[From Abel Heywood Illustrated Guide 1885]

THE ISLE OF MAN.

The beauteous bay spreads forth its crescent arms
To welcome all who hail its lovely shore;
From Douglas Head to Clay Head nature's charms
Win every heart :-e'en when the tempests roar,
And on St. Mary's Rock the waters pour,
Burying beneath their waves the Refuge Tower,
And on high wing the sea-gulls wildly soar
With awe we pause, and breathless scan the power,
That floods the heaven with light, or darkness round doth lower.

OUSELEY.

THE ISLE of MAN, situated in the middle of the three kingdoms, is 31 miles from Ardglass, Ireland; 45 miles from Holyhead; 75 miles from Liverpool, 40 miles from Ravenglass, Cumberland; and 27 miles from St. Bees near Whitehaven; 16 miles from Barrow Head, Scotland; 21 miles from the Mull of Galloway; and 27 miles from Strangford Lough, Ireland. It is about 33 miles in length, from 8 to 15 in breadth, and 75 miles round; its area contains 209 square miles, or 140,000 acres. Various opinions are entertained by etymologists respecting the derivation of its name. It is conjectured that it is derived from the Scandinavian Mon, or the Latin Mona; whence comes Mannin (Manx), and Man (English).The Mona of Casar is the Isle of Man; that of Tacitus, Anglesea. In the Manx language the Isle of Man is named Mannin (Meadhon-in), which means " the middle island," and is called by the natives Mannin-veg-veen, or ',dear little Island of Man." If, however, any dependence is to be placed upon tradition, the name of the Isle of Man is derived from a real or mvthical personae called Mannanan-Beg-Mac-y-Leir. This gentleman, according to Irish legends, was the father of the celebrated Fin-Mac-Coul. A Manx ballad describes him as an enchanter, who held the island by means of spells and conjurations. When ships approached he surrounded the island with a fog; and one man, standing on a hill, would seem as though there were a hundred. The rent exacted from each landholder was a bundle of coarse meadow-grass, taken to the top of Barrule Mountain. The bard regrets the passing away of this time of easy payment for land, and chronicles the introduction of Christianity into the island in the following simple verse:-

Then came Patrick into the midst of them;
He was a saint and full of virtue.
He banished Mannanan on the wave,
And his evil servants all dispersed.

And to all those that were evil
He showed no favour nor kindness.
Of the seed of the conjurors there were none
But what he destroyed or put to death.

He blessed the country from end to end,
And never left a beggar in it ;
And, also, cleared off all those
That refused or denied to become Christians.

Thus it was that Christianity first came to Man,
By Saint Patrick planted in
And to establish Christ in us,
And also in our children.

He then blessed Saint German,
And left him a bishop in it,
To strengthen the faith more and more,
And faithfully built chapels in it.

For each four quarter-lands he made a chapel,
For people of them to meet for prayer ;
He also built German Church in Peel Castle,
Which remaineth there until this day.

Before German had finished his work,
God sent for him, and he died
As ye yourselves know that this messenger
Cannot be put off by using means.

He died, and his corpse was laid
Where a great bank had been, but soon was levelled;
A cross of stone is set at his feet,
In his own church in Peel Castle.

Then came Maughold, as we are told,
And came on shore at the Head,
And built a church and yard around
At the place he thought to have his dwelling.

The chapels which Saint German ordered
For the people to come to prayers in them,
Maughold put a parcel of them into one,
And thus made regular parishes.

Maughold died, and he is laid
In his own church at Maughold Head,
And the next bishop that came after,
To the best of my knowledge, was Lonnan.

Connaghan then came next,
And then Marown the third;
These all three lie in Marown,
And there for ever lie unmolested.

The native language, Manx, is fast falling into disuse " degenerate, indeed, but beautiful in its decay ; being one of the five representatives, which alone survive of a great prim-ordial language which once spread over a vast extent of Europe." Archibald Cregeen, the author of a Manx dictionary, says the language " appears like a piece of exquisite network, interwoven together in a masterly manner, and framed by a skilful ,workman, equal to the composition of the most learned, and not the production of chance. The depth of meaning that abounds in many of the words must be conspicuous to every person versed in the language." The late Rev. W. Gill, speaking of the language, said, " It is now rarely heard in conversation, except among the peasantry. It is a doomed language-an iceberg floating into southern latitudes." Manx literature is not, therefore, extensive. It includes a ballad composed in 1520, reciting various historical incidents; bal-lads entitled "Illiam Dhone;" "Molly Charane;" and "Kirree Snightey;" also translations of the Bible, Common Prayer, portions of " Paradise Lost," the hymns of Wesley and Watts, and some of Bishop Wilson's writings. As there are no schools on the island where the Manx language is taught, in a few years it will be merely a traditionary language. The English Education Act, with suitable local modifications, is in force in the island. The compulsory clause necessitates the attendance at school of all children between the ages of seven and thirteen, unless there is some reason-able excuse. The men and women of the future will, therefore, at least have secured a common and useful English education. Many of the men and women of the present, however, have reason to deplore the non-existence of the Education Act when they were young. Amongst the few Manxmen who have become distinguished, honourable mention may be made of Dr. Kelly, author of a Manx grammar and dictionary; the late Rev. Dr. Stowell, of Cheshunt College ; the late Professor Forbes, of the University of Edinburgh; the late Miss Nelson, authoress of " Island Minstrelsy ; " Colonel Wilkes, governor of St. Helena when Napoleon was prisoner on the isle; Thomas Castine, one of the most eminent military chiefs of the French Republic, and who, with many worthier men, was beheaded; the late G. H. Wood, Esq., whose poetical works and musical talents ought to cause his name to be long remembered; the late Rev. Canon Stowell, whose eloquence in the pulpit obtained him a deserved popularity in every part of the United Kingdom; and the Rev. Hugh Stowell Brown; of Liverpool, whose common-sense utterances have found acceptance and a response wherever heard.

The history of the island may be included in seven great periods : the first, ending about the sixth century, during which Christianity was established in the island by St. Patrick and his disciples, St. German, and St. Maughold. The second, when the island was under the rule of Welsh princes, which period extended from the sixth to the tenth century. The third, a very stormy and unsettled period, when it was ruled by Norwegian kings, in connection with the Northmen in Iceland, and feudally dependent on the Kings of Norway, which period continued from the tenth to the middle of the thirteenth century. The fourth period consisted of the latter half of the thirteenth century, during which time the island formed a dependency of the Scottish crown. The fifth period, the fourteenth century, the island became the dominion of the English kings, but was actually ruled by Norman princes. The sixth period, the island owned by the House of Stanley, the Earls of Derby, as Kings in Man, which extended from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, save a short period during the Common-wealth. The seventh period is dated from the commencement of the eighteenth century, when the lordship passed from the lines of Stanley to that of the Dukes of Athol, when it was resumed by the crown of England; the last vestige of feudal sovereignty, however, was not removed until so recent a date as 1829.

A strange story is told of St. Maughold, who, it was said, had been the leader of Irish banditti ; repenting of his evil life, he caused himself to be bound hand and foot, and placed in a boat, which was then allowed to drift as God might please. He was cast ashore on the Isle of Man, where he lived as a hermit on the mountains, and finally became Bishop of Man. It is asserted that St. Bridget received the veil from St. Maughold. St. Bridget, it is also tradition-ally stated, founded the Nunnery near Douglas-certainly a more pleasant site could not have been selected on the whole island.

The origin of the designation "Sodor and Man" is disputed. One authority, the late Professor Munch, states Sodoy to mean Southern Islands, and that " Sodor and Man" simply means "South and Man." Other authorities state that the term Sodor refers to the island on which Peel Castle and St. German's Cathedral stand, which was anciently called Holme Sodor; and others state that the designation is derived from the cathedral church of Iona, which was Sodor, a form derived from the Greek Sotor, meaning St. Saviour's. In the year 1244, Pope Innocent IV. sanctioned the election of Bishops of the Isle of Man by the abbot and community of Furness Abbey. When the island was a dependency of the Scotch crown, five Scottish bishops were appointed in succession. The first, named Mark, so the chronicler says, ruled nobly for twenty-four years, when the natives drove him from the island, for which offence the island was placed under interdict for three years. When Mark was recalled, Manxmen were ordered to pay one penny for every house containing a fireplace. This was called the smoke penny. It is stated that it is still collected, after four centuries, by the Protestant parish clerks. In the year 1380 the diocese was re-divided into its two original bishoprics that of' Man and Iona. The bishops, who lived antecedent to the Reformation, several of them at least,-were reputedly devout and, exemplary in their lives. It is said that Bishop Michael was a man of venerable life, a monk in deed as well as in habit, renowned for his merits, and who ended his days in a good old age. Bishop Reginald who, although Labouring under constant infirmity, governed with energy,. never yielding under fatigue, giving thanks to God, died with a good confession. Bishop Simon was reputed to have an excellent knowledge of the Scriptures; he commenced the building of the Cathedral of St. German's, where he was buried.

The first of the Norwegian kings of the island was Orry, whose name is traditionally better known than any other king. He is said to have landed on a clear night, and, in answer to the question-whence he came, pointed to the Milky Way and said:- That is the way to my country." To this day the Milky Way is called the great road of King Orry. The legislative institutions-the Tynwald Court, the House of Keys, and the division of the island into six sheadings was the work of King Orry. He was succeeded by Guthred, who commenced the building of Castle Rushen, where he is buried. Six princes succeeded, whose reigns and times were much troubled. In 974 Hacon was King of Man. He was one of the eight vassal-kings of Edgar, King of the Anglo-Saxons. He is said to have been the naval commander of the armament of 3,600 vessels which King Edgar maintained to protect his coasts against the Danes. The conquest of England by the Normans was succeeded by the conquest of the island by the Norwegian chief Godred Crovan, or Godred with the White Hand, whose decendants held it for two centuries. Godred reigned sixteen years, and was a sovereign of aggressive, overbearing, and yet commanding temperament. He is said to have held his Scottish, neighbours in such subjection that they did not dare to build vessels with more than three bolts in them. He died in 1093, leaving three sons-Lagman, Harold, and Olave Kleining. Lagman was his successor. Harold, however, rebelled against him, and for his punishment had his eyes torn out. Lagman, repenting of the deed, resigned his little kingdom, "put on the sign of the Lord's cross," and went on a mission to Jerusalem, where he died. As Olave was too young to reign, Murrough O'Brien, King of Ireland, sent, at the request of the chiefs of the island, his nephew, Donald Mac-Teige, who, owing to his tyrannical conduct, was driven out of the island after three years' power. Then came a Norwegian chief, Ingemund, and then a civil war between the north and south of the island, in which, it is said, the women of the south rushed into the fight to assist their husbands; for which deed they were awarded the privilege of bequeathing half of their property independently of their husbands.

This was followed, in 1098, by the subjugation of the island by Magnus, King of Norway, who also conquered the Island of Anglesey; at the same time he resolved to attempt the conquest of Ireland. Prior to doing so, he sent a pair of old shoes to Murrough, King of Ireland, with the degrading message that His Majesty must carry them on his shoulders through his hall on Christmas Day, in token of his subjection. The answer returned was, that the king was prepared to eat them rather than allow a single province of Ireland to be invaded. Magnus prepared a fleet of ships for the invasion, but, imprudently disembarking, was surrounded by the Irish and slain; he was buried near the church of St. Patrick's, in Down. The young Prince Olave Kleining then became King of Man, where he reigned for forty years. His death was caused by his nephew, Reginald, who struck his head off with a battle-axe at Ramsey. Reg-inald then became ruler of the island, and lived a bold, predatory life, making it his boast that for three years he had always lived in his ship. In 1211 Reginald became the liegeman and vassal of John, King of England; and eight years after he became a feudal dependant of the Holy See. Subsequently Olave, Reginald's brother, was the occasion of a civil war between the inhabitants of the north and south of the island. Reginald was slain in a battle, fought near the Tynwald Mount, and was interred at Furness Abbey. Olave afterwards became the liegeman of Henry III. of England, for whom he undertook the defence of St. George's Channel. His death occurred in 1287 ; he was buried in Rushen Abbey. His three sons, Harold, Reginald II., and Magnus were successively Kings of Man. Harold married the daughter of the King of Norway, but was wrecked with his bride, while returning, near the Shetland Isles. His brother, Reginald II., had a brief reign of two weeks, when he was murdered at Rushen. The government was then usurped for a brief period by a son of Godred Don ; sub-sequently Olave's son, Magnus, was appointed by the King of Norway, King of the Islands, as his father had been. He was, of this line, the last King of Man. The assumption of Norwegian power was ceded to the Scottish kings by a treaty signed at Perth ; Orkney and Shetland were, however, to remain Norway possessions.

Then comes an entirely new phase in the history of the island. Edward I. of England enforced the claim of a daughter of Godred Crovan, named Alfrica, the wife of Sir Simon de Montacute, who elected her husband Lord of Man, and who was succeeded in the trust by his son and grandson, both named William de Montacute, Earls of Salisbury. The last of these rulers mortgaged the island to Anthony Bec, Bishop of Durham. In Edward II.'s reign, three of his favourites were promoted to the rulership of the island Piers Galvaston, described as brilliant but worthless ; Gilbert MacGascall, and Henry de Beaumont. The third Montacute, who was crowned King of Man in 1344, sold the island to Sir William Scrope, who was attainted in 1399- Then Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, the father of Hotspur, became, for a short time, King of Man. He was succeeded by Sir John Stanley, a valued adherent of Henry IV., who had a grant of the island upon condition that he and his descendants should present a cast of falcons to the kings of England on their coronation. Pope Pius II., in answer to Stanley's petition, threatened excommunication to any disturber of Stanley's peaceable reign and ruling of the island. The title of King of Man subsequently became extinct; the second Earl of Derby declaring that he would rather be a great lord than a petty king. At this period, owing to the tumults and devastating wars, there were not, Cambden tells us, in his time, six houses on the island with two storeys !

Of the twelve lords of the House of Stanley, who held sovereignty in the island, the most notable was James, seventh Earl of Derby, commonly called " the Great Earl." He was an important actor in the civil wars of the reign of Charles I., and resided in the island for some time in 1643, managing the disturbed and unsettled inhabitants with great skill. He contemplated, and would, no doubt, had death not cut his career short, have introduced various manufactures, and have also founded a University on the island. In 1651, the year after the Great Earl was beheaded at Bolton-le-Moors, the island was surrendered to Cromwell's soldiers by the Receiver-General, William Christian, called by the Manx William Dhone, or " Fair-haired William." General Fairfax, one of Cromwell's generals, held the island for nine years. On the restoration of the Stuarts, the House of Derby was restored, and the then Earl of Derby ordered William Christian to be proceeded against on a charge of insurrection. Christian refused to submit to his trial, and was ordered to be shot without trial; which was accordingly done at Hango Hill. For this act, the Earl was censured by Charles II. in council. At the death of James, Earl of Derby, in 1736, the lordship of the island passed to the Dukes of Athol. In 1765, the island was surrendered to the Crown for £70,000. The son of the last lord was made Governor-in-Chief, which position he held for more than fifty years. In 1829, certain rights in the island were purchased by the Crown from the Athol family for £416,000. A Lieutenant-Governor was then appointed to govern the island-which mode of government has continued to the present. Formerly the House of Keys (the Insular House of Commons) was composed of eight representatives of the out-isles, and sixteen members of the Isle of Man. The selection was made by the people and the Governor, and then, on the death or retiring of a member, the House furnished a list of suitable persons from which the Lieu-tenant-Governor selected a successor. In 1867 a reform was introduced, and the members of the Keys are now elected by the inhabitants of the island.

CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT.

The civil government is vested in the Lieutenant-Governor; the Council, consisting of the Bishop, the Attorney-General, the Receiver-General, the two Deemsters, the Clerk of the Rolls, the Water Bailiff, the Archdeacon, and the Vicar-General, and the House of Keys, which consists of twenty-four members popularly elected. The Council is the upper branch of the legislature; the House of Keys the lower branch. When the Council and the Keys meet together they form unitedly a Tynwald Court, a vote of which is needful for the passing of any law, which, after receiving the royal assent, must be promulgated from the Tynwald Hill.

THE GOVERNOR

Is the Captain-General of all troops on the island and of the police. He presides in all Courts of Tynwald, Staff of Government Courts, Courts of General Gaol Delivery, and is ex-officio judge in the Courts of Chancery and Exchequer. He may call to his aid any of the law officers to sit with him in any of the courts as assessors. The Governor on entering upon his office subscribes the following oath: " You shall truly and uprightly deal between our Sovereign Lady the Queen and her people, and as indifferently between party and party, as this staff now standeth, as far as in you lieth."

THE HOUSE OF KEYS

Dates from 1417, and is a continuation of the ancient assembly called Taxi axi. The name Keys is supposed to be derived from the fact that they are interpreters of common law. Formerly the members were elected by the Keys., When a vacancy occurred two persons were nominated by a majority of the House, one of whom the Governor selected, who became for life a member of the Keys; now, however, the members are elected by the votes of the electors of the island. The electoral qualification is, in the country, owners of real estate of the annual value of £8, and occupiers of the value of £12; and in the towns, owners and occupiers of property of the value of £8 per annum.

THE LAW COURTS.

Formerly four baronies existed in the island for which courts were held, viz. : the Bishop's Barony, the Abbot's or Abbey Barony, the Barony of Bangor and Sabul, and the Barony of St. Trinion. The existing courts are the Staff of Government or Chancery Court, the Exchequer Court, the Common. Law Court, the Court of General Gaol Delivery, the Water Bailiff's Court, the Deemster's Courts, the High Bailiff's Courts, the Ecclesiastical Courts, and Petty Sessions. The Chancery Court is both a court of common law and equity, and is presided over by the Lieutenant-Governor, with the assistance of the Clerk of the Rolls and the two Deemsters. The Exchequer Court determines all matters connected with the revenue. The Common Law Court takes cognisance of real, personal, and mixed actions, and is composed of a Deemster and a jury of six persons. The Court of General Gaol Delivery, presided over by the Governor, is for the trial of prisoners accused of felonies. It was formerly held in the open air, within the outer gate of the Castle Rushen, presided over by the Governor, Council, Deemsters, and the House of Keys. Four men out of each parish-sixty-eight in all-were summoned to try cases. The prisoner could select twelve men out of the sixty-eight to try him. Until the year 1845, the Bishop and Archdeacon were members of the court. Before the jury delivered a verdict, one of the Deemsters demanded of the foreman of the jury, in the Manx language, " Vod fircharree soie?" (May the man of the chancel, or he that ministers at the altar, continue to sit.) The Water Bailiff's Court has jurisdiction in questions of salvage and all maritime matters. To preserve order in the fishing fleet; he also appoints two of the fishermen, with a small salary, to act as admirals. The Deemster's Courts are of great antiquity. The Deemster determines cases by his sole authority, from which an appeal may be made to the Staff of Government. The Deemsters, when entering upon their office, subscribe to the following oath: "You shall do justice, between man and man, as equal as the herring bone lies between the two sides." The High Bailiff's Court enables creditors to recover debts under thirty-five shillings. The High Bailiff is, ex-officio, a justice of the peace and chief magistrate in his district; he is also the proper officer to take affidavits and attestations of deeds, and to hold inquests. Petty Sessions are presided over by members of "the great unpaid," who are assisted by clerks who are members of the bar.

SALARIES OF OFFICIALS.

The Lieutenant-Governor receives £1,500 per annum and residence; the Lord Bishop, £1,500 per annum, derived from tithes, glebe, and residence; Attorney-General, £800 per annum ; the Deemsters, £i,000 per annum ; Clerk of the Rolls, £1,000 per annum ; Water Bailiff, £120 per annum ; Receiver-General, £200 per annum ; Archdeacon, £700 per annum, glebe, and residence; Vicar-General, £500 per annum; Treasurer of the Isle of Man, £200 per annum; Government Chaplains, £140 and £100 per annum; High Bailiff, Castletown, £200 per annum; High Bailiff, Douglas, £450 per annum; High Bailiff, Peel,£200 per annum; High Bailiff, Ramsey, £200 per annum; Coroners, £20 per annum and fees.

LAW.

The laws of the island, prior to 1417, were "breast" laws, unwritten laws, stored in the memory of the Deemsters. Since that time they have been collected in various statute books. The laws were much altered and amended in 1777 and 1813, and have since been consolidated. In 1821 Mark Anthony Mills, Esq., of King's Inn, collected "the ancient ordinances and statute laws of the Isle of Man," which reads strangely in the light of the present day Amongst other legal curiosities, the United Kingdom Alliance will be interested in learning that in 1610 it was "proclaimed, that as oft as any man or woman shall be found drunk, the party so offending shall for the first time be punished in the stocks, the second time tied to the whipping stocks, and the third time to be whipped therein." A law has recently been passed imposing a fine upon any publican who supplies liquor to an habitual drunkard after receiving notice not to do.so. One of the ancient laws was to this effect :--'° If any man takes a woman by constraint, if she be a single woman, the Deemster shall give her a rope, a sword, and a ring, and then shall have her choice to hang him with the rope, cut off his head with the sword, or marry him with the ring." Before the commutation of the tithes 0j. the island, the following were among the enforced laws:-

" Tho Clarke's Due his standing Wages is a groat out of every Plowe if the Plowes plow but three Furrows within the Year; and those that have no Plowes and keep Smoak, payeth annually rd." "Also, that every one do bring into the Parish Church their Tyth Cheese and their Butter truly-that is to say,, once every month the 24 hours' milk made in a Cheese or Butter, beginning in the month of May; and in case any do make Cheese or Butter, and do not bring in, in case they be searched to be found withall, then to forfeit all the Cheese and butter that is so taken." "Also, the Sumner bath for his Paines and Duty doing one principall Cheese; in like Manner bath the Parson, Clerk, Vicar, or Curate, for writing all Things orderly belonging to the Tyth Cheese." "Also, as concerning the Sumner's Duty or Come, he must have a band of three Lengths, of three principall Comes Porcion alike paid from every husband-man, and he must call within the Church, with the advice of the Vicar or Curate, all such things as he is requested of the Parish that is gone or lost, and ought to stand at the Chancell Door at Time of Service to whip and beat all the Doggs."

The bishop, parsons, and vicars were to have their share of herrings, hay, flax, hemp, lambs, geese, eggs, honey, wool, and the apparel of "every man that departeth this life," &c., which was to be duly taken and delivered in the parish church. Offenders and noncompliants were to be taken by "a soldier" to the "bishop his prison." Many of the ancient and quaint laws are unrepealed. They are not likely to be enforced, however, so long as the officials retain a grain of common sense. Formerly only debts contracted on the island were recoverable in the law courts, which enabled absconding debtors from England to find a secure refuge in the island from their creditors. Debts, contracted off the island are now subjected to the same law as if contracted on the island.