Official letter from Charles Lutwidge to the Treasury reporting his arrival at the Isle of Man with revenue officers and enforcement vessels, and noting fraudulent licensing practices for rum and brandy exports. Dated 15 June 1765, just days before the formal Revestment. Lutwidge recommends tightening export license conditions to prevent smuggling.
Letter from Charles Lutwidge to Treasury officials reporting his arrival at Port Douglas on 15 June 1765 with His Majesty's Cutter Cholmondeley and accompanying revenue officers. Lutwidge documents the deployment of customs officers across the island's four ports to suppress illicit trade, and reports evidence that merchants have been fraudulently obtaining licences for rum and brandy export under the pretence of the African trade. He recommends stricter oaths be required for future licences. This letter is dated just before the official Revestment date (21 June 1765) and captures the critical transition period.
Letter from John Wood, Governor of the Isle of Man, to the Board of Customs acknowledging receipt of correspondence via Mr Lutwidge dated 23 May 1765. Wood expresses his readiness to execute orders but notes his constraint due to lack of formal directions from either the Crown or the Duke of Atholl regarding necessary post-Revestment measures. This is a critical document showing the transition period immediately after the Revestment Act (passed May 1765) when governance structures were being established.
Letter from John Wood, Governor of the Isle of Man, to the Board of Customs acknowledging receipt of their letter of 23 May 1765 and confirming his readiness to execute orders. Wood notes he awaits formal directions from the Crown and the Duke of Atholl regarding necessary measures. This correspondence dates to the critical transition period immediately after the Revestment Act (1765) and reveals the administrative uncertainty during implementation.
Official Customhouse account listing the annual value of seized goods imported illegally from the Isle of Man into Scotland over five years preceding the Revestment (1760–1765). Records £36,741 in total seizures, with detailed breakdown by year and supplementary note on tobacco products destroyed. Directly demonstrates the scale and nature of smuggling trade that prompted Parliamentary interest in acquiring sovereignty.
Official Customhouse record documenting the value of seized goods (primarily tobacco and related products) illegally imported from the Isle of Man into Scotland over a five-year period. The account shows annual seizure values totalling £36,741 and specifies quantities of leaf tobacco, tobacco stems, and snuff destroyed by condemnation. This document provides direct evidence of the smuggling trade's scale immediately before the 1765 Revestment.
Letter from Abiah Hume to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, evaluating Anthony Bacon's proposals for supplying His Majesty's Forces in the Isle of Man with bread, forage, straw, and coals. Hume notes difficulty obtaining pricing information from the Island and compares proposed rates to London prices. Includes Bacon's original memorial (16 July 1765) detailing supply terms and quantities. Relevant to post-Revestment military administration and provisioning logistics.
Letter from Abiah Hume to the Treasury Lords (22 July 1765) evaluating Anthony Bacon's Memorial proposing prices for supplying bread, forage, straw, and coals to military forces newly stationed on the Isle of Man. Discusses consultation with the Duke of Atholl, comparative pricing with Great Britain, and recommends consulting island officials for accurate local rates. Includes Bacon's original proposal (16 July 1765).
A detailed contemporary account of smuggling operations from the Isle of Man to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, submitted by Joseph Burrow (Customs House, Whitehaven) to Treasury officials. The document describes the methods used to import prohibited goods (especially tea, spirits, and silk), the ships and crews involved, and smuggling routes and techniques. It includes specific merchant names, cargo details, and operational procedures, providing crucial evidence of the scale and sophistication of the illicit trade that prompted the 1765 Revestment.
A detailed first-hand account from a Whitehaven customs officer (Joseph Burrow) reporting on smuggling operations in the Isle of Man. The informant, identified as John Dexter, provides comprehensive intelligence on smuggling routes, merchant networks, vessel operations, cargo handling methods, and distribution channels to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. This document reveals the scale and sophistication of the smuggling trade circa early 1765, just months before the Revestment Act.
Official correspondence from Dublin Castle to a senior official (addressed 'My Lord') reporting the implementation of orders to send two troops of Hale's Dragoons and a regiment of foot under Major General Montagu to the Isle of Man. The letter details embarkation arrangements from Dublin, routes for the march from Waterford, and timeline for completion by 24 June 1765. Directly relevant to the military occupation and securing of the island following the 1765 Revestment.
Official correspondence from Dublin Castle dated 13 June 1765 detailing orders to embark two troops of Hales Dragoons and a Regiment of Foot under Major General Montagu to the Isle of Man. This document evidences the military deployment ordered by the Crown in response to the Revestment, likely to secure control following the purchase of sovereignty from the Duke of Atholl. It confirms embarkation from Dublin via Douglas.
Formal instructions from the Commissioners of Customs to Charles Lutwidge, Surveyor General, detailing his appointment to the Isle of Man effective 1 June 1765 to enforce customs law and suppress smuggling. Covers revenue protection, coast surveillance, officer deployment, population assessment, and coordination with military and civil authorities. A key administrative document implementing the 1765 Revestment Act.
Official instructions from the Commissioners of Customs to Charles Lutwidge, directing him to travel to the Isle of Man by 1 June 1765 to establish customs enforcement and suppress smuggling following the 1765 Revestment. The document outlines his authority, duties (revenue assessment, port inspection, officer deployment), expectations regarding population decline, and military support arrangements.
Letter from James Murray, British Ambassador to Venice, to Earl of Halifax analysing the failure of the Order in Council to prevent smuggling at the Isle of Man. Murray argues that the Lord's extensive original grant powers make suppression impossible and recommends Crown purchase of the island as the only effective remedy. Includes revenue estimates and observations on the island's population and foreign smugglers.
Ambassador James Murray reports from Venice to the Earl of Halifax on the ineffectiveness of the Order in Council against smuggling at the Isle of Man. Murray argues that purchase of the island by the Crown is the only viable solution, given the extensive powers of the Lord Proprietor and the geography making enforcement impossible. He notes the island's revenue potential (£4,000–5,000 p.a.) and the political stability of its largely Anglican population.
An undated but c.1764 analysis of smuggling trade through the Isle of Man, detailing imports (tea, silks, tobacco, wine, brandy), vessels employed, routes to Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and estimated annual revenue loss to the British Crown (£200,000). Provides specific duty rates and cargo weights from seized vessels. A key document for understanding the scale and organization of the running trade that prompted the Revestment.
An undated administrative report (c.1764) analysing the illicit trade through the Isle of Man, detailing smuggling routes to Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Solway Firth, the vessels employed, and estimated annual revenue losses to the British Crown (£200,000). The document provides quantitative data on goods flows, duties collected by the Duke of Atholl, and specific seizure records.
Charles Lutwidge reports to Treasury officials on suppression of East India goods smuggling and brandy/rum imports to the Isle of Man. He describes impacts of naval patrols by sloops of war and cutters, notes counter-orders preventing merchant vessels from delivering contraband, and recommends adding rum to enumerated commodities. This is a key intelligence document on the effectiveness of revenue enforcement measures in 1764.
Charles Lutwidge reports to Treasury officials on the suppression of East India goods smuggling from the Isle of Man, noting the effectiveness of naval patrols and merchant fear. He details recent vessel movements and recommends making rum an enumerated commodity to combat brandy and rum smuggling from colonial plantations.
A detailed administrative report from the Excise Office Edinburgh to an unnamed recipient describing the state of brewing, smuggling, and illicit trade in the Isle of Man as of late 1764. The report covers breweries in Douglas, malting operations, export of spirits and tobacco, and the scale of smuggling operations. It provides quantitative data on cask capacity, duty rates, commodity prices, and evidence of organized contraband traffic to England, Ireland, and Scotland.
A detailed report from the Excise Office Edinburgh to an unnamed superior (likely Treasury) describing the state of brewing, smuggling operations, and illicit trade in the Isle of Man as of November 1764. The report covers four brewhouses in Douglas, the extensive smuggling of spirits (brandy, rum, gin) and tea, tobacco manufacturing and smuggling, and the scale of re-export operations to Great Britain and Ireland. It provides crucial evidence of the island's role as a smuggling hub and the commercial interests at stake in the 1765 Revestment.
A formal petition/memorial presented by the Inhabitants of the Isle of Man to Parliament in February 1765, arguing against the loss of their ancient constitutional rights and trading privileges following the Crown's purchase of sovereignty from the Duke of Atholl. The document traces Manx constitutional history, details the progression of restrictive Parliamentary acts (1710-1765), and pleads for relief from the devastating 1765 Act that effectively closed the island's profitable smuggling-based trade.
A memorial from Charles Lutwidge to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury seeking to address shortfalls in the Isle of Man revenue fund established by the 1765 Revestment Act. Lutwidge proposes allowing spirits exports and reducing tea duties to combat smuggling from Ireland and stimulate trade. The document reveals practical challenges in implementing the new revenue regime post-Revestment.
A memorial submitted to the Treasury Lords by Charles Lutwidge in 1768 addressing revenue shortfalls from the 1765 Act regulating Isle of Man trade. Lutwidge explains why the proposed duties on spirits, tea, coffee, and tobacco have failed to generate expected income, citing pre-purchase stockpiling and competition from lower Irish tea duties. He proposes export permissions for spirits and reduced tea duties to revive the revenue fund and prevent smuggling.
