T 1/454/169 - Governor John Wood states not paid since May 1765

Castletown Isle Mann April 15th 1766
My Lord.
As I have not the Honour of being known to your Grace & can claim no more of your Grace's Notice than proceeds from the Course of Business, yet from your Grace's known Character, I am in hopes the Circumstances I lye under may without Impropriety, be recommended to your Grace's Consideration

In humble Obedience to His Majesty's Commands, I ordered Five King's Arms to be provided at Liverpool in order to be sett up in the Courts of Justice as the most publick places in this Isle, & reserved the remaining Twenty intended for the parish Churches & Chaples to be copied here, apprehending they may be done at a less Expence to the Crown - As people here are not acquainted in Transactions with the Treasury, I find myself, upon such Occasions, obliged to undertake for the payment of their bills.

I had lately the Honour of a Letter from Lord Barrington, signifying His Majesty's Commands, that I should provide a Vessel for transporting Drafts from the Queen's Royal Regt of Foot stationed here, to Scotland - Major Pennington, who has now the Command of that Regiment, declined paying the Expences upon that Service, alleging he had no funds; which laid me under the necessity of taking the whole upon myself. And I hope it will be found, that no measure, where the Interest of the Crown was concerned, has been neglected, nor any Expence spared, to support the Service & the Character His Majesty has been pleased to honor me with - this however leads me to observe to your Grace, that since 17th day of May last ( when this Isle became vested in the Crown ) I have not received a farthing Salary or Fund, to answer any Service whatsoever, And I beg leave to remark, that all the publick Entertainments formerly allowed by the late Lords proprietors have been defrayed at my own Expence.

I have the Honour to be, with the greatest Respect - My Lord I am etc John Wood

Notes

The 20 Churches & Chapels were the 17 Parish Churches and the Chapels-of-ease at St Johns, Castletown and Douglas (St Matthews); there were Courthouses in the 4 towns so it is not clear where the fifth was to be placed unless one was intended for the Customhouse at Castletown. From a comment in a later letter the cost was apparently re-imbursed by the Treasury

The Public Entertainments were the dinner at Tynwald and some celebrations on the King's birthday.

The non-payment of salary is a continued refrain throughout his Governorship [see T 1/459/353, T 1/494/236, T 1/507/330]- just one aspect of the lack of attention of London to its newly acquired possession for which they would seem to have no future plans once the smuggling had been reduced to acceptable level. Charles Lutwidge, the appointed 'Gauleiter' of the Island would appear to be given more attention than the Governor and certainly allowed considerable leeway in his actions..