# Manx Primary Source Archive — Transcription

**Source image:** `20260219_122003.jpg`  
**Transcribed:** 2026-02-25 19:26  
**Method:** Automated (Claude Batch API — claude-opus-4-6)

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To the most Noble John Duke of Athol Lord of the Manor of Mann
and the Isles &c. &c. &c.

The humble and most respectful Memorial of the people of the Isle
of Man

Sheweth
That your Memorialists being impressed with a just sense of the Obligations
they are under to your Grace for the attention you have shewn to the true Interest
of this Island & to their late Memorial in particular by ordering your Letter in answer
thereto to be communicated to them. they take this earliest opportunity to beg your
Grace will be pleased to accept their humble acknowledgements & most sincere thanks.

The peculiar hardships this Island suffers from the want of a Constitutional
representation of the people in its legislative Assembly or House of Keys were before
slightly touched on in the late Memorial to your Grace, every days experience evinces
the necessity of their being more particularly described & animadverted upon by your
Memorialists wh^o they hope to do consistently with every sentiment & expression
of Loyalty & respect to their Gracious Sovereign & free from every Imputation of Sedition
Faction or Illegal proceeding with their Adversaries the real Enemies of this Island
& its Constitution have been ready to insinuate in order if possible to give an unfavourable
opinion to his Majesty of the Disposition of his Dutiful Subjects of this Isle, & thereby
prevent such redress from being given as they might reasonably expect to receive from
his Royal Bounty & favour.

Among the many abuses of power usurped by the House of Keys or Legislative
Assembly of this Island none will appear more conspicuous or more deserving of
redress than the mode they adopted of chusing its own Members & by its own authority
of filling up all vacancies therein with^t the Concurrence or consent or even the previous
knowledge of the people - yet this body of Men so chosen & appointed take upon
themselves to declare they are the undoubted representatives of the people & the true
Guardians of the Constitution & Liberties of this Isle. — The obvious Tendency of
such a Declaration is self evident & requires no Argument to prove the fallacy of it -
It might indeed be permitted in provincial Assemblys under the Influence & Dictation
of despotick power but is inadmissible in any Country subject to Great Britain & under
the more auspicious superintendance of our Gracious Sovereign & the British Senate.

It will therefore follow as a natural consequence from what has been premised by
your Memorialists that all Laws made by this Body will have the good of the people but
little in view, to whom the Members thereof think themselves no way accountable for their
Legislative and not being neither chosen nor appointed by them nor are the people even
allowed to form any Judgm^t of their Abilities or Intentions to serve the public, by attending
to their Debates the doors of the House being shut against every person not a Member
thereof where all their proceedings are carried on in the most secret & clandestine manner
by w^ch means oppressions on the people (to answer the private purposes of particular
Members) are & may be accumulated without the possibility of their applying a remedy.

Your Memorialists must however observe in justice to some Individual Members

MS 09707/8/101 AP 36A-10