Secretaries of State: State Papers Isle of Man

Letters and papers reviewed by the Secretaries of State from the governor and others relating to the Isle of Man. The documents indicate the measures then taken, and the problems which arose within a decade of acquisition. A few Privy Council papers appear also.

There are also, for the years 1765 to 1830 records relating to the Isle of Man in HO 99

See later records continuing the series in HO 98

The position of the Isle of Man as a haven for smuggling had long been a problem for the Customs service, and as early as 1726 provision had been made to enable the Earl of Derby to sell the royalty and revenue of the Isle of Man to the crown, as part of an attempt to solve this problem by the statute 12 George I, c 28. Negotiations continued for decades. In 1765 the Duke and Duchess of Athol at last alienated the sovereignty of the Isle of Man to the crown, for £70,000: the statute 5 George III, c 26 gives details of the sale, as well as reciting the earlier grants. The sale did not cover their manorial rights, nor their patronage of the see of Sodor and Man, nor certain other emoluments and perquisites. The Athols were later given a grant of £2,000 for life, to cover an undervaluation in 1765.

In 1805, on the death of the Duchess, the fourth Duke of Athol's petitions on the grounds of inadequate compensation resulted in a closely-fought statute assigning him and his heirs a quarter of the gross revenues of the island (45 George III, c 123). The question was raised again in 1825, when the statute 6 George IV, c 34 allowed the Treasury to purchase the whole of the remaining Athol interest in the Isle of Man for £416,000. In 1825, then, the Isle of Man, with all its ancient privileges and immunities, was thus entirely ceded to the British Crown. The island continued to have its own government and parliament (the Tynwald), under a governor appointed by the crown. As with the Channel Islands, it was not part of the United Kingdom.