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

;—Introduction.story. After her lord, who had surrendered at the battle ofWorcester, on the promise of honourable treatment, had beentreacherously beheaded at Bolton-le-Moors, in 1G50 "fairhaircf^." William Christian, the receiver-general of the island,having raised an armed force, surrendered the island toCromwell's soldiers, and General Fairfax was appointedgovernor. On the restoration of the Stuarts, the Stanleyswere reinstated, and William Christian found how rash hehad been in rousing the anger of the indomitable Countess.He was charged with insurrection, and as he refused tosubmit to a trial, was summarily shot at Hango Hill, nearCastletown.James, the tenth Earl of Derby, died in 1735, and the lordshipof the island passed to the Duke of Athol, a descendantof the daughter of the great Earl ;but thirty years afterwards,in 1765, the British Government purchased the sovereigntyfor £70,000, the chief object being the suppressionof smuggling, carried on most extensively in the island, tothe great detriment of the English revenue. The desired resultwas achieved, to the great vexation of the Manx folk, whohad made an uncommonly good thing of the contrabandtrade. A verse of a song of the time, popular at Douglas andCastletown, expresses the general feeling :" The babes unborn will rue the dayThat the Isle of Man was sold awayFor there's ne'er an old wife that loves a flramBut what will lament for the Isle of Man."The Duke of Athol, whose sou was appointed Governorin-Chief,and held that office for more than fifty years,still retaining certain manorial rights. Church patronage, andother privileges ; but in 1829, on consideration of the receiptof £416,000, all rights were relinquished to the BritishCrown. A Lieutenant-Governor was appointed ;but, as weshall have occasion to see, the ancient and peculiar laws andciiBtoms of the island were maintained almost intact. Theisland has its own Parliament, its own laws, and its ownjudges ;generally speaking, it settles its own affairs withoutappealing to England, and contrives to thrive and he hapi^ywithout making its liberal share of " home rule " troublesometo anybody.It is always agreeable, when we are on the eve of visiting aplace, to know a little about it beforehand—not to know toomuch of details, for then we should lose the attractive elementof surprise when we reach our destination ; but to have sucha general acquaintance with it as shall lielp us the better to