—ao, =. 
_—_— 
377 
remains of the old Scandinavian Thing which, for the protection 
of public liberty was held in the open air, in the presence of the 
assembled people, and conducted by the people’s chiefs and repre- 
sentatives, are to be met with, not in the North itself, but in a 
little island far towards the West, and in the midst of the British 
Kingdom.” 
Thomas, Lord Stanley, fourth King of Man, whose second wife 
was mother of Henry VII., was created Earl of Derby (1485) on 
Bosworth field. History records that he placed the crown of 
Richard on the head of the victorious Richmond. Hisson, Thomas, 
dropped the title of King, preferring “to be a great Lord to a 
petty King.” James, seventh Earl, “‘ the Great Earl of Derby,” 
husband of Charlotte de la Tremouille, whose gallant defence of 
Lathom House is referred to in Peveril of the Peak, was taken 
prisoner after the battle of Worcester, and beheaded at Bolton-le- 
Moors in 1651. Notwithstanding the heroism of the Countess the 
Island was surrendered by treachery to the Parliamentary forces, 
and granted to Fairfax, who held it till the Restoration, when it 
was restored to Earl Charles. 
Towards the end of the 17th century the Islanders, having no 
secure tenure of their lands, agriculture was neglected and they 
gave themselves up to fishing and contraband trade, This resulted 
in several years of scarcity and famine. In 1703 Bishop Wilson 
induced the then Earl (James) to grant “The Act of Settlement” 
(the Manx Magna Charta), by which leases were granted in 
perpetuity on payment of fines, kc. James, tenth and last Earl 
of the House of Stanley, died without issue in 1735. With him 
terminated the direct male line of the House of Derby, which had 
reigned over the Island upwards of 300 years. The Kingdom then 
passed through the female line to the Duke of Athole. 
Attempts had been made, notably in 1726, by the English 
Government to purchase the Royalties of the Island, but without 
success. The contraband trade had risen to such a pitch as 
materially to affect the revenue of Great Britain. At length, in 
