KAP. 4.

The Revestment
The long reign of the Stanleys, and their descendants, ended in
1765. During most of the preceding four centuries England had taken
very little interest in the Island, but in the 18th century the Island
became a haven for smugglers and a cause of financial loss for the
English Treasury. Following protracted negotiations, King George III
purchased the Lordship of Man from the Duke of Atholl, who was then
the hereditary lord, for £70,000. In effect the government of the Island
which had, for 350 years, vested in the descendants of Sir John Stanley
was re-vested in the English Crown.
By 1765, England and Scotland had, of course, been united, and the
union between Great Britain and Ireland was to follow at the end of the
century. It is surprising therefore that the opportunity was not taken
after 1765 by the British Government to incorporate the Island into
Great Britain, or subsequently the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland. In fact a proposal was made for the Island to become part
of the County of Cumberland, but it was not implemented.
Direct rule
What happened in fact, after 1765, was that the Island was administered
like a Crown colony by a Governor appointed from London, and
taxes raised in the Island were treated as part of the revenue of Great
Britain. The system of government by direct rule was not popular.
Although Tynwald continued to meet, there was considerable resentment
against the English establishment in the Island, an attitude which
survived until recent times.
Devolution
Eventually the British government responded to Manx discontent,
and in 1866 Parliament passed the Isle of Man Customs, Harbours and
Public Purposes Act, which separated the finances of the Island from
those of the United Kingdom and started the process of gradual devolution
of power from London to the Island which has continued to the
present day and which has led to more or less complete internal autonomy
for the Island.
Why wasn’t the Island incorporated into Great Britain at the end of
the 18th century or early 19th century when this could have easily
occurred?
Obviously the relative remoteness and unimportance of the Island
made it scarcely worth bothering about. But tradition has always been
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