[From ManxNoteBook vol ii,1886]

T0 accompany Mr. Frederick Swinnerton's graphic sketch of "The Triumph of Godred Crovan," we append the following quaint account of Godred's conquest of the Isle of Mann, "from a Chronicle of the Kings of Man, taken out of M. Camden's Chorographie,"* which differs somewhat from the translation by Dr. Goss, published in Vol. XXII. of the Manx Society:-" In the yeere 1066, Godredus Crovan gathered a fleete of ships, and sailed vnto Man, and giving battell unto the people of the countrey, was vanquished and put to flight. The second time also having gathered his armic and ships together, hee came vnto Man, fought with the inhabitants, lost the vidorie, and was chaced away. Yea, the third time he assembled a great multitude, and comming by night unto the port which is called Ramsa,-⁺' hid 300 of his men in a wood standing upon the side of the hill called Scaeafel. The Sunne was no sooner up, but the Mannians arranged themselves and with great furie set upon Godred. And in the midst of the skirmish, the foresaid 300 men rising out of their ambush, and comming upon the backes of the Mannians, molested them so sore, that they were enforced to flie. But when they saw yt they were overcome and had no place of refuge to retire unto (for the tide of the sea had filled the chanel of the river of Ramsa§) and seeing the enemic so fiercely pursuing them on the other side, they which remained, with lamentable outeries beseeched Godred to spare their lines. Then hee being mooved with compassion, and pitying their extreme calamitic, because hee had bene of late sustained and nourished among them, sounded a retreat and forbad his souldiers to make any longer pursuit. The day following Godred put his souldiers to their choice, whether they would divide Man among themselves and inhabite it, or whether they would take the wealth of the countrey, and so returne vnto their owne home. Howbeit, it pleased them better to waste the whole Island and to enrich themselues with the commodities thereof, and so to returne from whence they came. Nowe Godred himselfe with a fewe Islanders which had remained with him, tooke possession of the South part of the Island, and unto the remnant of the Mannians he granted the North part thereof, upon condition, that none of them should at any time afterwards dare once to chalenge any parcell of the said ground by title of inheritance. Whereupon it commeth to passe, that unto this day the whole Island is the kings own Feesimple, and that all the revenues thereof partaine unto him."

* Published in Hakluyt's Collection of voyages, Vol. I., pp. 65-66; Edinburgh: F. and G. Goldsmid, 1885.
+ in 1077. ,
~ 'The Sulby River.