Episcopal Wills 1765 Maughold #1, of David Lawson

(from MM GL714 / LDS 0106388 )

Carlisle 13th February 1757
Honoured father and mother this is with my duty
to you I am in good health at present god be thanked
hopeing these few lines will find you the same so I beg t[]
you will keep good hearts & not to fret your selves about
me because I want for nothing yet I received your letter
february the 12th which grived me much because you wo[uld]
think to take such journey but after another maner I was
very glad to hear of your welfare and is very glad that
I received your letter, I sent a letter over to Peter Rume [Rome ?]
a week before I received your letter and I sent over for two
geeneys and to see if there was a pear of stockings left
there and i got noe answer out of it and I sent another
letter over the 12 of februrary which i got no answer out of
yet I desire that you will not let your selves want for
any thing there is of mine to any service to you money or
any [th]ing else So I desire that you will take care
of b[on]ds and bills there is in my chist and in a box behind
my bed and in my counting book. So I give my father
my kind love and serviceto my sister and brother in law
and my kind love and service to my cousin John Kneen and
cousin Edward Callow & William Munear and Thomas
Howard and all inquireing friends I want for nother neith[er]
meat drink washing or bed and I desire that you will n[ot]
send any thing over to me because I do not expect to be
here but a short time because there is a captain of a man of war cum from
newCastle for us which came in the yard to view us and
tould us that we was to go away to new Castle the 17 of febr
I desire my service to all the boat crew and espeshal[y]
to John Corkil and John Corlet some more at []
William Kneen
[J]ohn Kneen the fortunatus desires his kind love and service
[] his wife and his blessing to his childer

And several others besides which their names is set down
in the later end of my counting book so i desire that
the will pay the money to my father as soon as the
can and I desire that my father will get the benefit
of all what belongs to me so long as he will live so no
more at present - William Kneen

At a court of correction holden at Kirk Michael Feb 15 1765
the before going paper wording being well & sufficiently
proved by the annexed depositions to be the proper handwriting
of Willm Kneen the youngr mariner who died in his
majesty's servic, & no other will being alleged or
appearing, the same is accepted as the last will &
testamt of the sd Wm Kneen the younger - whereupon
his father Wm Kneen is sworn execr in form of law
& has given pledges according to law namely Thos
Art: Corlet & John Cowle both of Lezayre
Probatum & acceptum est
solv 12d

To the Revd Matths Curghey Vicr Genll
This humble petition of Wm Kneen
of the town of Ramsey
Humbly sheweth
That in the year of our Lord
God 1757 Wm Kneen your Petrs only son was
impressed into his Majestys service at a town called
Bonus [Bo'ness] in Cumberland within the kingdom of
Great Britain & that in Carlisle in the month of Febry
in the sd year & upon his journey to New Castle [afterw]
=ards is to be ship'd a board of a man of war, the
sd Wm Kneen your petrs only son afforesd
wrote two sevrll letters home to your petr this
one bearing date the 13th of sd instant and
the other the 17th & the latter do confirm the []
Ish & both written by sd Wm Kneen your petrs
son's own hand, and in the sd letters he gives
and acctt of his effects & how he disposes of
the same. And your petr is lately well
inform'd that your petrs sd son sometime ago
died in Halifax & shortly before his death
he did before witnesses declare the sd letter or
letters to be his last will all wch is in favour
of your revds petr, And as one of the witnesses
who was by at his death is now in this Isle
& another who was by when the decd wrote sd
letter or letters - The one called Jno Kneen now
in Lezaire & the other Danl Kee in Ramsey
Your petr therefore most humbly begs
your revds authority to charge the sd
Jno Kneen & Danl Kee to the next court
of correction held at Lezaire in order
to declare what they know touching
what is avove sd and that the sd leter
may be receipted as the last will and
testament of the decs wch he shall pray etc

The matter of this petition are ordered to come on at the
next court of correction to be holden at Lezayre to which
court the petr to produce his witnesses in support of the
will by him alledged
given at Bishopscourt feb 11th 1765
Matths Curghy

At a court of correction holden at Lezayre Feb 13 1765
Danl Kee of the town of Ramsey produced & sworn in behalf of the Petitr
deposath & saith that he & svl others & among these others Willm Kneen son
of the Petr were impressed into his Majesties service at Bonus in the
County of Cumberland on or about the 20th day of Janry 1757. Saith that
he & the sd Wm Kneen were confined together at Carlisle in the same
prison for some time after they were so impressed - saith that some time
while they were so imprisioned, the depont in a jocular manner sayd
to sd Wm Kneen, if anything befals you or if you die, or words to ye sd effect
Robt Clark (your brother in law) will be your heir & enjoy all your
goods, saith that sd Kneen thereupon answered I will be even enough
with him for that, for I shall write to my father that he may collect
all that is due to me wether by bills bonds or otherwise
& enjoy the same to his own use - saith that he afterwards saw the 
sd Wm Kneen write to his father, a day or two before they left Carlisle
jail & annex a list of sevl debts due to him to sd father - saith that
the paper writing now produced to him at the time of his examination
marked with the letter A is the very letter wrote by sd Wm Kneen
as aforesd & that the same to the best of the deponts knowledge is
the proper hand writing of the sd Wm Kneen
Dan Kee

John Kneen of Lezayre produced & sworn in behalf of the petr deposeth
& saith that he was also impressed into his majesties service at the same time
& in the same company as the above named Danl Kee & was also put
into the same prison at Carlisle with sd Kee & Wm Kneen & remained wth
them in prison, unil they were removed thereout on board one of his
majesties ships of war - saith that he the deponent & sd Wm Kneen
continued together on board the same ship in his majesties service for some
time that sd ship was stationed on the coast of North America that sd Kneen
was for some time ill & was put into an hospital the depont told him
he had best make his will & that sd Kneen answered he would make no other
will than he had made, which was at home wth his father - saith that while
he & sd Kneen were together in jail in Carlisle the sd Kneen told this deponent
he was writing home to his friends & asked the depont whether he had any comands
& that the depont answered I desire my love and service to my wife (in mx
whereas they spoke my chorp as slaiynt gys my ven) & that sd Kneen
replied I will mention that John Kneen Fortunatus ? sends his love & service
(my chorps as slaiynt as above) to his wife - saith that Wm Kneen died at Halifax
aforesd & yt depont attended his funeral there
John Kneen his X
Febr 13th 1765 before me Matths Curghy
[following page too dark on microfilm at rh edge]
At a court of correction holden at Lezayre 
Feb 15 1765
Matths Cowle of the townof Ramsey mariner produced & sworn []
of Wm Kneen the petitr deponeth & saith he was well acquainted with Wm Kneen
son of the Petitr from his youth, & that he the depnt & the sd Wm Kneen []
impressed into his majesties service together abt eight years  []
:[] that after the were so impressed they were put into prison at []
Carlisle unto an opportunity offered to ship them on board some []
of his majesties ships of war, saith that the sd Wm Kneen wrote a []
to his father while he the depont sd J Kneen & others were together in Carlisle jail
& that the paper writing now produced unto him at the time of his
examination marked A is the proper handwriting of the sd Wm Kneen
as the depont verily believes he the depont being well acquainted with
the handwriting of the sd Wm Kneen - saith that they were []
removed from Carlisle jail to Newcastle where they were kept in
custody for some time & afterwards sent & put on board his majesties
ship the Rose where they continued together some time, & saith that
he does not recollect to have heard the sd Wm Kneen during the time
they were so together speak or say any thing about his will
Matthias Cowle
the above deposition taken by & before me 
Matths Curghey

He was one of a group of smugglers caught at Bo'ness and, like most so caught, was impressed into the navy.

Other men impressed besides Daniel Kee, John Kneen & Matthias Cowle were
Ewan Garret (died on coast of Guinea 25 Jan 1759 on board HM hired tender Sarah)
John Corkil (died HM Royal Hospital Plymouth, 1759) and
John Corlet (mentioned by Wm Kneen)

A brief description given in Wilkins "2,000 Manx Mariners"