Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

—From Douglas to Peel. 1'21place in the centre of the sLab. The inscription, written inLatin verse by the Bishop himself (except, we may suppose,the date of his death), has a touch of the quaint humour ofthe time. It may be translated, "In this house, sharedwith the worms my brothers, I, Samuel, by the permission ofGod, Bishop of this island, lie in hope of a resurrection tolife. Stop, reader, look and smile at this palace of a Bishop.Died May 30, 1G63.''So far we have spoken of the cathedral ; but we admit itrequires some stretch of imagination to discern in the brokenwalls, the unroofed area, the shattered columns, and theaccumulations on the floor, a stately cathedral, with a bishopon his episcopal seat, robed priests, and choristers.By the end of the seventeenth century the cathedral wasin a very dilapidated condition, although still used for ecclesiasticalpurposes. Bishop Wihon, who had been himselfinstalled in it as Bishop of Sodor and Man, and whose infantdaughter, Alice, was buried there, obtained in 1710 an Actof Tynwald, by which he was empowered to use the leadof the roof in building the Church of St. Patrick. Theexcuse for this act has been offered by no less a person thanthe Rev. John Keble, author of " The Christian Year," thatthe cathedral was so far gone that restoration was hopeless,and that in dismantling it he only acceded to the wishes ofthe Earl of Derby, lord of the island.About the middle of the last century the roof was partiallyreconstructed, preparatory, perhaps, to the installation ofBishop Hildesley. which took place on the 25th of March,1755. The inhabitants of the town of Peel have a rightto interment in the cathedral, never claimed, probably, sincethe erection of St. Peter's Church in the town;but whichat one time was the cause of a dispute between CaptainMercer, the constable of the castle, and Bishop Wilson.The Bishop enforced the claim, and his peremptory letter tothe constable was thus worded :" Captain Mercer, coni/Iaint is made to me that you have refused to let th&body of Isiibel Cannon be buiied in the parish Church of K. K. German, andthe place where her child is buried, unless her friends shall first obtain licencefrom the Governor so to do. You would do well to consider that this is thefirst instance of such a practice, and will be an invasion of the Church's rightsand the subject's projieily ; for if a licence must be asked, it may be refused, andthen the bishop may be shut out of his cathedral, and the people from theirparish cliurch, for such it ever was before it ever was a garrison. I think it fitto give you this hint, that you may not create new trouble to youself or me. Iam your friend," Tho. Sodor and Man."The last marriage celebrated in the old cathedral was in 17G3;but divine service was performed up to the end of the last