[pages 264-276 Manx Soc vol XXIV]

MANUSCRIPTS.

Harl. 43, A. 70. Charter of Magnus, King of Man, to the Prior of Cunigesheved (Co. Lane.) 1256.

Respecting privileges. Printed in Oliver’s "Monumenta," vol ii., p. 87 ; Manx Society, vol. vii., 1861.

Charter of Magnus to the Abbot of Furness, date 1256. Charter of Harald to the same respecting ships.

Charter of Magnus, constituting the Bishopric a feudal barony.
A translation in the Manx Society’s third volume, 1860, "Stanley Legislation of Man,"pp. 142-3. Date of confirmation, 1329.

Johes de Athy hêt custodiâ terre de Ma quãdiu, tc. Teste Rege apud Northampton, 6 Julii. Cla. A 33, E. 1, m. 4 in dorso.
Printed in Oliver’s "Monumenta,"vol. ii. p. 271. A.D. 1318.

HarL MS. 2223, f. 26 ; Mona Insula ; Finis A° 5, E 2, m. 13, 15.

Han. MS. entitled Recognatio Olavii Regis Manniae et In-sularum.

Insula de Man Ooiiiissa ; Fin. A° 8, E 2, m. 4.

Henricus de Bello Monte hët totä terra de Man ad vitam suae. Teste Rege apd Berewick supr Tuedä, 12 Martii. Fin. A° 10, E. 2, m. 1.
Printed in Oliver’s "Monumenta,"vol. ii., p. 141. A.D. 1308.

Willffis de Mote Acuto Comes Sarü't Dots Insula Manne Scotia A° 10, E 2, m. 1.

Printed in Oliver’s "Monumenta,"vol. ii., p. 182. A.D. 1334.

Insula de Man. Fin. A° 7, E. 3, m. 11.

Johnës Stanley pro doth de Man. Dors. Clau. A° 39, E 3,

m.7.

Pro Thoma Comiti Warwic’ in Insula de Man. Dors. Cla. A° 42, B. 3, m. 9.

Walsingham (Historian), 1393, f. 387 ; 17 R. 2. On Coronets.

Cott. ch. V. 29. Bond of Wm. Scrope, Seign. de Man, to Richard Whittington, for £166, date 17 R. 2. With seal.

Willffis de Monte Cuto hêt custodiä Insulae de Ma cü perti nëtiis sibi coimssä, usq ad festâ Sti Miches pr futur, et ab esde festo unil annfl &s sequente. Teste Rege apud Twedemouth, 30 MaiL Eps. p. A° 21 R. 2, m. 10.

De Thoma Comiti Warwic’ in Insula de Man ducendo. Z. cL A° 22, R. 2, m. 20.

Willtm de Montagu Comt de Salisbury Vt Seignr de Man. Franc A° 1, H. 5, m. 7.

1860 ; also in volumes xxii. and xxiii. of the Manx Society’s series.

A MS. Record of the Island, preserved in the Castle of Rushen.

The True Chronicle of the Isle of Man.

This is in the Rolls Office, and is prefixed to the old copies of the Statute Book. It has been continued by succes sive Clerks of the Rolls until the Revestment in 1765. Printed in Gell’s "Abstract,"pp. 6-9, vol. i. ; Manx Society, 1867.

Samuel Stanley’s Description of the Isle of Man.
In the hands of Mr. Thoresby, who has also MS. "Prospects in the Isle of Man."Vide Gibson’s "Camden,"vol. i., 1772.

MS. Chronicle of the Kings of Man. On vellum, in the Cottonian Library, marked Julius A. vii. 3. 1065 to 1316. Published in Gough’s "Camden,"1789, abridged.

MS. LORD’S BOOK.—1609.

A Breefe Collection of all suche Leases within the Isle of Mann, as have been formerly granted by anie of Erles of Derby to the inhabitants thereof, with theire severall dates, what acres they doe contayne, what rentes are res’ved, what estates are in beinge, and what is the true valuation of every p’ticular, rated by the oathes of an especiall jurie, impannelled onlie for that s’vice, who vewed eich sev’rall demyse, and valued the same, A.D.

1609.

A Quarto MS. on Vellum.

This MS. is in possession of the present Earl of Derby at Knowsley, and will no doubt form one of the publications of the Manx Society, having been placed in the hands of the Council by his Lordship, with the following letter

KNOWSLEY, January 19th, 1861.

SIR—In the course of partially re-arranging the libraries here, I have come upon the volume, the title of which I enclose ; and as it occurs to me that its contents may be of interest to the resident members of the Manx Society, and perhaps available for some of their future publications, I shall be happy to lend you the volume, and authorise you to make such use of its contents as you may think fit in the interest of the Society. On receiving your answer, I will send it over in such manner as you may advise. I shall of course look to you for its safe return in due time ; and as it is rather in a dilapidated condition, I must beg that it may be carefully dealt with, and not exposed to any farther injury than it has already sustained—I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

DERBY.

J. R. Oliver, M.D., Hon. Sec. , Manx Society.

MS.—1644.

A Discourse concerning the Government of the Isle of Man, by the Rt. Honb. James, Earle of Derby. A.D. 1644.

This MS. is in the Knowsley Library, a Small quarto volume of 78 pages.

It is printed in Peck’s "Desiderata,"and vol. iii. of the ‘" Stanley Papers,"1867, Chetham Society ; also in the Manx Society’s third volume, 1860.

BISHOP RUTTER.—1648. (MS.)

A choice Collection of Songs composed by Archdeacon Ryter ( afterwards Bishop of Sodor and Mann) for the amuse-ment and diversion of the Right Hon. James, Earl of Derby, during his retreat into his Island of Man in the time of the Oliverian Usurpation.

One of the songs is called "Ubonia’s Praise ; "another,

"The Little Quiet Nation,""being a prologue to the play acted in Castle Rushen before the Right Hon. James, Earl of Derby, to divert his pensive spirit and deep concern for the calamity of his country, occasioned by the grand rebellion began Anno 1641 ; "a third is styled "Threnodia, or Elegiac Song on the direful effects of the Grand Rebellion, with a prophetic view of the downfall and catastrophe thereof, composed by the reverend author on Scarlet Rocks, near Castletown."

MS.—16—.

A History of the Isle of Man.

A MS. written in the 17th century, beginning A.D. 1205.

In folio, in the Knowsley Library.

A copy is in possession of Charles Wickstead, Esq., of Shakenhurst, Bewdley, in the county of Worcester, "Stanley Papers,"vol. ii., p. ccclxxiv. Chetham Society, 1867.

This appears to be the same MS. as that called the "Blundell MS."1648, of which various copies are in existence. Mr. Wickstead’s copy is defective of the Title as given in the copy belonging to the Manx Society.

WILLIAM BLUNDELL.- 1648. (MS.)

"It then containeth divers Ordinances, Statutes, and Customs, presented, reputed, and used for Laws in the Isle of Man, that were ratified, approved, and confirmed as well by the Honourable Sir John Stanley, Knight, King and Lord of the same land, and divers others, his predecessors, as by all barons, deemsters, officers, tenants, and inhabitants of the same land."

The above is given as the title of this MS. by Mr. Townley in his "Journal,"1789-90, and which he supposes was written by a Welsh Justice. He has given copious extracts from it in his second volume. The MS. then belonged to Mr. James Oates of Douglas. Feltham, in 1798, states it to be in the possession of Mr. Moore of Douglas (now in the possession of the Manx Society). The author appears to have sought the shelter of the island during the troubles occasioned by the Civil Wars, when, says he, "wearied with being so often awakened at midnight by the King’s and Parliament’s troops, both equally feared because equally plundering, I resolved to banish myself for a time to the Island of Man, where divers nobility had been banished by our Kings."

The Manx Society are in possession of an imperfect copy of this MS., which contains only the first two books, wanting chapters 14 to 25, also the third book. The title of the volume as given in this MS. is as follows :—"An exact Chronographical and Historical Discovery of the hitherto unknown Isle of Man, containing a true and perfect descrip tion of this Island at large ; the History of their Ancient Kings, late Lords and Bishops of the Island ; the Ceremonies of their Inaugurations and Instalments ; together with the Political Government there practised, and their Courts of Justice, and strange manner of the Citations and Form of Pleadings in the Island. As also discovering all their Laws and Customs, as well Political, Legal, or Ecclesiastical, both ancient and modern ; wherein likewise are laid open and rectified the many abusive, erroneous, and misinformed rela tions of Hector Boetius, and of all those that have hitherto written of this Island. Never hitherto discovered or published by any."

MS. by MR. BLUNDELL, of Crosby.—During the Civil Wars.

"This gentleman employed his leisure hours in collecting the History and Antiquities of the Isle of Man, and by his MSS., which I have seen, gave posterity the clearest and most correct account of it."—Seacome, p. 487, Ed. 1793.

This evidently alludes to the above MS. of 1648. A copy of this MS. is in the library at Knowsley, as appears by an extract from it in "The Stanley Papers,"part iii., vol. ii., p. 374 ; Chetham Society, 1867.

There is little doubt this is the author’s original MS., from which various transcripts have been made.

A copy is in the possession of M. H. Quayle, Esq., Clerk of the Rolls, said to be written by an unknown author retired here from the troubles occasioned by the Civil Wars. The Rev. J. G. Cumming considers this to be Mr. Blundell’s original MS., and the one made use of by both Sacheverell and Seacome, but the original is evidently at Knowsley.

The Clerk of the Rolls has given permission for the portion not in the Manx Society’s possession to be copied for their use. It will now form one of their series of publications.

MS.—1422 to 1703.

Containing 108 Acts of the Manx Legislature anterior to the accession of the Atholl family, and which have been kept in Castle Rushen.

This MS. contained much interesting information no-where else to be found. Vide "Memoirs of Train,"p. 133, 1857.

DEEMSTER PARR.—1693-1712.

An Abstract of the Laws, Customs, and Ordinances of the Isle of Mann.

John Parr held the office of Deemster from 1693 to 1712. Various copies of this Abstract, which has never been printed, appear to be in existence. It contains much valuable information as to the state of the law in his day.

This is now in course of publication by the Manx Society, under the editorship of James Gell, Esq., Hen Majesty’s

Attorney-General for the Isle of Man. The first volume, being the twelfth of the Society’s publications, appeared in 1867.

MS.

The Antient Customary Laws of the Isle of Man.

This is a brief compilation, arranged under thirty-nine heads. By whom they were drawn up is not known, but they were considered as of authority at the time Deemster Parr drew up his Abstract, as he often alludes to them. The MS. is in the Rolls Office.

ALEXANDER ROSS.—1744-53. (MS.)

Mona ; or the History, Laws, and Constitution, Ecclesiastical and Civil, of the Isle of Man, verified by the Records of the Island, and thence extracted by the application, care, and diligence of Mr. Alexander Ross, of Grey’s Inn, Gent.

Mr. Ross died in the year 1753. Copied from the original for the use of E. Umfrevill ; now in the hands of George Tollet, Esq., Betley Hall, Staffordshire. The above is from Townley’s "Journal,"1789-90, vol. ii., p. 226, where he states that the MS. then belonged to Mr. Oates of Douglas.

Mr. Tollet, now of Wickstead, Nottinghamshire, in a letter to Paul Bridson, Esq., Hon. Sec. to the Manx Society, in the year 1857, dated "Shakenhurst, Bewdley, Worcestershire, 24th May,"declines to allow the Society to publish Mr. Ross’s MS. as he purposes publishing it.

Mr. Charles Tollet, who took the name of Wickstead, in his letter to Mr. Bridson, gives some extracts from his MS. which clearly proves it to be the same MS. as Blundell’s, 1648, and it appears to have the third book, wanting in the Manx Society’s copy.

Mr. Ross’s MS. is evidently quite a different work.

MS., in Two Volumes, of a Vocabulary or Dictionary of the Manx Language. By the Rev. John Kelly, LL.D., of St. John’s College, Cam., Vicar of Ardleigh in Essex.

In the College Library, Castletown. Printed in the Thirteenth volume of the Manx Society’s publications, 1866. Edited by the Rev. W. Gill and the Rev. J. T. Clarke.

MS. Triglot Dictionary, by the Rev. John Kelly, LL.D., containing a Vocabulary of the English, Manx, Irish, and Gaelic Languages.

In the College Library, Castletown.

1800 to 1805.

MS. History of the Isle of Man, written by the late Rev. Wm. Fitzimmons, Episcopal Minister of Carrubber’s Close, Edinburgh ; a native of the Island.

Formerly in the possession of the late Richard Quirk, Esq., Receiver-General, who presented it to the Manx Society.

MS. on Manx Antiquities, etc.

In the Library of the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh. Communicated by Mr. Oswald, of Douglas, 1823, etc.

1843.

MS. Account of Manx Customs, collected for Train’s Historical Account of the Isle of Man. By a Native of the Island (Mr. P. Curphey). 1843.

MS. Book of Statutes of the Isle of Man. By James Christian. Folio.
In the Knowsley Library.