[From King Orry to Queen Victoria, 1899]

PREFACE

THIS is not a guide-book: such are as plentiful as ambrosial leaves; it is a concise history of the Isle of Man-Constitutional, Political, Ecclesiastical, Legendary, and General-compiled as briefly as possible from the writings of Waldron, Traine, and almost every author who has written voluminously on this subject.

Ancient records have also been consulted, when some years ago I had access to them through the courtesy of the late James Burman, Esq., F.R.A.S., the Secretary to three Lieutenant - Governors of the island. Libraries, public and private, British Museum, Guildhall, and others, have been carefully searched and laid under contribution.

The Earl of Derby not only allowed me to search and avail myself of the contents of his library at Knowsley, but also permitted me to copy documents and to photograph portraits and other pictures of great interest, which I have freely used in the illustrations of this work. To his lordship's librarian, the Rev. John Richardson, M.A., Vicar of Knowsley, I am particularly indebted for the kind and valuable assistance I received from him in my labours.

There are in these pages many matters of interest that have not hitherto been placed before the general reading public; and my object has been to place before those readers-who have neither the opportunity, the time, nor the inclination in these busy times to wade through the many ponderous volumes that have been written about the Isle of Man--a short and concise account of Manx laws and Manx history, freed from all the dry-as-dust matters which are only of interest to the antiquary and the student, still retaining the essence of their contents that are really of interest to the general reader, so as to provide the public with a readable, instructive, and entertaining book on this very interesting little country, in which all British readers should feel a special pride and interest; as it is
THE BIRTHPLACE OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT,
and the cradle of England's Parliament and those of her colonies, possessing as Mona does, in the House of Keys, the oldest Legislative Assembly in the world, that has existed uninterruptedly since its foundation by King Orry in 938 A.D., and now, after nearly a thousand years, is still in full force under the triumphant rule of Queen Victoria, Lady of Man.

E. C.

October, 1899.

Edward Callow was the grandfather of Robert Kenneth Callow, FRS,(1901-1983) whose biography appeared Vol 30 Biographical Memoirs of the Royal Society. In this it is stated that Edward Callow could trace back to his grandfather Edward Callow, a shipwright of Douglas, 1745-1831 but was unable to determine any linkage to William Callow of the Manx Quakers. In 1846 Edward Callow described himself as 'of the Stock Market' but subsequent financial problems caused him to live his life in retirement. He had six children.