[From Manx Soc vol X, Challoner's Treatise,1656]

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE BY THE EDITOR.

THE following Short Treatise of the Isle of Man digested into six chapters written by James Chaloner was originally printed in folio, by John Streater in Little Bartholomew's London as an Appendix (with a separate title page) to " The Vale Royal of England; or the County Palatine of Chester, illustrated: performed by William Smith and William Webb Gentlemen " and published by Daniel King in 1656. The work is very scarce and when perfect fetches a high price.

Regarded as a separate treatise it is the oldest history of the Isle of Man.
Camden in his Britannia in 1586 had previously given an outline of Manx history compiled from the Chronicon Mannae et Insularum (published in the fourth volume of the Manx Society) and from papers by John Merrick who was Bishop of Man from 1577 to 1600.

In the Polychronicon of Ralph Higden 1482 there is a brief notice of the Island in Lib. 1 cap. xv. Thomas Durham in 1595, published the oldest known separate map of the Island. which was copied by John Speed in 1610 and re-copied by Daniel King on a reduced scale for this work of Chaloner with the omission of the ships and the figures of marine animals bearing the standards of the British Isles and the addition on the margin of the map of eight small views in the Isle of Man and the arms of the Island (the " Trie Cassyn " or three legs) and the arms of Lord Fairfax. The map accompanying the present edition of Chaloner's treatise is transferred on a still further reduced scale from this latter copy and printed by the photozincographic process (as are also the two plates of views the fac-simile of title page and the plate of arms of the Beaumont family) by Mr. GL. A. Dean of Douglas Isle of Man.
The portrait of Lord Fairfax in this volume transferred by the same process, is taken from a painting by Walker and is an addition to the book as originally published. The autograph" Farfax" is from a document bearing his signature amongst the Records in Rushen Castle in the Isle of Man.

In this edition the orthography of Chaloner has been preserved; as for instance the perpetual use of then for " than " and the forms Tinewald Tynwald and Tinwald on the same page. Where the errors are evidently due to the printer or to the ignorance of the author in the spelling of Manx names some corrections have been made. There are indications that Chaloner himself did not see his work through the press. Had he done so he would hardly have left the addenda and errata in so incomplete a state, or the text with gaps in it where there should be names; these the printer or editor could not perhaps satisfactorily make out from Chaloner's MS.

Had not this volume formed one of the series published by the Manx Society, I should have added largely to the extent of the Notes by the introduction of many more documents bearing upon Manx history to which references only are made. These documents having already been printed in the fourth seventh and ninth volumes of the Society under the laborious and careful editorship of Dr. Oliver and in the first volume (Sacheverell's Survey of the Isle of Man) edited by myself seemed to me likely to create a needless expenditure of print if repeated in this.

There will be found in the Appendix several very interesting documents extracted from the Episcopal and other Registers of the Isle of Man which have not hitherto appeared in print and which could not conveniently be introduced into the Notes. Appendix G is an extension and correction of the extract referred to in Note 38 p 81.

I have also on the ground of avoiding repetition of the same matter in the series of the Manx Society omitted to make notes in this volume upon several points in the history manners and customs of the Isle of Man which I had previously treated of in vol. i. These volumes (Sacheverell's and Chaloner's Histories) may well be regarded as supplementary to each other, and should be read together. In the latter I have been able to amend some of the conclusions arrived at in the former from the very imperfect data possessed by me at the time when it was published the intervening volumes of the Manx Society having afforded more complete materials for the elucidation of the darker periods of Manx history.

This is a proof amongst many others of the value to the historian antiquary and genealogist of the Society's publications .I would take advantage of this introductory notice to make an amendment on page 10 of this volume which was printed off before my final corrections were made. I have there spoken of Alan Lord of Galloway, as being descended from Somerled Thane of Argyle. I should have said connected with; and should have added that Affreca daughter of Fergus Lord of Galloway married Olave Kleining King of Man (son of Godred Crovan) and that an illegitimate daughter of Olave Kleining (Ayla) was married to Somerled and it was their son Dugald who for a time (in 1155) gained the kingdom of the Isles. (See Appendix B.) Train observes in his History of the Isle of Man, vol. i.p. 123 that when we add to the above circumstances That Thomas the Blackson of Alan married a daughter (he should have said sister — see Appendix A.) of Godred Don we may infer that it was probably from these and other connections that the Galloway family became so much interested in the affairs of the Western Islands and of Man." These same connections afford additional reasons to those mentioned in Notes 56, 58, 59 and 61 for the interest taken by the Comyn family in Manx affairs since both John the Black Comyn Lord of Badenoch and John Comyn Earl of Buchan were descended from Alan Lord of Galloway. — (See Appendix A.) — I have stated (note 68p. 111) that " the documents pertaining to William Christian (Illiam Dhone) will be given amongst the publications of the Manx Society under the editorship of my valued friend and quondam pupil James Burman, Esq. .F.R.A.S.Secretary to H.E. the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man and one of the Council of the Society." Whilst the sheet containing that statement was being printed off this distinguished and deeply-lamented Manxman was suddenly removed from the scene of his labours. But the arrangement of the documents which he had collected is in such a state of forwardness that it is hoped there will be no difficulty in their publication at an early period under the able editorship of another well-known Member of the Manx Bar.

I must express the deep obligations I am under to Paul Bridson Esq. one of the Honorary Secretaries of the Manx Society for several of the documents extracted from the Episcopal and other Registers of the Isle of Man; and for many notes upon the names of the Clergy of the Island and Officers of Government in the days of Chaloner. To these notes I have appended the initials P. B.

To Dr. Taylor of Elgin the learned author of Edward the First of England in the North of Scotland my hearty thanks are due for the kindness he has strewn me, in furnishing much information and many copies of interesting documents illustrative of the connection of Henry de Beaumont and the Comyns with the Isle of Man.
To Lady Gordon Cumming of Altyre and another lady who wishes to remain anonymous I am deeply indebted for a great part of the materials of the Genealogical Tables in the Appendix.

J. G. CUMMING
Mellis Rectory Suffolk May lst 1864.