Name

Colonel Edward Smith

Biography

Crown Governor from 1777. Arrived 'a total stranger to the manners, laws, and customs of the Isle of Man' and within days began legislating. He excluded the clergy from the legislative Council — the Bishop had sat there since at least 1422. He legislated behind closed doors, 'in so secret a manner, that even the principal merchants and inhabitants did not know the substance of the laws until they became binding upon them.' The Taxation Bill was passed with a single Council member present. He abolished the Great Inquest, created new courts under High Bailiffs in his own gift, and reduced the Council to three Crown officers. The template was set from day one: the seneschal replaced by a stranger.

Active Period

fl. 1777–1793

Place

Castle Rushen

Isle of Man

Period

Crown Administration

Role / Office

Governor of the Isle of Man

Book Chapter

Chapter 12