoothed the rough edges of the rocks. From the 
 gravel, sand and clay, which remained behind when 
 this ice melted, a large part of the lowlands was 
 formed. Soon after the ice age, the great Irish elk, 
 whose bones are found in the mud of peaty hollows, 
 lived here. A skeleton of one of these animals is to be 
 seen at Castle Rushen. These hollows once formed 
 shallow lakes, which have been gradually drained or 
 filled up with mud and peat, bringing the island 
 finally to its present condition.* 
 
 Thus was our beautiful land with its green hills, 
 its winding glens, and its grand, rocky coast gradually 
 formed. 
 
 We have seen that, according to the legends, 
 it was named after Manannan, and that its first 
 inhabitants were little people, with flint-headed 
 arrows, who were conquered by a bigger people. 
 It is, however, much more likely that Manannan, if 
 there ever was such a man, took his name from 
 Man, than Man its name from him, but what Man 
 means no one knows, though many guesses have 
 been made about it. 
 
 Description of the Stone- Age People. As regards the 
 first inhabitants of Man, we know that there are 
 people in the island at the present day who are com- 
 paratively short, and have long heads, dark com- 
 plexions, and black eyes and hair, which are the 
 marks of the men and women of the " stone-age," as 
 they are called, because they did not possess metal 
 weapons. We know, too, that flint arrow-heads and 
 
 * For Geography, &c., see Appendix A.
 
 THE LEGENDS EXPLAINED. 11 
 
 weapons made of stone have been found here. As to 
 the fighting between the stone-age people and the 
 bigger people, known as Celts, in Man, we can only 
 say, that, since they fought in Ireland, it is probable 
 that they fought here too. 
 
 Who are the Celts ? Who, then, are these Celts ? 
 They are a people who were gradually driven 
 westwards by the Romans and Germans, and 
 settled in the British Islands at some unknown time 
 before the birth of Christ. Not only were they 
 bigger, but they had broader heads and fairer com- 
 plexions than the stone-age people they conquered, 
 and they had, at first, weapons made of a mixture of 
 copper and tin, called bronze. 
 
 Tokens of the work of the Celts, who are the 
 ancestors of most of us, are found in many of the 
 great mounds, or barrows, still so common here, and 
 in the stone circles which, like the barrows, were 
 burial places. The Celts are divided into two dis- 
 tinct branches, one, the Gaelic, to which the Irish, 
 the Scots, and the Manx belong, and the other, the 
 Cymric, or Brythonic, of which the Welsh and the 
 Bretons, or inhabitants of Brittany, are members. 
 
 The three nations who speak Gaelic can easily 
 talk to each other, though their languages vary a 
 little, and so can the Welsh and the Bretons ; but 
 the Gaelic and the Cymric nations cannot under- 
 stand each other. So similar is our language, as 
 well as the greater number of our place-names and 
 surnames,* and of our customs and traditions, to the 
 Irish and Scottish, especially to the Irish, that, 
 though we have no written records of our history 
 during the Celtic period, we are able, by studying 
 what is known of Ireland and Scotland at that time, 
 not only to show, beyond doubt, that Man was 
 * See Appendix B.
 
 12 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 occupied by a Celtic people, but to form a very good 
 idea of the way in which these people lived and 
 managed their affairs. 
 
 The way in which the Manx Celts lived and were 
 governed. We know, for reasons which need not be 
 mentioned here, that the Manx held their land in 
 common, as other Celtic people did. History 
 tells us that the property of the Irish and Scottish 
 Celts consisted mostly of cattle, sheep, and pigs, 
 that they lived on the simplest food and wore the 
 kilt, and that they were ruled by chiefs, who, though 
 they were elected by them, had almost unlimited 
 power over them. We cannot, then, be far wrong 
 in supposing that their brother Celts in Man lived 
 under similar conditions. Imagine the Manx Celtic 
 chief, or king, sitting on some sacred hill quite 
 possibly our present Tynwald Hill at S. John's, 
 though it was not then known by that name and 
 talking to his nobles about the laws and judgments 
 he intended to put in force, before declaring them to 
 the freemen standing round the hill. These freemen 
 said " yes " or " no " when their opinion was asked, 
 while the poor slaves, of whom there were probably 
 a great number, were not allowed to say anything. 
 
 The " yes " or " no " of the freemen might have 
 been either a form or not ; we do not know how this 
 was. But it is probable that the king thought of 
 this meeting with his people, which took place once 
 a year only, merely as a convenient way of making 
 his will known to them, and that the freemen 
 thought of it as the one occasion oh which they 
 had the right to make complaints. These complaints 
 were then settled by the king in the presence of all, 
 with the help of judges and wise men chosen from 
 among the freemen. 
 
 A fair was held at the same time, and there were
 
 THE LEGENDS EXPLAINED. 13 
 
 also recitations of poetry, telling of stories, musical 
 contests, horse races, wrestling, &c. 
 
 Till the end of the eighth century our island seems to 
 have been ruled by the Celts alone, since there is no 
 trace of the Romans having come to it, or of the 
 Anglo-Saxons, who followed them, having done 
 more than make raids upon its people. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Romans in Britain. A.D. 0-450. 
 Anglo-Saxons arrive in Britain. A.D. 449,
 
 CHAPTER II. (continued). 
 
 Part 2. S. Patrick and S. Columba. 
 
 " Blessed be the unconscious shore on which ye tread, 
 And blest the silver cross, which ye, instead 
 Of martial banner, in procession bear." 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 IT is probable that, for at least four centuries after 
 the coming of Christ, the people of Man continued 
 to be heathen. They seem to have worshipped the 
 sun and moon, fire, earth, water, animals, trees, and 
 stones, and they were afraid of evil spirits doing 
 harm to them. They had priests who were clever 
 enough to persuade them that they could prevent 
 these spirits from being angry with them by offering 
 sacrifices of animals, and, perhaps, even of human 
 beings. By means of such pretended powers the 
 priests came to have great influence over the people, 
 till, according to one of our legends, they, with 
 Manannan at their head, were destroyed by S. Patrick, 
 who then taught the Celts to be Christians. 
 
 S. Patrick. Let me now tell you something about 
 S. Patrick. By birth a native of North Britain, he 
 was stolen from the Clyde by Irish pirates when a 
 child. His captors took him to the north of Ireland, 
 where a chief employed him in herding cattle. After 
 six years of this work, he escaped, but was again 
 captured by pirates, who this time carried him to 
 Gaul, or the country which we now call France. 
 By the kindness of some Christian merchants there,
 
 THE LEGENDS EXPLAINED. 15 
 
 he was restored to his father, who had him well 
 taught at schools in Gaul. He was then consecrated 
 "Bishop of the Irish," and landed in Ireland, where 
 he at once began to teach the people and to baptize 
 their children. So successful was he, that at the 
 time of his death Ireland had become a Christian 
 country. It is not known whether he came to our 
 shores or not, but though our legends say that he 
 did, it seems more probable that he did not. There 
 is, however, little reason to doubt that the legends 
 are right in stating that some of his disciples came 
 to Man, because not only do we find churches and 
 parishes here named after him, but after these 
 disciples as well. Thus there is S. Patrick's church 
 on the island of the same name at Peel,* while 
 S. Bridget gave Ijer name to the parish of Bride. 
 
 S. Columba. The next great saint from Ireland who 
 was connected with Man was Columba, or Columb- 
 keeilley, "Dove of the Church," as he was called 
 by Manx people. It is said that he copied the 
 Psalms from a book which belonged to his master, 
 S. Finian, writing them, like all books in those days, 
 on skins. After the copy was made, S. Finian 
 claimed it, and the King of Ulster, who was asked 
 to settle the question, decided it in favour of 
 S. Finian, being guided by the proverb that " Mine 
 is the calf which is born of my cow." S. Columba 
 was so angry at this decision that he determined to 
 leave Ireland. He accordingly sailed away, with 
 twelve of his disciples, in a frail boat made of 
 wicker-work and covered with ox-hides, and they 
 landed on the little rocky island of lona, off the west 
 coast of Scotland. On this island they built a church 
 and a monastery, and very soon numbers of people 
 went there to be taught the Christian faith. After 
 * See p. 17.
 
 16 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 a time more holy men from Ireland joined S. Columba, 
 who sent them forth to teach the truth in other 
 lands. So great was their success that they con- 
 verted many of the English as well as the Scottish 
 people, and many also on the continent of Europe. 
 It is certain that they must have included Man in 
 their wanderings, and, indeed, like S. Patrick's 
 disciples and their followers, they have left their 
 names here. Perhaps, however, an even more 
 striking proof of the esteem in which S. Columba 
 was held by the Manx people is the fact that they 
 have used his name, till quite recently, as a charm 
 against fairies. 
 
 The Keeills and the Culdees. It was at this time 
 that the numerous tiny churches,* or keeills as they 
 are called in Manx, the remains of which are to be 
 seen in all our parishes, were built and occupied by 
 pious men, who were named Culdees, or Servants of 
 God. They never married, but lived alone, praying 
 with, teaching, and preaching to the people. Near 
 these little buildings, which are chiefly made of sods, 
 are usually found wells, which were used by the 
 Culdees both for drinking-water and for baptizing 
 children. 
 
 * These are the "little chapels" which, according to our 
 legends, were built by S. German. (See Ch. I.)
 
 I.M.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE NORSEMEN. 
 
 Part I. Conquest and Settlement. 
 
 " On his shield sleeps the Viking, his hand on his sword, 
 And hi 5 tent is the starry blue sky." 
 
 FRITHIOF SAGA. 
 
 The Vikings. By the end of the eighth century 
 the Norwegian and Danish rovers, called Vikings, 
 had begun their wanderings, in search of plunder, 
 not only to Man, but to all the British Islands and 
 to western and southern Europe. 
 
 The best way, perhaps, to show you what sort of 
 men these Vikings were is to give some extracts 
 from their rules : No man should run before a 
 man of like power and like arms. Every man 
 should avenge the other as his brother. None 
 should show fear of anything. Everything captured 
 in warfare should be shared in common. No man 
 should take women and children prisoners, or should 
 bind a wound till the same hour next day. No man 
 should have less strength than two ordinary men, or 
 should put an awning on his ship or furl its sail when 
 there was a storm. 
 
 Fearless sailors, fierce, brave, and warlike, they 
 believed that open plundering was honourable, but 
 that to steal secretly was dishonourable. 
 
 Such, according to the sagas, or poetical tales of 
 their deeds, were the Vikings of old. Their highway 
 
 C 2
 
 20 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 was the sea, and they lived, for the most part, on 
 board their ships ; indeed, the true Viking was sup- 
 posed never to sleep under a roof. These ships, 
 which were about 150 feet long, had high bows, 
 carved in the shape of dragons or other strange 
 creatures, and high sterns ; between the bow and 
 the stern they were low, so that the oars by which 
 they were rowed in calm weather might reach the 
 water. They had one great square sail, probably 
 something like those on our " nickeys," which was 
 hoisted when there was a wind. They sailed very 
 fast, and their flat bottoms made it easy to run 
 them up on such shores as that between Kirk 
 Michael and Ramsey. 
 
 Norse Place-names and Surnames. How frequently 
 they came to the coasts of Man is shown by the 
 names they gave to its bays and creeks.* Some 
 fifty years after their first coming, which was about 
 the year 800, they began to settle in Man, and of 
 this, too, the names of many of our farms, &c., give 
 ample proof.* 
 
 The Norse Kings. -According to tradition, the first 
 Norse King of Man was called Gorree, or Orry. It 
 is said that when he landed at the Lhane, in Jurby, 
 he was asked where he came from, and that, pointing 
 to the Milky Way, he replied, " that is the road to 
 my country." Hence the Manx name for the Milky 
 Way is " the great road of King Gorree." All that 
 we really know, however, is that, for nearly a cen- 
 tury after the settlement, Man was ruled by kings 
 who lived sometimes in Dublin, sometimes in North- 
 umbria, as the country on the east of England, north 
 of the river Humber and south of the Firth of Forth 
 was called, and sometimes in Man itself. Then it 
 came for a short time under the Norse rulers of 
 
 * For these names, see Appendix C.
 
 THE NORSEMEN. 21 
 
 Limerick. Towards the end of the tenth century, 
 it fell into the hands of the Earls of Orkney, and 
 finally, into the hands of the Kings of Dublin again. 
 Only once, during this period, do we hear of a King 
 of Norway seeking to conquer his former subjects 
 who had founded kingdoms in the British Islands. 
 This was towards the end of the ninth century, when 
 the famous Harald Fairhair placed Man and the 
 Scottish Islands under his rule, which, however, did 
 not last long. 
 
 Godred Crovan conquers Man. At length came 
 Godred Crovan, son of Harald the Black of Iceland, 
 whose descendants were to rule Man for nearly two 
 hundred years. He had been with Harald, King of 
 Norway, when he was defeated by Harold, King of 
 England, at the battle of Stamford Bridge. After 
 that defeat he fled to Man, where he was kindly 
 treated by its king, Godred Mac Sytric. Notwith- 
 standing this, he some years later attacked the Manx. 
 In his first battle against them he was beaten. 
 On the second occasion the same fate befell him, 
 but, the third time, he fared better. Having 
 collected a number of followers, he came by night 
 to Ramsey, and hid three hundred of them in 
 the trees on Skyehill above Milntown. At day- 
 light the Manxmen drew up in order of battle 
 and rushed at Godred and the main body of his 
 soldiers. When they were fighting together, the 
 men who had been on Skyehill attacked the Manx 
 in the rear. This threw them into great confusion, 
 and since, at the same time, the tide had risen in the 
 Sulby river and cut off their retreat, they begged 
 Godred to spare their lives. Godred, who had been 
 brought up among the Manx people and was sorry 
 for them, granted their request, and called back his 
 men from pursuing them.
 
 22 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 The next day he asked his men whether they 
 would like to divide the island between them, or to 
 plunder it and go to their homes. Like true Vikings, 
 the greater number of them chose plundering. To 
 those who stopped with him he granted the southern 
 part of the island, and to the surviving Manxmen he 
 gave the northern part of it. 
 
 BATTLES. 
 Stamford Bridge, 1066; Skyehill, 1079. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Vikings. Bands of Scandinavian warriors, who, during the 
 ninth and tenth centuries, harried the British Isles and 
 Normandy. 
 
 Norsemen. Northmen ; the inhabitants of the ancient Scan- 
 dinavian kingdom now divided into Sweden, Norway and 
 Denmark. The Northmen who came to Man were chiefly 
 from Norway.
 
 CHAPTER III. (continued). 
 
 Part 2. Government, &c. 
 
 u Once on the top of Tynwald's formal mound 
 (Still marked with green turf circles narrowing 
 Stage above stage) would sit this Island's king, 
 The laws to promulgate, enrobed and crowned ; 
 While, compassing the little mount around, 
 Degrees and orders stood, each under each." 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 I HAVE been trying to tell you about the Norse- 
 men and their conquest of, and settlement in, Man, 
 and I now want to say something about the way in 
 which they lived and to describe their method of 
 government. Our knowledge of these things is 
 chiefly gained from the. annals of Iceland and 
 Norway. 
 
 How the Norsemen lived. They lived in houses 
 with open hearths in the centre of the floor, from 
 which the smoke escaped through a hole in the roof, 
 and they slept on beds made of straw, which were 
 placed round the walls. The men wore grey woollen 
 trousers with socks knitted to them, a linen shirt, 
 a woollen tunic, a coat of mail, and a cloak thrown 
 over their shoulders. Their shoes, like the Manx 
 carranes, or sandals, were made of raw hides. 
 Except that they wore a longer tunic and were 
 without the coat of mail, the women's dress was 
 very like that of the men. 
 
 Their Occupations, &c. The chief occupations of
 
 24 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 the men, when not on viking expeditions, were 
 trade and fishing ; and the women milked the 
 cows and spun and wove flax and wool. Athletic 
 sports were their chief amusement. In the long 
 winter evenings they spent their time in telling tales, 
 in asking riddles, in harp playing, and in games of 
 chess and draughts. They were, till Godred Crovan's 
 time at least, freeholders, that is to say, they held 
 their land from the king on condition of giving him 
 their services in war, and they did not pay any rent. 
 This land was probably in many cases farmed for 
 them by the conquered Celts, who were at first 
 slaves. Such an arrangement left most of the 
 Norse conquerors free for occupations on the 
 sea, which they liked much better than the land. 
 They were active traders, doing business, not only 
 with England, Scotland and Ireland, but with Iceland 
 and the south of Europe. The merchandize from the 
 north consisted, for the most part, of fish, hides, and 
 furs, while white woollen and linen cloths, corn, honey 
 and wine were taken back in exchange. They had, 
 however, at least one occupation on land in which they 
 excelled. Of this the beautiful carvings on the old 
 crosses which we have in our churchyards afford 
 ample proof. Many of these crosses have sentences 
 cut upon them in Norse letters, or runes, which, 
 like the inscriptions on our modern tombstones, 
 contain the names of those by whose graves they 
 once stood. 
 
 Their Government. Now let us see how the 
 Norsemen in Man were governed. 
 
 They managed their local affairs in little parlia- 
 ments, or things, as they called them. There was 
 probably one of these in each sheading. There was 
 also a great Thing for the whole island, which came 
 to be called the Tynwald, or Parliament Field,
 
 CROSS AT KIRK MICHAEL,
 
 THE NORSEMEN. 27 
 
 because it was held in the open air. It met once or 
 twice a year to settle such matters as were too 
 important to be dealt with by the small things, to 
 have disputes decided by the king and his judges, to 
 hear the old laws proclaimed and to make any new 
 laws that might be needed. 
 
 On the hill at S. John's, where the Tynwald was, 
 and is now, held, sat the king with, as our Book of 
 Laws tells us, his face to the east, his sword held 
 upright before him, and his churchmen and other 
 chief men sitting near him, while the people stood 
 round the hill. If the king wished to learn anything 
 about the laws of the land, or to have any difficult 
 question decided, he referred to his deemsters; in 
 those days there were no written laws ; men trusted 
 entirely to their memory, and it was especially the 
 duty of the deemsters to preserve the memory of 
 these " breast laws " as they were called, and to 
 give the king advice thereupon ; usually he directed 
 them to summon the wisest and worthiest men from 
 among the people to aid them in giving advice. No 
 law could be passed without the consent, not only 
 of the wise men thus selected, but of the whole 
 free people. This fact forms the most important 
 distinction between the Norse Parliament and the 
 Celtic, in which, as we have seen, the consent of the 
 people was not necessary. 
 
 Such is the free Constitution which our Norse 
 ancestors have handed down to us. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Sheading. Ship-shire, so called because it formerly had to 
 provide a certain number of war-ships for the king. 
 
 Deemsters. Those who steer or guide the deem or judgment.
 
 CHAPTER III. (continued). 
 Part 3. Their Church (? 1000 1266). 
 
 The Vikings at first Heathen. The Vikings, who 
 were heathen and merciless in their treatment of 
 the Christians, killed the good Culdees they found in 
 Man and put an end to Christianity there. It was 
 probably not before the beginning of the eleventh 
 century that the people of Man again became 
 Christians. Indeed, there is no trustworthy infor- 
 mation about their religion, until Rushen Abbey or 
 Monastery, the ruins of which are still to be seen 
 near Ballasalla, was founded. This abbey, which 
 was connected with the great English Abbey of 
 Furness, belonged to the order of Cistercians, or 
 White Monks, who were so named from the white 
 clothes they wore. It received large grants of land 
 from the Manx kings, and was therefore both wealthy 
 and powerful ; its monks were not subject to the 
 Bishop of Man, but only to their abbot, as the head 
 of an abbey is called, and to the Pope. 
 
 Diocese of Sodor and Man. In A.D. 1154, we hear, 
 for the first time, of the Diocese of Sodor and Man, 
 as our diocese is still called. It consisted oL~the 
 southern islands of Scotland , extending from the 
 Hebrides to Arran, and Man, and it was then placed 
 under the Archbishop of Drontheim, in Norway. 
 The name Sodor is derived from two Norse words 
 meaning southern isles, so that Sodor and Man 
 means " The Southern Isles and Man " ; it is, in
 
 THE NORSEMEN. 31 
 
 fact, the Church name for the kingdom which was 
 then called "Man and the Isles." Though the con- 
 nexion of the kingdom of Man with the Isles, or 
 Sodor, came to an end in A.D. 1266, the diocese con- 
 tinued to be under the rule of the distant Norwegian 
 archbishop till the fifteenth century. 
 
 Wimund. During this period two very remarkable 
 men, Wimund and Symon, were bishops of the 
 diocese. Wimund, who is famous as a warrior, not 
 as a bishop, was the son of a peasant. Beginning 
 his career as a chorister at Furness Abbey, he 
 became a monk there, and was sent to the Abbey of 
 Rushen when it was founded. He so pleased the 
 Manx people by his cleverness, eloquence, and 
 pleasant manners, and they were so impressed by 
 his great height, that they made him their bishop. 
 He did not, however, stop long in Man. He is next 
 found claiming a great earldom in Scotland, and, 
 after ravaging the south-western part of that king- 
 dom with fire and sword, he, with the help of the 
 Thane, or Lord, of Argyll, whose daughter he had 
 married, compelled the Scottish king to surrender 
 the southern part of Scotland to him. But he ruled 
 his subjects with such severity that they seized and 
 blinded him and shut him up in a monastery, where 
 he died. 
 
 Symon. The other bishop, Symon, a good and 
 learned man, did much for the welfare of the diocese. 
 He held a great meeting of the clergy at Kirk 
 Braddan, where laws were passed to govern the 
 Church, and he built part of our Cathedral, or head- 
 church, of S. German, on S. Patrick's Island, where 
 he lies buried.* 
 
 The Bishops, &c. The bishops' power, which at 
 first was very small compared with that of the 
 * See p. 33.
 
 32 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Abbot of Rushen, had, by Symon's time, greatly 
 increased. They had obtained a large amount of 
 land from the Kings of the island, and, like the 
 Abbots of Rushen, and of the other abbeys who had 
 lands here, they were Barons of the Isle, that is to 
 say, they were lords and did homage to the king for 
 their property, instead of paying him rent for it. 
 Like other lords, too, they held a court on their own 
 land, and had power to condemn those who lived on 
 it to death if they committed any crime. 
 
 Some time before the end of this period the island 
 had been divided into parishes, under the charge of 
 clergy, over whom the bishop, and not the Abbot of 
 Rushen, had authority. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Rushen Abbey jounded, 1134; its chiirch completed, 1257. 
 Symon, bishop, 1226 1244. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Norse. The language spoken by the inhabitants of ancient 
 Scandinavia and Iceland. 
 Diocese. A territory under the authority of a bishop.
 
 I.M.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE HOUSE OF GODRED CROVAN (1079 1266). 
 
 Part I. Godred I. to Reginald I. (1079 1187). 
 
 "... Till there came to them King Gorree, 
 With his strong ships and his kingly power." 
 
 MANX BALLAD. 
 
 Godred I. (Crovan). Under Godred Crovan and 
 his successors a rather more settled state of affairs 
 existed. Godred was quite a powerful king, who 
 ruled Dublin and the greater part of the province of 
 Leinster in Ireland, as well as Man and many of the 
 Scottish Islands. Moreover, the Scots on the main- 
 land were so afraid of him that, when he said that 
 he would not allow them to build any large vessels, 
 they did not dare to disobey him. Such a man 
 would be well remembered, and the stories of his 
 great prowess would, in course of time, become 
 legends of more than human might. It is therefore 
 not unreasonable to suppose that he is the original 
 of the mythical hero King Gorree, or Orry. 
 
 Man and the Isles. One very important fact to be 
 borne in mind about the period between 1079 and 1266 
 is that the King of Man was also chief of a number 
 of islands, including the Hebrides, which extend 
 along the western coast of Scotland. This kingdom, 
 which had the sea as its highway and in those 
 
 D 2
 
 36 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 days when there were no roads it was possible to 
 travel more quickly by sea than by land was called 
 " Man and the Isles." It was under the suzerainty, 
 or supreme rule, of Norway. It is true that the 
 Norwegian king did not often interfere in the affairs 
 of the island kingdom ; still, even so, it may appear 
 strange that so distant a country should ever have 
 ruled over us in any way. But you must remember 
 that Norway was then a very much more powerful 
 country than it is now, and that it had dominion, 
 not only over Man and the western isles of Scotland, 
 but over the Orkneys and Shetlands and part of the 
 north of the Scottish -mainland. It may also appear 
 strange that neither England, Scotland, nor Ireland 
 should have disputed the Norwegian supremacy 
 over Man ; but Scotland and Ireland were weakened 
 by constant divisions and wars, while England, under 
 its Norman rulers, had, at first, enough to do in 
 defending its Continental possessions. 
 
 Exploits of Magnus. After Godred's death there 
 came a time of war and trouble. In 1098 a battle 
 between the northern and southern Manx, called the 
 battle of Santwat, in which the northerners were vic- 
 torious, took place near Peel. Just after this event, 
 Magnus, King of Norway, arrived in Man, and he 
 not only subdued it and all the western islands, but 
 so terrified the King of Ireland that he agreed to 
 carry Magnus's shoes on his shoulders on Christmas 
 Day as a token of submission to him. 
 
 Olaf I. It was not till Godred's son, Olaf I. was 
 placed on the throne of Man and the Isles that there 
 was peace, because Olaf kept on such friendly terms 
 with the Kings of England, Ireland, and Scotland, 
 that no one ventured to disturb his kingdom till he 
 had grown old and feeble. Then came three of his 
 nephews from Dublin with a number of soldiers, and
 
 THE HOUSE OF GODRED CROVAN (10791*66). 37 
 
 demanded that he should deliver half the kingdom 
 to them. Olaf said that he would meet them at 
 Ramsey and talk about this. On the appointed day 
 both parties came there and sat down in order, the 
 king and his followers on one side, and the nephews 
 and theirs on the other. Reginald, one of the 
 nephews, on being summoned to approach the king, 
 turned as if to salute him, raised his gleaming battle- 
 axe on high and cut off Olaf's head at a single blow. 
 After this act of treachery the nephews divided Man 
 between them. But they did not long retain their 
 ill-gotten possession. 
 
 Godred II. Godred II., son of Olaf, returned from 
 Norway, where he had been doing homage to his 
 suzerain, put the murderers to death, and succeeded 
 his father as king. Soon afterwards, the people of 
 Dublin having asked him to reign over them, he went 
 there with a number of ships and a large army. 
 When Murchadh, King of Ireland, heard of this, he 
 collected a number of men and hastened to Dublin 
 to drive out Godred. On their approach to the city, 
 Godred and his followers, with all the citizens of 
 Dublin, rushed upon them and assailed them with 
 such a shower of arrows that they were compelled 
 to fly. Godred continued to be King of Dublin for 
 a short time, and, finding himself secure on his throne, 
 began to act tyrannically towards his nobles. They 
 consequently rebelled against him, and with the aid 
 of Somerled, the ruler of Argyll, in Scotland, fought 
 a battle against him, which resulted in Somerled 
 gaining possession of some of the isles which belonged 
 to the kingdom of Man and the Isles. He did not 
 take the most northern isles, the Hebrides, but some 
 of the isles which lay between them and Man, so 
 that Godred's kingdom was divided into two parts. 
 A few years later began the conquest of the east 
 
 335249
 
 38 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 coast of Ireland by England, which thus, for the first 
 time, became the most powerful kingdom in the 
 Irish Sea. In this way a new and important influence 
 was brought to bear upon Man. 
 
 CHIEF REIGNS. 
 
 Godred I. (Crovan), 1079 1095; Olaf /., 11131153; 
 Godred II., 1153 1187. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Division of the A ingdom of the Isles, 1 1 56 ; English conquest 
 of Ireland begins, 1 1 70. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Doing homage. The submission of a vassal (or dependent) 
 to a lord ; literally, to become the man (Latin homo} of a lord.
 
 CHAPTER IV. (continued). 
 
 Part 2. From Reginald I. to the end of Norse Ride 
 (11871266). 
 
 Reginald I. Godred was succeeded by Reginald, 
 his eldest son. A great part of Reginald's reign 
 was spent in quarrelling with his younger brother, 
 Olaf, and his authority was thus greatly weakened, 
 so that he found it all the more necessary to 
 keep on good terms with the powerful kings 
 around him, especially with the King of England. 
 He therefore did homage to King John, and, 
 fearing lest his suzerain, the King of Norway, 
 should be offended by this act, he offered him the 
 same proof of his allegiance. On hearing of this 
 King John was so angered that he devastated 
 Man, and compelled Reginald to do homage again. 
 For many years there had been a civil war in 
 Norway, so that the kings of that country had not 
 been able to exert their authority over Man and the 
 Isles. But before the end of Reginald's reign King 
 Hakon IV. succeeded to an undivided rule, and 
 Norway soon became powerful again. This led to 
 King Reginald doing homage to King Henry III. of 
 England, and, following the example of King John, 
 he secretly promised the Pope that he would hold 
 Man as a fief from him, hoping thus to gain his pro- 
 tection. All Reginald's precautions, however, could 
 not secure his throne ; he was deprived of half of his 
 kingdom jby Olaf, and at last he lost his life also in a
 
 40 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 battle against him at Tynwald. Many were slain 
 in this battle ; and the southern part of the island 
 was soon afterwards so terribly devastated by 
 pirates that scarcely a single inhabitant was left. 
 
 Olaf II. The reign of Olaf II. is mainly a record 
 of fighting, which ended in his regaining most of the 
 islands which Godred had lost. 
 
 Harald. His son Harald's reign was a prosperous 
 one. Though dethroned at the beginning of it by 
 the King of Norway, he afterwards succeeded in 
 keeping on friendly terms not only with him, but 
 with the Kings of England and Scotland. But his 
 life was to have a sad ending. When on the way 
 home from Norway with his newly-married wife, the 
 daughter of the king of that country, they, and all 
 with them, were shipwrecked and drowned. His 
 brother, Reginald II., who succeeded him, was 
 assassinated after a reign of twenty-four days. 
 
 A Usurper. A connexion of the Manx kings, also 
 called Harald, usurped the throne, but soon after- 
 wards Magnus, Olaf's youngest son, with his father- 
 in-law John, who was ruler of some of the Scottish 
 isles, came to Man. They put in at Ronaldsway, 
 and John sent messengers to the Manx people, 
 saying, " Thus and thus does John, King of the Isles, 
 command you." But they were so angry with John 
 calling himself " King of the Isles," that they would 
 not listen to what the messengers had to say. A 
 battle, which was fought on S. Michael's Island, 
 followed, and the invaders were utterly routed by 
 the Manx. When, however, Magnus appeared a 
 few months later, without his father-in-law, he was 
 joyfully received by the Manx, who chose him as 
 their king. 
 
 Magnus. It was during the reign of this Magnus 
 that the Scottish kings, whose country had for some
 
 THE HOUSE OF GODRED CROVAN (10791266). 41 
 
 time past been increasing in power and importance, 
 carried out their plan of conquering the islands off 
 their W. coast, some of which belonged to the King of 
 Man, and some to the descendants of Somerled. 
 They had in vain tried to gain their end by bar- 
 
 f lining with King Hakon of Norway, so King 
 lexander III. attacked the Hebrides. To protect 
 these islands King Hakon arrived off the Scottish 
 coast with a large fleet, and, after a hard-fought 
 battle at Largs on the Firth of Clyde, he was 
 defeated, and fled to the Orkneys, where he died 
 during the winter. Magnus, who had not been with 
 the part of Hakon's fleet that was defeated at Largs, 
 then went to Man. Alexander set out with the idea 
 of following him to that island, but when Magnus 
 heard of this he was so frightened that he begged 
 for a truce. On this being granted, he met King 
 Alexander at Dumfries, and did homage to him, 
 promising to furnish him with ten war-galleys 
 whenever he needed them. 
 
 Magnus, who was now King of Man only, died in 
 December, 1265, and in 1266 the King of Norway 
 formally ceded the whole of the Kingdom of Man 
 and the Isles to Scotland. 
 
 CHIEF REIGNS. 
 
 Reginald /., 1187 1226 ; Olaf //., 1226 1237 ; Harald, 
 1237 1248 ; Magnus, 1252 1265. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 John devastated Man, 1210; Civil War in Norway, 1154 
 1217 ; Battle of Tynwald, 1228 ; Battle of S. Michael's Island, 
 1250; Battle of Largs, 1263. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Allegiance. The duty of a vassal to a lord. 
 Fief. Land held by a vassal on doing homage and swearing 
 allegiance.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE " THREE-LEGS " OF MAN. 
 
 THE first thing connected with the Isle of Man 
 that meets the eyes of most of the visitors who 
 come to our shores is the gilded "Three-Legs " on 
 the paddle-boxes of our steamers. They naturally 
 want to know what this device means, and from 
 whence it comes. I do not suppose that many of 
 you could give a correct answer to these questions. 
 Indeed, I am not sure that I can do so, but I will try. 
 
 The " Three-Legs " a Sun Symbol. The " Three- 
 Legs " was probably originally a sign or symbol of 
 the sun which was worshipped by the heathen. But 
 why, you will ask, did they worship the sun ? And 
 I answer, because the sun is at once the most awful, 
 the most mysterious, and the most beneficent object 
 visible to man. It is the source of light and warmth, 
 and when it sets, darkness and cold soon follow. 
 They saw, too, that when the sun shone, their corn 
 grew and flourished ; they therefore came to think 
 of it as the origin of all life. No wonder, then, that 
 they worshipped it. The sun, as you know, was 
 once supposed to move round the earth, and to show 
 this motion it was represented as being like a wheel 
 with spokes. After a time the rim of the wheel, 
 except the three little bits of it which are now feet, 
 was left out, and the spokes gradually became legs. 
 
 It probably came from Sicily. The symbol thus
 
 THE "THREE -LEGS" OF MAN. 43 
 
 described is found on coins more than two thousand 
 years old, belonging to the island of Sicily, in the 
 Mediterranean. I have told you that the Vikings 
 were great wanderers ; it is well known that 
 Sicily was a favourite island of theirs, and that 
 it belonged to their descendants for centuries. 
 What is more natural than that the Vikings, 
 who had been plundering in Sicily in the winter, 
 should bring the " Three-Legs " with them when 
 they paid their summer visit to Man ? There is, 
 however, only one representation of it dating 
 from the days when the descendants of the Vikings 
 ruled in Man, and that is on our grand old 
 sword of state, which was formerly carried before 
 the King of Man on Tynwald Day. The "Legs" 
 on this sword, which belongs to the early part of the 
 thirteenth century, are not naked like those of Sicily, 
 but are covered with armour, and have spurs on 
 their heels. This change, however, seeing that all 
 warriors in those days in the north of Europe wore 
 armour, is only a natural one. We know that the 
 seal of King Harald of Man in 1245 bears the device 
 of a ship, with the Latin motto Rex Mannice et 
 Insularum, " King of Man and the Isles," but this 
 does not prove that our Norse kings did not use the 
 " Three-Legs " also. The most interesting of the 
 early representations of the " Three-Legs " after 
 1260 is on a beautiful pillar cross near Maughold 
 churchyard, which belongs to the latter part of the 
 fourteenth century.* 
 
 Its Motto symbolical of our History. The motto 
 which now surrounds the " Three-Legs " Quocunqne 
 Jeceris Stabit, that is, " Whichever way you throw it, 
 it will stand " is probably comparatively modern. 
 
 * See p. 45.
 
 44 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN 
 
 It refers to the fact that the "Legs" will stand 
 in whatever position they are placed, and it is 
 symbolical both of the character of Manx history and 
 of Manxmen, though I do not suppose that it was 
 intended to be so. Is it not wonderful how, though 
 we have been under the rule of several nations, our 
 ancient laws and the framework of our government 
 have stood practically unchanged ? And as to the 
 character of Manxmen, do not the lives of those who 
 have gone out from Mona's Isle to other countries 
 give us some reason for saying that, wherever you 
 place a Manxman, he will stand ? This means that 
 in consequence of being a good and upright citizen, 
 a Manxman will prosper wherever he goes. Some 
 unknown poet has expressed this idea as follows : 
 
 " However through the world he's tost, 
 However disappointed, crost, 
 Reverses, losses, fortune's frown, 
 No chance or change can keep him down, 
 Upset him any way you will, 
 Upon his legs you find him still ; 
 For ever active, brisk, and spunky, 
 Stabit : Jeceris : quo : cunque." 
 
 Yet another lesson may be learned from our 
 " arms," and that is, that " union is strength." 
 
 " Three legs armed ; 
 
 Armed in self-defence ; 
 Centrally united ; 
 
 Security from thence." 
 
 These words were written below the " Three- 
 Legs " in the old building at Castletown, where 
 the House of Keys formerly met.
 
 MAUGHOLD CROSS WITH "THREE-LEGS.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SCOTTISH AND ENGLISH RULE (1266 1405). 
 
 Struggles between Scots and Manx, and Scots and 
 English. It is certain that by the end of the last 
 period the Norsemen and Celts in Man had become 
 practically one people, speaking much the same Celtic 
 or Gaelic language as at the present day. You have 
 heard how they came under the rule of the Kings of 
 Scotland ; this rule was not established without delay 
 and difficulty. King Alexander had to send an 
 army to Man to compel it to submit to him ; but 
 the Manx, under the leadership of Godred, son of 
 Magnus, again revolted, and another army had to 
 be sent, which defeated them at Ronaldsway. In 
 1290 Edward I., King of England, who had recently 
 conquered Wales, and whose realms therefore sur- 
 rounded Man, not only on the east and west, but 
 on the south, took possession of the island, which 
 remained in English hands till 1313, when Castle 
 Rushen* was taken by King Robert Bruce of Scot- 
 land. We cannot be sure whether any of the Castle 
 Rushen we see now was standing in Bruce's time, 
 but part of it, as well as of Peel Castle,! was 
 probably built before the end of this period. For 
 many years after 1313 Man was sometimes held by 
 the English and sometimes by the Scots, who were 
 constantly fighting with each other. 
 
 * See p. 49. t See p. 33.
 
 48 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Man finally under English Rule after 1346. At 
 last, after the defeat of the Scots at the battle of 
 Neville's Cross, English rule was firmly established. 
 In 1333 King Edward III. had granted the island to 
 Sir William de Montacute. His son and namesake, 
 who had succeeded his father as King of Man, sold 
 it to Sir William le Scroop, and he, unfortunately 
 for himself, took the side of Richard II. against 
 Henry Bolingbroke. In consequence of this, the 
 latter, when he came to the throne as King 
 Henry IV., caused him to be beheaded, and gave 
 his kingdom to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumber- 
 land. Percy, in his turn, got into trouble with 
 the king, who granted the island to Sir John 
 Stanley, on condition of his doing homage and 
 giving two falcons at the coronation of each King 
 of England. 
 
 Miserable State of Man. Almost all we hear about 
 the Manx people during this period leads us to think 
 that they must have been in a very miserable state. 
 Thus at one time the island was said to be " desolate 
 and full of wretchedness " ; at another, it was 
 plundered of everything worth carrying off by a body 
 of Irish freebooters, who had defeated the Manx in 
 a battle on the slopes of South Barrule ; and finally 
 we are told that its people had to buy corn in Ireland 
 to save themselves from starvation. So poor were 
 they that they could not afford to make any more of 
 the beautiful crosses which were so common in the 
 previous period. Their rulers, some of whose names 
 we have mentioned, changed so often that they 
 were not likely to have been much interested in the 
 island, which they seem to have scarcely visited. 
 Indeed, it is probable that they contented them- 
 selves with taking all they could out of it, while 
 doing as little as possible for it.
 
 I.M.
 
 SCOTTISH AND ENGLISH RULE (12661405). 51 
 
 The Monks and the Church. The monks of Rushen, 
 on the contrary, were always on the island, and, 
 as their revenue increased, so did their power and 
 influence with the people, to whom they seem to 
 have been both kind and charitable. These monks 
 probably reached the highest point of their power 
 at the end of this period. The bishops, too, 
 obtained increased power and authority, though 
 their property was very small as compared with that 
 of the abbeys. Mark, the first bishop appointed by 
 King Alexander, was greedy in exacting money from 
 the people, who at last lost all patience and expelled 
 him from the island. When the Pope heard of this, 
 he placed them under an interdict, that is to say, he 
 would not allow the monks and clergy to baptize, 
 marry, or bury the people, or perform any spiritual 
 office for them. This frightened them so much that 
 they agreed, if it were removed, not only to receive 
 Bishop Mark back, but to pay a tax of one penny on 
 every house with a fireplace, a tax which, under the 
 name of " the smoke penny," has continued almost 
 to the present day. 
 
 It was during this time that two Manxmen, 
 William Russell and John Donkan, were bishops. 
 They are the only two Manxmen who have been 
 bishops of this diocese. 
 
 CHIEF REIGNS. 
 
 Alexander III., 1266 1286 ; William de Montacute /., 
 1333 1344 ; William de Montacute II., 1344 1392 ; William 
 le Scroop, 1392 1399 ; Henry Percy, 1399 1405. 
 
 BATTLES. 
 
 Ronaldsway, 1275; South Bar rule, 1316; Nevilles Cross, 
 1346. 
 
 B 2
 
 CHAPTER VII. . 
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (140$ 
 
 Part I. The Stanleys from 1405 to 1627. 
 
 " The war, that for a space did fail, 
 Now trebly thundering swelled the gale, 
 And ' Stanley ! ' was the cry, 
 A light on Marmion's visage spread, 
 And fired his glazing eye : 
 With dying hand, above his head 
 He shook the fragment of his blade, 
 And shouted ' Victory ! ' 
 ' Charge, Chester, charge ! On Stanley, on ! ' 
 Were the last words of Marmion." 
 
 THESE lines, taken from Sir Walter Scott's 
 ** Marmion," refer to the exploits of Sir Edward 
 Stanley at the famous battle of Flodden, and may 
 serve as an introduction to the account of this noble 
 family which ruled over Man for more than three 
 hundred years. 
 
 Sir John Stanley I. Sir John Stanley, the first mem- 
 ber of the family who was King of Man, never came 
 to the island. A curious story is told about his wife's 
 father, Sir Thomas Latham. Sir Thomas' father 
 and mother were childless, and it is said that, one 
 day when they were walking together, they saw a 
 little baby boy in an eagle's nest. They adopted 
 this boy, who became the Sir Thomas Latham just 
 mentioned. His only child, Isabel, was married to 
 Sir John Stanley, who took as a crest the picture
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 53 
 
 of an eagle with a child in its nest, which you have, 
 perhaps, seen on Manx coins. 
 
 Sir John Stanley II, Sir John Stanley's son, who 
 bore the same name, took a great interest in our 
 island. He saw at once that he would never be its 
 real ruler till he had curbed the power of the barons.* 
 To this end he forbade them to give shelter sanc- 
 tuary as it was called to such of his tenants as had 
 committed crimes and had fled to them for protec- 
 tion from justice, and he caused a law to be passed 
 that, if any of them did so, they should lose their 
 property ; and, at the same time, he summoned them 
 to do fealty to him at Tynwald. Some of them 
 obeyed the summons, but others did not, and were 
 punished by being deprived of their lands. 
 
 There were at this time two revolts against his 
 governors ; these he put down, but, lest the same 
 danger should arise again, he increased the authority 
 of the governor by ordering that any offence against 
 him should be punished in just the same way as if it 
 were against the king. It was in his time, too, that 
 trial by jury was substituted for trial by battle 
 that is to say, instead of people settling their dis- 
 putes by fighting each other, their neighbours were 
 called in to decide between them peaceably. This 
 great reform was passed at " A Court of all the 
 Commons of Man," held at the old Tynwald Hill, 
 at Baldwin, in Braddan. Another reform was carried 
 out by his order that the laws, which had hitherto 
 depended on the memory of the deemsters, should be 
 written down. 
 
 Sir John Stanley was a wise, though despotic, 
 
 ruler, and he conferred many benefits on the island. 
 
 But few of the Stanleys who succeeded him, 
 
 up to the time of the Great Stanley, ever came 
 
 * See p. 32.
 
 54 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 here, and if they did so, it was only for a very 
 brief time. 
 
 Thomas Stanley, first Earl of Derby. His grandson 
 was the well-known Thomas, Lord Stanley, who, 
 after the battle of Bosworth Field, which ended the 
 "Wars of the Roses," placed the crown of the dead 
 Richard III. on the head of Henry Tudor, and pro- 
 claimed him king as Henry VII. Stanley was then 
 made Earl of Derby by the grateful king, who was 
 his stepson. Thomas' grandson, also called Thomas, 
 the second Earl of Derby, gave up the title of " King 
 of Man," and took that of " Lord of Man," because 
 he thought the title of a " great lord " was more 
 honourable than that of a " petty king." 
 
 Position of the Manx People. Let us now see 
 what these great lords got from the island which 
 belonged to them. Its people were their tenants 
 and paid them rents, mostly in kind, i.e., in corn, 
 sheep, oxen, turf and labour. These tenants had to 
 labour on certain fixed days in repairing the lord's 
 forts and houses, and they had to supply the 
 soldiers in the garrisons with corn, and turf for 
 burning. They also paid small taxes for the liberty 
 of fishing for herrings, for importing and exporting 
 goods, also for grinding corn at the lord's mills. Of 
 all these taxes the only one which was complained 
 of was the last. Not only were the tenants com- 
 pelled to go to the mills to have their corn ground, 
 but if the mills got out of repair, they were bound 
 to help in making them good again without getting 
 any pay. This they thought very unfair, and to 
 avoid going to them they made hand-mills, or 
 "querns," which were seized and destroyed by the 
 lord's order whenever they could be found. 
 
 The Militia. Besides paying taxes, the tenants 
 between twenty and sixty years of age had to serve
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 55 
 
 as soldiers. Every parish and town had its company 
 of foot-militia, who were obliged to see that watch 
 was kept on the hills, both by day and by night, for 
 any enemy that might approach the island. 
 
 Each militiaman had to provide himself with a 
 bow and arrows, a sword and a buckler, and he was 
 called out once a month to be drilled. There were 
 also a few horse-militia in each parish. Neither the 
 foot nor the horse-militia were paid. There were, 
 however, some paid soldiers usually about a hun- 
 dred who were employed as policemen and as 
 garrisons of the various forts, the most important of 
 which were the castles of Peel and Rushen. 
 
 CHIEF REIGNS. 
 
 John 7. (Knight), 1405 1414 ; John II. (Knight), 1414 1432 ; 
 Thomas I. (Baron), 1432 1460 ; Thomas II. (ist Earl), 1460 
 1504 ; Thomas ///.(and Earl), 1504 1521 ; Edward (3rd Earl), 
 15211572; Henry (4th Earl), 15721595; Ferdinando (5th 
 Earl), 1593 1594 ; William L (6th Earl), 1610 1627. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 Militia. A body of soldiers for home service.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 Part 2. The Reformation. 
 
 The Reformation. Manx history is almost silent 
 about the great religious movement which is called the 
 Reformation. The monks of Rushen and of the 
 other religious houses were indeed turned out of 
 their monasteries in 1540, their possessions given to 
 others, and the authority of the Pope set aside ; but 
 it is probable that the old form of religion lasted for 
 some time longer, and that any changes in it were 
 made very gradually. One happy result of so slow 
 and gradual a change was that in Man there were 
 none of those terrible persecutions which disgraced 
 the reigns of several English sovereigns. 
 
 Laws of the Reformed Church. These laws were 
 not written till the end of the i6th century. Some 
 of the punishments inflicted by them are very curious. 
 For instance, those who said unkind things about 
 their neighbours had to wear a bridle, and to stand 
 while wearing it at the market cross* of the nearest 
 town for several hours on the market day. After the 
 culprit had been exposed to public view for some time, 
 the bridle was taken off, and he had to say three 
 limes, "Tongue, thou hast lied." 
 
 Another punishment was inflicted by means of 
 the stocks, a wooden machine in which the arms 
 and legs were fastened. Unfortunate people who 
 
 * There was formerly a stone cross in the market-place of 
 each of the four towns.
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 57 
 
 were suspected of being sorcerers or witches 
 were also severely punished under these laws. 
 But if tradition is to be believed, their fate had 
 been much worse in the days of the unreformed 
 Church. It is said that they were either burned 
 alive, or rolled down from the top of the mountain 
 called Slieau Whallian > near S. John's, in barrels 
 having spikes inside them, or thrown into the 
 Curragh Glass, " Green Bog," a pool near Greeba 
 Mountain. There is, however, no trace of any such 
 punishments in our records, where the penalties 
 usually mentioned are penance and imprisonment. 
 Penance was performed by standing clad in a white 
 sheet, either at the cross on a market day, or in the 
 churchyard during service time. Imprisonment was 
 then a more dreadful punishment than it is now, 
 because the prisoners were confined in a damp, dark, 
 underground vault in Peel Castle, instead of in dry 
 and airy rooms, as at the present day. The worst 
 sins were punished by excommunication, that is, by 
 being deprived of all the privileges of Church mem- 
 bership. An excommunicated person could not even 
 be buried in a churchyard. These laws were put in 
 force by courts presided over by the bishop, the arch- 
 deacon and the vicars-general, and fell into disuse 
 only about a hundred years ago. Such a system was 
 suited to rude and primitive times, but when people 
 became more civilized and independent, they would 
 not submit to it, and so it gradually disappeared. 
 
 Puritanical Ideas. About the time that these laws 
 were written down the Manx people seem to have 
 begun to pick up ideas similar to those of the Puritans 
 in England, and, a little later, we find them declaring 
 that they would have no bishop and pay no tithes to 
 the clergy. For a time, indeed, there was no bishop. 
 Till 1651, this was because Earl James did not
 
 58 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 appoint one, and, afterwards, because Man was 
 under the rule of the puritan Lord Fairfax, who did 
 not approve of bishops. In other matters, however, 
 excepting that the Prayer-book was not allowed to 
 be used, the Church was but little interfered with. 
 
 DATE. 
 Vacancy in bishopric, 1644 1660 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Tithe. A tenth part j the tenth part of the yearly produce 
 paid to the clergy.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 Part 3. The Government.* 
 
 The Governor and the Officers. During the whole 
 of the time that the Stanleys ruled in Man their 
 government was practically a despotism. They 
 delegated most of their power to a governor, and to 
 help him in the executive part of the government, 
 which was then much the most important, they 
 appointed certain officers. The chief of these was 
 the comptroller, who had the control of the revenue. 
 The clerk-of-the-rolls made entries of accounts and 
 wrote down the laws, decisions of the judges, &c., 
 in the rolls or records. The receiver received the 
 revenue and paid salaries, and the water-bailiff 
 collected the customs' duties. There was also an 
 attorney -general who advised the governor in legal 
 matters and looked after the lord's interests generally. 
 It will be seen from the names of most of these 
 officers " Household officers " as they were called 
 that their most important duties were in con- 
 nexion with the lord's revenue. The Isle of Man 
 was in fact the lord's farm or estate, and the governor 
 and the officers were his bailiffs, who had to manage 
 it for him to the best pc s Me advantage. 
 
 The Law Courts. They had also to preserve order 
 and administer the law. For these purposes they, 
 
 * In reading this Part reference should be made to the 
 Introduction.
 
 60 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 or some of them, were constituted a court, called 
 the " Staff of Government " ; and to carry out their 
 orders, they had a captain in each town, a coroner, 
 with his deputy the lockman, in each sheading, and 
 a moar in each parish, who collected the lord's rents 
 But as they were usually Englishmen and therefore 
 ignorant of the Manx laws, they often called in the 
 deemsters, who were then elected by the people, and 
 were Manxmen, to help them. When they had to 
 try criminals, they summoned not only the deemsters 
 but the bishop, with his vicars-general, and twenty- 
 four representatives of the people, who were known 
 by the name of The Keys, together with a jury.* 
 For a long time this was the only court, except 
 those of the deemsters, who dealt with less impor- 
 tant matters, but when the population increased and 
 there was more work to do, the different law courts 
 we have at the present day gradually came into 
 existence. 
 
 The Legislature. Now let us see what the legisla- 
 tive government of the island under the Stanleys 
 was like. 
 
 The body which made new laws was usually 
 composed of exactly the same members as the court 
 just mentioned (without the jury), but when it 
 sat as a legislative body it was called the Tynwald 
 Court. 
 
 You have seen that, during the time of Norse rule, 
 no important decision was come to, or law passed, 
 without, not only the consent of the selected wise 
 men, but that of the whole free people. It is evident 
 that this right had fallen into disuse during the 
 troublous epoch between 1266 and 1405, since the 
 
 * The court thus formed, which was the chief criminal court 
 of the island, was afterwards called " The Court of General 
 Gaol Delivery."
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 61 
 
 deemsters told Sir John Stanley II. that The Keys, as 
 the wise men had come to be called probably from 
 their office of unlocking or explaining the law 
 could not exist without the lord's consent, and that 
 they could only be called together when he wanted 
 their opinion on a point of law. But nevertheless, 
 the right of the people to have a share in making 
 the laws was not entirely done away with. They 
 were certainly consulted in the second Sir John 
 Stanley's days, when a " Court of all the Commons 
 of Man " passed a law establishing trial by jury,* 
 and when they chose six men out of every sheading 
 to represent their views. For 150 years after this 
 no more new laws were passed, but then a new law 
 had to be considered, and the Keys therefore pro- 
 tested that it was necessary that for this purpose 
 they should be elected by the people and not chosen 
 by the lord. This protest, however, had no effect, 
 since we find that even when a new law had to be 
 made, the Keys were almost always chosen by the 
 governor. Moreover, most of the few new laws 
 took the form of orders given by the lord. The 
 Keys, however, generally made good their claim to 
 have their share in law-making, though they did not 
 gain much by it, because the governors were wont 
 to turn out such of them as would not do what they 
 were told. During the reign of Lord Fairfax, the 
 curious plan of the Keys selecting their own members 
 was adopted. When there was a vacancy they 
 selected two names, and one of these was chosen 
 by the governor. In this way the ancient right of 
 popular election disappeared till it was restored 
 
 m l866 ' DATES. 
 
 Trial by jury established, 1429 ; Keys began to elect their 
 own. members, 1659. 
 
 * See p. 53.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 Part 4. Our Forefathers between 1405 and 1660. 
 
 Their Dwellings and Way of Living. Our know- 
 ledge of the life of our forefathers is exceedingly 
 scanty until we come to the fifteenth century ; 
 but during that century there were written some 
 descriptions, which are still preserved, of the dwel- 
 lings and way of living of the people. The houses 
 of the poorest people were very wretched, being 
 mere hovels with walls made of stones and clay, 
 and with roofs thatched with heather or broom. 
 They usually contained one room only, and in this 
 lived pigs and poultry as well as human beings. Tl ey 
 had no chimney, and the smoke, which came from a 
 fire made of peat, found its way out by the door or by 
 a hole in the roof. The homes of the farmers and the 
 townspeople were rather better, containing, as a 
 rule, two floors, the upper of which was reached by 
 a ladder placed outside the house. The food of all but 
 the richest people consisted of fish, oatmeal porridge 
 and oat-cake, and their drink of water and butter- 
 milk, with, perhaps, some beer on market days. 
 Wages were at first very low, but their food was 
 much cheaper than it is now. The labourers were 
 very strictly treated. If their masters struck them, 
 they had to submit ; if they wandered about with- 
 out working, they were punished, and they might be 
 taken to serve the lord and the chief officers for 
 even a lower wage than the ordinary one. Neither
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 63 
 
 they, nor in fact any one else, could leave the island 
 without a licence from the lord. On the other hand, 
 their masters were compelled by law to pay them 
 their wages and to give them food of good quality. 
 Their porridge, for instance, had to be so thick that 
 the pot-stick would stand upright in the centre of 
 the pot, just before dishing the porridge ; and the 
 cakes given to them were required to be one-third 
 of an inch thick. Moreover, no Manxman could be 
 arrested without a warrant, except for a very 
 serious crime. But hired labourers were com- 
 paratively few in number, because most of the 
 farms were so small that their tenants were able 
 to cultivate them without seeking outside help. 
 
 Their Farming. They grew wheat, rye, barley, 
 oats, hemp and flax, but there were no turnips or 
 potatoes, and probably less than half the land was 
 cultivated. After the harvest was over, all the 
 fences were thrown down so that cattle might 
 graze everywhere. These cattle, which were very 
 small and poor, were kept in the fields all the year 
 round, and the sheep were mainly of the sort called 
 loghtyn, with brown wool. 
 
 Their Fishing. Harvesting was mainly done by 
 women, since, about the middle of July, the greater 
 number of the men went off to the herring fishery, 
 which seems then to have been considered of more 
 importance than farming. They were not allowed 
 to fish in the daytime or between Saturday morning 
 and Sunday night, and before they set forth to the 
 fishing they attended a service held on the quay, at 
 which the Vicar of the parish prayed with them for 
 the success of their labours. 
 
 Their Trade. There was but little trade at this 
 time, and it was hedged about with what would 
 appear to us to be very curious regulations. For
 
 64 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 instance, if a stranger came to the island with 
 goods to dispose of, he was not allowed to sell 
 them till "four discreet men of the country," 
 appointed by the governor, had arranged the prices 
 at which he was to sell. The chief exports were 
 cattle, sheep, corn, hides, wool, flax, hemp, leather, 
 honey and wax ; with herrings, cod and ling, both fresh 
 and salted. Except the salt fish, these commodities 
 were mainly sent to England, Scotland and Ireland, 
 while the salt fish went to France, Spain, and 
 Portugal. From the last three countries, wine and 
 salt were received in return, and, from the first three, 
 timber, coal, iron, brass, nails, pitch, tar, soap, 
 starch, and resin, and a small quantity of manu- 
 factured goods. 
 
 Their Manufactures. The people produced all their 
 food, and possibly nearly all their clothing ; their 
 cattle and sheep provided them with meat, milk, and 
 wool, while from their corn and flax they obtained 
 bread, beer, and linen. Beer was usually brewed at 
 home. The women spun both wool and flax, and 
 the yarn was sent to weavers, some of whom were 
 found in every parish. Their shoes, or carranes, 
 were made of cow-hide, salted and dried, and laced 
 with thongs of the same material at the top of the 
 foot. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Warrant, A written order giving power to arrest or execute 
 an offender.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 
 Part 5. The Great Stanley (1627 1651). 
 
 " Oh ! I love well the Stanlagh name, 
 Though Roundies may abhor him, 
 Through the island, or over the sea, 
 Or across the Channel with Stanley ; 
 Come weal, come woe, we'll gather and go, 
 And live and die with Stanley." 
 
 His Services to the King. These lines, taken down 
 from the lips of an old Manx woman fifty years ago, 
 show how long the memory of James, the seventh 
 Earl of Derby (Yn Stanlagli Mooar, " The Great 
 Stanley," as he is called in Manx), has been preserved 
 among the people. He, indeed, and his brave wife, 
 the famous Charlotte de la Tremoille, a French- 
 woman, are probably the most striking figures in our 
 history. They lived in the island during the time of 
 the Civil War in England. He was a devoted 
 adherent of King Charles I., for whom he did many 
 important services, not only by raising men to fight 
 for him, but by providing him with arms and ammu- 
 nition, and giving him large sums of money. The 
 story of his wife's gallant defence of Latham House 
 is probably familiar to you, and, as you will see, the 
 earl himself was 'fated to lay down his life for the 
 royal cause. 
 
 Nature of his Rule in Man. In 1643 the king 
 ordered him to go to Man, where the people, who 
 were no doubt influenced by what was taking place 
 
 I.M. F
 
 66 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 in England, threatened to revolt. But his arrival, 
 with English soldiers, soon put a stop to any trouble 
 of this kind. He at once set about making himself 
 popular, and he succeeded. In his own words : 
 " When first I came among the people, I seemed 
 affable and kind to all, so I offended none. For 
 taking off your hat, a good word, a smile or the like, 
 will cost you nothing, but may gain you much." 
 Truly, these were wise words. He well knew, how- 
 ever, how to hide the iron hand in the velvet glove. 
 Never had the Manx people less liberty than under 
 his rule. They enjoyed, indeed, the blessing of 
 peace, but they were heavily taxed and sorely 
 oppressed by the burden of supporting the troops 
 which were quartered upon them, and they had also 
 the more permanent grievance of being deprived of 
 their ancient tenure, or holding, of the land. For 
 all these things, the earl cleverly contrived that 
 they should think his officers to blame, and not 
 himself. But for the benefits that he conferred upon 
 the people, he took care to receive full credit. 
 What, then, were these benefits ? Not only did the 
 earl's residence with his family, and his numerous 
 retinue of cavaliers, who had fled to him for refuge, 
 bring about a much larger circulation of money than 
 usual, but he actively bestirred himself to help 
 the people. 
 
 He encourages Trade. Thus, perceiving that the 
 island would never nourish till it had more trade 
 with other countries, he tried to improve its manu- 
 factures by bringing in Englishmen to teach various 
 handicrafts, and to help its farmers by improving the 
 breed of Manx horses. He wore a suit made of 
 native wool, with the object, no doubt, of inducing 
 others to wear clothes of the same material, and he 
 had an idea, although he did not live to carry it out,
 
 JAMES, 7TH EARL OF DERBY. 
 B. 1607; D. 1651.
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 69 
 
 of encouraging education by establishing a college. 
 But, after all, the welfare of the Manx people was 
 of small importance to him as compared with the 
 success of the royal cause. To this end he not only 
 kept the Manx foot-militia constantly under arms, 
 at great cost both to the country and himself, but 
 he largely increased the horse-militia ; and he estab- 
 lished a small navy, which had some successful fights 
 against the Parliament's vessels. 
 
 Defies the Parliament. Six months after the 
 death of King Charles I., and three years after 
 almost the whole of England had submitted to the 
 Parliament, Earl James received a summons from 
 General Ireton to surrender the island. To this 
 request he returned the following reply : " I 
 received your letter with indignation, and with 
 scorn I return you this answer, that I cannot but 
 wonder whence you should gather any hopes from 
 me that I should, like you, prove treacherous to my 
 sovereign ; since you cannot be insensible of my 
 former actings in his late Majesty's service, from 
 which principles of loyalty I am in no whit departed. 
 I scorn your proffers. I disdain your favor. I abhor 
 your treason ; and am so far from delivering up this 
 island to your advantage, that I will keep it, to the 
 utmost of my power, to your destruction. Take 
 this for your final answer ; and forbear any further 
 solicitations. For, if you trouble me with any more 
 messages on this occasion, I will burn the paper and 
 hang the bearer. This is the immutable resolution, 
 and shall be the undoubted practice of him who 
 accounts it his chiefest glory to be 
 
 " His Majesty's most loyal and obedient servant, 
 
 "DERBY." 
 
 Parliament, which had more important matters to
 
 70 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 attend to, made no serious effort to take Man for 
 more than two years later. 
 
 His Death. In August, 1651, the earl left the 
 island with some of his troops, among whom were 
 300 Manxmen, to join King Charles II., who was 
 marching from Scotland into England. They were 
 defeated in a fight at Wigan, but the earl went on 
 with the remnant of his troops to Worcester, where 
 he met the king and shared in the decisive defeat of 
 the Royalists. He was captured, and confined in 
 Chester Castle, and, after being tried by court-martial, 
 was executed at Bolton. 
 
 DATE, 
 Civil War in England began^ 1642, 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 To quarter Troops. To have them supplied with lodgings 
 and food without paying. 
 
 Court-martial. A court consisting of military or naval officers 
 for the trial of military or naval offences. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Sir Walter Scott's novel, " Peveril of the Peak," the scene of 
 which is partly laid in the Isle of Man during this period, should 
 be read.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 
 Part 6. Edward and William Christian. 
 
 In the days of the seventh earl we find, for the 
 first time since Bishop Donkan, two Manxmen who 
 took a leading part in the government of the island. 
 These were Edward and William Christian. 
 
 Edward Christian was the second son of John 
 Christian, Vicar of Maughold. When quite young 
 he went to sea, and, having become the owner as 
 well as captain of a vessel, made a fortune in the 
 East Indian trade. We then find him at the English 
 Court in attendance upon the Duke of Buckingham, 
 through whose influence he obtained the command 
 of a frigate in the Royal Navy. After nine years of 
 this service he returned to Man, where he met Lord 
 Strange (afterwards the seventh Earl of Derby), who 
 was so favourably impressed by him, that he made 
 him governor. He performed his duties faithfully 
 for a time, till he got into trouble for some dealings 
 with pirates and smugglers, and was deprived of his 
 governorship. But he regained his lord's confidence 
 some years later, and was placed in command of the 
 militia. Unhappily, he abused the trust placed in 
 him by encouraging the militia to revolt ; however, 
 before their plans were ripe, the earl arrived in the 
 island, and Christian was thrown into prison. At 
 his trial he was charged with having asserted that 
 the House of Keys should be elected by the people, 
 and that the deemsters should be chosen in like
 
 72 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 manner. As a matter of fact, both these were old 
 practices which had been abolished by the Stanleys, 
 so that Christian had merely been acting as a patriot 
 in urging their adoption. He was condemned, on 
 these and other charges of treason, to perpetual 
 imprisonment in Peel Castle. Released when the 
 Parliament took the island, he was again imprisoned 
 in Peel Castle for plotting against Chaloner, a 
 governor of the island under Lord Fairfax, and he 
 died there. 
 
 William Christian, famous in Manx song under the 
 name of Illiani Dhone, "Brown William," was the 
 third son of Ewan Christian of Milntown, one of 
 the deemsters. He held the office of receiver, and 
 the earl had such a high opinion of his trustworthi- 
 ness, that he left him. in command of the militia 
 when he went to England. Soon after this a rumour 
 reached the island that theParliamenthad sent a force 
 to capture it, and that the Countess of Derby, who was 
 then ruling in the name of her husband, had arranged 
 terms with the leader of this force. Christian conse- 
 quently called a meeting of the people at his house 
 of Ronaldsway, where eight hundred of them took 
 an oath to oppose the countess till she had redressed 
 their grievances, and it is probable that, at the same 
 time, their leaders came to an agreement to antici- 
 pate the countess by themselves surrendering the 
 island. The militia then proceeded to capture all 
 the forts (except Rushen and Peel, which they failed 
 to take), so that their leaders were able, on the 
 arrival of the Parliamentary troops under Colonel 
 Duckenfield, to surrender the island to him ; and they 
 did so, on condition that the Manx should enjoy 
 their laws and liberties as formerly. A few days 
 later the countess gave up Castle Rushen. 
 
 The island was then, for a brief period, under
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 73 
 
 the rule of the Parliament, which sent for William 
 Christian and his brother, Deemster John Christian, 
 described as " two of the ablest and honestest gentle- 
 men in the island," to give the Council of State an 
 account of the Manx laws. 
 
 Thomas, Lord Fairfax, to whom the island 
 had been presented by the Parliament, then took 
 possession of it as its lord. Christian acted as 
 governor under him for a year or two, and he 
 continued to be receiver till Chaloner, who suc- 
 ceeded him as governor, deprived him of that 
 office for reasons which have never been satis- 
 factorily explained ; he then left the island. When 
 he returned to it, after the Restoration, he was 
 brought to trial for his rebellion against the countess 
 ten years before. Care had been taken to turn all 
 Christian's friends out of the court which tried him, 
 so that it need not surprise us that he was declared 
 to be guilty. He was sentenced to be shot, and this 
 sentence was carried out at Hango Hill, near Castle- 
 town. Christian had been, no doubt, guilty of 
 treason against his lord ; nevertheless, there is much 
 to be said in his favour. It is true that he had 
 sworn allegiance to the countess ; but he recognized 
 the folly of resistance ; further, he probably had 
 good reason to believe that her surrender to the 
 Parliament would carry with it no sort of security 
 for the rights and liberties of her subjects, which he, 
 by seizing the power at a critical moment, succeeded 
 in obtaining. Manxmen, indeed, have always con- 
 doned his faults in consideration of his services. 
 They believe him to have been a true patriot, and 
 they consider the sentence against him a crime, as 
 expressed in the words of the ballad : 
 
 " Thy murder, Brown William, fills Mona with woe ! "
 
 74 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 His dying speech has been paraphrased in the 
 following lines : 
 
 " Mourn not for me, my people, that I die, 
 For I stand innocent of any crime 
 Against the Countess and my loyalty. 
 Unjustly tried, I meet my death to-day 
 In patience ; freely offering myself 
 In sacrifice for those I love so well. 
 So be ye patient, too, but hold my name, 
 When I am gone, in kindly memory ; 
 And think of me as one that did not fear 
 To give his life to gain your liberty. 
 Mourn not for me, for I shall be at rest : 
 Of late my days have passed in misery, 
 Knowing no place where I might lay my head ; 
 But now secure in God's forgiving grace, 
 All persecution will be passed away. 
 So I at last may find the peace I crave, 
 For though He kill me yet I trust in Him. 
 Let there be no more risings in the Isle ; 
 But act as loyal lieges, and obey 
 Your rulers in all just commands, and be 
 Loyal to one another in your homes. 
 What I have said and proved in my defence 
 To show my guiltlessness, they may suppress ; 
 But ye who know me know I do not lie, 
 And I assert that I am innocent. 
 Farewell, my people ! May God's blessing light 
 Upon you and your homes ! May He forgive 
 Those who have injured me and wrought my doom, 
 As I forgive them ! " 
 
 W. E. WiNDUS. 
 
 REIGN. 
 Thomas, Lord Fairfax, 1652 1660. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Edward Christian, made governor, 1628 ; in command of the 
 militia, 1643 ; died, 1661.
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 75 
 
 William Christian, born, 1608 ; died, 1663 ; receiver, 1648 
 1659. 
 Parliament took possession of the island, November, 1651. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Council oj State. Forty-one members selected from the 
 House of Commons who had full executive power.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued), 
 Part 7. The Last Stanleys (1660 1736). 
 
 " Oft at the Ross with Yawkins and with Dowell, 
 And Manxmen gabbling from the Manor hole, 
 What noggins have I drunk of smuggled rum, 
 Just from the little Isle of ' Three Legs ' come." 
 
 See " Guy Mannering," SIR W. SCOTT. 
 
 Manx and English Restoration compared. Like the 
 English Charles II., the Lord of Man, Charles, the 
 eighth Earl of Derby, was restored to his kingdom 
 in 1660. But the state of affairs Earl Charles had 
 to deal with was very different from that which 
 confronted King Charles. In England, the whole 
 system of government had been altered by the Com- 
 monwealth ; in Man, under the rule of Lord Fairfax, 
 everything had gone on almost exactly as before. 
 Thus it is not surprising to find that the Restoration 
 in Man was marked by few changes, and that there 
 was no outburst of disorder and irreligion as in 
 England. Indeed the Church drew the bonds of its 
 discipline tighter than ever, and increased its power 
 over the people. 
 
 Isaac Barrow. The chief mover in this, as in 
 other matters relating to the island, was Isaac 
 Barrow, who held the offices of both bishop and 
 governor, and thus united practically all authority 
 m his own person. Fortunately he was a good as 
 well as an able man, and he used his authority for 
 the benefit of the island. His first care was to
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 77 
 
 increase the incomes of the clergy, which were 
 wretchedly small. For this purpose, he raised a 
 sum of money in England, with which he bought 
 back from the lord the share of the tithes of which 
 the Manx monasteries had been deprived at the 
 Reformation,* and he also, by his influence with 
 King Charles II., obtained a grant of 100 a year 
 towards the maintenance of the clergy, which was 
 called the " Royal Bounty." His next care was for 
 education. He established a school in every parish, 
 and gave two farms near Castletown, the rents of 
 which were to be applied to the support of a 
 school, called the Academic School, which many 
 
 iars afterwards became King William's College. 
 he only blot upon his career was his persecution 
 of a few poor Quakers. 
 
 Earl Charles was succeeded by his son, Earl 
 William, who was then a boy. When he grew up, 
 he began to take an interest in the island, especially 
 in its manufactures and trade. 
 
 Smtiggling. Trade certainly did increase in his 
 time, but chiefly in the dishonest form of smuggling, 
 which was carried on in the following manner. 
 Large quantities of foreign goods were shipped to 
 Manx ports, and the Manx duties, which were very 
 small, were paid on them. 
 
 They were then secretly conveyed to Great 
 Britain, and landed there without paying duty. In 
 this way very large profits were made. Such a 
 state of affairs led Parliament, after the Union with 
 Scotland, to consider whether it would not be better 
 to make the Manx duties as high as the British. 
 Alarmed by this, the Keys sent some of their number 
 to London to lay their views before the House 
 of Commons, and they promised that, if Great 
 
 * This share was rather more than one-fourth of the whole.
 
 78 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Britain would import certain Manx products duty 
 free, they would undertake that all persons shipping 
 foreign goods from the Isle of Man to Great Britain 
 and Ireland should pay the duties on them. An Act 
 of Tynwald was passed to confirm this arrangement; 
 but since Parliament did not perform its part of the 
 bargain, the Act was repealed, and smuggling went 
 on as before. In consequence of the serious loss 
 which this unlawful trade caused to the English 
 revenue, an Imperial Act was passed in 1720 to 
 enable the English Government to purchase the Isle 
 of Man; it was not, however, put in force till 1765. 
 
 Even after the English Government had gained 
 control over the island, the Manx smugglers proved 
 so skilful and cunning that their trade, though less 
 extensive than formerly, still continued to be a 
 profitable one, and, indeed, did not finally cease till 
 well on into the nineteenth century. 
 
 Earl William was succeeded by his brother, James, 
 the tenth earl, the last lord of the House of Stanley 
 who ruled over Man. I will tell you about his 
 connexion with the Manx Magna Carta, with 
 the House of Keys, and with Bishop Wilson, in the 
 next two Parts. 
 
 REIGNS. 
 
 Charles (8th Earl), 16601672 j William II. (gth Earl), 
 1672 1702 ; James II. (loth Earl), 17021736. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Isaac Barrow, governor and bishop, 1664 1671. 
 
 Union of England and Scotland, \ 707. 
 
 Act of Tynwald (Customs Acf) passed, 1711 ; repealed, 1714. 
 
 King William 's College founded, 1833.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 Part 8. The Manx Magna Carta and Bill of Rights. 
 
 " For Freedom's battle once begun, 
 Though baffled oft is ever won." 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 The whole of the land in Man belonged to the 
 Stanleys. A small part of it was granted by them to 
 the barons,* on condition of their doing fealty ; and 
 all the rest of it was occupied by tenants who paid 
 rent. 
 
 The Position of the Tenants. The tenants could 
 only keep their farms for one year without making a 
 fresh agreement ; but if they paid their rents, they 
 were not likely to be turned out, especially as the 
 lord had often a difficulty in getting as many tenants 
 as he wanted. They therefore gradually came 
 to think that their farms were their own, and a 
 practice sprang up of selling them to others with- 
 out the lord's leave. On such occasions the seller 
 of the land handed over a piece of straw to the 
 buyer, in the presence of a judge, and of a jury, 
 called the setting, or letting, quest. The judge then 
 entered in a book a record of the fact that the straw 
 had been handed over. The buyer held his land by 
 the possession of the straw, and this tenure was 
 called "the tenure of the straw." When the seventh 
 Earl of Derby came to the island, he tried to put an 
 
 * See p. 32.
 
 8o THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 end to this tenure ; he told the tenants that under it 
 they might be put out of their farms at any time, 
 but that if they took leases, they were sure of keeping 
 them during their lives and that of their children. 
 Nevertheless, most of the people still clung to their 
 old tenure. Finding, then, that he could not persuade 
 them in this way, he bribed some of his officers and 
 of the chief among the people to take leases, in the 
 hope that the other tenants would follow the example 
 of their leaders. This scheme had some effect, 
 but still was not completely successful. After the 
 Restoration, the eighth earl, who was constantly 
 quarrelling with the "Keys" about this and other 
 matters, told them plainly that he claimed the right 
 to deprive any one of his land, when his lease came 
 to an end. This threat, combined with the attrac- 
 tions of fishing, and of smuggling, which began about 
 that time, and the fact that farming was then very 
 unprofitable, induced many of the tenants to leave 
 their farms. This was a serious matter for the lord 
 because he got much less rent. William, the ninth 
 earl, tried to come to terms with the tenants but did 
 not succeed, and nothing was done till 1704, when a 
 bargain, which was made between James, the tenth 
 earl, and Bishop Wilson, with three members of the 
 Keys Ewan Christian of Milntown, Ewan Christian 
 of Lewaigue, and John Stevenson of Balladoole 
 was agreed to by the Tynwald Court. 
 
 The Act of Settlement. The Act which was passed 
 to confirm this agreement is called the " Act of 
 Settlement." It secured the tenants in possession of 
 their farms for ever, on condition of the payment of 
 a small yearly rent which is still known as " lord's 
 rent " ; this rent was then fixed at an amount which 
 might never be altered, while a small additional 
 charge was to be made whenever a farm was
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 81 
 
 either sold or descended to children. So secure 
 is their holding that the tenants are now called 
 land-owners. 
 
 From the great importance of this Act to the 
 Manx people it has been called their Magna Carta. 
 As time went on, and the value of their farms 
 increased, the rent payable to the lord became so 
 small in proportion as to be almost nominal. 
 
 The new land-owners were thus enabled, in their 
 turn, to let their farms to tenants. 
 
 The Commons. Another land trouble, which arose 
 a little later, was about the commons, or mountain 
 lands. These lands, though belonging to the lord, 
 had been used by the people for grazing, cutting 
 turf, and other purposes. During the eighteenth cen- 
 tury, however, the lords gradually began to sell 
 portions of the commons which, when fences were 
 made round them, were called " intacks, " or 
 " intakes," as the word means. The question was 
 finally settled by the equal division of the commons 
 between the Crown and the land-owners ; and the 
 rent from the land-owners' part is devoted to the 
 payment of their lord's rent once every three years. 
 
 Political Position. But there were causes of com- 
 plaint other than those connected with the land. 
 After the passing of the Act of Settlement, though 
 the people ceased to be serfs, they continued to be 
 deprived of any share in the government. They 
 might be fined, punished, and imprisoned, without 
 being tried by jury, and their money might be ex- 
 torted from them by the governor and officers. The 
 self-election of the Keys had been put an end to at 
 the Restoration, after which they were chosen by 
 the governor, and were turned out by him, if they 
 did not do as he ordered them. The Keys com- 
 plained, again and again, about this and other 
 
 I.M. G
 
 82 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 matters, but though Lord Derby made many promises, 
 he did nothing. An appeal to the English Crown 
 produced no effect, and it was not till after the 
 accession of the first of the Atholl rulers that their 
 grievances and those of the people were considered. 
 Bill of Rights. It was then that the Acts were 
 passed which have been called the Manx Bill of 
 Rights, after the great English Bill of that name 
 passed in the reign of William and Mary. By these 
 Acts the right of the Keys to share in fixing the 
 customs duties was confirmed. No criminal could 
 be punished without the verdict of a jury, and the 
 more severe of the spiritual laws were done away 
 with. In a word, despotic government was replaced 
 by oligarchical government.* The Keys, who re- 
 sumed their mode of self-election, were never again 
 turned out by the governor, and they began to take 
 an important part in the government of the country. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Act of Settlement passed, 1704 ; Manx "Bill of Rights? 1736; 
 Commons Question settled, 1864. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 To do fealty. To take an oath to be faithful to a superior 
 lord of whom land is held. 
 
 Spiritual laws. Laws enforced by the Church. 
 
 * See INTRODUCTION,
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 Part 9. Bishop Wilson. 
 
 " To think on Bishop Wilson with veneration is 
 only to agree with the whole Christian world," says 
 Dr. Johnson. Nor is there any name so dear to 
 Manxmen as that of Thomas Wilson, because, 
 during the fifty-seven years he was bishop, his heart 
 and hand were set to do their utmost in everything 
 that related to the welfare of the island and its 
 people. 
 
 He came to the Isle of Man at a time when the 
 people were in great distress, owing to the troubles 
 about the land, and when their hitherto simple and 
 uneventful lives were beginning to be affected by 
 the exciting and demoralizing trade of smuggling. 
 They were, therefore, disposed to rebel against the 
 discipline of the Church ; and yet the bishop was 
 able, for nearly forty years, to prevent most of them 
 from rebelling. What a proof this affords of his 
 influence over them ! 
 
 His "Discipline." Good and kind as he was, he 
 never shrank from enforcing this discipline, even in 
 ways, such as are referred to in Part 2 of this 
 chapter, which appear to us, in these days, to be 
 cruel and unjust, if he thought that by so doing he 
 could turn people from their sins. 
 
 I have now to tell you how quarrels rose between 
 him and the governor, who, as well as his officers, 
 greatly disliked the discipline. 
 
 G 2
 
 8 4 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 The oath of office taken by our bishops contains 
 words which pledge them to maintain and defend 
 the ancient laws and customs of the isle, and so 
 Bishop Wilson, when he thought that the governor 
 and officers were doing anything contrary to these 
 laws and customs, did not hesitate to rebuke them. 
 They consequently not only opposed his administra- 
 tion of the discipline, but fined him for interfering 
 with them, and since he refused to pay the fine, they 
 imprisoned him in Castle Rushen. For more than 
 two months he was kept there, in a dark and damp 
 cell, till he was released by order of King George I., 
 and the sentence against him was reversed by the 
 Privy Council. 
 
 The governors continued to oppose his discipline 
 till the coming of James, Duke of Atholl, who took 
 the wiser course of inducing the Tynwald Court to 
 do away with the most severe of the Church's laws. 
 
 But Bishop Wilson benefited the Manx Church 
 in many ways which, unlike the discipline, were 
 generally acceptable. 
 
 He promotes Education. Foremost among them 
 was the promotion of education. Before his time 
 the clergy were, as a rule, the only schoolmasters, 
 and since they could spare but little time from 
 their other duties for teaching, the education of 
 the children suffered. The good bishop appointed 
 masters and mistresses, who had to give their whole 
 time to teaching ; he established grammar schools 
 in the towns ; and he also founded a library in every 
 parish. 
 
 Another way in which he did good was by pro- 
 viding religious books in the Manx language. You 
 know that, in those days, very few of the people 
 could speak or read anything but Manx, so that 
 English books were of no use to them.
 
 BISHOP THOMAS WILSON. B 1663; D. 1755.
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 87 
 
 He builds Churches. When he first came to the 
 island most of the Manx churches were in ruins, 
 but before his death he had rebuilt or restored 
 them ; we give a picture of one of the most 
 interesting of these churches. 
 
 Some of his other Good Deeds. This excellent man 
 did not confine his work to the Manx Church. You 
 have already seen how he thought himself bound 
 to work for the Manx State also. 
 
 A notable instance of this is the part he took in 
 obtaining the Act of Settlement, and, on many other 
 occasions, he helped the Keys in their struggles for 
 liberty. He also took a deep interest in the industries 
 of the people. Himself the son of a farmer, he had a 
 competent knowledge of farming, which was then in 
 a very backward state in the island. So well did he 
 manage his own estate at Bishop's Court that many 
 of the farmers came to take a pattern from it, more 
 especially when they found that, during the terrible 
 famine between 1739 and 1741, he was able to pro- 
 duce good crops, though theirs had failed. This 
 was a time of great suffering, which he did much 
 to diminish, either by giving corn to the poor for 
 nothing, or by selling it to them at half cost. 
 
 His interest in the fishing is shown by the 
 encouragement which he gave to the good old 
 custom of praying with the fishermen before they 
 set out to their work, and by his provision of a 
 special service for the use of the clergy at such 
 times. It is to him, too, that we owe the beautiful 
 petition in the Litany, " That it may please Thee to 
 restore and continue to us the blessings of the seas." 
 
 It is impossible in this brief account to mention 
 all that Bishop Wilson did for the Isle of Man, which 
 he would not leave, though he might have had a 
 much more important bishopric in England.
 
 88 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 His Charity. I must, however, say a word or 
 two about the greatest of all his virtues, that of 
 charity. He began by giving a tenth, then a fifth, 
 afterwards a third, and, finally, half of his income to 
 the poor. The following story, among others, is 
 told to show how kind-hearted he was : He had 
 ordered a cloak from his tailor, which he wished 
 made with only one button to fasten it. " But, my 
 lord," said the tailor, " what would become of the 
 poor button-makers and their families, if everyone 
 thought as you do why they would be starved 
 outright." "Do you say so, John," replied the 
 bishop ; " well, then, button it all over." 
 
 He died at Bishop's Court, and was buried in 
 Kirk Michael churchyard, where the following words 
 may be read on his tombstone : 
 
 " Sleeping in Jesus, here lieth the body of Thomas 
 Wilson, D.D., Lord Bishop of this Isle, who died 
 March 7th, 1755. Aged 93, and in the $8th year of 
 his consecration. 
 
 " This monument was erected by his son, Thomas 
 Wilson, D.D., a native of this parish, who, in obedi- 
 ence to the commands of his father, declines giving 
 him the character he so justly deserved. Let this 
 Island speak the rest ! " 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Thomas Wilson^ bishop, 1698 1755 ; imprisoned in Castle 
 ushen, 1722.
 
 CHAPTER VII. (continued). 
 Part 10. John Stevenson and William Walker. 
 
 John Stevenson. The name of John Stevenson, 
 Speaker of the House of Keys, should ever be 
 remembered by Manxmen with respect, because he 
 was the leader of the Keys in their patriotic struggle 
 against the despotism of the tenth Earl of Derby. 
 We have seen that he was one of those who made 
 the arrangement which resulted in the Act of Settle- 
 ment. But his next efforts for the good of the 
 people were not successful. In vain did he appeal 
 to Lord Derby against the arbitrary conduct of his 
 servants, the governor and officers, which I have 
 described in Part 8. Lord Derby's answer was 
 to have him tried as a criminal and imprisoned in 
 Castle Rushen ; and equally vain, as we have seen, 
 was the appeal to King George I., which was sug- 
 gested by him, to compel Lord Derby to redress the 
 grievances of the people and of the Keys. After 
 Lord Derby's death, however, the cause for which 
 Stevenson had been struggling triumphed, and we 
 find his name at the head of the Keys who signed 
 the Bill of Rights. 
 
 William Walker, Rector of Ballaugh and vicar- 
 general, rose from a humble position by his diligence 
 and good conduct. When twelve or thirteen years 
 of age, he was a servant in the household of the 
 John Stevenson I have just been telling you about. 
 One day, in harvest time, he was driving one of the
 
 9 2 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 sledges, or carts without wheels, then in use, and, 
 at the same time, reading a book. The horse, 
 taking advantage of this, slipped the halter off his 
 neck and ran away, passing before the windows of 
 the house. Mr. Stevenson, standing at one of the 
 windows, saw what had happened, and ran out to 
 stop the horse. When he got up to the cart, he 
 saw that the little reader still had his book in his 
 hand. This fact seemed to the master to mark the 
 character of the boy ; and therefore, instead of 
 scolding him for his neglect, he said to him : " Since 
 thou art so fond of reading, thou shalt have enough 
 of it." Accordingly, the next day, he sent him to 
 the Academic School at Castletown, where he made 
 such rapid progress that he passed all his exami- 
 nations and was ordained as a clergyman when only 
 twenty-one years old. He became Bishop Wilson's 
 most devoted friend, and entered warmly into all 
 his plans for the benefit of the Church. They were 
 imprisoned in Castle Rushen together for nine weeks, 
 during which time Walker and the other vicar- 
 general, Curghey, translated part of the New Testa- 
 ment into Manx. He afterwards went to London 
 in connexion with the lawsuit which arose out of 
 this imprisonment. When there he met the Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, who was so struck by his 
 goodness and ability that he conferred the degree of 
 LL.D. upon him. It is pleasant to learn that the 
 honours he received did not in any way spoil the 
 simplicity of his character. This was shown by the 
 fact that when he saw his mother in the crowd that 
 came to welcome him on Ramsey beach, on his 
 return from London, he at once fell upon his knees 
 to receive her blessing. 
 
 Bishop Wilson, who preached his funeral sermon, 
 spoke of him as a most faithful, tender pastor of the
 
 THE HOUSE OF STANLEY (14051736). 93 
 
 flock committed to his care, as a dutiful son, a just 
 magistrate, and unbounded in his charities and his 
 hospitality. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 fohn Stevenson, born, 1659 ; died, 1737. 
 William Walker, born, 1679; died, 1729. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 LL.D. means Doctor of Laws.
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 
 
 Part i. The Revestment. 
 
 "All the babes unborn will rue the day, 
 That the Isle of Man was sold away ; 
 For there's ne'er an old wife that loves a dram, 
 But what will lament for the Isle of Man." 
 
 The Sale of the Island. On the death of the tenth 
 Earl of Derby, the Sovereignty of Man passed to 
 James Murray, the second Duke of Atholl, who 
 was descended from the seventh Earl of Derby's third 
 daughter. 
 
 The brief rule of the Atholl family is connected 
 in the minds of Manx people with the sale of the 
 island, and the consequent suppression of smuggling, 
 which are referred to in the foregoing lines. But 
 the name of the first Atholl Lord of Man is also 
 connected with Acts of Tynwald, which did much 
 to secure the liberty and better government of the 
 Manx people. He was succeeded by his daughter, 
 Charlotte, and her husband, John, who became Duke 
 and Duchess of Atholl and Lord and Lady of Man. 
 
 For some time past, the Imperial Government had 
 been determined to put an end to the smuggling 
 because of the great harm it had done to English 
 trade. They had hitherto failed in their attempts 
 to do so, owing to their not having control over the 
 island. They therefore sought to obtain this control
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 95 
 
 by buying the sovereign rights of the duke and 
 duchess. The duke, however, was very unwilling 
 to part with them, and he did not yield till he had 
 received a hint that steps would be taken to compel 
 him. The arrangement which was come to between 
 the Government and the duke was confirmed by an 
 Act called the Revesting Act, which restored to the 
 King of England the sovereignty of Man, which had 
 been granted by King Henry IV. to Sir John Stanley, 
 360 years before. 
 
 Thus the Dukes of Atholl ceased to be the sovereign 
 rulers of the island, though they continued to be 
 its manorial lords, and they retained the right of 
 appointing the bishop and most of the clergy. 
 
 On the nth of July, 1765, the flag with the Manx 
 arms was hauled down from the flagstaff of Castle 
 Rushen, and the standard of Great Britain was 
 hoisted in its place ; while His Majesty King 
 George III. was proclaimed King of Man. 
 
 So ends the history of our island as a distinct, 
 though dependent, kingdom. 
 
 Results of this Sale. Unsatisfactory as the bargain 
 thus made was to the Atholl family, it was still more 
 unsatisfactory to the Manx people, who had been in 
 no way consulted about it. Let us see how this was. 
 To begin with, the Tynwald Court lost its share in 
 the control of the revenue ; and it was enacted 
 that, after paying the expenses of the government, 
 and setting aside a certain sum for the purpose of 
 encouraging, improving and regulating the trade, 
 manufactures and fisheries of the island, the whole 
 balance of the revenue should be at the disposal of 
 the Imperial Parliament. There was, however, a 
 provision that any money that was left, -when the 
 charges mentioned were paid, was to be placed 
 to a separate account, an arrangement which very
 
 96 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 naturally led the Manx people to suppose that it was 
 to be kept for their use. But you will see that the 
 English Government viewed the question differently. 
 The Imperial Parliament also took over the manage- 
 ment of the harbours. Thus was the authority of 
 the Tynwald Court almost destroyed. One imme- 
 diate result of these changes was greatly to alarm 
 the smugglers and the merchants who did business 
 with them. Large quantities of goods, which they 
 had intended to smuggle, were hidden in different 
 parts of the country, and bands of armed coastguards 
 went about searching for them. Riots and tumults 
 resulted, and the country was reduced to such a state 
 of distress that many of the land-owners, fearing that 
 the prosperity of the island had departed for ever, 
 sold their farms for next to nothing. 
 
 This state of things continued for some years, 
 without any great improvement. The lords, whose 
 reign had now come to an end, were certainly not 
 model rulers. Their policy may often have been 
 tyrannical, or unwise, or influenced by motives of 
 self-interest. But at any rate most of them had, to 
 a greater or less extent, taken a personal share in 
 the government of the island, and had interested 
 themselves in the well-being of its inhabitants. 
 When their place at the head of the Manx State 
 was taken by the King of England, the whole direc- 
 tion of affairs was handed over to distant officials 
 who regarded the island as a nest of smugglers, from 
 which it was their duty to get as much revenue as 
 possible, but for which they were not bound to do 
 anything In return. Consequently, trade and agri- 
 culture suffered, and the harbours and public buildings 
 fell into decay.
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 97 
 
 REIGNS. 
 
 James III. (2nd Duke of Atholl), 1736 1764 ; John III. (3rd 
 Duke) and Charlotte, 17641765. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Enacted. Made into a law ; commanded by an act of a 
 legislative body. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The sovereignty of the island was purchased for .46,000, and 
 ^24,000 was paid to the duke for the customs duties, which really 
 belonged to the Manx people. The duke and duchess also 
 received an annuity of .1,740 a year. 
 
 I.M.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. (continued). 
 
 Part 2. The Manx Bible. 
 
 "The Sacred Book 
 Assumes the accent of our native tongue." 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 It is difficult to believe that, till the Gospel of 
 S. Matthew was published, the Manx people were 
 without any part of the Bible in their native tongue. 
 The Gospels of S. Mark, S. Luke, and S. John, and 
 the Acts of the Apostles had also been translated in 
 Bishop Wilson's time, but not published. 
 
 Bishop Hildesley. When his successor, Bishop 
 Mark Hildesley, was appointed, he saw how im- 
 portant it was that this want should be supplied. 
 He therefore promptly divided the task of trans- 
 lating the Bible among the clergy, and while this 
 great work was going on, he also got some of them 
 to translate the Prayer-book and other religious 
 books, which the people eagerly and thankfully 
 received. Funds for the expenses of publication 
 were obtained from the Society for Promoting 
 Christian Knowledge and from some charitable 
 friends of the bishop in England. The arduous work 
 of correcting and copying the various translations 
 of the Bible was carried out by the Rev. Philip 
 Moore and his pupil, John, afterwards Dr. Kelly. 
 
 On one occasion, when John Kelly was taking part 
 of the manuscript to Whitehaven, to be printed, he 
 was shipwrecked in a storm. His one thought 
 was for his precious charge, which he held up above 
 the water for five hours, till he was rescued.
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 99 
 
 The Manx translation of the Bible is a very good 
 one, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the clergy 
 who made it. 
 
 The Methodists. Just at the time that the Bible 
 was placed in the hands of the Manx people, Wes- 
 leyan preachers began to come over to the island, 
 and John Wesley himself arrived in 1777. Wesley 
 was much pleased with the people, whom he 
 described as being " loving and simple-hearted." 
 His efforts and those of his disciples, assisted 
 by the possession of the Manx Bible, brought about 
 a religious revival which was greatly needed. 
 The influence of the Church over the people had 
 begun to fail during the old age of Bishop Wilson, 
 and this process had continued, notwithstanding 
 the earnest efforts of Bishop Hildesley. At first, 
 the unworthy successors of this good bishop per- 
 secuted the Methodists, as the followers of John 
 Wesley were called. But this persecution soon 
 ceased, and both Church people and Methodists 
 worked together in a friendly way for many years. 
 
 It was during this period that most of the religious 
 songs, called carvals or carols, some of which you 
 have perhaps heard sung, were written. 
 
 Sunday Schools. Another sign of renewed re- 
 ligious activity was the introduction of the system 
 of Sunday Schools. The pious Hugh Stowell started 
 such a school in his parish of Lonan. From Lonan 
 the system quickly spread to other parishes, and 
 was also eagerly adopted by the Methodists who 
 had, however, about this time, begun to separate 
 from the Church. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Gospel of S. Matthew printed, 1748; Prayer-book (\st 
 edition), 1765; Bible (ist edition), 1775. 
 Mark Hildesley, bishop, 1755 1 77 2 - 
 Sunday Schools first started, \ 808. 
 
 H 2
 
 CHAPTER VIII. (continued). 
 
 Part 3. The Fourth Duke. 
 
 Though the third duke and his wife complained 
 that the English Government had not paid them 
 enough for their sovereignty, and that the Manx 
 people had encroached on their rights, they made 
 no effort to obtain any redress. Their son, John, on 
 the contrary, when he succeeded to the dukedom, 
 at once showed that he was determined not to 
 sacrifice the smallest part of what he considered to 
 belong to him. 
 
 Fourth Duke appointed Governor. The history of 
 his struggles with the Manx people on the one 
 hand, and the English Government on the other, 
 before he became governor, would not interest you. 
 It is, therefore, sufficient to state that the English 
 Government, which felt, perhaps, that it had not 
 managed the island well, appointed him to that 
 office in 1793, hoping that, in this way, they would 
 both stop his complaints and reconcile the Manx to 
 English rule. They were, however, entirely mistaken 
 about the first point, and partly, about the second. 
 The duke, who had thus been placed almost in the 
 position of the ancient lords, since he practically had 
 the appointment to all public offices in the island, and 
 was able to prevent the passing of any laws which 
 he did not like, used his power to urge his claim 
 against the English Government for more money 
 with greater vigour than ever, and at last he
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 101 
 
 succeeded in obtaining 3,000 a year. It is possible 
 that the Atholl family would have continued to be 
 the owners of the island, if the fourth duke could 
 have agreed with its people. But this was very far 
 from being the case. 
 
 He quarrels with the Keys and the People. He was 
 constantly quarrelling with the House of Keys. On 
 one occasion, he told them that " they were no more 
 Representatives of the people of Man, than of the 
 people of Peru." There was a certain amount of truth 
 in this gibe, because, owing to the self-elective system 
 of the Keys, the people had no control over them, 
 and it is therefore not surprising to find that the 
 Keys disregarded the people's interests when they 
 came into collision with their own. For instance, 
 the Keys, who were, for the most part, landowners, 
 wanted to keep up the price of corn, and therefore, 
 even when the poor were starving, they tried to 
 stop foreign corn being brought into the island. 
 With his Council also the duke was often at 
 variance. The people, however, were for a time 
 well disposed towards him, because he pleased them 
 by using his influence with the Government to stop 
 the press-gangs from taking Manx fishermen to 
 serve in the navy, and by his opposition to the 
 Keys, who were then much disliked, on the question 
 of the importation of corn. But after a time, 
 various circumstances arose which made even the 
 people turn against him. They objected to his 
 appointing Scotsmen, instead of Manxmen, to paid 
 offices in the island ; and they resented his action 
 in supporting his nephew, Bishop Murray, in levying 
 a tithe on turnips and potatoes. This proceeding 
 led to such a determined opposition that it had to 
 be given up. Thus nearly every Manxman had turned 
 against the duke, and the English Government saw
 
 102 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 how necessary it was that his connexion with the 
 island should cease. 
 
 Sells his remaining Rights. They therefore offered 
 to purchase his remaining rights here, and, after 
 lengthy negotiations, he accepted the sum of 
 3^417,000 for them.* This was far too much ; but 
 the island has prospered so greatly since 1829, when 
 the duke left it, that the bargain has turned out a 
 very good one for the English Government, which 
 has not only got back all the money it paid him, but 
 has received good interest as well. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 John (4th Duke of Atholl), manorial lord, 1774 1829 ; 
 governor ; 1793 1829. 
 
 * I.e., annuity (see p. 101), rents, commons, tithes, eccle- 
 siastical patronage, &c, (see also pp. 95 and 97).
 
 CHAPTER VIII. (continued). 
 
 Part 4. Manx Soldiers and Sailors. 
 
 After the Revestment the ancient militia ceased 
 to be called out for drill, though some of the militia- 
 men were made use of as watchmen to give warning 
 of the approach of an enemy ; and the place of the 
 lord's garrison soldiers was taken by an English 
 regiment. But when England was at war, not only 
 with her American Colonies, but with France and 
 Spain as well, she was so hard pressed by her foes 
 that she withdrew this regiment and allowed a 
 regiment of Manx Fencibles to be formed in its 
 place. This Fencible regiment, which is said to 
 have covered more ground than any other regiment 
 in the British Army, because the men composing it 
 had such broad shoulders, served in the Isle of Man, 
 in England, and in Ireland during the Rebellion. 
 There were also several companies of Manx 
 Volunteers ; and we find, both during the war first 
 mentioned and during the gigantic struggle with 
 France, which lasted for twenty-two years, almost 
 without cessation, a very large number of Manxmen 
 in the Royal Navy, and a smaller, but by no means 
 insignificant, number in the Army. Indeed, it is 
 probable that the Isle of Man had more men in the 
 Navy, in proportion to its population, than any 
 other part of the Empire. I can only tell you about 
 very few of these gallant Manxmen.
 
 104 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 You must all have heard of Captain John Qmlliam, 
 the son of a farmer at the south of the island. He 
 first came into notice at the battle of Camperdown, 
 when Admiral Duncan made him a lieutenant. At 
 the battle of Copenhagen he was in a frigate of such 
 a light draught of water that she was able to get 
 
 CAPTAIN QtJILLIAM, R.N. B. 1771 ; D. 1829. 
 
 close under the batteries. Here she was exposed 
 to such a tremendous fire that all the officers 
 senior to Quilliam were killed, so that he was left 
 In command. Soon afterwards, Lord Nelson came 
 on board and asked Quilliam how he was getting 
 on ; and it is said that Quilliam too busy to attend 
 even to his admiral replied by the single word 
 " middlin'," and did not for a moment pause in
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 105 
 
 his arduous task. Nelson was so pleased, not only 
 by his pluck and coolness, but by the independence 
 of his character, that he took an early opportunity 
 of appointing him first lieutenant on his own ship, 
 the Victory. It was this vessel which he helped 
 to steer into action at the glorious battle of 
 Trafalgar. 
 
 Captain William Kelly received special mention 
 for his bravery at the capture of Cape Town, and 
 Lieutenant Philip Cosnahan greatly distinguished him- 
 self in the celebrated action between the Shannon 
 and the American frigate Chesapeake. 
 
 Nor was the gallantry of Manxmen at sea con- 
 fined to those who served in the Royal Navy ; for, 
 in those days, the merchant (or trading) vessels 
 were armed, and many brave deeds are recorded of 
 Manx merchant captains. The exploits of two of 
 them may be mentioned here. 
 
 Captain Thomas Moore, of the Fame, actually 
 defeated no less than five French privateers. As 
 soon as he saw them, he sailed towards them, 
 and, reserving his fire till he was within pistol 
 range, he fired shot after shot into the largest until 
 she struck. Without stopping to send any of his 
 men on board of her, he then engaged the second 
 ship, and took her also after a brief resistance. 
 An officer and seven men were placed in this prize, 
 and were ordered to watch the first ship till the 
 Fame returned from chasing the three remaining 
 vessels which were crowding sail to get away. 
 Moore overhauled two of them, and forced them 
 both to strike. 
 
 Captain Hugh Crowe fought several actions. The 
 most famous of them was when he fought in the 
 May, of twenty-eight guns, against two English 
 sloops of war, the Dart, of thirty guns, and the
 
 106 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Wolverine, of eighteen guns. Mistaking them for 
 French privateers, he engaged them from ten in 
 the evening till daylight. Considering the greatly 
 superior force of the men-of-war, this was a truly 
 remarkable feat. 
 
 The most distinguished Manxman in the Army at 
 this time was Colonel Mark Wilks. His earliest 
 service was in India, where he fought under Lords 
 Cornwallis and Wellesley, and where he afterwards 
 held the very important position of Resident at the 
 Court of the native prince of the great country 
 called Mysore. He then received the appointment 
 of Governor of St. Helena, and he was there when 
 Napoleon I. was sent to that island after his defeat 
 at Waterloo. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Wars. With the American Colonies, 1775 *7%3 ; with 
 France, 1779 1783 ; 1793 1802 ; 1803 1815 ; Irish Rebellion, 
 1798. 
 
 Battles. Camperdown, 1797 ; Copenhagen, 1801 ; Trafalgar, 
 1805; Waterloo, 1815. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Fencibles. Soldiers of the regular army enlisted to serve in 
 the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. 
 Resident. Adviser and controller.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. (continued). 
 
 Part S.The People. 
 A. THEIR WAGES, HOUSES, CLOTHING, &c. 
 
 The chief matters of interest between the 
 Restoration and the accession of the Atholls are 
 the struggles about the land and the revenue, and 
 the rise of smuggling, so that, as I have already 
 told you about these, I will put what little there is 
 left to say about the people at that time into this 
 Part. 
 
 Wages. You have seen how badly off the farmers 
 were during the period just before the Act of Settle- 
 ment. The poor labourers were in an even worse 
 position, since their wages had been kept by law at 
 the same level as they were many years before, 
 though the cost of food had greatly increased. But 
 when the smuggling began, it was soon found that it 
 was impossible to keep wages down in this way, or 
 to prevent the labourers leaving the island to seek 
 work elsewhere. The farmers, therefore, fearing 
 that they would lose them altogether, had to give 
 way and raise their wages. 
 
 Houses. Some idea of what the houses, not only 
 of the labourers, but of the people generally, were 
 like, may be gathered from the fact that, at the end 
 of the seventeenth century, there were very few 
 chimneys, even in the towns; and the almost com- 
 plete absence, half a century later, of knives, forks,
 
 io8 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 and spoons shows the primitive way in which the 
 people lived. At the end of the eighteenth century 
 many of the cottages in the country were scarcely 
 better than they had been three hundred years 
 before. It was not till towards the very end of this 
 period that such cottages began to be replaced by 
 brick or stone houses, with roofs of slate. 
 
 Dress. It will, perhaps, interest you to know 
 how our ancestors of eighty years ago were dressed. 
 The men wore a coat, like a modern " dress-coat," 
 and knee-breeches or trousers. These garments 
 were made of wool from the native sheep, which 
 was left the natural brown-colour, or dyed blue, and 
 their stockings were also dyed blue. 
 
 On their feet they wore carranes or sandals, made 
 of raw hide, and on their heads they had tall felt 
 hats, most of which were made at Ballasalla. The 
 women wore petticoats of linsey-woolsey, usually 
 dyed either red or blue. Over this they had a loose 
 jacket, with a broad collar, called a " bedgown," 
 generally made of linen and dyed some bright colour, 
 which was drawn in at the waist by a white linen 
 apron. On their heads they wore a mob cap in 
 winter, and a sun-bonnet in summer, and when they 
 went out they wrapped themselves in a plaid or 
 shawl. On their feet they had carranes like the 
 men. All these garments were, as a rule, made 
 at home. 
 
 Highways. Till after the Re vestment there were 
 no highways properly so called, since, as carriages 
 and carts did not exist, the roads had only to be wide 
 enough to accommodate horses laden with creels or 
 panniers. Some few of these roads, or rather lanes, 
 are still to be seen, and are probably familiar to you. 
 One of the best known of them is the lane down 
 the steep hill into the old part of Laxey by the sea.
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. 109 
 
 Cleanliness. At this time very little attention 
 was paid to cleanliness and to drainage. Cattle 
 and human beings sometimes occupied the same 
 house, and even when this was not the case the 
 cow-house and stable were often on a higher level 
 than the dwelling-house, and consequently drained 
 into it. No wonder, then, that disease was terribly 
 common, the most deadly kind being small-pox, 
 which sometimes carried off nearly one tenth of the 
 inhabitants in a single year. The population, 
 nevertheless, rapidly increased, especially in the 
 towns. 
 
 POPULATION OF THE ISLAND. 
 
 In 1726, 14,426; in 1757, 19,144; in 1792, 27,913; in 1821, 
 40,081. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 Linsey-woolsey* Cloth made of linen and wool mixed.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. (continued). 
 
 Part 5 (continued). The People. 
 
 B. THEIR TRADE AND INDUSTRIES. 
 
 Trade. Trade, that is to say trade which was 
 not smuggling, decreased for thirty years after the 
 Revestment, but it then began to increase, though 
 it was cramped and hindered by an unjust system, 
 in accordance with which goods were allowed to be 
 imported by a few merchants only. The result of 
 this system was that the merchants agreed together 
 upon the prices they would charge ; and these prices 
 were, of course, very high, so that, while the traders 
 made fortunes, the unfortunate people paid far too 
 much for their goods. Another check to trade was 
 the insufficient amount of money in the island. Tt 
 is hard for us at the present day to understand how 
 it was possible to get on without money. You can 
 imagine how great the inconvenience must have 
 been when every bargain had to be arranged by 
 barter ; but there seems to be no doubt that, except 
 during the period when the Cavaliers were in the 
 island, this was the way in which Manx trade was 
 usually conducted. 
 
 Manx Coinages. Such a state of things was 
 partially remedied in 1668, by the issue of pence 
 and half-pence, by John Murrey, a Douglas merchant. 
 Thirty-one years later the Manx Government issued 
 its first coinage (also of pence and half-pence) with
 
 THE HOUSE OF ATHOLL. in 
 
 the Stanley crest the eagle and child on it. 
 There were no Manx silver or gold coins, because 
 the people were, as a rule, too poor to need them. 
 But when trade increased the want of money began 
 to be felt by all classes, and it was supplied by 
 tradesmen issuing 1 cards for small sums under twenty 
 shillings, which were passed about like bank-notes. 
 When trade became bad again, many of the trades- 
 men were unable to pay the amounts of their cards, 
 which were then abolished by law. 
 
 Farming. Farming remained in a very backward 
 state till the end of the eighteenth century, when 
 clover and turnips were first cultivated. At this time 
 a number of English and Scottish farmers, who saw 
 that land was comparatively cheap and rents low 
 in the Isle of Man, bought and rented land here. 
 Their superior methods of farming were imitated 
 by the Manx farmers, and a great improvement 
 resulted. The implements used by the Manx 
 farmers still, however, continued to be very primitive. 
 Though threshing machines had just come into use, 
 farm carts were almost unknown, the usual method 
 of carriage being by creels on horses' backs, or by 
 sledges, which were carts without wheels. Their 
 ploughs, which were of a very rude make, and 
 required two men to manage them, were drawn by 
 four oxen ycked abreast ; and their harrows had 
 teeth made of wood hardened over the fire, which 
 had to be sharpened every morning before being 
 used. DuriiA.g the long war with France, when 
 there was ?. great demand for corn, which rose 
 enormously in price, farmers were very prosperous. 
 But after the war, prices fell rapidly, and there 
 was a time of very great distress. Many farmers, 
 especially the smaller ones, were ruined, and they, 
 to obtain employment, emigrated to America.
 
 ii2 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Fishing. The fishing industry was largely de- 
 veloped and actively followed during this period, 
 being encouraged by bounties. During a terrible 
 storm, a number of the fishing boats were lost in 
 Douglas Bay. One result of this was an increase 
 in the size of the new boats built. 
 
 Manufactures. Manufactures continued, for the 
 most part, to be carried on at home ; linen and 
 woollen cloths, nets, coarse hats, gloves, and snuff 
 were the chief articles produced. But towards the end 
 of the eighteenth century, encouraged by the bounties 
 offered to those who spun the greatest quantity of 
 linen yarn, and wove and exported the greatest 
 number of yards of linen cloth, linen factories were 
 established. Cotton, too, was spun at Ballasalla, 
 and was exported to England to be woven into 
 cloth there. This manufacture was, however, soon 
 abandoned, but woollen factories, flour and paper 
 mills, and tanneries were successfully carried on. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 First Manx Government coinage, \ 709. 
 
 Good trade, 17931815. 
 
 Bad trade, 1815 1829. 
 
 Loss of the fishing boats, 2ist September, 1787. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Barter. The exchange of one thing for another. 
 
 Bounties. Payments offered by a Government to those en- 
 gaged in some particular branch of commerce or mamtfocturc, 
 for the purpose of encouraging trade. It is now understood 
 that bounties do not really do good to trade as a whole.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 RECENT HISTORY (1829 1901). 
 
 Part I. Political Reform. 
 
 Reform and Progress. The course of our recent 
 history may be clearly indicated by two words : 
 Reform and Progress. 
 
 When the Duke of Atholl left the island the 
 House of Keys was still a self-elected body, and 
 the Tynwald Court had no control over the revenue; 
 there was no regular system of helping the poor, 
 drunkenness and disease were practically unchecked 
 by law, the education given was of a very poor kind, 
 and trade was injured, not only by unwise taxation, 
 but by the want of good harbours. 
 
 I have now to show you how improvement in 
 all these matters was brought about. 
 
 In this Part I will deal with political reform, or 
 reform of the Government, as we may call it, and 
 describe how the House of Keys came to be elected 
 by the people, and how the Tynwald Court obtained 
 control of the revenue. 
 
 The Keys. We have seen how formerly, when 
 a vacancy occurred in the House of Keys, the 
 remaining members used to meet together, and 
 themselves elect someone to fill the vacancy, with- 
 out taking any trouble to find out what the people 
 wished. At first, no doubt, this arrangement served 
 to promote the liberty of the people, because the 
 
 I.M. I
 
 n 4 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Keys were nearly all tenants on the same footing 
 as the greater part of the country people, so that 
 their interests were the same; and the population 
 of the towns was very small. 
 
 But when the land question was settled, the 
 tenants became virtually landlords, and the Keys 
 were almost entirely selected from this class, so that 
 the new class of tenant which gradually grew up, 
 and the inhabitants of the towns, who had now 
 largely increased in number, were practically un- 
 represented ; and consequently their interests were 
 very apt to be neglected when they came into 
 collision with those of the landlords. 
 
 Against this state of things the people first pro- 
 tested at the end of the eighteenth century ; at that 
 time English commissioners were in the island, inquir- 
 ing into the complaints made by the Duke of Atholl, 
 and to them a protest was made that, owing to the 
 self-election of the Keys, the people had no voice in 
 the government of the island. Nothing, however, 
 came of this protest, and no further effort to obtain 
 redress was made for nearly fifty years. Several 
 urgent applications were then made to the English 
 Government, but with no better result, and the 
 reform by which the right of election was at last 
 restored to the people was a consequence of another 
 reform, of which I am now going to speak. 
 
 The Control of the Revenue. The attempts of the 
 Keys, which had the hearty support of the people, 
 to obtain some control of the revenue for the 
 Tynwald Court seemed, at first, as hopeless as did 
 the efforts for a better mode of election. The 
 Tynwald Court had been deprived of this control at 
 the Revestment, but some hope was then held out 
 that it would.be allowed .to have the. spending of 
 any balance of money which mi o ht be left after
 
 RECENT HISTORY (18291901). 115 
 
 paying the expenses of the government of the island. 
 Forty years later the Manx people were deprived 
 even of this hope, though the balance thus re- 
 maining then amounted to a considerable sum, 
 and, at the same time, their harbours anil public 
 
 LCKD LOCH. B. 1827; D. IQOO. 
 
 buildings had been falling into decay fur \vant of 
 repair. 
 
 For a time they submitted ; then for thirty years 
 before 1866 they again and again endeavoured to 
 obtain justice, but till that date with little success. 
 In 1863 an able and energetic man, Mr. Henry 
 (afterwards Lord) Loch had been made governor. 
 He at once saw how necessary it was, if the island 
 was to prosper, that its harbours should be improved, 
 
 i 2
 
 n6 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 and he also saw that this could only be done satis- 
 factorily by its Legislature having more money at 
 its disposal. With a view to getting this money, he 
 asked the Tynwald Court to appoint a committee 
 of its members to help him in arranging terms with 
 the English Government. The Tynwald Court did 
 so, and, after lengthy negotiations, he and the com- 
 mittee succeeded in obtaining an undertaking that, 
 in future, when the expenses of the government 
 of the island had been paid, the Tynwald Court 
 should have the balance of the revenue to spend 
 as it thought proper, subject to the right of the 
 English Government and of the governor to say 
 " no." 
 
 This undertaking was given on the conditions that 
 the House of Keys should be elected by the people, 
 and that the English Government should receive 
 10,000 a year from the insular revenue, as the con- 
 tribution by the Manx people towards supporting 
 the Army and Navy. 
 
 Nothing was said about the repayment of the 
 money due to the island, because the governor and 
 the committee feared that they might risk losing 
 what had been gained by asking too much. 
 
 Thus was Constitutional Government obtained by 
 the Manx people.* 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Constitutional Government obtained, 1866. 
 
 * In reading this Part reference should be made to the 
 Introduction.
 
 CHAPTER IX. (continued). 
 
 Part 2. Social Reform. 
 
 Let us now consider the reforms in the condition 
 of the people and their consequent progress. 
 
 The Labourers. Towards the end of the last 
 period the condition of the labourers, which had 
 been a very miserable one, began to improve. There 
 was indeed a failure of the potato crop in 1847, but 
 the distress which resulted from it was trifling in 
 comparison with that in Ireland at the same time. 
 
 It was partly owing to this, and partly to the 
 discoveries of gold in California and Australia, that 
 numbers of Manxmen, both labourers and small 
 farmers, emigrated between 1847 and 1853. Since 
 then wages have greatly increased.* Prices have 
 also increased generally, though not so much in 
 proportion as wages, and, thanks to lessened taxa- 
 tion, such articles as bread, groceries and clothes have 
 become much cheaper. The houses of the labouring 
 class have been greatly improved, but the poorer 
 people in the towns are too much crowded together. 
 Generally speaking, the labourers are no doubt better 
 off than they were seventy years ago, though there 
 are more very poor people now than formerly. The 
 chief reason of this seems to be that many of those 
 who attend to the wants of the visitors in the 
 summer have nothing to do in the winter. 
 
 * Jn 1829 they were is. a day ; in 1866, 2s. 6d. ; in 1901, 3*.
 
 n8 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 Poor Relief. Owing, however, to the improved 
 system of helping the poor, or " poor-relief," as it 
 is called, no one can actually starve. Formerly the 
 only way in which the poor were helped was by 
 voluntary contributions ; that is to say, each person 
 used to give what he liked, chiefly to the collections 
 in the churches. It was found, however, that more 
 money was needed than could be raised in this way, 
 and therefore, of late years, the amount required for 
 this purpose has, in Douglas, and in some other 
 parts of the island, been obtained by rates, which 
 people have to pay, whether they like to do so or 
 not ; and a house, called " The Home for the Poor," 
 has been built for those of the poor who are too 
 old and feeble to do sufficient work to support 
 themselves. 
 
 This reminds me of the other house, called the 
 " Lunatic Asylum," which was built for the unfor- 
 tunate people whose minds are diseased. You will 
 find it hard to believe that, before the Lunatic 
 Asylum was built, many of these poor creatures had 
 been tied up in outhouses and stables, and that they 
 were treated more cruelly than if they had com- 
 mitted crimes. Now, under kind and skilful treat- 
 ment, some of them recover, and all are made as 
 happy and comfortable as possible. 
 
 Health. It was not till quite recently that the 
 health of the people became a matter which the 
 Manx Legislature thought worthy of consideration. 
 Much, however, has now been done by drainage 
 and by building better houses to make people more 
 healthy, with the result that the number of deaths 
 in proportion to the population has been greatly 
 reduced. Another thing which has caused the 
 people of our island of late years to be more healthy 
 and to live longer is that they have become more
 
 RECENT HISTORY (18291901). ng 
 
 temperate. There is no reason to suppose that the 
 Manx people were much given to drunkenness before 
 smuggling supplied them with cheap spirits. But 
 it was hard to get rid of the habit of drinking when 
 once it had been acquired ; and even after smuggling 
 had been put down, the duties on spirits were 
 so low that their price was very little higher than 
 before. Seventy }^ears ago, then, drunkenness was 
 terribly common. Its reduction since then has been 
 due to four main causes. The first is the good work 
 done by the Temperance Societies ; the second is the 
 increase of the duties on spirits ; the third is the 
 legislation regulating the trade in strong drink, 
 especially an Act which closed the public-houses on 
 Sunday ; and the 'fourth is the establishment of an 
 efficient police force. 
 
 Education. Another of the great reforms which 
 have taken place in the last half of the nineteenth 
 century is the improvement in education, which had 
 formerly been greatly neglected. In 1872 the State 
 first took charge of education, and compelled every 
 child to go to school. By a wise plan made at 
 that time Manx children have to pass the same 
 examinations as English children. The result of 
 this is that education in the Isle of Man, which was 
 made free in 1892, is as good as it is in England. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Taverns (Sunday Closing) Act passed, 1857. 
 
 Lunatic Asylum built, 1868. 
 
 New System oj Poor Relief began, 1887. 
 
 POPULATION OF THE ISLAND. 
 In 1861, 52,469; in 1901, 54,758.
 
 CHAPTER IX. (continued). 
 
 Part 3. Industrial Reform. 
 
 Harbours. In early days there were no harbours 
 protected by piers and breakwaters, so that the 
 fishermen and traders, who used Manx ports, had 
 to run their vessels ashore and then pull them up 
 out of the reach of the waves. When vessels grew 
 larger, this became inconvenient, and they there- 
 fore sought the bays which afforded the best shelter. 
 This is the reason why Derby-haven, so named from 
 the Earls of Derby, which is too shallow for modern 
 vessels, was, for centuries, the favourite port. We 
 first hear of an artificial work to protect vessels in 
 1660. It was at Douglas and was called the 
 " Bulworke," being, no doubt, a kind of breakwater. 
 The only charges vessels had to pay till just before 
 the accession of the Atholls were for anchoring, but 
 harbour dues were then imposed, which shows that 
 artificial harbours had been made about that time. 
 We have seen that at the Revestment the Tynwald 
 Court was deprived of the control of the harbours ; 
 the result was that they were neglected, and con- 
 sequently became useless. Except the Red Pier, in 
 Douglas, which was finished at the beginning of the 
 nineteenth century, no really important harbour work 
 was carried out till after 1866, when this control was 
 restored. Then followed the building of the fine 
 piers and breakwaters, which enable people to land 
 in the island safely, whether the tide is low or high.
 
 RECENT HISTORY (18291901). 121 
 
 These improvements resulted in the bringing of 
 more visitors, year by year, to our shores, till now 
 they exceed the large number of 400,000 annually. 
 Their coming has not only brought prosperity to all 
 classes in the island, but it has led to an enormous 
 increase in the size of our towns. 
 
 The Towns. I have not said anything about the 
 towns hitherto, because, till quite recently, they 
 were no bigger than villages. Castletown, as being 
 the place where the lord and the governor formerly 
 lived, where the chief courts were held and where 
 the Legislature sat, was the most important of them. 
 But when smuggling began, Douglas soon outstripped 
 the other towns in size. All the towns were 
 formerly very filthy, cows and pigs being allowed 
 to wander about the streets, which, till Duke Street 
 and Strand Street, in Douglas, were begun, were 
 unpaved. Till after the departure of the Duke of 
 Atholl the streets were not lighted at all, and then 
 for forty years they were lit by a few oil lamps 
 only. The towns were formerly governed by the 
 captains of the garrisons, then by high-bailiffs, and, 
 of late years, by councillors or commissioners, 
 elected by the people. It is this growth of the 
 towns, which now contain more than half the 
 population of the island, that has made the health 
 reforms, spoken of in the last Part, so necessary, 
 because people are much more crowded together 
 in the towns than in the country, and are therefore 
 more likely to catch diseases. 
 
 Causes of Prosperity. Not only have our towns 
 and their inhabitants benefited by the coming of 
 the visitors, but the country and its inhabitants 
 have benefited as well. So great is the quantity 
 of milk, butter and meat required by them that 
 it has paid the farmers to make the land more
 
 122 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 productive by cultivating and draining it well, 
 and to have as good cattle, horses and sheep as 
 possible. Having thus obtained better crops, the 
 farmers have been able to make a larger profit in 
 the shape of increased rents, and to pay higher 
 wages. Thus landlords, tenants and labourers, have 
 all improved their positions. Prosperity has also 
 been increased by the provision of better means of 
 getting to and from the island, and of moving about 
 when once in it. Instead of sailing vessels, which, 
 as they depend upon the wind, are uncertain, 
 sometimes, indeed, no vessel could leave the island 
 or come to it for weeks we have swift steamers 
 coming and going every day ; and we have not 
 only good wide roads, instead of narrow lanes, but 
 railways and tramways. 
 
 Industries which have not prospered. There are, 
 however, some industries which have not prospered 
 lately. The very quickness and easiness, and also, 
 I may add, cheapness of our communication with 
 other countries, have led to the decline of our manu- 
 facturing industries, because people can buy their 
 goods in places where they can be made at lower 
 prices than are possible here. The chief articles we 
 make now are woollen cloths and blankets, hemp 
 ropes, flax sailcloth and cotton herring-nets. 
 
 The herring fishing, which was always very uncer- 
 tain, has given very poor results of late years, and 
 mining, which was a prosperous industry between 
 1850 and 1880, has not been so profitable since that 
 period. 
 
 DATES. 
 
 Harbour dues first imposed, 1734. 
 High-bailiffs first appointed, 1777. 
 Duke Street and Strand Street built, 1810. 
 Gas introduced, 1860. 
 Victoria Pier completed, 1873.
 
 RECENT HISTORY (18291901). 123 
 
 POPULATION OF THE TOWNS. 
 
 In 1726: Douglas, 810; Ramsey, 460; Peel, 475 ; Castle- 
 town, 785. 
 
 In 1901 : Douglas, 19^49 ; Ramsey, 4,672 j Peel, 3,306 ; 
 Castletown, 1,963.
 
 CHAPTER IX. (continued). 
 
 Part 4. Heroes of the Lifeboat. 
 
 There is no service in which Manxmen have 
 distinguished themselves more, of recent years, than 
 in that of saving the lives of those who have been 
 shipwrecked round the rocky and dangerous coast 
 of our island. A lifeboat had been presented to 
 Douglas by the fourth Duke of Atholl, but it was 
 dashed to pieces in a severe storm, and it was not 
 till Sir William Hillary, one of the founders of the 
 " National Institution for the Preservation of Life 
 from Shipwreck," established a District Lifeboat 
 Association in the island, that much could be done 
 to save life in this way. A lifeboat was then placed 
 in each of the four towns. It is to this brave and 
 generous man, who himself frequently went out in 
 the lifeboat, that we also chiefly owe the " Tower 
 of Refuge," on S. Mary's Rock, or Conister, in Douglas 
 Bay. This rock is covered at high water, so that, 
 if it were not for the tower, those who are wrecked 
 on it would be drowned, unless they could be 
 promptly rescued. 
 
 When the poet Wordsworth visited Douglas he 
 wrote the following lines about 
 
 "S. MARY'S ROCK." 
 
 " The feudal keep, the bastions of Cohorn, 
 Even when they rose to check or to repel 
 Tides of aggressive war, oft served as well
 
 RECENT HISTORY (18291901). 127 
 
 Greedy ambition, armed to treat with scorn 
 Just limits ; but yon tower, whose smiles adorn 
 This perilous bay, stands clear of all offence ; 
 Blest work it is of love and innocence, 
 A tower of refuge built for the else forlorn. 
 Spare it, ye waves, and lift the mariner, 
 Struggling for life, into its saving arms. 
 Spare too, the human helpers ! Do they stir 
 'Mid your fierce shock like men afraid to die? 
 No ; their dread service nerves the heart it warms, 
 And they are led by noble Hillary." 
 
 Since Hillary's day, the Manx lifeboats have 
 increased both in number and size, and as it is 
 impossible to mention all the gallant deeds done 
 by their crews, I shall confine myself to quoting the 
 following fine poem by the Rev. T. E. Brown about 
 
 "THE PEEL LIFEBOAT." 
 
 " Of Charley Cain, the cox, 
 And the thunder of the rocks, 
 And the ship St. George 
 How he balked the sea-wolf's gorge 
 Of its prey 
 
 Southward bound from Norraway ; 
 And the fury and the din, 
 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore ! 
 
 See the Harbour-master stands, 
 
 Cries ' Have you all your hands? ' 
 
 Then, as an angel springs 
 
 With God's breath upon his wings, 
 
 She went ; 
 
 And the black storm robe was rent 
 
 With the shout and with the din, 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shrre ! 
 
 And the castle walls were crowned 
 And no woman lay in swound, 
 But they stood upon the height 
 Straight and stiff to see the fight, l\ : ~,' .
 
 1*8 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 For they knew 
 
 What the pluck of men can do 
 With the fury and the din, 
 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore I 
 
 ' Lay aboard her, Charley lad ! 
 Lay aboard her ! Are you mad ? 
 With the bumping and the scamper 
 Of all this loose deck hamper, 
 And the yards 
 
 Dancing round us here like cards/ 
 With the fury and the din, 
 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore ! 
 
 So Charley scans the rout, 
 Charley knows what he's about, 
 Keeps his distance, heaves the line 
 ' Pay it out there true and fine, 
 Not too much, men ! 
 Take in the slack, you Dutchmen ! ' 
 
 With the fury and the din, 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore ! 
 
 Now the hawser's fast and steady, 
 And the traveller rigged and ready. 
 Says Charley' What's the lot?' 
 ' Twenty-four.' Then like a shot 
 ' Twenty-three,' 
 Says Charley, ' 's all I see ' 
 With the fury and the din, 
 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore I 
 
 ' Not a soul shall leave the wreck,' 
 Says Charley, ' till on deck 
 You bring the man that's hurt.' 
 So they brought him in his shirt
 
 RECENT HISTORY (18291901). 
 
 O, it's fain 
 
 I am for you, Charles Cain 
 With the fury and the din, 
 
 And the horror and the rear, 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore ! 
 
 And the captain and his wife, 
 And a baby ! Odds my life ! 
 Such a beauty ! such a prize ! 
 And the tears in Charley's eyes. 
 Arms of steel, 
 For the honour of old Peel 
 
 Haul away amid the din, 
 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 
 Rolling in, rolling in. 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shore ! 
 
 Sing ho ! the seething foam ! 
 Sing ho ! the road for home ! 
 And the hulk they've left behind, 
 Like a giant stunned and blind 
 With the loom 
 And the boding of his doom 
 
 With the fury and the din, 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead ke-shore ! 
 
 See the rainbow bright and broad ! 
 
 Now, all men, thank ye God, 
 
 For the marvel and the token, 
 
 And the Word that He hath spoken ! 
 
 With Thee, 
 
 O Lord of all that be, 
 
 We have peace amid the din 
 And the horror and the roar, 
 
 Rolling in, rolling in, 
 
 Rolling in upon the dead lee-shoie ! * 
 
 DATES. 
 
 District Lifetoat Association formed, 1826. 
 The Tower of Refuge built, 1832. 
 
 I.M.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SOME MANX WORTHIES. 
 
 "Lives of great men all remind r.s, 
 We can make our lives sublime ; 
 And departing leave behind us 
 Footprints on the sands of time." 
 
 LONGFELLOW. 
 
 Perhaps we have had no great men in the Isle of 
 Man. Great men are very uncommon everywhere. 
 But we have certainly had some able men, as well as 
 many good and brave men, and a few who have com- 
 bined all these qualities. I have already mentioned 
 several of our "Worthies," and I will now tell you 
 about some others who lived nearer to our own time. 
 
 The earliest is John Christian Citrtven, a statesman. 
 
 He was a member both of the House of Commons 
 and of the House of Keys, and not only a member but 
 a leader. A determined defender of the purity and 
 independence of Parliament, he opposed the great 
 William Pitt when he thought that he was trying to 
 override that independence. Many taxes, especially 
 those which fell heavily on farmers, were removed 
 by his influence, and he distinguished himself by his 
 brilliant speeches against the claims of the fourth 
 Duke of Atholl. He was a very skilful farmer, and 
 he conferred a great benefit on the island by 
 founding our first Agricultural Society. 
 
 The life of the Rev. Hugh Stowell is worthy of 
 admiration for its holiness and simplicity.
 
 SOME MANX WORTHIES. 131 
 
 He spent it in doing good. Deeply sincere 
 and heavenly minded, he devoted himself with 
 the utmost zeal to his duties. Founder of Sunday 
 Schools and of Temperance Societies, and writer 
 of religious memoirs both in Manx and English, 
 he will perhaps be best remembered by his " Life 
 of Bishop Wilson." 
 
 We now come to one who was in both the military 
 and civil service of England Sir Mark Cubbon, 
 K.C.B. 
 
 He received an Indian cadet's appointment and 
 went out to Madras, where he served with dis- 
 tinction, reaching the rank of general. He was 
 then appointed Commissioner of Mysore, which 
 meant that he was practically the ruler of that 
 great province. That his rule there was acceptable 
 to the natives, as well as to the Government of 
 India, is shown by the fact that, during the terrible 
 mutiny in the years 1857 and 1858, Mysore kept 
 perfectly quiet and contented. This was recognized 
 by a letter from the Governor-General of India, in 
 which he said that the value of Sir Mark Cubbon's 
 services, and the honour and esteem which his high 
 character and ability had won from all, whether 
 European or native, would never be forgotten by 
 the supreme Government. 
 
 Of striking appearance, dignified yet unassuming 
 in manner, with a calm judgment and a firm will, 
 combined with enduring patience and great sym- 
 pathy, he was beloved and respected by all who 
 knew him. 
 
 Many of our countrymen have gone forth to find 
 their homes in other countries, and some of them 
 have been very successful in the larger fields thus 
 opened out to them. 
 
 Perhaps the most remarkable among their number 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 is the Honourable William Kermode, who was one of 
 the founders of the Colony of Tasmania and a member 
 of the upper branch of its Legislature. 
 
 Professor Edward Forbes, F.R.S., the distinguished 
 naturalist, showed his taste for natural history even 
 before he was ten years old, having by that age 
 formed a little museum in which he stored minerals, 
 fossils, shells, dried sea-weeds, flowers, butterflies, 
 &c., all duly named and arranged. But his parents 
 thought so much of the skill he displayed in drawing 
 that they sent him to be trained for the profession of 
 an artist. Natural history, however, proved to be 
 his true vocation, and his labours in that science 
 have caused him to be considered one of the first of 
 British naturalists. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Edward Broivn, our Manx poet, 
 may have been known to some of you. 
 
 Educated at King William's College and at 
 Oxford, he gained the highest distinctions at both. 
 Most of his life was spent as a schoolmaster at 
 Clifton College, near Bristol, but Manxmen know 
 him best as the author of the charming poems in 
 which he describes their manners and customs. 
 
 I trust that you will read them when you are 
 older. He himself tells us the chief aim of his 
 poetry : 
 
 " Whate'er is left to us 
 Of ancient heritage 
 Of manners, speech, of humours, polity, 
 The limited horizon of our stage 
 Old love, hope, fear 
 All this I fain would fix upon the page ; 
 That so the coming age, 
 Lost in the empire's mass, 
 Yet haply longing for their fathers, here 
 May see, as in a glass, 
 ".'hat they held dear."
 
 SOME MANX WORTHIES. 
 
 133 
 
 THE REV. T. E. BROWN. B. 1830; D. 1897, 
 
 DATES. 
 
 LJAltLS. 
 
 John C. Curwen, born, 1756 ; died, 1828. 
 
 The Rev. Hugh Stowell, born, 1768 ; died, 1835. 
 
 Sir M. Cubbon, born, 1775 ; died, 1861. 
 
 The Hon. W. Kermode, born, 1775; died, 1852. 
 
 Prof. E. Forbes, born, 1815 j died, 1854.
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Our Heritage.* 
 
 11 Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, 
 Who never to himself hath said, 
 This is my own, my native land ! 
 Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned 
 As home his footsteps he hath turned 
 From wandering on a foreign strand ? " 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT. 
 
 I HAVE fulfilled my promise to tell you something 
 about the history of our native country, and I will 
 now bring this book to an end by briefly describing 
 the Constitution which our forefathers have gained 
 for us by their self-denying struggles. 
 
 At the head of the Government of our little State 
 is the English Sovereign, whose subjects we are and 
 through our connexion with whom our island forms 
 part of the British Empire. Next comes the Imperial 
 Parliament, which has a general control over us, but 
 does not, except on rare occasions, pass laws which 
 affect us. 
 
 Then we have our own governing body, the 
 Tynwald Court, which, with the governor, has both 
 legislative and executive powers. 
 
 This Court is divided into two branches : (i) The 
 
 Governor and the Council, appointed by the English 
 overeign ; t (a) the twenty-four Keys, elected by 
 
 * This chapter should be read in connexion with the Intro- 
 duction. 
 
 t Except the vicar-general, who is appointed by the bishop.
 
 CONCLUSION. 135 
 
 the people. Each of these branches has equal 
 powers, and one cannot pass laws, raise taxes, or 
 spend the revenue, without the consent of the 
 other. Nor can both these branches united (i.e., 
 the Tynwald Court) do any of these things without 
 the consent of the English Sovereign. But this 
 consent is nearly always given, and we may feel 
 sure that, as long as we do nothing wrong, we are 
 free to manage our own affairs in our own way. 
 Thanks to our forefathers : 
 
 " It is the land that freemen till 
 That sober-minded Freedom chose, 
 The land, where girt with friends or foes, 
 A man may speak the things he will." * 
 
 We are free to think, speak, write and print 
 what we please, free to follow the religion we 
 prefer, free to elect whom we wish to represent 
 our views ; in a word, we are free to do anything 
 we like, if only it is not contrary to the laws which 
 have been made for the good of all, and does not 
 harm our neighbours. 
 
 Such is the glorious heritage our forefathers have 
 gained for us. 
 
 Having thus told you what your rights are, I will 
 now tell you what your chief duties are towards the 
 State and its Government. They are : 
 
 (1) To maintain, and, if possible, to improve its 
 Constitution. 
 
 (2) To obey its laws. 
 
 (3) To take care of public property. Remember 
 that what belongs to the State belongs to you all. 
 
 (4) To vote in elections. Every citizen is respon- 
 sible through his vote for the kind of government he 
 
 * Tennyson.
 
 136 THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 lives under. If you do not vote, and bad laws are 
 passed, you are partly to blame for them. 
 
 (5) To pay taxes. Bear in mind that the money 
 which you have to pay in taxes goes to form a fund 
 that will be spent for the good of all the people; 
 and that without such a fund it would not be 
 possible to carry on the government of the country 
 at all. 
 
 (6) To help to defend the State, when it is 
 necessary. Every able-bodied citizen is required 
 by law to bear arms if called upon. 
 
 (7) If you have sufficient ability and leisure, it 
 will be your duty to take office, whether it be as 
 a member of a School Board, of a Parish or a Town 
 Council, or of the House of Keys. Of course it is 
 neither necessary nor possible that every citizen 
 should serve his country in this particular way ; but 
 the State needs good and able men to do its work, 
 so that all of you who are capable and can spare 
 the time from your own business should take office 
 for the public good. A State, whose best men 
 shrink from serving it, is sure to suffer. " The 
 worth of a State, in the long run," says John Stuart 
 Mill, "is the worth of the individuals composing it." 
 
 Finally, as my last words, let me impress upon 
 you that, though 
 
 " We cannot all be heroes, 
 And thrill a hemisphere 
 With some great daring venture, 
 Some deed that mocks at fear ; 
 [Yet] we can rill a lifetime 
 With kindly acts and true," 
 Because 
 
 " There's always noble service 
 For noble souls to do." *
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 THE Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea, almost 
 midway between the coasts of England, Scotland 
 and Ireland. 
 
 It is about thirty-three miles long, and twelve 
 miles broad in the widest part. 
 
 Except in the north, it is a hilly country, with 
 a range of mountains extending from Ramsey to the 
 Calf of Man. The first of these is North Barrule 
 (1,842 feet) ; then comes Clagh Ouyr (1,808 feet) ; 
 Snaefell, the highest (2,034 feet) ; Beinn-y-phot (1,772 
 feet) ; Carraghan (1,520 feet) ; Slieau Ruy (1,570 
 feet), and Greeba (1,382 feet). The range is then 
 broken by the valley between Douglas and Peel, but 
 is continued on the south side of it by South Barrule 
 (1,585 feet) and Cronk-ny-Irree-Lhaa (1,449 f eet )* 
 Further south are the hills called the Carnanes, 
 Bradda and the Mull, and, to the east and west 
 of Snaefell, there are some mountains branching off 
 from the main range, the highest of which is Slieau 
 Freoghane (1,602 feet). 
 
 From most of our mountains, especially Snaefell, 
 there is a grand view of the mountains of Cumber- 
 land in England, of Wigtonshire in Scotland, of 
 County Down in Ireland, and of the Snowdon range 
 in Wales.
 
 138 APPENDIX A. 
 
 Thus Wordsworth says : 
 
 " Off with yon cloud, old Snaefell, that this eye 
 Over three realms may take its widest range." 
 
 The chief headlands are, on the east coast, the 
 Point of Ayre, Maughold Head, Clay Head, Douglas 
 Head, Santon Head, Langness, and Spanish Head ; 
 on the west coast, Bradda Head, the Niarbyl, 
 Contrary Head, and Jurby Head. 
 
 From Maughold Head right round by the south to 
 Contrary Head, the coast is high and rocky, but 
 from each of these headlands 
 
 " The coast runs level to the Point of Ayre, 
 A waste of sand, sea-holly and wild thyme, 
 Wild thyme and bent." * 
 
 The chief bays are, on the east coast, Ramsey, 
 Laxey, Douglas, Derby-Haven, Castletown, and 
 Port S. Mary ; on the west coast, Port Erin 
 and Peel. 
 
 There are three small islands off the coast. 
 Much the largest of these is the Calf of Man at 
 the extreme south-west. The others are S. Michael's 
 Island off Derby-Haven, and S. Patrick's Island off 
 Peel. Both these last two islands are now joined 
 to the mainland by walls. 
 
 There are also a number of isolated rocks, the 
 best known of which are Conister, or S. Mary's 
 Rock, in Douglas Bay, and the Chickens, to the 
 south-west of the Calf of Man. 
 
 The five largest streams are the Sulby, falling 
 into the sea at Ramsey, the Glass and the Dhoo, 
 \\hich unite their waters near Douglas, the Neb, 
 
 * T. E. Brown.
 
 APPENDIX A. 139 
 
 at the mouth of which Peel is situated, and the 
 Silverburn, which joins the sea at Castletown. 
 
 The island is divided into six Sheadings and 
 seventeen ancient parishes. 
 
 Beginning from the north, there is Ayre Sheading, 
 containing the parishes of Bride, Andreas, and 
 Lezayre ; Michael Sheading, containing the parishes 
 of Jurby, Ballaugh and Michael ; Garff Sheading, 
 containing the parishes of Maughold and Lonan ; 
 Middle Sheading, containing the parishes of Conchan, 
 Braddan and Santon ; Glenfaba Sheading, containing 
 the parishes of German (including Peel), Marown 
 and Patrick ; and Rushen Sheading, containing the 
 parishes of Malew (including Castletown), Arbory 
 and Rushen. 
 
 The parishes, on an average, are divided into ten 
 treens, and each treen is generally divided into four 
 quarterlands. 
 
 There are also four parishes recently formed in 
 Douglas, viz. : S. George's, S. Matthew's, S. Bar- 
 nabas' and S. Thomas' ; one at Foxdale, and two 
 in Ramsey, viz. : S. Paul's and S. Olave's. 
 
 There are four towns : Douglas, Ramsey, Peel, 
 and Castletown. 
 
 The largest villages are Port S. Mary, Port Erin 
 and Laxey. 
 
 The climate of the island is very mild, and there 
 is less difference between the summer and winter 
 temperature than almost any place in the world. 
 It is very sunny, though rather damp and rainy, 
 and there are frequent strong winds, chiefly from 
 the west. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Treen. The meaning of this word is not known, but it is 
 applied to a piece of land varying from 240 to 320 acres in size. 
 Quarterland. The quarter of a land or treen.
 
 APPENDIX B. 
 
 CELTIC PLACE-NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 IF you will look at the map of the Isle of Man 
 you will see that by far the greater number of 
 names on it contain the following words, which 
 are all Celtic : Slieau for mountain, cronk or knock 
 for hill, glione for glen, awin for river, and balla for 
 farm. Douglas, from the rivers doo, black, and glas, 
 grey or bright, is Celtic, so is Peel, meaning " fort," 
 and Castletown is a translation of the Celtic Balla- 
 Cashtal ; and our commonest surnames, such as 
 Brew, Bridson, Cain, Caley, Callister, Callow, Cannell t 
 Cashen, Clucas, Coole, Curphey, Kaighan, Kelly, Keivley, 
 Mylchreest, Mylrea, Quayle, and Quiggin, are the forms 
 which early Celtic names have gradually taken in the 
 Isle of Man.
 
 APPENDIX C. 
 
 NORSE PLACE-NAMES AND SURNAMES. 
 
 OUR map also contains a number of names of 
 Norse origin. The ships of the Vikings ran ashore 
 at the Ayre (Gravelly Bank), or lay in shelter in 
 Ronaldsway (Ronald's Bay), in Ramsey (Raven's 
 Isle), at Laxey (Salmon River), or in the many 
 creeks, such as Soderick (South Creek) ; or, perchance, 
 were wrecked on some of the rocks called by them 
 sker or stack. Norse settlers, too, indicate their 
 presence by the numerous words ending in by (their 
 word for farm), such as Kirby (Church Farm), and 
 not only have they named our largest land division 
 the Sheading, but, among the mountains, Snaefell 
 (Snow Hill), Sartfell (Black Hill), and Wardfell 
 (Watch Hill), the old name of South Barrule. 
 
 Even some of their earliest names are still found 
 here, such as Solvi in Sulby, Kol in Colby, Narfi in 
 Narradale, Kraki in Cregneish, and so on ; but, for 
 the most part, their names in the lips of Manx 
 people, who, as you know, are mainly Celtic, have 
 gradually taken forms quite different to what they 
 were originally. Thus, Asmnndr, Asketill, Ottarr, 
 Thorketill, Thorliotr, Olafr, and Rognvaldr grew into 
 Casement, Castell, Cottier, Corkhill, Corlett, Cowley, 
 and Crennell, surnames which are common amongst 
 us at the present day. 
 
 WITHERBY & Co., PRINTERS, 326, HIGH HOLBORN, W.C.
 
 BOOKS FOR 
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 PUBLISHED BY 
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 BUILDINGS, LON- 
 DON E.C .
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN, Publisher, 
 
 Recent Volumes in the 
 
 5TORY OF THE NATIONS 
 
 A SERIES OF POPULAR HISTORIES. 
 
 Each Volume complete -with Maps, many Illustrations, atid an Index. 
 Large crown Svo, fancy cloth, gold lettered, or Library Edition, dark 
 cloth, burnished red top, 5s. each. Or may be had in half Persian, cloth 
 sides, gilt tops : Price on Application. 
 
 49. Austria. By SIDNEY WHITMAN. 
 
 50. Modern England before the Reform Bill. By 
 
 JUSTIN MCCARTHY. 
 
 51. China. With a New Chapter on Recent Events. 
 
 By Prof. R. K. DOUGLAS. 
 
 52. Modern England under Queen Victoria. By 
 
 JUSTIN MCCARTHY. 
 
 53. Modern Spain, 1878-1898. By MARTIN A. S. 
 
 HUME, F.R.H.S., Author of " Sir Walter Ralegh," &c. 
 
 54. Modern Italy, 1748-1898. By PIETRO ORSI, 
 
 Professor of History in the R. Liceo Foscarini, Venice. 
 With over 40 Illustrations and Maps. 
 
 55. Norway. By Professor HIALMAR H. BOYESEN, 
 
 Author of " Idylls of Norway." 
 
 56. Wales. By OWEN EDWARDS. 
 
 IN PREPARATION. 
 
 The United States of America, 1783-1900. By A. 
 
 C. M'LAUGHLIN. In 2 Volumes. 
 
 The Papal Monarchy: From Gregory the Great to 
 Boniface VIII. By Rev. W. BARRY. 
 
 Mediaeval Rome. By WILLIAM MILLER. 
 Buddhist India. By T. W. RHYS DAVIDS. 
 
 The Story of Greece (to the Roman Occupation). By 
 E. S. SHUCKBURGH. 
 
 The Story of Greece (from the Roman Occupation 
 to A.D. 1453). By E. S. SHUCKBURGH. 
 
 xi, Paternoster Buildings, London, B.C. 9
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN, Publisher, 
 
 BUILDERS OF GREATER 
 BRITAIN 
 
 EDITED BT 
 
 H. F. WILSON 
 
 A Stt of to Volumes, tack wit A Photogravure Frontisfuct, 
 and Maf, large crown 8vo., cloth, 5s. tack. 
 
 The completion of the Sixtieth year of the Queen's reign wilt be the occasion of much 
 retrospect and review, in the course of which the great men who, under the auspices of Her 
 Majesty and her predecessors, hare helped to make the British Empire what it is to-day, 
 will naturally be brought to mind. Hence the idea of the present series. These biographies, 
 concise but fall, popular but authoritative, hare been designed with the view of giving in 
 each case an adequate picture of the builder in relation to his work. 
 
 The series will be under the general editorship of Mr. H. F. Wilson, formerly Fellow 
 of Trinity College, Cambridge, and now private secretary to the Right Hon. J. Chamberlain 
 at the Colonial Office. Each volume will be placed in competent hands, and will contain 
 the best portrait obtainable of its subject, and a map showing his special contribution to 
 the Imperial edifice. The fast to appear will be a Life of Sir Walter Ralegh, by Major 
 Hume, the learned author of " The Year after the Armada." Others in contemplation will 
 deal with the Cabots, the quarter-centenary of whose sailing from Bristol is has recently been 
 celebrated in that city, as well as in Canada and Newfoundland ; Sir Thomas Maitlaad, the 
 " King Tom " of the Mediterranean ; Rajah Brooke, Sir Stamford Raffles, Lord Clive, 
 Edward Gibbon Wakefield, Zachary Macaulay, Ac., &c. 
 
 The Series has taken for its motto the MUtooie prayer : 
 
 ** ?ou Rgo of C0t fret grace o'bf Binffc j> t$it> (griff anm'cl 
 (gmftre fo a gforious anb enSt'oflfe Set's&ffJ, $tf0 off 0er 
 afiouf 0er, stag u in f0is feficift'e/* 
 
 I. SIR WALTER RALEGH. By MARTIN A. S. HUME, Author 
 
 of " The Courtships of Queen Elizabeth," &c. 
 
 a. 5IR THOMAS MAITLAND; the Mastery of the Mediterranean. 
 By WALTER FREWEN LORD. 
 
 3. JOHN CABOT AND HIS SONS; the Discovery of North 
 
 America. By C. RAYMOND BEAZLEY, M.A. 
 
 4. EDWARD GIBBON WAKEFIELD; the Colonisation of South 
 
 Australia and New Zealand. By R. GARNETT, C.B., L.L.D. 
 
 5. LORD CLIVE; the Foundation of British Rule in India. By Sir 
 
 A. J. ARBUTHNOT, K.C.S.I., C.I.E. 
 
 RAJAH BROOKE; the Englishman as Ruler of an Eastern 
 
 State. By Sir SPENSER ST. JOHN, G.C.M.G 
 
 ADMIRAL PHILIP; the Founding of New South Wales. By 
 Louis BECKE and WALTER JEFFERY. 
 
 5IR STAMFORD RAFFLES; England in the Far East. By 
 the Editor. 
 
 11, Paternoster Buildings, London, E.G. 66
 
 T. FISHER UN WIN, Publisher, 
 
 THE 
 
 "LIVES WORTH LIVING" SERIES 
 
 OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 Illustrated. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d. per vol. 
 
 1. LEADERS OF MEN : A Book of Biographies 
 
 specially written for Young Men. By H. A. 
 PAGE, Author of " Golden Lives." 
 
 2. WISE WORDS AND LOVING DEEDS: 
 
 A Book of Biographies for Girls. By E. CONDER 
 GRAY. 
 
 3. MASTER MISSIONARIES: Studies in 
 
 Heroic Pioneer Work. By A. H. JAPP, LL.D., 
 F.R.S.E. Fourth Edition. 
 
 4. LABOUR AND VICTORY. By A. H. JAPP, 
 
 LL.D. Memoirs of Those who Deserved Success 
 and Won it. 
 
 5. HEROIC ADVENTURE : Chapters in Recent 
 
 Explorations and Discovery. 
 
 6. GREAT MINDS IN ART : With a Chapter on 
 
 Art and Artists. By WILLIAM TIREBUCK. Portraits. 
 
 7. GOOD MEN AND TRUE: Biographies of 
 
 Workers in the Fields of Beneficence and 
 Benevolence. By A. H. JAPP, LL.D., F.R.S.E. 
 
 8. FAMOUS MUSICAL COMPOSERS : By 
 
 LYDIA J. MORRIS, 
 
 9. OLIVER CROMWELL AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 By G. HOLDEN PIKE. With 8 Illustrations, in- 
 cluding the Bristol Portrait as Frontispiece. 
 
 ii, Paternoster Buildings, London, E.G.
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN, Publisher, 
 
 THE OVERSEAS LIBRARY. 
 
 %* The books of the " OVERSEAS LIBRARY " deal with the 
 actual life of the English outside England, whether of Colonial 
 life or the life of English emigrants, travellers, traders, officers, 
 overseas, among foreign and native races, black or white. It 
 makes no pretence of Imperial drum-beating, or putting 
 English before Colonial opinion ; but aims, instead, at getting 
 the atmosphere and outlook of the new peoples recorded, if 
 such is possible. 
 
 The Overseas Library 
 
 Decorative Cover by W. H. COWLISHAW. 
 Crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. each ; paper Is. 6d. each. 
 
 1. THE IPANE. By R. B. CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM. 
 
 2. THE CAPTAIN OF THE LOCUSTS, and Other 
 
 Stories. By A. WERNER. 
 
 3. IN GUIANA WILDS. By JAMES RODWAY. 
 
 4. THE WELL-SINKERS. By ETHEL QUIN. 
 
 5. A CORNER OF ASIA. By HUGH CLIFFORD. 
 
 6. NEGRO NOBODIES. By NOEL DE MONTAGNAC. 
 
 7. A WIDE DOMINION. By HAROLD BINDLOSS. 
 
 8. AMONG THE MAN-EATERS. By JOHN GAGGIN. 
 
 9. LITTLE INDABAS. By J. MAC. 
 
 10. TALES OF THE PAMPAS. By W. BULFIN. 
 
 ii, Paternoster Buildings, London, E.G. k
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN, Publisher, 
 
 THE "CENTURY" SCOTT 
 
 In 25 Volumes. Foolscap 8vo (6 by 4), each with 
 collotype Frontispiece, and with book-plate, title pages, 
 binding and devices in two colours by JAMES ALLEN 
 DUNCAN. Decorative cloth, Is. Green leather, 2s. 6d. 
 
 LIST OF VOLUMES. 
 
 Ivanhoe. 
 
 Waverley. 
 
 Guy Mannering. 
 
 Old Mortality. 
 
 Rob Roy. 
 
 The Antiquary. 
 
 The Heart of Midlothian. 
 
 The Monastery. 
 
 The Abbot. 
 
 Kenilworth. 
 
 The Pirate. 
 
 Peverel of the Peak. 
 
 The Bride of Lammer- 
 moor. 
 
 The Legend of Montrosc 
 and Black Dwarf. 
 
 The Fortunes of Nigel. 
 Quentin Durward. 
 St. Ronan's Well. 
 Redgauntlet. 
 
 The Betrothed and High- 
 land Widow, &c. 
 The Talisman. 
 Woodstock. 
 
 The Fair Maid of Perth. 
 Anne of Geierstein. 
 
 The Surgeon's Daughter 
 and Castle Dangerous. 
 
 Count Robert of Paris. 
 
 ii, Paternoster Buildings, London, E.G.
 
 T. FISHER UNWIN, Publisher, 
 
 THE CHILDREN'S STUDY 
 
 
 Long Svo., cloth, gilt top, with photogravure frontispiece, price 2/6 each. 
 
 1. Scotland. By Mrs. OLIPHANT. 
 
 2. Ireland. Edited by BARRY O'BRIEN. 
 
 3. England. By FRANCES E. COOKE. 
 
 4. Germany. By KATE FREILIGRATH KROEKER, Author 
 
 of " Fairy Tales from Brentano," &c. 
 
 5. Old Tales from Greece. By ALICE ZIMMERN. 
 
 6. France. By MARY ROWSELL. 
 
 7. The United States. By MINNA SMITH. 
 
 8. Rome. By MARY FORD. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON "SCOTLAND." 
 
 " For children of the right age this is an excellent little history." Daily News. 
 
 " Enough of fault-finding with a writer who has otherwise performed his task in a 
 perfectly charming manner." Daily Chronicle. 
 
 "The best book for the rising Caledonian that has appeared for many a day." 
 
 " Simple, picturesque, and well-proportioned." Glasgow Herald. [Scotsman. 
 
 "A charming book full of life and colour." Speaker. 
 
 "As a stimulator of the imagination and intelligence, it is a long way ahead of 
 many books in use in some schools." Sketch. 
 
 "The book is attractively produced. Mrs. Oliphant has performed her difficult task 
 well." Educational Times. 
 
 "A work which may claim its place upon the shelve* of the young people's library, 
 where it may prove of not a little service also to their elders." School Beard Chroniclt. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON "IRELAND." 
 
 " Many who are children no longer will be glad of this compact but able introduc- 
 tion to the story of Ireland's woes. The form of the volume is particularly attractive." 
 
 British. Weekly. 
 
 "We heartily congratulate Mr. Barry O'Brien upon this interesting little volume. 
 The style is intensely interesting." Schoolmaster. 
 
 " It is well that the youth of England, who have entered into a serious inheritance 
 and who will soon be the voters of England, should have some conception of the 
 country with whom they are so closely bound up, and for whose past their fathers are 
 so heavily responsible. We do not know of any work so fitting for imparting to them 
 this knowledge as the present, which, therefore, we heartily commend to all teachers 
 as the best text-book of Irish history for the young." Daily Chroniclt. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON ' ENGLAND." 
 
 "Ters., vivid, well-informed." Speaker. 
 
 "Pleasantly written, and well within the capacity of a young child. . . . We 
 anticipate with pleasure the appearance of the succeeding volumes of 'The Children's 
 Study.' "School Guardian. 
 
 "Admirably done .... always easy of understanding." Scotsman. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON "GERMANY." 
 
 "We have seldom seen a small history so well balanced, .and consequently so 
 adequate as an introduction to the subjtct." Educational Times. 
 
 " Painstaking and well written." Daily Chronicle. 
 
 "Clear as accurate. It is just the sort of book to give to a youngster who has to 
 study Teutonic history." Black and White. 
 
 . " An interesting historical scries." Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 11, Paternoster Buildings, London, E.G.
 
 U The LITERARY PEN is the Best. U 
 
 " Mr. Fisher Un win has beguiled his 
 leisure moments with experimenting in 
 pens, and now ' The Literary Pen ' is 
 issued in a nice little booklet box for 
 the benefit of authors. It is guaran- 
 teed to write anything from a sonnet 
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 remain to a grateful posterity." Black 
 and White. . . 
 
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 average 'J.'" JOHN 
 OLIVER HOBBES. 
 
 " For writing easily, 
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 of time in dipping 
 the 'Literary U 
 Pen' which Mr. 
 Fisher Unwin has 
 brought out cannot 
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 Leedi Mercury. 
 
 Paternoster So. 
 
 One Shilling 
 
 " We like the way 
 
 it writes. It is an improvement on the 
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 "A' new pen, the merits of which 
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 There is certainly a successful future in 
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 "Anyone who loves the smooth 
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 Academy. 
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 know that that is the 
 
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 " Literary workers will find the Lite- 
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 Publishers' Circular. 
 
 U Smooth Running, with a Qflill-like Action, U
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES 
 
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 This book is DUE on the last date stamped "below 
 
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