[from History of IoM, 1900]

CHAPTER II

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY, (1660—1765)

APPENDIX C.

The governor, referring in 1715 to the disturbed state of the adjacent kingdoms, remarked that he had called in the arms belonging to the garrisons, and found that they were dispersed through the country " in a condition that I am sorry to mention," ¹ though they had been given out in a good state. He then asked the Keys to consider with him and the Council " proper means for raising money to supply these defects."¹ The Keys replied that they considered there was " no necessity " for such a conference. The governor then answered, remarking that the Act of Settlement " does not exempt the Inhabitants from provideing armes and ammunition."² To this the Keys retorted that "it does not appear that the People or Tenants of this Isle before the time of the late civil wars contributed to any armament, saving a paper or scheme of what was expected the Clergie should have in readiness bearing date 1587, from which little can be inferred as having neither lord's, officers or 24 Keys hands to it, and whatever they did at any time since was voluntary, declaring there was no law to oblige them and that the same should not be drawn as a precedent. It is allowed that when his Lordship's grandfather of worthy memory was deprived of his estate in England and obliged to retire hither with his numerous family that severall Levy s were by consent of the 24 Keys made for his and the Country's defence some whereof his Lordship contributed to, to others promised repayment when it pleased God to bless him with his Estate again which yet lyes unsatisfied to this day, but his Lordship (God be praised) not being soe reduced will not now expect such supplies, any more than the King of England will that his Lordship and other gentlemen, whose ancestors maintained their whole Troops and Companys at their own charge, should do so now, and hence it was that notwithstanding the compliances then by the 24 Keys, his Lordship's noble father and brother constantly since have provided us with ammunition and furnished and repaired the arms; and for that end and purpose allowed a standing sallary for two armourers as their ancestors had always done, which most of us yet do well remember and may clearly appear from the yearly charge of the Revenues allowed and accepted by them.

" And give us leave to inform your Worship that anciently our Honble. Lord's ancestors had only half the present yearly rent out of our Estates and Holdings, and, in consideration that the Lord ever after was to maintain and provide for the Garrisons, the said yearly Rents were doubled,² and the Inhabitants were always supplied with arms and ammunition out of the sd Garrisons, and when the sallerys of the military and civil lists are taken out of the former half, together with the ammunition, and add the generall and droping (sic) prices with the great increase in the customes, his Lordship may plainly see how very much more he has yearly from us than ever his illustrious ancestors had."³

1 Lib. Scacc.

2 In 1601.

3 Lib. Scacc