Official report from Lieutenant Governor Richard Dawson to the Secretary of State (Lord Suffolk) certifying the establishment of a flax and hemp refining manufactory on the Isle of Man by the Baroness Aichelburg in December 1777. The report includes details of personnel, imported materials, and exports, reflecting post-Revestment economic development and industrial initiatives on the island.
Official report from Lieutenant Governor Richard Dawson to Secretary of State Lord Suffolk certifying the establishment and operation of a flax and hemp refinery on the Isle of Man in 1777-1778. The report documents the arrival of the Baroness Aichelburg with 25 workers, the acquisition of land and buildings, production statistics, and workforce attrition, providing evidence of early industrial development on the Island post-Revestment.
Report from Lieutenant Governor Richard Dawson to Secretary of State Lord Suffolk regarding three years of unpaid salaries for Isle of Man's civil establishment officers. Dawson explains the administrative and financial crisis caused by arrears, requests priority payment to civil officers over contingent expenses, and notes the damage to government dignity and officer morale. The letter reflects post-Revestment tensions regarding revenue collection, officer compensation, and governance sustainability.
A letter from Lieutenant Governor Richard Dawson to Secretary of State Lord Suffolk dated 31 October 1778, reporting on the critical arrears in payment to civil officers on the Isle of Man. Dawson details the cascading consequences of the unpaid salaries and requests priority payment of revenue officers' salaries to relieve the situation. This document illuminates post-Revestment governance challenges and fiscal management of the island.
A letter from Richard Dawson (Governor of the Isle of Man) to the Treasury dated September 1778, detailing the acute shortage of copper coinage on the island and requesting Crown authorization to mint 300 pounds worth of Manx pence and 150 pounds of halfpence. The letter explains the historical distinction between Manx and English copper currency, notes that no coinage has been issued since 1758, and references pre-Revestment practices when the Lord Proprietor would authorize such mintage. Relevant to understanding post-Revestment governance and economic administration of the Island.
A letter from Richard Dawson (Governor of the Isle of Man) to a senior government official (addressed as 'My Lord') requesting permission to issue copper coinage to alleviate a shortage of small change affecting trade, particularly the herring fishery. The letter outlines the historical distinction between Manx and English copper currency, the 1758 date of the last coinage, and proposes a three-hundred-pound issue of pence and one-hundred-fifty-pound issue of half-pence bearing the King's head and the Island's arms.
A detailed calendar/finding aid listing 200+ documents from State Papers 42/2 covering the post-Revestment period 1777–1783. Documents cover defence, revenue administration, civil list arrears, Fencibles recruitment, the Tynwald Acts of 1777, disputes with the Duke of Atholl over manorial records and rights, currency issues, and correspondence between the Isle of Man governors (Smith, Dawson) and the Home Office (Suffolk, Stormont, North). This is a critical research tool for understanding the immediate aftermath of the 1765 purchase and early constitutional development.
A comprehensive calendar/finding aid listing the contents of State Papers 42/2, covering administrative and official correspondence between the Home Office (Secretary of State for the Northern District) and Isle of Man's Lieutenant Governor and Governor (1777–1783). Documents cover governance, defence, revenue, manorial records, constitutional disputes with the Duke of Atholl, fencibles enlistment, currency, civil officer appointments, and the status of the Island post-Revestment. Essential primary source guide for the immediate aftermath of the 1765 purchase.
A detailed calendar index of State Papers relating to Isle of Man governance, 1775–1777, covering correspondence between the Home Office (Lord Suffolk), successive Governors (Wood, Hope, Dawson), and other officials. Documents address gubernatorial transitions, local legislation, impressment warrants, appeals procedures, and administrative matters post-Revestment.
A calendar index of official correspondence from the State Papers (SP 42/2) covering 1775–1777, tracking administrative and political developments on the Isle of Man during the post-Revestment period. Documents detail the succession of governors (Hope, Wood, Smith), appointment of Lieutenant Governors, local legislative matters, impressment of seamen, and interaction with the Home Office under Lord Suffolk.
A table of contents page from the Manx Notebook website indexing Treasury Papers covering the critical period 1764-1771, which encompasses the lead-up to and execution of the 1765 Isle of Man Revestment. This is a finding aid and navigation page for a collection of transcribed primary documents.
A web-based index/table of contents page for a collection of Treasury Papers spanning 1764-1771, hosted on the Manx Notebook website. This is a finding aid and navigation page for historical Treasury documents relevant to the period immediately before and during the 1765 Revestment. The page notes it was designed for frames-enabled browsers and references non-frame alternatives.
A detailed academic chapter on Manx trade and industry following the 1765 Revestment, covering commercial restrictions, the licence system, manufacturing (linen, cotton, flax, woollen goods), shipbuilding, and the gradual liberalisation of trade. Examines how the connexion with Great Britain both restricted and occasionally benefited Manx commerce, and documents the rise of industries including printing newspapers and the impact of steam communication.
A scholarly essay examining smuggling networks, quarantine violations, and maritime crime in 18th-century Ireland, with particular emphasis on the Isle of Man's role as a smuggling entrepôt before its acquisition by the British government in 1765. The text traces specific smuggling operations, merchant networks (including the Black family based in Bordeaux), and coastal lawlessness, providing detailed case studies relevant to understanding the commercial and strategic context of the Revestment.
An extensive contemporary analysis of smuggling operations from the Isle of Man, extracted from Malachy Postlethwayt's Dictionary of Trade and Commerce. It details the scale of illicit trade (estimated at £700,000 annual loss), the routes, cargoes, vessels, and operational methods, while arguing for either purchasing the island from the Duke of Atholl or implementing effective enforcement measures. Includes a merchant petition from Whitehaven.
Official record of House of Commons proceedings from February 1766, covering Parliamentary bills, petitions, and resolutions on road improvements, land enclosure, duties, and colonial matters. Contains debate records and committee reports relevant to parliamentary procedure and fiscal policy during the period of the Revestment crisis.
Excerpt from the House of Commons Journal (Vol. XXX) covering proceedings from March–April 1766, primarily recording committee appointments, bill readings, and petitions on diverse matters including revenue collection, road repairs, canal navigation, local improvements, and comparative trade regulations from Tuscany and the Grand Duchy. Includes parliamentary debates on duties, excise management, and a curious appendix with Italian wool and silk trade restrictions (1745–1749), possibly included for comparative revenue/regulatory analysis.
Extract from the official House of Commons Journal for 14 February 1766, recording parliamentary proceedings including orders for colonial trade statistics (sugar colonies commodities 1757–1764), various local petitions for enclosure and road improvement bills, and testimony on smuggling of gloves and leather goods. Contains evidence from manufacturers and traders on illicit imports affecting British revenue and domestic industries.
Parliamentary Journal recording testimony before a House of Commons committee examining petitions regarding River Tyne navigation problems, ballast disposal, and sanding of Tynemouth Harbour. Witnesses include ship masters, pilots, water bailiffs, and attorneys. Also includes petitions for canal construction linking Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield, and Knutsford.
Extract from the House of Commons Journal for 20 March 1765 (50 Geo. III), recording parliamentary proceedings including the report and passage of amendments to the Bill for preventing illicit trade to and from the Isle of Man. The opening section directly addresses the Manx smuggling bill; the remainder of the extract covers routine parliamentary business (road bills, petitions, longitude commission, and Newcastle River navigation).
Official record of House of Commons debates, committee reports, and parliamentary business from the 1765–1766 session. Covers multiple bills on road maintenance, naturalization, ecclesiastical land exchanges, Westminster paving, and military supply resolutions. Includes detailed committee testimony on road conditions in Somerset and Devon. Contains financial data on military regiment pay and Sinking Fund appropriations.
Extract from the House of Commons Journal for 1765-1766 containing detailed parliamentary resolutions on stamp duties for the American colonies and plantations, along with various local road and enclosure petitions. The stamp duty resolutions specify rates for land grants, legal instruments, publications, and other documents, with proceeds to be paid to the Exchequer for colonial defence. This source is crucial for understanding Westminster's fiscal policy toward the colonies and the administrative framework that would affect colonial trade and governance.
Official proceedings of the House of Commons for 10 January 1765, including the King's Speech from the Throne, parliamentary address, administrative business, and crucially, the Committee of the Whole House resolutions on stamp duties for the American colonies. This document captures the parliamentary framework and fiscal justifications for the Stamp Act of 1765, contemporary with planning for Isle of Man revestment.
Extract from the official House of Commons Journal (Volume XXX) covering proceedings from May to September 1766. Documents extensive debates and resolutions on colonial trade duties, spirit and brandy imports, hemp cordage bounties, sugar duties, and the Stamp Act repeal/indemnification. Includes instructions to bill committees and references to Isle of Man bugles importation. Concludes with Royal Speech on colonial regulation and prorogation proceedings.
