[From Home Office File HO 98/75]

Bishop Ward to Secretary of State Robert Peel, 14 Nov 1828

Bishops Court Isle of Mann Novr 14 1828

Dear Sir

Tho' I have just written to Lord Lowther on the subject of tithe, I think you will like such particulars respecting the general state of the Church & other affairs in the isle of Mann as I have been able to collect during the few weeks I have been in my Diocese.

In the first place I have the happiness to say that nothing could exceed the manifistations of joy & respect with which the people received their new Bishop, nor the cordiality & kindness which they evince in various ways. I find myself in the happy situation that I can command the cooperation of all classes & denominations, like one man, in any good work that I propose; which I have proved already in reviving some good institutions that the late unhappy divisions had interrupted for many years. The Society for promoting Christian Knowledge is one, & the National Schools another, which interruption has created a deficiency in prayer books & school books especially. There is a deplorable want of church room for the poor in the Town of Douglas & of an hospital in the island, both which wants I hope to be able to supply before long. There are between six & seven thousand souls in Douglas almost all of the lower order, & I am sure there is not church room for as many dozen in the whole Town. This, together with the late contest about the tithes, has driven the great mass of the lower order to the methodist meeting houses, almost all of whom, I am persuaded would return to the church, if room were afforded them. & if tithes were settled for a term of years.

With regard to the clergy, they are miserably poor. it is quite painful to visit their mean abodes, & witness the difficulties under which they labour, most of them with large families. I do not hesitate to say that the Church of Mann has been robbed or made merchandise of homage to [age?] by the Lords of the Isle. Bishop Barrow who was Bishop of Sodor & Mann shortly after the Restoration raised a large sum of money among the Bishops & good people of England for the relief of this church, with which the good Bishops purchased all the impropriate tithes of the Earl of Derby to endow the church. These the Clergy possessed & lived in respectability & great comfort till the Island passed from the Derby to the Atholl family, who disputed the title of the sale, as the power of the Derby family to dispose of the tithes & seized & held them from that time to this leaving the poor clergy in perpetual poverty. It would be tedious to relate all the instances of plunder on the church which have already come to my knowledge, of estates sold tithe free or with prescriptions, which were arbitary exactions from the Church, & which the least attempt made by the Government to examine into them would induce the proprietors to give up. There are not less, I am told, than 10,000 of this discription.

This impoverished state of the church will be one inducement to the government to lend their aid to bring about an amicable & just agreement for the tithes of the church together with the tithes of the crown. Some such settlement as the late act for that of the Irish tithes would be a great blessing to this Island. And the present time is the very fit moment for such a measure. The people, at least all the leading people are eagerly desirous of it. They are very loyal, they are pleased to find themselves under their king, & they are good friends with the Bishop; they expect some measure for the settlement of the tithes will be proposed by the Government. The present moment therefore is the time, & I trust it will not be delayed. The least desire coming from Lord Lowther or you to the Lieut Governor would secure his best aid. He is very much beloved & confided in by all the Manks, & any thing that he brings forward is sure to succeed. Peace on the subject of tithes will be the commencement of the prospering of this interesting little Island, where there has been nothing but war, as long & as bitter as the seige of Troy, & where there is more room & capability of improvement in the soil of the country & the minds & morals of the people than any other spot I know in all great Britain or Ireland, And I will venture to add that you cannot find the same space of country in either kingdom abounding with so many natural beaties. It only wants wood to make it quite enchanting; & then the air is perhaps as pure & salubrious as the globe can afford; & for the consolation of Government I can tell you, that the most experienced Miners have declared that the mountains are one continued bed of mines. At this very time they have hit upon a fine rich vein in the harbour of Douglas where men were digging for some other purpose, and in various parts about the bottoms of the mountains or digging for the foundation of a house or any such purpose, they are constantly lighting on veins of lead.

I am sorry you did not visit us when you were at Liverpool. It will be very well worth your while the next time you approach the opposite shore. You will say when you see it, that it is one of the most promising as well as the most beautiful in the Home department.

Tho' I fear I have already made my letter a great deal too long for your time, I cannot conclude without telling you that the prevailing vice of this island, is drunkenness, which is followed by poverty & a train of eveils. And this is owing to the cheapness of spirits. A man can make a beast of himself for sixpence. it is hoped by all the upper class here, that parliament will lay a heavy duty upon it; and I pray & petition that it may.

I have the honour &c W. Sodor & Mann

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