[from Black's Guide, c.1888]

ADMINISTRATION.

As the Island is naturally divided by its mountains, so it is also for civil purposes, into a northern and a southern division. These are subdivided into six sheadings (from shey, six ; and thing, assembly) and seventeen parishes. ouro.-Sheadings. Included Parishes. Glenfaba ° . Patrick, German, Marown. Middle. .. . Onchan, Braddon, Santon. Rushen . . . Rushen, Malew, Arbory. NortH.-Ayre . . . Bride, © Andreas, Lezayre. Garff, . . . Maughold, lLonan. Michael ; . Michael, Ballaugh, Jurby.

For each sheading there is a coroner, whose functions are those of an English sheriff's officer, namely, to serve legal notices and execute the judgments of the civil courts. Each parish has its captain, who was formerly the head of the militia. There are two deemsters (judges), one for the north, the other for the south.

GOVERNMENT.-From a time long anterior to its connection with England, the Isle of Man has retained its privileges as a kingdom, together with its original Scandinavian laws and annual assemblies on the same Tynwald Hill from which the kings of Norway promul- gated laws for the Southern Hebrides, In all essentials its constitution has continued unchanged since its establish- ment, which is ascribed to King Orry, or Gorree, early in the 10th century.

The King of Man was first a feudatory of the King of Norway, then of the King of Scotland, lastly of the King of England; till in 1765 the Duke of Athol, its last king, transferred his rights to the English crown. Since then, the Customs, the Post Office, the Harbours, as well as the Military and Naval Forces, have been under the control of the English Government. Although the Imperial Parliament makes laws for England, Scotland, and Ireland, they are not valid in the Isle of Man, unless they are in accordance with its ancient laws and liberties, and until they have been confirmed by the Tynwald Court, and proclaimed on the Tynwald Hill. The insular laws are not valid until they have the sanction of the Imperial Government. [From thing, assembly ; and wald, a field or place.]

The legislative authority, whether in relation to the sovereign, the people, or property, has been from ancient times unlimited and supreme, except where it would conflict with any English law expressly extending to the Island. For several centuries it was designated "The Kingdom of Man and the Isles." As a representative assembly, its House of Keys is not only older than the English Parliament, but it is the oldest in Europe. The sovereigns of the Stanley dynasty were called kings of Man, till Thomas, second Earl of Derby, changed the title to that of Lord, which was borne by his successors.

The legislature, called the Tynwald, is a sort of miniature of the English Constitution, consisting like that, of three estates, the Governor, the Council, and the Keys. The Lieutenant-Governor is appointed by the Crown, whom he therefore represents ; the Council consists of the Crown Officers, the two Deemsters, the Attorney- General, the Clerk of the Rolls, the Receiver-General (Treasurer), the Water-Bailiff (Judge of the Admiralty), and the Ecclesiastical Officers - the Bishop, the Archdeacon, and the Vicar-General, Their deliberations as second chamber are public, as executive, private.

Before the Reformation the Council included the insular Barons ; of these the Bishop, being now the sole Baron, is the representative ; and as such he does homage to the sovereign of England on his appointment. He has a seat in the House of Lords, but not a vote. The Deemsters are the supreme judges, both for life and property. Minor cases are heard by the High Bailiffs, of whom there are four, one for each town. They have the functions of English Mayors and Coroners, and they are Registrars of Births, etc. There are also Justices of the Peace as in England.

All the officers of the Council are appointed by the Crown, except the Vicar-General, whom the Bishop appoints to act for him as judge in all ecclesiastical affairs, and in the estates of deceased persons.

Tae Water-Bailliff has jurisdiction over the customs and all nautical matters, wrecks, fisheries, etc.

The Deemster's oath, on his appointment, has this clause-originating when the staple food of all ranks was herrings :-"I will execute the laws of this Isle justly betwixt our Sovereign Lady the Queen and her subjects within this Isle . . . as indifferently as the herring back- bone doth lie in the midst of the fish."

The House of Keys.-The Manx House of Commons consists of 24 members, and these are elected by the male ratepayers, by female owners of real property of £4 annual value, and by lodgers who pay not less than £10 annual rental for unfurnished apartments. The female suffrage obtaining here is the solitary example of woman's participation in legislative work in the British Empire.

The qualification of a member of the House of Keys (M. H. K.) is the possession of £100 per annum from real estate, or real estate of £50 and personal of £100, or personal estate of £150. Their institution is ascribed to King Orry in the 10th century. They were originally called Taxiaxit; and were probably rather the guarantees for their respective communities than their political representatives. Before 1866, when vacancies occurred, the House nominated two persons to the Governor, who selected one of them. But in the earliest times up to 1430, the election was by the people. Now the six sheadings and the four towns are the ten electoral districts. Three members are returned for each sheading, three for the town of Douglas, and for Castletown, Ramsey, and Peel, one each, The election is septennial. 1 ** Keys" is probably from Keesh, a tax. ""Taxiaxi" perhaps from taisce, a pledge, and aisce, a trespass. Dr. Campbell refers the word to teasgasg, which he says implies druidism.

The annual Tynwald Court is held at St. John's on the 5th of July, when the Acts passed and sanctioned by the Imperial Government are signed and proclaimed in English and Manx (see Tynwald Hill, p. 57).

THe DIOCESE OF SODOR AND MANN, and the temporalities of the Bishop, are entirely within the Island. When these included the Sudereys, or Sodorenses?* (Southern Hebrides), the episcopate like the lordship was styled Sodorensis, and in the 17th century, "Sodor and Man ;" the twofold title is still retained, although the Isles are separated. It was in early times subject to the Bishop of Drontheim, in Norway. When Man became connected with England, the See was included in the province of Canter- bury ; but in 1542 it was transferred to that of York.[ The Norwegian Sudrevjar-Sudr, south ; eyjar, islands-familiarly the Sudereys, latinized into Sodorenses ; hence Sodor, i in the designation of the diocese-Sodor and Man.]

The insular ecclesiastical law differs from that of England, and the ecclesiastical jurisdiction in temporal matters is more extensive than the English has been since the Reformation. It goes back to at least the early part of the 16th century. The prerogative of the Crown. also is not the same in England as in the Isle of Man, where Canon Law and Convocation have been more really rules of action. Lcclesiastical discipline, too, was rigorously enforced, but during the last century has practically ceased since Wesleyanism has become general. There are Presbyterian and Roman Catholic Churches in the towns, and two Independent Churches also at Douglas, but there are few other Nonconformists. The Commuta- tion of Tithes took place in 1839, There is an annual Convocation of the Clergy at Whitsuntide.

The laws of the Isle of Man are generally the same as those of England ; some few peculiarities, however, exist.

Personal arrest is still enforced when a debtor is suspected of designing to abscond in order to defraud his creditors. The Law of Mortmain is no bar to bequests to corporate bodies. " Compurgation," though practically obsolete, has not been legally suppressed. It was one of the last relics of the ancient ecclesiastical discipline. A person charged "with the violation of Canon Law was required to deny the charge publicly on oath: this declaration, unless rebutted by further evidence, established the innocence of the accused person.

Public penance also was performed in Man long after its general cessation in England. The penitent, covered with a white sheet, stood at the church door, there making confession of the sin ; thus obtaining both clerical and social absolution.

There are no turnpikes, no poor-laws, and no income tax ; neither are stamps required for receipts or transfers of property.

By the insular custom any one " standing in need of limestone or building-stone " may enter on his neighbour's land, and take away what is requisite for his purpose, paying the occupier a reasonable compensation, which appears to be understood as merely surface damage.

LANGUAGE.

The earliest reference to the Isle of Man is that by Ceesar, where referring to the channel between England and Ireland, he says-""In the middle there is an island called Mona." The word is thought to be derived from the Keltie mon, lonely ; or from maen, a pile of rocks, as in the Welsh Pen-maen-mawr, etc. Bishop Wilson ascribes it to the Saxon mang, among. "The ancient British name was Menow; on the Scandinavian monuments it is Maun. The Manx Mannin or Vannin means middle island, and is often affectionately expanded into Ellan Vannin veg veen, "the dear little Isle of Man." The Greek and Latin names are Monavida, Moneda, Menavia, Eubonia, and others.

In more recent times the word has been spelt Man, Mann, or Maune. In many important documents the second form is used, e.g. in the Spiritual Laws, the Act of Settlement, the Book of Orders, and others, Latin and English. The revival of this usage has been advocated by several learned societies, Dr. Kelly's Grammar, and im an elaborate discussion by Mr. Jeffcoat of the Manx Bar. Feltham says-"The word is more properly spelt with a double n," yet this spelling appears nowhere else in his book than on the title-page. A return to this' form of the word would be more convenient more in accordance with authority, and would stop mitch feeble punning.

The Manx so nearly resembles the Scotch Gaelic and the Erse of Ireland, that it is understood by those who | speak either of those languages. The Welsh. although kindred and containing many of its words, differs far more. It abounds in gutturals and aspirates, but its sound is melodious. Manx igs rapidly dying out ; few of the young can speak it; and only in a few of the remotest districts can any one be found who does not speak English well.

Formerly the church service was read in Manx in more recent times alternately in Manx and English ; "but now even a Manx sermon is seldom heard. The new laws are proclaimed on the Tynwald Day in Manx, but prob- ably few present can follow the speaker, .

The great majority of personal names begin with K, C or Q. Many of these had originally the prefix Mac but its M has been dropped, while its K sound is retained For example, MacDermot became Kermotte. and is now softened into Kermode ; MacLeod became Corleode n anglicised into Corlett; MacAlea has become Cal yi MacAllister, Callister ; MacAlloa, Callow. Kerruish 1 original (rock by the water), and Teare is the Scandinavian equivalent of the ubiquitous Smith. Other names, ver general, are these :-Shimmin from MacSheminey, Kelly from MacHellie, Cottier from MacOtter, Quillian from "MacWillan, Joughin from Joyhene.

As some of the proper names are extremely common, a distinction is made by adding the Christian name of the parent, or even one or two previous generations. It is of little use to call a man Corlett, Christian, etc., as these names abound everywhere; so one may be known as "Tommy-Jenny," his father and mother's names, Another " Jack, Johnny, Juderen, Illiam," which means Jack, the son of Johnny, grandson of Juderen, great-grandson of William. Another is "Dan Beg, Dan Moar, Dan Bill," meaning Little Dan, son of Big Dan, whose father was Dan William. Usually men of the most common names are known by the names of their estates, as Christian Ballaterson, Christian Ballacory, ete. The following are not sobriquets, but given on the same principles :-" Bobby Loo," "Johnny Bill Cronk," " Billy Nick," "Johnny Bill- Jack-Danny-John."

At the beginning of the 17th century Waldron wrote -"Of books written in the Manx tongue they have none, except a Catechism and Instructions for Youth." This had been just issued by Bishop Wilson, and was the first publication in the language. There is no native literature except a few ballads, the earliest not older than the 16th century ; and it recounts the achievements of the mythic Mannanan. "The Manx translation of the Holy Scriptures was completed by Bishop Hildesley only a few days before his death in 1772. A Manx and English Dictionary, by Archibald Cregeen, was published in 1835. There is also a Grammar by Dr. Kelly, published in 1804, 4to, and reprinted by the Manx Society.

The identification of Manx words is sometimes puzzling, because of the mutability of initial consonants. Vullin, Wyllin, and Mwyllin all signify mill. So k, ch, g, h, are all convertible ; s changes to A or t, g to gh or wh, etc. These mutations are regulated by the gender or formation of preceding words-as soowll, an eye; ¢ hooill, his eye; nyn tootll, our eye. An Englishman can hardly expect to speak like a Manxman, yet a few hints may be useful. Li resembles the Welsh Ll; followed by a vowel it is like our ia in Asia. Skella=Skellia; Killey= Killia. So also with k or c; eg. Cubbon = Keeubbon. Dh is a compound of d, t, and the aspirate; g is always hard. Kew = kow; the vowels, however, have generally the English power, and English pronunciation is spreading rapidly.

The following list of words will explain many names of places :-

The LORD'S PRAYER in ENGLISH AND MANX.

Our Father which art in heaven,
Ayr ain? ains niau.
Hallowed be thy name.
Casherick dy row dt' Ennyn.
Come thy kingdom.
Dy jig dty reeriaght.
Thy will be done on earth, even as in heaven.
Dt aigney dy row jeant er y thalloo myr te ayns niau.
Give-us our bread this day and every day.
Cur dooin nyn arran ju as gagh laa.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
As leth dooin nyn loghtyn myr ta shin leth,.
Those committing trespasses us against.
Dauesyn ta jannoo loghtyn nyn 'ot.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
As ny leeid shin ayns miolagh ; agh livrey shin veth olk.

ANTIQUITIES.

It has been said of the Isle of Man that "nowhere in the same area are there so many relics of an unknown past ;" and, although many have been destroyed for building purposes in ignorance or wantonness, there is still a rich fleld of research. A Government Commission, besides private individuals and societies, are now taking them in charge.

Of medieval remains, the chief are at Castletown, Peel, and Kirk Maughold. There are a few Roman relics at Castletown, but none prove Roman occupation of the Island.

Runic and other Scandinavian monuments are numerous, many in excellent preservation (the word Runic, meaning secret, applies to the characters used). here are fine specimens at Braddon, Kirk Michael, Andreas, Maughold, and Onchan. . There is also a small collection at the Government Offices, Douglas. Forty-nine monuments are known, twenty-one of them having inscriptions more or less distinct.

Kist-vaens, dwellings, and burial-places, urns of rude earthenware, containing charred bones, flint arrow-heads, spear-heads, kelts, and stone hand-mills, and other prehistoric instruments, have been found not unfrequently. The earliest buildings traceable are circular huts, seldom more than 9 ft. in diameter, usually in groups enclosed by walls. They are of the local stone, unhewn ; and some of the remains show that they were roofed with branches, and thatched with reeds or twigs. One of the largest and best preserved in the Island is at Glen Darragh, on the upper slope of Mount Murray. The Glen itself is picturesque and well wooded.

The Island contains monumental vestiges of each race recorded to have inhabited it, but of the still earlier period, that of the cave- dwellers, no traces are known to the writer. Indeed, the limestone caves which usually formed their dwellings are wanting. Forts and earthworks are to be seen at Ballachurry, Ramsey, etc. These are referred to in their respective localities.

South Barrule was anciently called Warfield or Warfell, and the large fortified enclosure on its summit was a place of refuge, notably in 1316,.on the invasion by Richard de Mandeville. Chaloner adds that, in the halcyon days of Mannanan Beg, this mountain was the place where his only demand, a tribute of rushes, was to be presented.

As to fairy lore, Manxland is the very Olympus of such mythology. Langhorne says-" The Isle of Mann is almost the only place where there is any chance of seeing a fairy." And Collins calls it- "That isle where thousand shapes are seen." Milton's graphic sketch of "the Inbbar fiend," who "swet, to earn his cream-bowl duly set ; whose shadowy flail had thrash'd the corn, then basks at the fire his hairy strength," etc., is evidently Phynodderee, The. tarroo, glashtyn, the bull, and the horse of the water, and many others, are still objects of a faith which even railways and board- schools have not altogether extirpated. Cows are still sometimes "bewitched," and the "evil eye" has not lost all its terrors, while many a tale is told of interviews with these and other superhuman agencies.

At Ballaglass is a curious old ruin called Cashtal yn Ard (Castle of the Height), probably a long barrow, with a chamber within the circle at its W. end. A circular wall, formerly enclosing this, has been removed, In the adjoining field are long stone graves.

On the N. side of the upper part of Corna, in Maughold, is Cabbal Keeill Woirrey (Mary's Chapel), 12 ft. by 9 ft. This once had a paved floor.

Not far from this are the remains of a stone circle, 68 ft. by 65 ft. Near Cronk Airey, in this neighbourhood, are some remains of hut dwellings ; they vary from 12 ft. to 15 ft. in diameter, built on a foundation of rubble, the upper part probably consisted of sods. One at least shows that it had a floor of flat stones. On the S. side of the Barony, in this neighbourhood, overlooking the sea, is the Raa Mooar (the Great Mountain Flat), once probably a Rath or mound of defence, or perhaps a cairn. Close by is Chibbyr y Vashta (Well of Baptism) and Lough yn Vael (Michael's Pool).

Querns, the ancient hand-mills for grinding corn, have been found occasionally. One in the bed of the reservoir at Ballabeg, near Castletown, is of granite, weighing about 30 lbs. At Ballamona, Ballaugh, is a pair of smaller ones which were used by the ancestors of Mr. W. Corlett of that place.

HISTORY.

The early history of the island has more than the usual obscurity of the remote past. Having no ancient literature, and formerly very scanty intercourse with other countries, there are few means of testing the accuracy of those blended' fables and romances which make up its traditions. Even the laws were unwritten.

The mythic hero of Man is Mannanan Beg Mac-y- Leir (Little Mannanan the son of Leir). His reign has been placed in periods ranging over seventeen centuries - from 1300 B.c. to a.D. 422! He is stated to have been --(1) Obsenius, who died 1300 3B.c.; (2) Mainus, son of Fergus I. of Scotland, 290 B.c.; (3) son of Finnan of Scotland, 134 B.c.; (4) son of Alladius, King of Ulster, brother of Fergus II. of Scotland ; that his son was Mac Coul, and that he was overcome by St. Patrick. Another name bestowed upon Mannanan was Angus Oge the Immortal.

He is reputed to have been the primeval legislator, warrior, navigator, and trader ; not only skilful in forging weapons, but a necromancer and mighty magician, who could hide his dominions in mist whenever an enemy was seen approaching. He was therefore venerated as a demi-god, the Irish Neptune. But with all his popularity and power, as he was a heathen, he was killed by St. Patrick, and it is added - of the seed of the conjuror there were none but what the saint destroyed."

Mannanan's subjects had the option granted them by the saint of becoming Christians or being exterminated.

In this fashion, Patrick having converted Man, visited Britain, and on his way back to Ireland left here Germanus "to govern and instruct the people in the faith of Christ." On the death of Germanus, he made Conindrius and Romulus his successors.

As in other mythology, it may be assumed that in this also is a record of matters perhaps beyond vulgar comprehension. 'The mists enveloping the Island are the same agency as was employed to resist the Milesian invasion of Ireland. "The children of Lir" are represented, in an ancient romance so entitled, as transformed into swans by their mother, a Druidess. That is to signify that they became devotees of the Sea-God, and that they remained such till the introduction of Christianity, that is till Patrick came into Ireland, when they resumed their human form. Patrick's expulsion of the serpents is an allegory recording his abolition of serpent-worship.

Saint Patrick, during his energetic labours in Ireland, was vehemently opposed by one Macguil, who even sought to slay him; but Patrick having restored to life one of Macguil's gang, the ruffian was awestruck, acknowledged his mission to be divine, and offered to submit to any penance he would impose. Patrick thereupon directed Macguil to go to the shore, enter a little coracle, and with hands and feet bound, to go wherever the waves should bear him. Thus he was brought to this Island, where Conindrius and Romulus welcomed him as a brother in the faith, A.D. "444, Macguil (Latinised into Machaldus, and now known as Maughold) thenceforward lived a holy, austere, and long life, built a church and a city on the headland which bears his name, and performed miracles.

Hither, among many eminent visitors, came four virgins from Ireland, on purpose to be veiled by him ; one of these was Bridget, the foundress of Kirk Bride.

Maughold also governed the Island and divided it into parishes ; it had been divided into 150 treens by Germanus. He was buried in his own church. His name appears in the English, Scotch, and Irish Calendars.

Such is the current history of this early period ; how undeserving of credit appears from this :-"" Not one fragment of evidence has yielded itself to the most laborious and learned students of hagiological literature, during 240 years, which confirms the story of Saint Patrick's visit to Man, of the episcopate in Man, or of any one of the four alleged bishops, or even of their existence." }

Even the monkish compilers of the Chronicles of Man in the 14th century, thus honestly support this judgment : -" Suffice it to say we are entirely ignorant who or what bishops existed before the time of Goddard Crovan, one of the captains of William I., because we have not found it written, nor have we learned it by certain report of the elders."

Much has been said about the following bishops- Lomanus, Conaghan, Conanus, Marown, Contentus, and Baldus. One historian adds-" Of these little or nothing is known but the names." We are told that the hero Arthur, about the year 520, conquered the Island, and generously restored it to the native prince, whom he admitted to his Round Table. Some say Man continued under the government, as well as the spiritual direction of bishops, till King Orry ; but other more detailed statements are extant, somewhat as follows :-

A.D. 594. Brennus or Brendinus, a nephew of Aydun, King of Scotland, was slain in fighting for his uncle. Eugenius, his son, sent his three sons to be educated by the 1 Rev. Theophilus Talbot. On the Eariy History of the Isle of Man, Bishop, Conanus. Man was then probably under the rule of Scotland, but was severed by Edwin of Northumbria.

About three centuries elapse from this time, as one chronicler says, "" without occasion for history." But the gap is filled up by others with a series of Welsh princes ; by others with twelve Scandinavians. Among the Welsh are Cadwallen, Morfyn, Frych, Rodic Mawr, and Anarawd.

The last was overcome (888) by Harold Haarfegr, who left Ketil Bjornson, surnamed Flatnose. But Flatnose became independent of Harold, and left Man to his son Helgi.

The Northmen had now made their power felt from Iceland to the south of Europe ; this Island being one of their central strongholds. While the Dubh-Gals and the Fin-Gals made themselves masters of the Scottish islands, the Icelandic Orry or Gorree brought a new dynasty to Man, where he established a more perfect civil government. The House of Keys, the meeting of Tynwald, and the division into Sheadings, are all ascribed to Orry. The Scandinavian Constitution was mainly elective, and therefore representative.

From this central position incursions to the neighbouring shores often took place; and thus their settlements soon spread from these "" Out-Isles" as a centre. Orry is said to have landed on a starlight night, when being asked by the natives whence he came, pointed to the Milky Way ; hence the Manx name for that bright galaxy is Raad Moar Ree Orree, "King Orry's high-road. " 947. Godred, his son, founded Castle Rushen. 973. Hacon or Macon, son of the King of Dublin, refusing to do homage to King Edgar of Northumbria, lost his kingdom of Man ; but was restored and became the admiral of Edgar's fleet, which continually watched the whole English coast. Macon adopted as the heraldic arms of Man, a ship in her ruff. (See below.)

1076. A new dynasty began with Goddard Crovan, son of the Icelandic Harold the Black. Goddard had joined Harold Hardreda, and being defeated at Stamford Bridge, fled to Man, where the King Fingal received him hospitably. But, ten years after, he brought a fleet from Norway and slew Fingal at the battle of Sky Hill. He had allied himself to William the Conqueror, and introduced into Man the Norman system of settlement, giving to such of his followers as would remain, the S. of the Island, leaving the Manx undisturbed in the northern part, on condition that none should claim hereditary right to their holdings. Goddard's son, Lagman, was expelled by a Norwegian, Magnus Barefoot, and died in the Holy Land. During the following century there were alliances between the Manx, English, and Irish royal families. In a battle at Jurby, 1098, when the Manx were nearly defeated by Macmanus, the women gave such effectual aid that the enemy were repulsed. Hence, it was enacted that "of all goods immoveable . . . the wives shall have the halfe on the N. side, whereas those on the S. shall have only the third."

In 1187 Reginald usurped the throne of Man, and reigned for 40 years; he was received by treaty into the protection of John of England, and, like John, surrendered his realm to the Pope, to whom he paid homage for his crown. But during his absence, Olave, his brother, whom he had displaced, regained dominion, and, in a battle at the Tynwald Hill, Reginald was killed in trying to recover it.

Olave received from Henry III. of England a commission to defend both the English and Irish coasts opposite the Island; his payment being 40 marks, 100 quarters of corn, and 5 tuns of wine. The next king, Harold, was wrecked in returning with his bride from Norway, 1249; his brother Reginald II., had reigned but a few days when he was assassinated by Ivar, a knight. Magnus, his successor, was the last of Goddard Crovan's dynasty.

Ivar, the knight who assassinated Reginald, was killed at the battle of Ronaldsway, 1270, where he was fighting for the sovereignty. The legitimate heiress was Reginald's daughter Mary, a child whom Ivar had sent to England with all the public deeds and charters, for security against the attacks of Alexander of Scotland. The King of Norway, Magnus IV., had long tried to compromise with Alexander, whom at length he induced to pay a tribute of 4000 marks yearly to Norway for the tenure of Man and the Isles. 'The Manx kings had done homage to the kings of Norway for 360 years-that is, until the Norwegian supremacy was destroyed by Alexander at the battle of Largs, 1263.

The Manx were so oppressed by the ruling deputies of the Scottish kings that they rose in revolt ; but by their Bishop's advice they agreed to settle their disputes by a contest of 30 on each side. All the Manxmen and 25 of the Scots were killed. The five survivors therefore claimed the dominion for Scotland. Soon after this, although milder rulers were appointed, the people besought Edward I. of England to take Man under his protection. Edward accordingly granted the kingdom to Walter de Huntercomb, who presented it to the King of Scotland, John Baliol, Edward's nominee,

The present arms (the three legs) were then adopted in place of the ship in her ruff. The weak sovereign, Edward II., granted the Island successively to three of his favourites -Piers Gaveston, Mac Gaskell, and Henry Beaumont. War was then chronic in the Island, when Robert Bruce (1313) besieged and took Castle Rushen ; but he presented it to Randolph, Earl of Murray, from whom it was seized after little resistance, 1316, by Richard Mandeville at the head of an Irish troop of marauders, Sacheverell here remarks -""We have so little certainty of those times that we rather expose our ignorance than inform ourselves." It seems that before the year 1343 the Scots regained possession ; for they were then displaced by Sir William Montacute, "the chief star in the firmament of England," who had married Mary, a descendant of Crovan. For about 50 years the Montacutes, Earls of Salisbury, were Kings of Man.

In 1393 Sir William Scroop, afterwards Earl of Wiltshire, bought the kingdom of William, second Earl, with the right of being crowned with a golden crown. On the deposition of Richard II. he was beheaded for high treason, and the Earl of Warwick was released from Peel Castle, where he had been imprisoned for rebellion. Henry IV. then granted the kingdom to Percy, Earl of Northumberland, who, "and his heirs for ever," were to carry the Lancaster sword before the kings of England at their coronation.

The long tenure of the kingdom of Man by the Stanleys, who were its Lords for three centuries, commenced, on the forfeiture of Henry Percy in 1405, with Sir John Stanley, Treasurer to the Household of Henry IV. The feudal service required of the new lords was that of presenting two falcons to the kings of England at their coronation. Sir John was Viceroy of Ireland, but he never visited this Island, ruling by his lieutenant and his son, who on his father's death (1414) became King of Man. He had the "Breast Laws" written, and gave practical effect to the Tynwald Court. He also transferred much of the power of the church to the Deemsters, improved the securities by compelling all men to take part in enforcing law, regulated the garrisons, the fishing, ctc.

But on his second visit in 1422 the Bishop did not attend the Tynwald, having disobeyed a previous summons and resisted the king's lieutenant. So Sir John compelled the Bishop to do homage ; and other. ecclesiastics who failed to do so forfeited all their temporalities to the " Lord" of Man. For the Stanleys were content to bear that title, while they exercised royal authority in their little kingdom.

Sir John's grandson, Sir Thomas Stanley, who had crowned Henry of Richmond at Bosworth, 1485, was, for his great service to the king, created Earl of Derby. He built Lathom House in Lancashire. The family succession continued, and in 1636 it devolved on James, the seventh Earl, a man of noble qualities, who signalised his insular sovereignty by exacting the fullest acknowledgment of his feudal authority. No one was permitted to leave the Island, to export goods, or to admit strangers, without the consent of the Lord of Man. The political condition resembled that of Russia before the emancipation of the serfs. Devoted, however, to the welfare of his people, he says-""If any man were so unreasonable as to provoke me, they would run to great hazard, as I had power to maintain my actions from which there was no appeal." He strove to develop the resources of the Island, encourage manufactures, and even to found a University. But being assured that Goddard Crovan's principle should be his rule of action-namely, that all holders of land were his tenants at will-he induced the House of Keys to resign their landed estates into his hands, and receive them again on leases of three lives, thus forfeiting the hereditary possession they had always enjoyed.!

This ill-advised measure, by unsettling all landed property, caused such a neglect of agriculture, that scarcity amounting almost to famine resulted. Smuggling was substituted for legitimate industry, and long demoralised all classes of society.

In 1650, the Parliamentary party being then dominant, the Great Earl, who was an earnest and powerful supporter of the royal interest, was beheaded at Bolton. William Christian, his Receiver-General, surrendered the Island to the Parliamentary fleet, then lying off the Island, and Fairfax held it for two years. But at the Restoration it was restored to the Derby family, and Christian (the Iliam Dhone, Fair William of the Manx) was shot on Hango Hill as a traitor, 1662,

1 This was called the "Tenure of the Straw," a straw being given in open court as a token of the transfer; which was thereupon simply recorded without written deeds,

In 1703, James, tenth Earl, restored the ancient tenure by the Act of Settlement, which secured hereditary possession by the payment of fines, etc., to the Lord. This Act known as the "Manx Magna Charta," the Earl was induced to grant chiefly by the urgency of Bishop Thomas Wilson, whose episcopate, extending over 58 years, was marked by his constant, self-denying devotion to the highest interests of the people. Upon the Earl's death in 1735 without issue, the lordship devolved on James, Duke of Athol, a descendant of Sophia, youngest daughter of the seventh earl..

Smuggling had now increased to such an extent as to interfere seriously with the English "revenue ; proposals were therefore made to the duke for the purchase of his rights in the Island ; it was not, however, till 1765 that these were surrendered ; when £70,000, and an annuity of £2000, were paid by the English Government for all the insular revenues. The title, the manorial right, the minerals, and the patronage of the Bishopric were still reserved to the Lord of Man. This was effected by the Act of Revestment. The Island had been twice before purchased-in 1270 by Alexander III. of Scotland from the King of Norway, and in 1393 by Sir W. Scroop from Sir W. Montacute.

In 1825 the Duke of Athol consented to resign to the British Crown his entire rights for £416,114. The last feudal service of "a cast of falcons" was rendered at the coronation of George IV. Since its attachment to England, the insular legislation has been devoted exclusively to internal affairs ; and a very zealous maintenance of its nationality, and especially its exemption from British taxation, has been kept in view by the people. Such English parliamentary reforms as those of 1832 were not much regarded in Man, while the Anti-Corn Law movement was warmly opposed by the Manx landholders. The various recent measures concerning burials, the ballot, education, have been adopted after earnest discussion.

The great harbour works, landing-piers, etc., and the architectural improvement of the towns, have been mainly effected since the Island has become a resort for summer visitors.

The various gentlemen who have been Lieutenant-Governors have cordially supported the measures intended to develop the natural resources of the Island-its mines, fisheries, and agriculture. None have been more distinguished by such efforts than the late Governor, Sir H. B. Loch, K.C.B. During his nineteen years' tenure of H.M. Commission, the legislature was brought more into accord with the Imperial ; and while internal development had "been promoted by important public works, measures for compulsory education, the reform of the criminal and bankrupt laws, and the establishment of a daily mail service, were passed into law.

Mr. Spencer Walpole, son of the Right Hon. Spencer Walpole, succeeded Sir H. B, Loch in 1882.

The following are the more notable events that have happened within recent years :-
1839. Tithe Commutation Act.
1859. Telegraphic Communication.
1860. Appointment of Town Commissioners for Douglas, and in 1865 for Ramsey.
1866. House of Keys made elective.
1872. Elementary Education Act.
1875. Railway from Douglas to Peel opened.
1877. Rev. Rowley Hill, Vicar of Sheffield, became Lord-Bishop of this diocese.
1879. Daily Mails established,

The Governors of the Island since the Duke of Athol are as follows :-
1805. Colonel Cornelius Smelt.
1832. Major-General John Ready.
1845. The Hon. Charles Hope.
1860. Francis Pigott.
1863. Sir Henry Brougham Loch, K.C.B.
1882. Spencer Walpole.

1887. Archdeacon Bardsley, of Liverpool, appointed Bishop in place of Rowley Hill, deceased.

STANDARD WORKS RELATING TO THE ISLE OF MAN.

Monumenta de Insula Manniae, ancient documents; translated and edited by Dr. Oliver. 8 vols.
Vestigia Insule Mannie Antiquiora, edited by H. B. Oswald, F,A.S., etc.
Treatise on the Isle of Man, by James Chaloner, Commissioner under Lord Fairfax, 1656.
Description of the Isle of Man, by George Waldron, 1731 (contains the fullest account of the legends).
Account of the Isle of Man, by William Sacheverell, Esq., late Governor, 1703.
Feltham's Tour in 1797 and 1798. Chronicon Mannie.
Antiquitates Mannie.
Stanley Legislation from Peck's Desiderata Curiosa.
Seacome's House of Stanley.
Bibliotheca Monensis ; a list of Works relating to the Island. Mona Miscellany and Manx Miseellanies. 4 vols. Worsaae's Account of the Danes and Norwegians in England. Section x., The Sudrejar or Southern Isles. Prof. Geo. Stephens (Copenhagen), The Old Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England, 1869. Rev. J. G. Cumming, Runic and other Antiquities ; also, The Isle of Man: its History - physical, ecclesiastical, civil, and legendary, 1848. Social and Geographical Causes conducing to the Prevalence of Consumption in the Isle of Man, by A. Haviland, M.D. Manx Dictionary and Manx Grammar, by Dr. Kelly. A good summary of the modern history of the Island, by Mr. T. Grindley, is appended to the Douglas Directory.
The Geological Society's Journal contains valuable papers, vol. ii., 1814 ; vol. v.; New Series, vol. iv., 1848; vol. xxii., 1866.
Prof. Edward Forbes's Malacologia, containing Catalogues of the shells, plants, and fossils of the Island, is in vol. ii. p. 346,
Mr. Cumming's Isle of Man treats largely of its Geology.
The Zoologist, vol. xx., contains a catalogue of its Insects,
Manx Note-Book, 3 vols., published quarterly, 1885-7, edited by A. W. Moore, M.A., contains many valuable original papers, copiously illustrated with engravings and woodcuts,

The Manx Society, established in 1857 for the Publication of National Documents, has published many interesting volumes, several of the above belonging to the series.
The Natural History and Antiquarian Society, established 1880, makes frequent Insular excursions during the summer; and in winter holds monthly meetings.
The Archeological Commissioners, appointed by the late Lieut.-Governor in 1876, examined many of the relics in the Island, and reported that no effectual steps can be taken for their preservation without legislative measures.

The orthography of Manx proper names is far from uniform- e.g. the first syllable of Fraugh-ane varies as Freogh, frogh, Farr, Far, etc. In a large modern map Ramsey is erroneously given as Ramsay.