Fragment of a petition addressing the restoration of sovereignty to His Majesty and the reduction of the Duke of Atholl's powers in the Isle of Man following the vesting Act and the Revolution of 1765. The document discusses the removal of 'imperium in imperio' and the grievances of inhabitants.
A petition addressing concerns about the suppression of judicial answers that should have been delivered and enrolled among records. The petitioners reference legislative procedures of Tynwald requiring Governor/Lieutenant-Governor approval and consent of thirteen Keys members, and question the authority competent to decide common law matters for the Island.
A petition from Manx memorialists describing the dilapidated state of the Tynwald Court House in Saint John's Chapel and other government buildings in Castletown, including courts and record repositories. The document references legislative efforts by His Grace in 1780-1781 to bring bills before British Parliament.
A petition to His Excellency (likely the Governor) from Manx memorialists complaining about the Duke of Atholl's unconstitutional interference in the Island's legislative processes. The petitioners argue that the Duke's obstruction of necessary measures is damaging both His Majesty's Government and the constitutional rights of the Island's subjects.
This is an excerpt from a petition addressing the Isle of Man legislature, requesting the passage of legislation to remedy difficulties arising from the Revesting Act. The petitioner seeks remedies in accordance with the Act of Settlement and ancient constitutional laws, with a requirement that the Duke or his Agent be provided with a copy of the proposed bill six months before its passage.
This is an excerpt from a formal petition, likely addressed to His Majesty, in which memorialists seek protection of their legislative privileges and the right of self-legislation. The petitioners request that attempts to bar the legislature from accessing the throne be discouraged, and that the island's legislature be allowed to operate without unusual contests and expense.
A petition dated 1607 addressing a dispute over sovereignty of the Isle of Man following the death of Ferdinando, Earl of Derby. The petition traces the Stanley family's grant from Henry IV (c. 1407) through 200 years of peaceful possession, and disputes the Attorney General's challenge to the original grant on technical legal grounds. Relevant to understanding pre-Revestment feudal claims and constitutional questions surrounding Manx sovereignty.
A 1607 petition submitted to the Crown concerning the succession to the Isle of Man following the death of Ferdinando, Earl of Derby. The petition traces the Stanley family's 200-year tenure under a grant from Henry IV, details the dispute between William (heir male) and Ferdinando's three daughters (heirs general), and complains that the Attorney General has challenged the original grant on technical legal grounds, preventing the rightful heirs from taking possession.
This petition addresses the Isle of Man's relationship with British Parliament regarding revenue appropriation and compensation. It expresses gratitude for parliamentary support and recommends that agents for the Isle of Man not oppose fair compensation claims, deferring to Parliament's wisdom on matters of revenue allocation and public improvements.
A two-part petition from J. F. Cosnahan to the Duke of Atholl dated March 1817, seeking intercession with the Prince Regent for remission of John Bean Hannay's seven-year transportation sentence for violation of slave trade abolition acts. Hannay, a young Manxman, had assisted in transporting slaves whilst serving as mate and later captain of a vessel. The petition emphasizes his youth, inadvertence, and family hardship (widowed mother with six daughters; loss of his brother at sea). A second letter follows, noting plans for a petition signed by Liverpool merchants. Includes genealogical and contextual annotations identifying the Hannay family and related individuals.
A petition from unrepresented inhabitants of the Isle of Man, subscribed unanimously by the twenty-four Keys, requesting the House of Keys to issue a commission to examine whether abuses previously pointed out have been removed or aggravated, and to adopt means to redress grievances and prevent future misgovernment.
A petition from clergy, landholders, and principal inhabitants of the Isle of Man to the British Parliament requesting legislative intervention to reform the House of Keys. The petitioners criticize the lack of constitutional representation, the self-electing nature of the body's membership, and the lifetime tenure of its 24 members, arguing these practices exclude the people from participation and accountability.
A petition to the Duke of Atholl (addressed as 'your Grace') from memorialists complaining of arbitrary conduct by a factional majority in the House of Keys, their resignation in protest, and proposals for electoral reform including dissolution of the current 24-member assembly and establishment of a new body elected by the people's free voices with a three-year term.
A petition to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury from John Taubman and John Stevenson, inhabitants of the Isle of Mann, seeking payment of loans made to harbour supervisors in 1763-1764. The petitioners claim approximately £754 5s 6½d is due for principal and interest, but commissioners refuse payment pending harbour repair certification under the 1770 Harbour Act.
Two petitions and memoranda documenting a dispute over land enclosure near Douglas Fort. Brew and Kelly, contractors hired by Charles Killey to wall an intack belonging to George Moore, seek legal recourse after Governor Cochrane ruled an encroachment had been made on ducal property. The documents reveal tensions between petitioners, the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Deemster, illustrating Manx legal procedure and the vulnerability of property holders to gubernatorial discretion.
Member of the House of Keys and signatory to the March 1765 resolution. His letter from July 1765 — the month of the transfer ceremony — captures what the Revestment looked like from the Manx side: 'Nothing now, but anarchy and confusion... Bands of armed men go about the country terrifying the people... 'Tis a very melancholy situation we are in... a place governed by martial law and the violence of arms.' Governor Wood's assurance that troops came 'not to oppress' had been issued the same month.
Attorney General in 1727, later Lord Chancellor from 1737 to 1756 — the most powerful legal figure in England for nearly two decades. His 1727 ruling confirmed that the Customs Commissioners' authority 'doth not extend to that Island' — no officer could make a seizure there. His second opinion (1729) confirmed that Crown jurisdiction followed the person through prerogative institutions, while Parliamentary jurisdiction was territorial and stopped at the shore. These two opinions mapped the constitutional boundary that the Revestment would violate. Grey Cooper cited Hardwicke at the Bar of the House in 1765. Nobody in Parliament had consulted the ruling before acting. The opinions sat in the files. Nobody looked.
A printed philosophical text discussing doctrines of state authority over private property. The author critiques dangerous theories through reasoning, citing Philip II as an example, and extensively quotes Montesquieu's L'Esprit des Loix on the distinction between political and civil law in matters of eminent domain and compensation.
Extract from Pliny the Elder's Natural History (Book IV, Section XXX) describing Britain, Ireland, and surrounding islands including references to Mona (Isle of Man). Includes parallel Latin and English text. Relevant to understanding pre-medieval geographical and classical knowledge of the Isle of Man and its position in relation to Britain.
Extract from Pliny the Elder's Natural History (A.D. 23) describing Britain, Ireland, and surrounding islands including Mona (identified as the Isle of Man in footnote). Provides Roman geographical knowledge of the British Isles, distances, circumferences, and neighbouring islands. Includes parallel Latin text from Caius Plinius Secundus.
Transferred the diocese of Sodor and Man from the Norwegian province of Trondheim to the English province of York in 1458, severing the last formal Norse connection.
Issued a rescript in 1459 acknowledging the Stanley lordship of Mann and threatening excommunication for anyone who molested the Island. A direct papal recognition of the Isle of Man's distinct political status.
A tabular population census extracted from the Chancery Book Inrollment for 1784, listing the number of inhabitants across all Manx parishes. The document provides a comprehensive enumeration of the population distributed across 20 parishes, with a total of 24,924 inhabitants recorded across multiple columns (possibly representing different age groups, genders, or administrative categories).
A tabulated population census for the Isle of Man organized by parish, showing numerical data across seven columns with a total of 25,635 inhabitants recorded in 1784. The document includes noted corrections for errors in addition and transcription discrepancies identified by various clergy and officials.
