The Manx Rebellion of 1651 was an uprising against the ruler of the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
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, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
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in Europe ...
during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
. It was led by William Christian, better known by the epithet
Illiam Dhone
or (literally meaning 'Brown William' in English) (14 April 16082 January 1663), also known as William Christian, was a Manx politician and depending on viewpoint, patriot, rebel or traitor. He was a son of Ewan Christian, a deemster. In M ...
(Brown William), due to his dark hair.
The Rebellion was mainly in response to agrarian and land ownership reforms enacted by
Lord of Mann
The lord of Mann ( gv, Çhiarn Vannin) is the lord proprietor and head of state of the Isle of Man. The current lord proprietor and head of state is Charles III. Before 1504 the head of state was known as King of Mann.
Relationship with th ...
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, KG (31 January 160715 October 1651) was an English nobleman, politician, and supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Before inheriting the title in 1642 he was known as Lord Strange. He was ...
, and the increased burden on the
Manx people
The Manx (; gv, ny Manninee) are an ethnic group originating on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. Their native culture has significant Norse-Gaels, Norse-Gaelic, Celts, Celtic, and English people, English influences.
The M ...
during the English Civil War.
It was a bloodless coup with English Parliamentary forces taking control of the island.
The Rebellion temporarily ended control of the Isle of Man by the Stanley family until
the Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
when King
Charles II returned from exile in Europe.
Causes
![7thEarlOfDerby](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/7thEarlOfDerby.jpg)
The ruler of the Isle of Man, James Stanley was in desperate need to improve his financial situation so he could continue to fund his involvement with the
Royalists
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
. In the 1640s he attempted to bolster his finances by reforming inheritance and tenancy laws on the Isle of Man. These changes to the old feudal system of property ownership, commonly termed the ''tenure of the straw,'' were one of the primary grievances for the Manx during the Rebellion of 1651 as it placed additional economic burden on the Manx people who were already strained due to the Civil War.
Stanley wanted to abolish this system as it gave tenants perpetual ownership and the right to pass their property to their children without consent of the Earl himself. Stanley complained that "men think their dwellings are their own ancient inheritances, and... dispose thereof without license of the Lord."
Due to his growing influence and authority on the Isle of Man, he came to be known as Yn Stanlagh Mooar (''the Great Stanley'') in the
Manx language
Manx ( or , pronounced or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the historical language of the Manx peop ...
.
Growing dissatisfaction over these reforms and rumours of a possible revolt against his power, prompted Stanley to return to the Isle of Man in 1643 to reinforce his authority. Edward Christian, a distant cousin of Dhone's and a former Governor of the Isle of Man was imprisoned for his role in plotting against the Stanley family.
Another significant opponent to the reforms was
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery. He was Architect to the Ecclesiastical Commiss ...
, the father of Illiam Dhone, the leader of the Rebellion. Christian was one of the most influential politicians on the Isle of Man, holding the office of
deemster
A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also promu ...
51 years, and also
Deputy-Governor of the Isle of Man 1634 to 1637. But following Stanley's threat to lease the Christian family's property at
Derbyhaven
Derbyhaven ( gv, Camys y Ree) ("King's Harbour" or "King's Cove") is a hamlet near Castletown in the southern parish of Malew, Isle of Man. It is located on the isthmus connecting Langness Peninsula to the rest of the island, on the bay of the s ...
in
Ronaldsway
Ronaldsway () is a place in the parish of Malew in the south of the Isle of Man, between the village of Ballasalla and the town of Castletown.
Features
It is notable as the location of Isle of Man Airport and historically of RNAS Ronaldsway, to ...
to John Corrin, a descendant of a previous claimant to the estate, Christian conceded and bequeathed his estate in 1643 to his third son, Illiam Dhone.
It was at this property at Ronaldsway that Dhone and the island's militia decided to rebel.
The rebellion
The Earl of Derby's appointed Illiam Dhone as
Receiver General
A receiver general (or receiver-general) is an officer responsible for accepting payments on behalf of a government, and for making payments to a government on behalf of other parties.
See also
* Treasurer
* Receiver General for Canada
* Recei ...
of the Isle of Man in 1648. The Earl left the island in August 1651 to fight with
Charles II's armies against the
Parliamentarians.
His wife
Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby
Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby (December 1599 – 31 March 1664), born Charlotte de La Trémoille, is famous for her robust defence of Lathom House during the English Civil War.
Early life
Charlotte, born at the chateau of Thouars, Poitou ...
continued to live at their residence at
Castle Rushen
Castle Rushen ( gv, Cashtal Rosien) is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle is ...
and she and their children were placed under Dhone's guardianship, although he also gave his wife the power to act on his behalf in his absence. Crucially, Stanley also left the island's militia under the command of Dhone.
Isle of Man surrender offer
The Earl was taken prisoner at the
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...
in September 1651 and in his final letter to his wife in October he instructed his wife to broker his release and for his family's safety by negotiating with the victorious Parliamentarians for the surrender of the island:
The governor of this place, Colonel Duckenfield, is general of the forces which are going now against the Isle of Man, and however you might do for the present, in time it would be grievous and troublesome to resist, especially those that at this hour command three nations; wherefore my advice, notwithstanding my great affection to that place is, that you would make conditions for yourself, children, servants, and people there, and such as came over with me, to the end you may go to some place of rest where you may not be concerned in war; and taking thought of your poor children, you may in some sort provide for them
The Governor of the Isle of Man,
Sir Philip Musgrave, drew up the proposals with the assistance of several members of the
House of Keys
The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
History
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...
.
The Countess entrusted the proposals to her servant and sent them to Colonel
Robert Duckenfield
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Duckenfield (1619–1689) was a Parliamentarian commander during the English Civil War.
Family history
Robert Duckenfield came from Dukinfield in Cheshire and was born to Robert and Frances Duckenfield in 1619. The Du ...
.
Ultimately, the attempts failed and Stanley was executed on 15 October.
Rebellion
While the Countess brokered with the Parliamentarians, Dhone himself negotiated independently with the Parliamentarian forces.
As the House of Keys was involved in the drawing up of the proposals for surrender, many influential Manxmen would have been aware of the Countess' actions and felt that "Countess intended to save herself by sacrificing them"
Following the power vacuum left by the Earl's capture and fearing that the Countess of Derby's surrender of the island would be on terms that would be less than favourable to the Manx people, as well as long-standing grievances about agrarian and land ownership reform, a revolt against Stanley rule on the Isle of Man was planned.
Dhone and Musgrave agreed to defend the island from invasion until satisfactory terms were met. In reality, the Parliamentarians were gathering troops to capture the island and the agreement was a "mere pretence for the sake of gaining time" for Dhone and the Manx militia.
On the same night that the proposal for surrender was sent off the island, a rebellion led by Dhone against Stanley rule occurred. Dhone as Commander of the Militia, summoned the
Captains of the Parishes of the Isle of Man to rise up and take control of the strategic coastal forts. Some 800 men were assembled and the Manx militia were successful in their attempts to take the smaller forts, but failed to take the largest castles at
Peel and
Rushen
Rushen ( ; gv, Rosien), formally Kirk Christ Rushen, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man.
It is located in the south of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of the same name.
A ...
.
![IOM Castle Rushen by Malost](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/IOM_Castle_Rushen_by_Malost.JPG)
Despite a delay due to a storm, when Colonel
Robert Duckenfield
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Duckenfield (1619–1689) was a Parliamentarian commander during the English Civil War.
Family history
Robert Duckenfield came from Dukinfield in Cheshire and was born to Robert and Frances Duckenfield in 1619. The Du ...
and his invasion fleet landed on the island at the end of October, Dhone and the militia cooperated and allowed the Parliamentarian forces to take control of the island, on the condition that the "ancient rights and laws" that James Stanley had attempted to reform were restored.
The Countess did not learn of the death of her husband until late October at the earliest. In a letter she received from Colonel Duckenfield dated 29 October 1651, she refused the Colonel's request for her to surrender, explaining that "I will not give it up without orders from him, being obliged by my duty to obey the instructions of my husband".
On 3 November, the Countess realizing that her soldiers could not be trusted to hold the forts, surrendered on the condition that herself, her children, and servants would have safe passage to travel to England, and then on to another safe location, thus yielding control of the Isle of Man to the Parliamentary forces, in a bloodless coup.
Outcomes
Dhone remained the Receiver General of the Isle of Man after the Rebellion and became
Governor of the Isle of Man
The title of Governor of the Isle of Man existed until 1828. Other titles were also used, especially before 1595.
*Holan (1219–?), titled Seneschal
*''List incomplete''
*Fogall McHascatt (1260–?), titled Seneschal
*Godfrey MacManus (1266– ...
in 1656. Dhone was eventually punished for his role in the Rebellion and was accused of misappropriating Manx charitable funds during his tenure as Governor and Receiver General. He fled to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
where he was eventually attested in 1660. He was released the next year but returned to the Isle of Man hoping that his involvement in the Rebellion would be pardoned under the
Act of Indemnity and Oblivion
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 was an Act of the Parliament of England (12 Cha. II c. 11), the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion". This act was a general pardon for everyone who had committe ...
of 1661 under the King Charles II as part of the Restoration.
Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby
Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (19 January 1628 – 21 December 1672) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte de La Trémouille.
Life
As Lord Strange, he took little p ...
, the eldest son of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte de La Trémouille, having described rebellion as being "a most henious sinne against God", ordered his arrest. At his trial many members of the
House of Keys
The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
History
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in ...
were unwilling to condemn him and as a result were removed and replaced by others who would find Dhone guilty.
Despite the Act of Indemnity, he was found guilty and was executed by firing squad at
Hango Hill
Hango Hill is an historic mound on the coast road between Castletown and Derbyhaven, Malew parish, Isle of Man.
Prehistory
The mound is said to be a possible prehistoric burial site. The recovery of a bronze flat axe implies a possible Bronze ...
near
Castletown on 2 January 1663.
Legacy
The rebellion and particularly Dhone's death have become a crucial figure in Manx nationalism in the twentieth century. An annual commemoration is held by
Mec Vannin
() is a political party operating in the Isle of Man. Formed in 1962, it seeks to revoke the status of Man as a British self-governing Crown dependency and establish a completely sovereign state, which would be a republic.
It describes its a ...
, a Manx Nationalist party at the site of his execution.
References
{{Reflist
History of the Isle of Man
English Civil War
Military history of the Isle of Man