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

140 Guide to the Isle of Man.this jiarish, who, in obedience to the express coniraanil of his worthy father,declines gi\'iug liim the cliaracter he so justly deserves. Let this Island speakthe rest."The island does speak ; but before recording what thoannals say, we may gp a little farther on our way and reachBishop's Court,or, if we prefer to u.se a phrase of rather higher sound, theepiscopal palace of the Bishop of Sodor and Man. A portionof the building is very old, but the general aspect has beenmodernized. Bishop Simon lived here in the 13th century,and it was then, we are told, a castellated building, known asOrry's Tower, (what would Manxmen do without King Orry ?)and surrounded by a moat. Now it is surrounded by trees,and stands in the midst of spacious and neatly laid outpleasure grounds, through which winds a small stream, in alittle valley locally known as the Bishop's Glen. At theeastern end of the house is the chapel, on the site of an olderstructure of the kind, pidled down nearly thirty years ago.When tl.e Bishop is in residence. Divine service is held in thechapel. On the nortli or Gospel side of the CommunionTable is an old chair which was used by Bishop Hildesley.When the Bishop holds a Convocation at Bishop's Court, thischair does duty as an episcopal seat of honour.When Bishop Wilson took possession of the See in 1697,he found that his house (that is, of course, his episcopalresidence) stood greatly in need of being set in order. Ithad been unoccupied for about five years, and was fast fallinginto decay. Having repaired the house and chapel— "if notstately, yet convenient enough," remarked the easily satisfiedBishop—and looked after the garden and fruit trees. Dr.Wilson is said to have planted with his own hands an avenueof elm trees, on the north side of the house ;and he livedlong enough to see the young saplings grow up to trees ofconsiderable size. The good man was ninety-three years ofage when, indiscreetly enough, on a damp evening in winter,after he had said evening prayer in the chapel, he walked outinto the avenue, where for so many years he had beenaccustomed to take a little exercise, and indulge, no doubt, inmeditation before retiring to rest. Perhaps the old Bishopaccommodated his feeble footsteps to the cadences of Ken'sEvening Hymn of peace, and murmured " Glory to Thee, myGod, this night," a lingering memory of the chapel service,as he paced along the avenue, and felt on his face the moistbreeze from the Irish Sea. It was his last walk in the avenue