[From Lib Scac 1763]

1763 - Ballaugh Fair

To the Honble John Wood Esqr Governour of this Isle
The humble petition of those of the Inhabitants of Ballaugh whose names are subscribed

Shewing That whereas the fair held annually at Ballaugh Church Cross on the 15th of Augt old stile being now on the 26th of Augt new stile was formerly a very small fair, consisting of a few people, some sickles & other small commodities, and continuing not above an hour or two, is of late years increased to be a general & great fair insomuch that there is hardly room for the one half of the people horses & goods, by reason of the smallness & narrowness of the place, whereby the church yard ditch & fences of the glebe are prejudiced & damnifyed. And whereas the place in that parish near Ballaugh Smithy, where the Lords Cattle Markets were formerly and annually kept, is the most commodious & convenient place in the parish for that fair, as to room & spaciousness and on the publick high road and lying in the mouth of four publick high roads from East, South, West & North, & so lending most to the safe and convenience of the publick in general for the kind of buying & selling

Your petrs therefore humbly pray that your Honr will be pleased to order & appoint that the sd fair may be removed from the Parish Church Cross, and the same held for the future in the said place where the Lords Cattle Markets were formerly & annually held on the publick high road near Ballaugh Smithy, as being less prejudicial & lending most to the safe & convenience of the publick in general for the end of dealing &c And your petrs as dutifully bound shall for your Honrs prosperity ever pray.

The Parish Church is the old St Mary's near the Cronk, the smithy is next to Ballaugh Bridge on the main road from Peel to Ramsey, the other roads mentioned are presumeably thos to the Cronk and that along Druidale to Injebrack and onto Douglas. Feltham records in 1798 "A stone pillar in the shape of a cross, with a cross cut thereon in relief, is without the churchyard on a mount."

John Corlett was executed for murder of his wife Cath Corlett in 1765