CHAPTER XVII.

OF YE 24 KEYES OF YE ISLAND.

THESE who at this day are called y^e keyes of y^e Island are very necessary instrum^ts, and very usefull in y^e politique goverm^t of ye Island, not only as adjuvants to y^e deemsters themselves in cases of judicature (for though both are in some sort judges, yet y^e keys are of a lower classis), for y^e deemsters sentence alone is not many times soe satisfactory to some y^t plead their grievances before, but w^th y^e keyes ( being called), y^e sentence being pronounced, it is then definitive ; these are alsoe impanelled upon juryes, and their verdict is commonly definitive, and setteth an end to y^e business.

These keyes being y^e representative body of y^e whole Island their assent is soe necessary as, y^t without them no new law can be made nor any custome be introduced or altered ; wherefore, I much marvell why, in M^r Chaloner’s Description of this Island, he gave us not of any character of these keyes as he hath done before of y^e governor, deemsters, comptrowler, etc. Yea, y^e dutyes of a coroner and moors are omitted alsoe, all w^ch I shall (as far as I am enabled by those Manks papers w^ch I have pused in y^e Island) willingly supply.

They are called y^e keyes of y^e Island (claves insulae), not as wee call our cinque ports claves regni, y^e keys of our kingdome, because these doe open (to set in d^r friends), or by shutting of them (to keep out forreigners and invaders), but these are keyes y^t doe lay open and discover y^e true ancient lawes and customes of y^e Island, and to shutt out all intrusions and noveltyes.

These have not anciently been called keyes, for I observed in ye Manks papers that in and before their Orry’s reigne they were called Saxiaxe or Saxiaxi, but w^t that name importeth in y^e Manks speech I wish I had been more curious to have enquired.

Taxiaxai is a Greek word, signifying a worthy assembly, and is writt in that character in y^e antient records, where they are also styled y^e worthys of Man ; y^e government of y^e learned Druids in this Isle.

These Taxiaxes or keyes of y^e Island are elected and chosen by ye lord himselfe out of y^e natives of y^e Isle, as are y^e deemsters, but not to continue, but durante bene placito, yet seldome any have been put out during their lives.

At y^e instalm^t of a king or lord they are called in by ye deemsters (as I shewed you before) ; they are there called y^e worthiest men of y^e Island, for indeed they ought to be men of understanding, and expert in y^e knowledge of y^e laws and customes of y^e Island. It is required alsoe y^t they should bee landed men, such as our freeholders in England, having 40 or 50 or more pounds of their owne.

Concerning y^e nomber of these keyes of y^e Island, Doctor Merrick, byshop of Man, misinforming M^r Cambden (y^t they were only 12 in number), hath infected all subsequent writers w^th this mistake, for John Speed¹ was next, out of those y^e Lord Cooke, Mr. Helm, and others, yea strangers alsoe, have thereby been mislead, as Mercator in his Atlas, and Andrew de Chesme (ye king of France his geographer), but y^e truth is they are, even at this day, 24 of them ; yet I acknowledge since y^e time of ancient Orrys they have not aiwayes been 24 in certaine, but in wt number it pleaseth ye present lord ; notwithstanding, I have not yet found any ground that they were ever soe few as twelve.

They are at this day chosen out of y^e 17 parishes, but in and before y^e aforesaid Orryes eight of these 24 were chosen out of ye out Isles (ye Hebrides), for in those dayes the Kings of Man were kings of those Isles alsoe, and sixteen only were chosen out of Man (and this I found in their owne notes).

These keyes write downe and keep their manuscripts by them for their memory, and to inform their judgm^t (w" called to consult), of all y^e approoved customes of the Island, and of y^e new made lawes, etc. ; and herein they are very carefull and punctuall.

Footnotes

1 Historie de Anglie et Scotie et Irelande, anno 1634.