From Manx Soc vol IV,VII & IX

ARMS OF THE ISLE OF MAN.—A.D., 1735.

ADD. MSS.

OPINION OF CLARENCIEUX KING OF ARMS, ON THE ARMS OF THE ISLE OF MAN, ON THE ACCESION OF JAMES, DUKE OF ATHOLL, TO THE GOVERNMENT THEREOF, isv FEB. 1735.

IN the year 1475 there was a controversy to whom these Arms belonged, whereof notice is taken by a Patent under the Great Seal enrolled in the Tower in the following words :—

Rex omnibus ad quos, &c. Salutem, Sciatis quod inspiximus literas nostras subsigno nostro Manuali signatas et per Milites Garteræ nostræ inspectas, factas in hæc verba,

Edward by the Grace of God King of England and of France, Lord of Ireland, remembryng the pretence and claime of John, Lord Scrop shewed unto us for the bering of the Armes of the Eile of Man, which now owre trustie and right wel beloved Thomas E. Staneley Stuard of owre Housholde berith, for brevenes of Tyme, havyng no convenyant Season to know the determination of the same, And provydying that no variaunce therefore be hedde nowe in owre Voiage, have wolled & desyred that for the tymes and Seasons that the said Lordes shall continue in our Service in oure Realme of Fraunce, Duchie of Normandie and elsewhere byyonde the See, and also unto oure & their retournying next to this oure Realme of England, or either Of theym, that the said Lord Scrop shall abstain & forbere the use and wering of the said Armes of th’ Eile of Man, whereunto for the seid desire he is agrede—alwey forseyn, that the said Wille, desire, abstinence, and forberying be not prejudiciall nor damage in that behave unto the seid Lord Scrop, ne to his Heyres, nor be of non effect, Strengh nor vertue but for the tyme above Expressed, Et hoc omnibus, quorum interest, in hac parte, incotescimus per presentes, In Cujus &c. teste Rege apud Westmon’ primo die Maij .

This Instrument, thus spelt, remains in the Tower—Pat. 15, E. 4, p. 2, m. 24. And I have not mett with any Entry that this Claime was renewed after the King’s return from France, neither doth it occur to me on what pretence this John, Lord Scrop, (who must certainly be that John who was in contradistinction to the Lord Scrop of Bolton, Stiled Lord Scrop of Masham and Upsale) could found any ground to claime the Arms of Man, of which hereafter more will be said. But the present inquiry is more immediately Confined to the Arms of that Island, and in what manner they ought to be born at present.

It is to be lamented that this Record did not specify or Blazon the arms of that Island which that age apprehended did belong to the Kings, Lords or proprietors of it.

Mr. Camden, in his additions in the Britannia to the History of the Island, takes notice that the antient Arms of the Kings of that place were a ship with the sails hoisted, with the Inscription Rex Manniæ et Insularum, as he had seen on their Seals. And I have seen one which is now remaining in the Office of the Dutchy of Lancaster, in a Box there, number’d 27, pendent to a Deed thus abstracted by me R. De’. gra’. rex Insular’. filius Godridi Regis—Deo et Abbatiæ S^tiæ Mariæ de Furness, dignitates, quas vir illustris. Olavus quondam Rex Insularum Ams mensærs¹ contulit in regno tune suo, nunc per gratiam Dci meo, &c.

The seal to it is somewhat broken, but in the foreside it exhibits his Effigies on Horseback and on the reverse the Ship under Sail. If His Grace pleases this Deed and Seal may be used on the Impression of the great Seal for that Island for the future.²

I would here observe, before I proceed further, that the Title of Dei Gratia was used so long since, and when the Montagues Earls of Salisbury had this Island they continued the attribute of Dei Gratia, as may be seen in Mr. Madox’s formularia— Anglican : No. Dlxxii. par la Grace de Dieux, whereof the original is still remaining.

Mr. Camden, in the above recited place, remarks further, that when the Scots recovered this Island, that tho Randolph and a long time after Alexander, Duke of Albany stiled themselves Lords of Man and bore the Arms that the later Kings of the Island did, namely, three arm’d Legs of a man link’d together and bending in the hams like the three naked Legs which were formerly stamped upon the Sicilian Coins. I wish he had been more particular, because it seems as if he had seen some successions of the Seals and probably there may he several still remaining in the Island.³ And I sho^d have been glad to have been inform’d with the true reason, why the antient Seal with the Impression of a Ship was alter’d into that new forme. Probably it might be owing to some such Cause for raising money as our Rich. I. did upon the alteration of his first Seal, altering it from the two Lions combatant into the present figure.

Mr. Seiden, in his Titles of Honour, 1. 1, c. 3, § 1, hath a dissertation about the Kingdom of Man and the descent thereof, and therein describes the seal of the Earl of Montague, Seignior de Mann in 6 Rich. II., which he saith, had the Arms of that Island, quarter’d with those of his own Family, under a Crown that is only Fleury with eight Flowers whereof four are much larger than the rest. lie hath not told his Readers whether these Arms were the Ship, or the three Legs, but I have reason to believe the later, because I have seen his seal to a Deed in 13 R. II. w’ch had these Arms in the first and fourth quarter and those of Montague in y^e second and third with a coronet some-what like that of the present Dukes having between the Leaves that represented Vinis, a flower de Lis, and his name written upon the inside of the Coronet.

The Monarchs in that age had not arched or close Crowns, And I cannot be certain, whether Earls had then any Coronets— belonging to that State, so that I take it, this Montague, Earl of Salisbury used this Coronet with respect only to the Isle of Man (I am ready to give the reasons of this later Conjecture) and this may in some measure be confirmed by the words of our Historian Walsingham, f. 387, A.D. 1393—17, R. 2. Wiltus Scrop emit de Domino Willielmo de Monteacuto Cornite Sarum. insulam Euboinæ cum Corona Nempe, Dominus hujus Insulæ Rex vocatur, cui etiam fas est corona aurea coronari.

This Citation shows us the alienating of this Island by sale to William Scrop (who was afterwards created Earl of Wiltshire) and who possibly used these arms likewise till he was attainted. And probably the Claime made in 15 E. IV. abovementioned might be grounded upon this Foundation.

But as this Temporary provision in 15 E. IV. was made by the Knowledge of the Knights of the Garter, I shall first take notice of what plates there remain in the Chapel of Windsor relating to the Arms of this Island, and the manner wherein they are quartered.

William Scrope (afterward Earl of Wiltshire) who bo^t this Island from the Earl of Salisbury was indeed Knight of the Garter, but being attainted there is no plate remaining for him. There were three other Lord Scropes at different times Knights of this Order but none of them bore the Arms of the Isle of Man. Then as to the Noble Family of Stanley there are no Arms for Sir John Stanley, but in the 13^th Stall on the Sovereign’s side remains a plate inscribed Mon Sennour Stanley which hath quartcrly in the first and fourth Or, on a chief indented gules, 3 plates Argent being Lathom and in the second and third quarter 3 leggs in armour Argt. spurrs, Or.—In the 5^th Stall on the princes side is a plate inscribed Thomas Lord Stanley with Arms quarterly 1 Stanley, Argent, on a bend Azure 3 Bucks heads caboshed, Or. 2, Isle of Man, 3 Legs armed interlaced in Mangle Arg^t purled and spurred, Or —3 Warren, Chequy, Or and Azure, 4 Lathom, on a chief indented Gs.* (gules?) 3 plates Arg^t (this was the first Earl of Derby of that surname) . In the sixth Stall of the Princes side is a plate not inscribed, where the Arms are quarterly, first Stanley, then Lathom, afterwards Warren, and lastly the Isle of Man. This plate was for the Lord George Stanley, Lord Strange, son of that earl. No plate for Sir Wm. Stanley the Lord Chamberlain.

In the ninth of the Princes side is a plate inscribed Edward Lord Montiteagle,* being quarterly of four :—1, Stanley ; 2, Lathom ; 3, Warren ; 4, Isle of Man. In the fifth on the sovereign’s side is a plate inscribed 22 May, AD. 1547 and anno Regni Regis Ed. VI. primo, le tres noble et puissant Seigneur Edwarde, Conte de Darbi, Seigneur Stanley et de Man quarterly of eight. 1 Stanley, 2 Lathom, 3 Isle of Man, 4 War-ren, 5 Strange of Knocking, Gules, 2 Lions passant Argt Armed Gules,Woodvile, Argt a fesse et Cantoir G, 7 Mohun, Or a crosse engrailed S. 8 Monthaull, Ar. a Lion ramp^t Arg^t armed G.—In the seventh stall of the sovereign’s side is a plate Du tres noble and puissant Seigneur Henry Count de Darby, Seign^r Straunge Stanley et Du Man, &c., 1574, consisting of the same Eight quarters having an inescutcheon quarterly of four Coats being those of his Countesse, the d~ of the Earl of Cumberland, 1 and 4 Clifford cheque Or and Az, a fesse, G : 2 Brandon, barry of ten Argt and G : over all a Lion rampant, Or, crowned per pale of the first and second, the third likewise quarterly 1 and 4 Bruin Az.—a cross molin, Or, 2 and 3 Rokesley checque lozenge erm. C. Gul.

In the 4^th Stall on the Princes side is the Plate dii tres noble et puissant Seigneur Guilliarne Comte de Darby, Baron Stanley, Seigneur Strange de Knocking, et Mohun, Seigneur de Ly’ile de Man, &c. 1601, Quarterly of 12 Coats—1 Stanley, 2 Lathom, 3 Isle of Man, 4 Warren, 5 Strange, 6 Woodville, 7 Mohan, 8 Montault, 9 Clifford, 10 Brandon, 11 Bruin,12 Itokesley. There is no plate remaining for Jas. Earl of Derby. I had all these plates exactly taken oft, copies may be easily taken from those in my custody

By this long detail it appears that the Arms of Man have been diversly born, and seems somewhat strange by the younger branches who had not the dominion of the Island, which seems to have been a mistake ; as I should apprehend all those Stanleys bore them in different Quarters (wherein they differed in placing them one from the other) which was quite contrary to the antient method of Montague, who bore them in the first Quarter : (And in truth I sho^d imagine that to be the most regular manner ; for Arms of Kingdoms, and feudall Arms like-wise as I should think should be placed before all others.

There can be no doubt, but that His Grace the Duke of Atholl is entituled to all the Arms born by Earl William, above-mentioned, being descended from him and his lineal Heir.

Endorsed.

" Copy.

" Opinion of the Clarencieux King at Arms,* on the Arms of the Isle of Mann on the accession of James, Duke of Atholl to the Sover^ty thereof, 1^st Feby 1735-6."

* Sir John Vanbrugh.

1 Sic, MS. ; probably intended for the words avus meus eis.

2 Not a vestige of this Seal now remains in the Duchy Office. A similar one, however, is to be found among the Cott. MSS. in the Brit. Mus., attached to a charter of Harald, commencing " Omnibus christi fidelibus hoc scripturum vesuris vel audituris," &c.

3 None exist. The ancient records and seals were carried away in the reign of Henry III., by Mary, daughter of Reginald, when she fled the Island, on the death of her uncle Magnus.

4 Sic. MS.