Mankish Letters

From: William Nelson Clarke, A Collection of Letters addressed by Prelates and Individuals of High Rank in Scotland and by two Bishops of Sodor and Man to Sancroft Archbishop of Canterbury in the reigns of King Charles II and James VI, Edinburgh, R. Lendrum & Co, 1848. The extract is from a section entitled "Mankish Letters to Archbishop Sancroft."

[These extracts first appeared in Church Leader Aug 2000-2001 and appear by permission of Ian Faulds then editor]

pt 2

THERE would, it is presumed, be little hesitation in choosing between, on the one hand, a patron who could derive no personal advantage from conferring the appointment, who had no future promotion to offer, and whose feelings would naturally incline him to set over a people whose interests were so closely connected with his own, a Prelate who would fear the Lord, and have at heart the spiritual welfare of his flock; and, on the other hand, a stranger official, having no interest in, or care for the people - no object beyond strengthening his interest, by gratifying a ministerial colleague, as for instance, in advancing the brother of a Lord Chancellor, the protege of a parliamentary supporter, or a minion of the Court. And so it has happened. It was an Earl of Derby who nominated Bishop Wilson. It was a political Minister, from time to time, from whose fiat proceeded in succession the ephemeral Prelates, who of late years have touched at the Palace of Bishopscourt, and ere they were well acquainted even with the names of their clergy, were moved away into new and richer climes:

"Animae, quibus altera fato Corpora debentur."

I argue generally from the facts before me. Had the Episcopal nomination of the Isle of Man remained vested in the ancient race, who held it previously to the re-vestment in the Crown, there certainly is no guarantee that the subsequent possessors of their titles and domains would have worthily fulfilled their trust in this respect; but eminent merit has, in innumerable instances, found favour in the sight of weak and even vicious individuals, although it might rarely alter the routine of a list of candidates for ministerial favour.

But to come to the subject of the letters, which have given rise to these remarks. They are interesting, as throwing some light on the state of the Church in Man, before the era of Bishop Wilson's fame. And assuredly, if a want of the comforts of life could justify complaint, the state of the diocese at the start of the seventeenth century, was such as to appal a mind of less than determined vigour. Bishop Lake, in 1683, represents the condition of the Island, as one of extreme poverty, the Bishopric poor, (its revenues were not above £280 per annum, and a great portion of that sum paid in provisions,) the clergy poorer, and the people poorest of all. "Yet," he philosophically adds, "they are happy in this, that their mind beareth proportion to their fortune, and as they have not known much better, so they aspire not to it." In one respect they were fortunate; there was not a dissenter in the Island, with the exception of a few inconsiderable quakers in one parish, and their extinction seemed probable.

Bishop Lake, whose name became subsequently connected with those important national events, in which his conduct has been stamped with imperishable honour, presided only two years over the diocese, and was succeeded by Dr. Baptist Levinz, a Prelate of very inferior mind and capacity, if we may trust his own correspondence. In his Episcopate, the fear of Romanism seems to have reached the distant shores of Man; and the good Bishop gives a somewhat ludicrous description of the terror which was entertained of an incursion of some Jesuits there; though the chief burden of his correspondence is the pitiable misery which he endured from a residence during winter in his diocese. Whether the Jesuits came or not, does not appear; but under any circumstances, if they did so, their stay must have been brief, and success unimportant; for this happened in the year 1688, and subsequent events speedily destroyed all hopes which they might have cherished of experiencing favour in high quarters.

After the death of Bishop Levinz, the See remained vacant for nearly five years, the state of the diocese being perhaps such as would have given little encouragement. to any one to face so rugged and unpromising a charge. Once, indeed, Thomas Wilson refused, (not on that account, as he afterwards proved, but from a diffidence of his own worthiness,) and it was not until Sharp, Archbishop of York, in whose province it lies. had urged the necessity of filling up the vacancy, that he finally accepted it. He was consecrated January 16th, 1698,andonthe 11thofApril following, enthroned in the Cathedral Church of St. German in the Castle of Peel, being the last Prelate whose enthronement took place in that ancient edifice, now a roofless ruin.

JOHN, BISHOP OF SODOR AND MAN, TO ARCHBISHOP SANCROFT,

York, Nov. 10, 1683.

MAY it please Your Grace, Altho' I am not so happy as to be of your Grace's province, yet I am ambitious to be of your clientele, and the many favours reflected upon me in reference to the Bishoprick of Man have justly rendered me so, and I send this as a piece of that homage and service which, as such, I ow to your Grace ; and beg your Graces acceptance of it. And as the first particular accompt I had of the jurisdiction and revenue of the said Bishoprick was imparted to me by your Grace, so I take myself obliged to tender your Grace such further accompt as 3 moneths knowledg and observation hath made me capable to give, and your Grace shall require. Indeed, the accompt communicated to me by your Grace hath anticipated much that might be said, and is so full and clear, so farr as it goeth, that I find little to be added to, or altered in it. Only I crave leave to acquaint your Grace, that altho' the Archdeacon hath the ordinary jurisdiction for the winter half year, yet there are some Episcopal causes, as they are called, (of which sort they reckon 15,) which are not of his cognisance and there is no dispute of these, but only touching licenses for marriage, which the Archdeacon wholly challengeth to himself for his half year, exclusive of the Bishop, and the Bishop wholly denieth to him. In point of revenue, your Graces accompt is no less exact in the main; but the computed value there much exceeds the real value as now it standeth, as your Grace will perceive by a just accompt of the whole revenue for this present year 1683, which I have presumed to inclose; and even of that, I have hitherto received but 41i. 5s., and shall not receive as much more until Easter next, or a moneth after. Yet is not the Bishoprick so poor, but the clergy are still poorer, and the people poorest of all. Only they are happy in this, that their mind beareth proportion to their fortune, and as they have not known much better, so they aspire not to it; and yet more happy, in that this is probably one means to keep them in an humble obedience to the orders of the Church, from which there is not one dissenter in the Isle of any denomination, except a very few inconsiderable Quakers in one parish, and all possible care is taken that they may neither propagate themselves nor their sect, so that we hope fanaticism in that Isle will expire with them. But I trespass upon your Grace, and those great affairs wherein you so eminently serve God and the King, and therefore shall add no more of this kind to your Graces trouble, without special direction ; and then, at your Graces command, I shall send you copies both of the spiritual statutes, or ecclesiastical written laws, and of the customs, or ecclesiastical unwritten laws of the Isle, which have many singularities in them not elsewhere known or practised. At present, I humbly crave your Graces pardon for this importunate address, and that your Grace will please to esteem me, as your Graces most obliged, so

Your Grace's most zealously devoted and most obedient Servant,

JO: SODOR:

(The following statement of the proceeds of the diocese of Sodor and Man is in Bishop Lake's own hand-writing, and was sent to Archbishop Sancroft with the preceding letter.)

A JUST ACOOMPT OF THE WHOLE REVENUE OF THE BISHOPRICK OF THE ISLE OF MAN, FOR THE YEAR 1683.

It is possible the revenue may be somewhat advanced, but not to above 3001i, and if the Island be impoverished for the time to come, in proportion to what it hath been for some years last past, it will rather abate.

There is also due to every Bishop at his first coming in, from the tenants of the temporalties, out of every quarter of land, l ox, or 40s, but whether, is not yet agreed, and few of the oxen which they tendered were worth 20s a piece, so that of this I have received nothing.

---