Report from Governor Basil Cochrane to the Duke of Atholl on Isle of Man affairs, including merchant morale regarding the Island's not being disposed of, trade recovery, remittance arrangements with Liverpool merchants, proposed administrative reorganisations (Receiver General and Water Bailiff positions), and discussion of coinage design with ducal imagery.
Report from Governor Basil Cochrane to the Duke of Atholl covering administrative matters including remittance of funds (£525), pursuit of escaped vessels from an Irish port, tithe collection plans, and ecclesiastical patronage matters for Manx parishes. Provides insight into daily governance of the Isle of Man under Atholl's sovereignty prior to the 1765 Revestment.
Report from Governor Basil Cochrane to the Duke of Atholl covering administrative matters including coin production, revenue transfers, harbour surveys, naturalization disputes, and ecclesiastical appointments. Provides insight into governance challenges, smuggling concerns, and the relationship between the Governor and key Manx figures before the 1765 Revestment.
Report from Governor Basil Cochrane to the Duke of Atholl covering administrative and commercial matters on the Isle of Man, including a shipwreck near Douglas, smuggling-related tea shipments, French privateering activity (Thurot), revenue remittances, and emerging trade routes (claret from Bordeaux). Relevant to understanding pre-Revestment governance, smuggling operations, and revenue concerns.
Lieutenant Governor who forced the Keys to accept popular election as the price of financial control. The House of Keys Election Act of 1866 was promulgated at Tynwald. The first popular elections took place 2–5 April 1867. The franchise was limited — male ratepayers holding property valued at eight pounds or more, roughly twenty per cent of the adult population. Thirteen of twenty-four seats went to men who had sat in the old self-elected House. The revolution was conservative. But the principle was established. The mechanism that the Revestment had destroyed — accountability, proximity — had been rebuilt by Manx people themselves.
Letter from Governor John Wood to the Treasury (dated 27 June 1770, read 5 July 1770) objecting to the Customs Office in London directing Revenue Officers on the Isle of Man to issue orders to civil and military officers without the Governor's knowledge or consent. The letter was prompted by a duplicate notice regarding precautions against plague vessels. It illustrates tensions between Treasury/Revenue authority and gubernatorial sovereignty on the Island.
Letter from Governor John Wood to an unnamed Lord (likely Treasury Minister) dated 15 April 1766, complaining of lack of salary and funds since the Isle of Man became vested in the Crown on 17 May 1765. Wood details expenses incurred for Crown business (King's Arms, military transport) undertaken at personal cost and notes that public entertainments have also been defrayed from his own pocket. Directly relevant to the immediate administrative challenges following the 1765 Revestment.
Letter from Governor John Wood to an unnamed peer (likely the Lord Lieutenant or Secretary of State) dated 15 April 1766, complaining of non-payment of salary and funds since 17 May 1765 (the date of the Revestment). Wood details various Crown expenses he has personally undertaken, including provision of King's Arms for courthouses and payment for troop transport from the Queen's Royal Regiment. The letter illustrates the Crown's neglect of administrative arrangements immediately following the purchase of sovereignty.
Letter from Governor John Wood to an unnamed Lord (likely Treasury official) dated 15 April 1766, detailing his financial hardships and lack of salary since the Isle of Man vested in the Crown on 17 May 1765. Wood describes various expenses he has undertaken on behalf of the Crown, including provision of King's Arms for courts and churches, and a vessel for military transport, all unreimbursed. The letter illustrates the administrative chaos and financial neglect following the 1765 Revestment.
Collection of 9 letters (AP 35-1 to AP 35-14) from Governor John Wood to the Duke of Atholl covering administrative, financial, and political matters on the Isle of Man, 1762–Oct 1764. Includes revenue remittances, officer appointments, constitutional questions, and references to Westminster's emerging anti-smuggling measures and East India goods restrictions. Provides direct insight into governance, Taubman merchant conflicts, and the political context immediately preceding the 1765 Revestment.
Two letters from Governor John Wood of the Isle of Man to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, dated 14 March 1772, requesting payment of arrears of salary (£1,300+) and drawing bills on the Treasury for £1,000. The letters reveal post-Revestment financial dysfunction, with revenues diverted to harbour improvements and remitted to London, leaving civil establishment personnel unpaid. Also includes a 1768 bill for £1,400 showing Wood's persistent payment difficulties.
Letter from Governor John Wood to an unnamed peer (likely the Duke of Grafton or Secretary of State) dated 15 April 1766, detailing his grievances regarding non-payment of salary and allowances since the Crown's assumption of sovereignty on 17 May 1765. Wood describes expenses incurred for King's Arms in courthouses, transport of military drafts, and public entertainments, and complains of financial hardship despite fulfilling his duties to support the Crown's interests.
Report from Governor Lindesay to the Duke of Atholl describing recent legislative acts passed by the Manx Keys, including concerns about deemsters' fees and a champerty act. Discusses a dispute over the Ballalough estate involving Arthur Calcot, and criticises the activities of attorney Gill and customs officer Sidebotham. Provides insight into early 18th-century Manx governance and revenue issues.
Report from Governor George Lindsay to the Duke of Atholl detailing seizures by HMS Wolfe, alleged infringements of Atholl's rights and revenue privileges, and suspicion of political interference. Includes accounts of captured vessels and concerns about loss of customs revenue. Demonstrates tensions between naval authority and proprietary rights on the Isle of Man before the 1765 Revestment.
Governor George Lindsay's report to the Duke of Atholl covering financial instruments (bills of exchange), a clergy disciplinary matter, and celebrations following the defeat of the Jacobite rebellion. The letter demonstrates the administrative structure of Atholl's rule over the Isle of Man and the island's loyalty during the 1745-46 Rising.
Letter from Governor Lindsey reporting to the Duke of Atholl on failed attempts to recruit soldiers across the Isle of Man, attributing the failure to labour scarcity and the islanders' preference for sea employment over military service. References commercial shipping to Liverpool and Whitehaven, suggesting smuggling or privateering interests. Includes financial notes on bills of exchange from Dublin and Dublin Bishop.
Letter from Governor Lindsey to the Duke of Atholl reporting the failure to recruit soldiers on the Isle of Man, attributing this to labour scarcity and Manx preference for maritime work, particularly smuggling routes to Liverpool and Whitehaven. Also discusses financial bills and progress at Glenchass (likely a mining or industrial site).
Report from Governor Lindsey to the Duke of Atholl detailing financial arrangements for remitting cash to London via Dublin intermediaries, including promissory notes for £1,000 sterling. Also reports on mining operations at Glenchass and Maughold Head, assessing prospects for ore extraction and economic viability. Provides insight into 18th-century Manx commerce, financial networks, and the Duke's commercial interests on the island.
A letter from Governor Lindsey to the Duke of Atholl reporting on financial remittances, bill arrangements with Dublin merchants, the stability of promissory notes, and the status of mining operations at Glenchass and Maughold Head. The letter provides insight into Isle of Man's administrative operations, revenue collection, and economic activities in the mid-18th century, prior to the 1765 Revestment.
Governor Lindsey reports to the Duke of Atholl on violent seizures of private property at sea, concerns about revenue collection, and a scurrilous pamphlet circulating on the Isle of Man criticizing the government and its laws. The governor expresses alarm about the impact on Atholl's interests and mentions detaining the crew of the Wolfe sloop pending instructions.
Governor who heard the petition of the Grand Jurors fined for improperly acquitting George Wilks. He reduced the fines from twenty shillings to five shillings and sixpence, ruling their error was 'the effects of ignorance & misunderstanding the law, and not willfull error.' The system was merciful enough to forgive them.
Governor of the Isle of Man. Authored the 'rudely putt off' letter describing London's refusal to hear Manx concerns until the Duke's claims were settled.
The Lord of Mann's representative on the Island — his lieutenant, his eyes and ears, the person who sat at the top of Tynwald Hill when the Lord could not. Under the lordship, the Governor's oath required him to 'truly and uprightly deal between the Lord and his people, and as indifferently betwixt party and party as this staff now standeth.' The Governor was a mediator, a constitutional participant. After the Revestment, Wood's commission came from the Privy Council — a British procedure. 'The Lord and his people' became 'the king and his subjects.' The language of custodianship was replaced by the language of possession. Colonel Smith arrived in 1777 'a total stranger to the manners, laws, and customs of the Isle of Man' and within days began legislating behind closed doors. No Manx-born person has ever been appointed Lieutenant Governor.
Letter from Governor Edward Smith to Sir Grey Cooper at the Treasury (9 January 1779) requesting urgent consideration of copper coinage for the Isle of Man. Smith reports that a new cambric manufactory, established at government expense, is suffering from lack of small change, and warns that the settlement and its investors will be lost without immediate relief. This document illustrates post-Revestment administrative concerns and the Treasury's role in Manx economic development.
Letter from Governor Edward Smith to Sir Grey Cooper, Baronet (Treasury official) requesting urgent action on copper coinage for the Isle of Man. Smith reports that a new cambric manufactory recently established at government expense is suffering from lack of copper currency, threatening to discourage new settlers and waste public investment. The letter references prior Treasury papers on Manx coinage and requests immediate relief.
