Chapter 13 from Wood's 1811 topographical and historical account of the Isle of Man, describing parishes from Kirk Michael northeastward through Ballaugh, Kirk Jurly, Ramsey, Maughold, Laxey, Lonan, Oncan, and Marown. Includes descriptions of churches, local industries (hat manufacture, flax-spinning, herring fishery, copper-mines), antiquities, and local traditions. Provides contemporary snapshot of Manx settlements in early 19th century.
A detailed contemporary account of the Isle of Man's population statistics across three time periods (1726, 1757, 1792), climate, architecture, and agricultural practices. Includes parish-by-parish population data, crop types, livestock management, labour practices, and analysis of impediments to agricultural improvement such as tithe collection methods and restrictive lease laws. Highly relevant for understanding the island's economic and social structure during the Revestment period.
A comprehensive legal and constitutional overview of Isle of Man criminal law and procedure circa 1811, covering offences from treason to petty crimes, court structures, jury systems, and punishments. Highly relevant as it documents the established Manx legal system in the post-Revestment period and provides historical context on laws dating back to 1422.
A descriptive travel narrative from John Wood's 1811 Account of the Isle of Man, focusing on geography, natural history, fishing practices, and antiquarian sites including the Calf of Man, Port-Erin, and local parishes. Provides contemporary details on island economy (fishing, rabbit farming), folk beliefs, and historical sites including Thomas Bushell's hermitage and Kirk Patrick.
A comprehensive historical narrative of the Isle of Man's political history from the Norman Conquest (1066) through the 1765 Revestment, covering the reigns of Norse and Scottish kings, the transition to English sovereignty, and the transfer from the Dukes of Atholl to the Crown. This chapter provides crucial dynastic and constitutional context for understanding the island's position before the Revestment act.
An early 19th-century historical account of the Isle of Man's revenue systems, covering feudal land tenure, customs duties, the 1703 Act of Settlement, tithe distribution, and the transition following the 1765 Revestment. Wood provides detailed analysis of revenue sources before and after the Crown's purchase of sovereignty from the Duke of Atholl, including estimates of customs revenues and the abolition of smuggling duties.
A detailed geological and mineralogical survey of the Isle of Man from 1811, describing the island's physical geography, rock formations, mineral deposits (lead, copper), and natural resources. While primarily a scientific work on geology, it provides context on the island's natural wealth and economic resources that were relevant to the 1765 Revestment negotiations, particularly regarding mining rights and the Duke of Atholl's prerogatives over mineral extraction.
A comprehensive historical and analytical account of the Isle of Man's constitutional development from Druidic times through 1811, examining the evolution of the House of Keys, the Tynwald court, and the relationship between the Lord-proprietor, Crown, and people. Written post-Revestment (1765), it provides contemporary constitutional analysis and historical precedent relevant to understanding the changes wrought by the 1765 purchase of sovereignty.
An excerpt from a published topographical work describing the route and settlements between Douglas and Castletown, including detailed accounts of Rushen Abbey, Castle Rushen, local churches, and folklore. Provides historical context on ecclesiastical authority conflicts (Bishop Wilson vs. Lt-Governor Horn, 1722), the castle's role as seat of government and prison, and administrative structures (the Keys, deemsters). Valuable for understanding Castletown's political and cultural importance pre-Revestment.
Chapter 8 from John Woods' 1811 historical account of the Isle of Man, detailing the 1765 Revestment when the British Parliament purchased sovereignty from the Duke of Atholl. Covers the original 1726 act authorising sale, the lengthy negotiations, the 1765 treaty terms (£70,000 compensation), and subsequent parliamentary petitions (1781, 1790, 1805) by the Duke's heir seeking additional compensation, with extensive debate records and final resolution.
A table of contents page for Woods' historical account of the Isle of Man, published in 1811. This appears to be a web-based transcription hosted by Manx Notebook, providing access to a 19th-century published account that may contain contemporary or retrospective commentary on Manx history, geography, and society in the early 19th century.
During the First World War, the Isle of Man became the site of the largest internment operation in the British Isles. Knockaloe camp near Peel held over 23,000 men at its peak. The Island's geographical isolation made it the natural choice for mass internment.
During the Second World War, the Isle of Man was again used for mass internment. Camps at Hutchinson Square in Douglas, Mooragh in Ramsey, and Rushen Camp at Port Erin and Port St Mary held thousands of civilian internees, many of them refugees from Nazi persecution.
Correspondence from Charles Lutwidge (Receiver-General) to the Treasury regarding the wreck of the ship London near Port le Marie Bay, Isle of Man (January 1781). Includes detailed accounts from Senhouse Wilson (Customs) and affidavits from William Clague (Deputy Collector) and Robert Marrow (owners' agent) concerning salvage operations, possession of cargo, and jurisdictional conflict between Crown revenue officers and the Duke of Atholl's feudal claims. Illustrates post-Revestment tensions over manorial rights and revenue authority.
Correspondence between Charles Lutwidge (Receiver-General) and the Treasury regarding the wreck of the ship London near Port le Marie Bay in January 1781. Documents the dispute between the Duke of Atholl's claimed feudal manorial right to wrecks and the Crown's revenue interests under Revestment. Includes detailed accounts from revenue officer William Clague, affidavits, and a Court of Chancery decree transferring possession to the cargo owners' agent.
The Manx Language Society, founded in 1899 by A.W. Moore — Speaker of the House of Keys, historian, the man whose History of the Isle of Man documented the crime with the restrained fury of someone who loves the thing that has been damaged. Its motto: Gyn chengey, gyn cheer — Without language, without country. The revival began before the last native speaker died. Brian Stowell began teaching and promoting Manx in the 1960s. Douglas Faragher's English-Manx dictionary introduced twentieth-century vocabulary to a language frozen in the nineteenth. In 2001, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh opened — the first primary school teaching entirely through Manx.
