[From Manx Annals,1901/2]

MANX ANNALS.
EIGHTY YEARS AGO.

CHAPTER XIV.

SOME MANX CHARITIES.

A charity school was originated in 1810 in Douglas, at which time a goodly sum was collected for its upkeep. In the issue of 19th January, 1811, the "Manks Advertiser" says :— " The school for the education of poor children, according to Mr Lancaster's plan, will open on Monday next, 21st, in the spacious new room in Athol-street, which has been fitted up for the purpose. The boys are to sing and go through the various exercises peculiar to the Lancastrian system ; and as the public will be at liberty to attend on the occasion the scene cannot fail of affording a treat to the lovers of rising genius, and prove highly gratifying to its friends and patrons." A committee was formed to receive subscriptions, etc., and a few weeks later it was decided to "erect a building to belong for ever to the charity." They had then in hand nearly £200 from the last year. Mr John Moore, of the Hills, gave a piece of ground in Athol-street, valued at one hundred guineas ; and on Tuesday, June 4th (the Kings birthday), the foundation stone was laid ; on which occasion over 200 of the Lancastrian scholars marched in procession. The expense of building the new school was expected to be about £800, but by the time the place was completed it cost nearly £1,200.

On Sunday, August 25th, was held the anniversary of the scholars. Rev Thos. Howard, then of St. George's, preached ; and the collection then was £51. On the Monday following an exhibition of the scholars' progress was held. Characters were read of several of the children who had been for some months apprentices or servants in different families in Douglas, and those who had received strong testimonials of good behaviour from their masters and mistresses were each rewarded with a prayer book. The committee appealed for funds; and the funds came in like the flowing tide—by the end of the year they had nearly a thousand pounds gathered. The list of subscribers is much too long for publication, though it might interest many, as at the present day there are a great number of persons in the Isle of Man who are descended from, or related to, those who gave to the school. The principal subscribers were:—James Bell, London, £25 ; Gordon Wm. Kelly, London, £20 ; John Quane, £12 12s; Sir Wm. Grant, John Cosnahan. Paul Bridson, Mrs Saunders (Port-e-chee), Bobert Cannell, Lewis Geneste, sen, and Robert Fell, £10 10s each ; and over thirty others £5 5s each.

By February in the following year (1812)" the improvement in the manners and morals of the children," so we are told, " become daily more visible. It ia impossible to walk the streets of Douglas without being impressed with the change which has taken place in the deportment of the lower class of children since the establishment of the school." On Wednesday, February 10th, 1813, the new school building was opened, being the anniversary nf the founding of the charity in 1810. The scholars recited, etc., and their knitting, sewing and spinning received great praise, A lady mentioned the following anecdote there : — A little girl who had been taught to read at the school was in the habit of nightly reading the Scriptures at home. At first her father, who was accustomed to spend his evenings in a very different manner, disrelished the practice, but after some time he began to lend a little more attentive ear to the reader, and had of late totally forsaken the alehouse which was formerly his favourite haunt, and now takes the greatest delight in hearing his child read her Bible. On the 30th May the school had 336 scholars on the roll. The total numbers since the foundation to that date. 816 ; discharged or left boys 323, girls 157—480, leaving 336. By August, 1820, the total number since the founding amounted to 2036. In June, 1819, the institution was enriched by £100, being a legacy from Miss Margaret Craine, who in her will wished to be buried inside the old church of Braddan, and to be attended at her funeral by a detachment of children belonging to the school, which was accordingly done.

Begging was rampant all over the Island, but worse about Douglas than anywhere—" A more deplorable spectacle coqld hardly attract the eye of the human beholder, than that which was daily exhibited in our streets; a number of beggars in tattered garments thronged our doors, and numbers wandered in every direction, soliciting alms from every casual passenger; wherever we turned we met with the ot sons and daughters of poverty, were encountered on every side by distress in all its forms, and obliged to listen to the cries and importunities of the afflicted" [from report of meeting 1815].

On the 19th April, 1814, a meeting of the inhabitants of Douglas was convened by the Chief Magistrate for the purpose of forming measures for the relief of the poor. It was there and then resolved that begging should be entirely suppressed, and that a society should be formed which should have the sole management of funds for their relief. Amongst those who put themselves down as annual subscribers were;—the Bishop, fiffty. guineas; Countess of Kennaul, twenty guineas ; Thos. Gawne, Paul Bridson, G. and S. Callow, and Robert Cannell, ten guineas each. A committee was formed which met every Saturday and dispensed funds, etc., to the poor. The case of every recipient was numbered and registered. If any one not belonging to Douglas made application he was supplied with the needful to enable him, to get to his parish.

In June, 1815, the first annual meeting of the subscribers of the institution was held and the following statistics made public :—Number of weekly pensions a, 70; monthly, 89 ; daily receiving breakfast, 85; dinner, 113; living lin the House wholly supported, 85, Annual sahscriptions and donations, £467 ; collection, St. George's. £98 ; ditto St. Matthew's, £24 ; annual charity sermon, at St. George's, £34 ; ditto St. Matthew's, £13 ; ditto Wesleyans, £10; from Labourers' Friendly Society £1 5s 4½d; Methodist Friendly Society, £2 5s; Philanthropic Society, 18s 4d ; ffom the poor box, £2 7s 10d ; potatoes and meal sold, £5. Total receipts for the year £660 3s 6d .

All this money had been paid away, and the society at that date was £8. 8, in debt.

Yet do what they would the Poor Committee could not put down begging - -beggars still abounded, and poverty, real and assumed, was still to be met with almost everywhere. In February, 1818, the Committee said in their report that " alms given without investigation are bounties on idleness and fraud, and every shilling so received is a robbery from real distress."

As a further relief or the poor a ladies association, separate from the others, was formed early in 1819 for supplying the poor with soup, etc. Mrs Gawne Smith, of Duke-street, was treasurer. This society proved of great benefit to poor families. Between the beginning of December, 1819, to the end of July, 1820, over 14,000 quarts of soup were given away. By that time the total amount of money gathered for the purpose came to over £120. Besides the cash gathered the society had given to them cartloads of potatoes, vegetables, and other provisions from many benevolent residents round Douglas. Further, Mrs Forbes, Mrs Gawne Smith.; and Miss Gawne, "Mount Gawne, each gave, a dinner to from eighty to ninety persons, whilst Doctors Garrett and Oswald attended gratis.

Besides these Institutions there was the Methodist Benevolent Society, founded in 1794, for the relief of the industrious poor. The rules (with others) were that the society be composed of any person willing to become a subscriber; That every member contribute weekly, monthly, or annually according to his ability ; and that the funds be only given to the sick and those in distress.

In 1813 was instituted the " Isle of Man Bible Society," which supplied Bibles at cost —or with very little profit—and in some cases distributed them free. The Committee consisted of the Bishop (president) with five vice-presidents, and twenty-five other gentlemen —mostly clergymen. The list of subscribers was headed by the Duke of Athol with ten guineas and the Bishop with five. In 1820, a branch committeee was formed by the Douglas ladies. The number of Bibles and Testaments distributed from the year of foundation to August, 1820, were 2050 and 2,785 respectively; the funds collected in that time were —donations, etc., £36 17 6d ; sale of Bibles £206 1s 11½d.. In the winter of 1819-90 the Society had from the parent Society in England a thousnd Manx Bibles.An addressi in Manx was printed and circulated throughout the Island, followed by a number of the Bibles.

One of the natives said he would have one if it cost a guinea—six shillings was the selling price —and a poor woman in Ballaugh said she would sooner part with her Sunday gown than go without one of the Bibles in " Chengey ny mayrey." Many were too poor to buy a copy, and so got them given to them. During that winter the following numbers of copies of the Bible in Manx were distributed . — Douglas 64, Ballaugh 51, Andreas 40, Jurby 40, Santon 12, Rushen 12, Sunday-school at Lambfell 20, Sunday-school at Dalby 36.

On 13th February, 1821, the principal inhabitants of Peel had a meeting there in the Mathematical Schoolhouse. The Rev John Nelson, rector of Bride, was in the chair, and the following resolutions were passed :—

1st.—On the motion of Rev Thos. Howard (Braddan), seconded by Capt. Phillip Cowell (Ballaquane) that we form ourselves into an association in connection with the British and Foreign Bible Society through the medium of the Isle of Man Auxiliary Bible Society for the purpose of contributing towards the circulation of the scriptures, without note or comment. particularly about the town of Peel, and that the association be called the Peel Ladies' Bible Association.
2nd.—Proposed by Wm. Kelly (Union Mills) and seconded by Patrick Carran (of the Customs, Peel), that all persons subscribing one penny upwards a week or giving a donation of a guinea or upwards be members.
3rd.—Moved by the Rev R. Brown (then of St. Matthews, afterwards of Braddan), seconded by Mr Ward (Peel) that the Committee be chosen annually to consist of a treasurer, three secretaries, twenty-four members.
4th.— Moved by the Rev S. Haining (Douglas,) seconded by Wm. Bridson (Raggett), that the. Committee meet once a month.
5th —Moved by J. C. Moore (Lhergydhoo), seconded by Robert Higgins (Peel), that the neighbourhood be divided into districts.
6th.—Moved by Lewis Geneste (Douglas), seconded by Joseph Dodd (Peel), that the following ladies be the Committee—Miss Gelling (treasurer), Miss Costain, Miss Cottier, and Miss Quirk (secretaries), Miss Aster, Miss Crane, Mrs Cottier, Mrs Frizell, Miss Frifssell, Mrs Gell (jun.) Miss Munn, Miss L. Munn, Miss M'Ewen, Mrs Ward.
7th.—That the funds be expended on Bibles at cost, and sold to poor people.
8th.—That a copy of the resolutions be transmitted to the Auxiliary Society.

A few days after this it was announced that Manx Bibles were to be had from Mr Robert Higgins at six shillings each. Mr Higgins was a prominent merchant in Peel at that time and for many years afterwards.

In a December, 1821, number of the "Rising Sun or Mona's Herald" we are told that:—"In 1636 the Bible is said by Camden and Wood to hare been translated into Manx by Bishop Philips. No part now remains, and the fact is questioned. In 1748 St Matthew in Manx was printed. In 1764 the four Gaspels and Acts published, 1,000 copies. In 1767 Epistles and Revelation published, 1,000 copies. 1770, New Testament printed, and the Pentateuch, 1,000, by Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 1774, Old Testament as far as Job published by the same, 2,000 8d copies. 1775, New Testament, 2,000 8d copies; Bible, 100 4d copies. 1812, New Testament, published by British and Foreign Bible Society, 2,250 copies. 1816, Bible, 8vo. siae, published by the same."

The paper also stated that at that time 20,000 persons in the Isle of Man used the Manx language.

At the end of the year 1822 we are informed that the following Sunday schools then existed in and about Peel:—
Peel Methodist, 170 scholars ; Peel Independent, 100; Dalby, 86 ; Ballacosnahan, 12 ; Patrick Church, 25 ; Lambfell 50; Greeba, 45 ; St. John's 80; Foxdale, 20.

Mention is made above of the " Independent" Sunday School. In December of that year we find that " On Sunday next, December 29th, a sermon will be preached by the Rev Thos. F. Winslow, M.A. at the Independent Chapel, Peel, and a collection made for the benefit of the Sunday Schools connected with that place." The Chapel was, I think, that building on the Shore-road not far from the Rocket House, which had previously been the barrack for the soldiers stationed in Peel and which was in later years turned into cottages. A short time before this they had their meetings in the Court House. The "Home Missionary Magazine" of July, 1822, in an account of mission work in the Island says:— "At Pool (Peel), which is the extremity of the sphere of my present operations, there is certainly a great disposition to hear. The Court House, in which I still continue to preach, is always crowded, and many of the respectable inhabitants attend. I have made arrangements with Mr H— (S. Haining, Independent minister in Douglas) by which we shall be able to supply that place regularly once a fortnight.'' To be Continued