A family legend told to me by my mother was that sometime around the end of the French War in 1815, a young Scot called James Brown came to the Island. He returned to Scotland and it was found he had a weak heart, but rather than end his days amongst his family in Scotland, he said how much he loved the Isle of MAN and wanted to die there.

He came back, and in due course married a local girl, and had several sons before he died.
It occured to me that it was possible that it was the girl rather than the Island that he had fallen for, and I graduially pieced thigs together.

His name was James Brown, and he was born in Scotland c1779. By 1822 he was farming at the Kimmeragh in Bride, and he married Cath Cowell (born 1801) on 13 May 1824. He was about 45, and Cath was about 23 at the time.
They did raise a large family, SEVEN SONS, all of whom survived to adulthood, which was amazing for those days. Sadly Scottish James took ill and died 17 July 1837 and was buried at Andreas.

Cath's father was a William Cowle, christened in Bride 29-Sept 1764 and who married "Judy" 11-10-1798. I believe that William Cowle's parents were Charles Cowle and Catherine Xtiasn, m at Bride 22 June 1762; BUT if anyone can help on the Cowle line that would be welcome.

Cath's mother was Judy, but I have no further luck with her at present, so any ideas.

NEXT - Scottish James, He was apparently born c1779 in Scotland, farmed the Kimmeragh in 1822, maried Cath in 1824, had seven sons and died in 1837. Of the seven sons, we are descended from
JOHN MEARNS BROWN, who was baptised in 1829, married Isabella Christian of Ballakey in 1854 and died in 1907.

His middle name may give a clue to Scottish James background, for Mearns is a family name in Scotland and also a place name. That is as far as I can get.

The only other fragment is that with Manx ancestry going back 600 years, I think I can say that we can be a "clannish" lot, and comeovers are not always wlecome. Legend has it in the family that James was well received into the Northern farming society. He married a Bride girl from a farming family, and their son, John M Brown married a Ballakey daughter, so there seems to be some truth in the legend. What background would mean that a Scot with a weak heart was welcomed in Bride in the 1820s ?

Any suggestions.

Robert H