Rich. Fisher, Edw. Lucas, John Colbin. At Castle Rushen, the 25th of July, 1610. John Ireland, Lieutenant, William Radcliff, Thos. Samsbury, Deemster, Examined by JOHN QUAYLE, C. R. At Castletown, Acted the 4th June 1629. At the Tinwald holden the 24th of June 1629. As in every well governed Commonwealth, wholesome Statutes, Orders, and Laws answerable to the Times, are usually invented, prepared, and enacted, for prevention and avoiding of such present and future annoyances, inconveniences, and losses, as the Magistrates find the Members thereof to be subject unto and to suffer; so the Govern ment of the Inhabitants of this Isle being exemplary of ancient Customes, guided and provided for by the like Ordinances; we therefore the Captain, Deemsters, Officers, and 24 Keys, having advisedly observed and considered the manifold Misdemeanors and evil Accions comitted in these Times by Mallefactors, to the Ruin and Distruction of the Commonwealth, doe for Remedy thereof ordaine, enact, and publish, to be executed for Law henceforth, as followeth : First, That whensoever any Theef shall be found to steal either Mutton, Sheep, Lamb, Goate, Kidd, Swine, or Pigg, the same shall not be priced by the Jury of Indictment, (as hath been accustomed,) who sometimes valued such stolen Goods under the Worth of vjd. Ob. thereby out of a foolish, petty, and partiall Regard, to extenuate the Rigor of Law in favour of the Malefactors, but that every Sheep, Mutton, or Lamb, of what Age or Worth soever it be, being stollen, hereafter shall be found to be Fellony in the Offender to Death, ipso facto, upon the Inquisition taken, without valuing or distinguishing the Price. Also, that the stealing and cutting of Bee-hives in Gardens shall be Fellony in like Manner to Death, without valuing the same. Also, whereas heretofore such as have stolen Turff, Ling, Gorse, robbed Gardens, clipped other Men's Sheep, stollen Corn and Hay out of Fields and Haggards, stollen Geese, Hens, Ducks, or comitted such like Pillfereys and Fellony, have all of them been connyved at, and slightly let pass: Be it therefore ordained, that all such Manner of Theft, if it amount to the Value of Sixpence Ob. shall be Fellony to Death in the Offender, and under the Value to be whipped, or set upon a Wooden Horse ordained for such Offenders at the Discretion of the Captaine: And it is provided least the simple Jurors, who, in such Cases, may be doubted, will not enter into due Consideration of such Fellony, and esteem to their full Worthe: Therefore every Coroner, soe often as Cases for Inquirey of these Fellonys happen to fall out, shall choose and impannell of the most sufficient Men in the Parishes to be the Jurors; and if any refuse or be disobedient, the Coroner forthwith, using no Delays, to present them, that they may be fined, not troubling any of the xxiiij Keyes in these Servises, unless they be spetially commanded thereunto by the Captain. Also, if any Person shall hereafter cut Trees, Plaints of Trees, or Quicksetts, upon any Man's Tennement or rented Ground, he shall pay xs. Fine, without Mitigacion, to the Lord's Use, being of Abillity, otherwise to be whipped throughout all the Markett Towns of this Isle.. Also, whosoever shall be found or detected to pull Horse Tayles shall be punished upon the Wooden Horse, thereon to continue for the Space of two Hours, and to be whipped naked from the Waist upwards. Alsoe, that Children entering upon their Goods and Liv ings at xiiij Yeares of Age shall not be at Liberty to make Sail or dispose of the same, unless they be enforced thereunto through Necessity, (before they attaine to the Age of xxj Years,) and that made known to the Captaine and the rest of the Officers. Also, that the antient Statute Law for continuing of Coroners in Office more than one Year shall be revived and put in Execution, to avoid many Inconveniences and Wronges that otherwise might redounde as well to the Lord as to the Inhabitants of the Isle. Also, that noe Cotterells nor Artificers shall be lyable to pay any Corbes, but that they shall be all devideable and bequeathable as other Goods are: And that from Farmers noe Blankett, called the Sunday Blankett, shall be taken for Corbes, neither shall they be payable for the rest of the Corbes, but to their own Children, and to such as by M Right the Farme shall descend unto for the Maintenance thereof. All these confirmed by my Lord Strange, as in the Examined by JOHN QUAYLE, C. R. ORDERS and DIRECTIONS Given concerning the Isle of Mann, by the Right Honourable JAMES Lord STRANGE, Lord of that Island, the 22d Day of November, Anno Domini 1636. Forasmuch as grevious Complaints is made to the Sove, reign Liege Lord of this Island by his Honour's poor Ten. nants, Inhabitants in that Island, that they are greatly oppressed and impoverished by selling away the Corn in Win ter to the richest Soart, that ingross and export the same, and make excessive Gaines out of the poor Men's Estates, which Sayles in Winter they are so inforced unto, not bes ing otherwise able to pay their Michaelmas and Christmas Rents then due to his Lordship: His Honour having taken the same seriously into Consideracion, and commisserating the Estates of his poor Tenants, with Desire to enable them and their Welfare, is hereby graciously pleased to declare, order, and direct, that such of his poor Tennants in that Island as want Money to pay for their Rents at Michaelmas and Christmas in any Yeare, shall and may attend his Honour's Officers, viz. the Captain or Deputy, and the Comptroller and Receiver, or any two of them, whereof the Captain or Deputy to be one, and in lieu of their Rents then due, to compound with them to deliver into the Lord's Garrisons in the Island, at or before the first Day of March then next following, such Quantity of Corn and Grain as the said Tennants, severally and respectively, can agree with the said Officers, or any two of them; to the End that at the said first Day of March then next ensueing, the Captain and Officers of the said Island may consult and consider of the Plenty or Scarcity of Corne; and if it then may be spared, the same may be exported, and the Lord's Rents satisfied, with reasonable Recompence for the Forbearance and Charges; or otherwise, that it may be sold back to the poor Tennants and others that want, at reasonable Rates, without soe great Loss and Oppression to the poore Tennants as is now complained of to befall them, by having engrossed in rich Men's Hands, as of late hath been used, and who had little or no Compassion of their Pover ties. This Declaration or Direction to continue only during the Lord's good Pleasure. Itm. Whereas the Coroner and Moares of the said Island have formerly, by the Lawes and Customes there, accompted yearly before the Comptroller of their Endeavours and Servises done to the Lord, and have at the Debett Day had Recompence allowed them by the Comptroller, according to their Endeavours and Paines taken for the Lord's Service; and whereas now of late, upon Suite made to his Lordship, his Honour was pleased to allow them Stipend certain for two Years last past: Now forasmuch as his Honour, by Experience, and by Advice of his Officers and Councell of that Island, findeth less Service done unto him, and less Care for his Lordship's Profitts, by the said Coroners and Moares taken since their Stipend made certain, his Lordship doth therefore declare, order, and direct, that for the Year next ensuing, and soe henceforth, no Stipend certain shall be paid unto them, but that they shall duly Accompt of the Collections and Services done for the Lord in their severall Offices as formerly was used, and that they have Recompence and Allowances according to their Endeavours and Services done, as in former Times. Itm. Whereas the Deemsters of that Island have formerly had, as standing Fees for Execution of their Offices, from the Lord, either of them, the Sum of vijl. xs. yearly, and have also Imunity and Freedom from Payments and Customes for their Lands which they hold in the Island; which Fees and Imunities of Customes were lately, upon Suite made by the said Deemsters, altered and exchanged, and in Liew thereof the Stipend of xiijl. vjs. viijd. a-piece, or thereabouts, allowed by the Lord to his Deemsters during his Pleasure: Now forasmuch as the Lord, by Advice of his Councell of that Island, findeth this Alteration and Exchange Inconvenient, and a Disadvantage to the Lord sometimes, as when the Deemsters hold so little Land as that the gaining of their Customes will not countervaile the Increase of their Stipends, and sometimes inconvenient to the Deemsters, when they hold so much Land as that the Customes will in Value exceed their Increase of Stipend; and for that also, sometimes the Deemsters take their Increase of Stipend, and yet still hold their Land without paying Customes: Now his Lordship therefore now thinketh good, and soe doth declare, order, and direct, that henceforth the Deemsters have paid them by his Lordship their antient Fee of vijl. xs. a-piece yearly, and Imunity of their Lands as formerly hath been used, and that the Increase of Stipend be suspended untill his Honour give fur`ther Order to the contrary. Itm. Whereas by the antient Custome of that Island, the Receiver hath, at the End of every Quarter of the Yeare, made his Accompt before the Captaine and Comptroller of all Moneys received for the Lord's Use, and paid in the Moneys by him received; all which Moneys by him received were put in Safety in a Chest in one of the Lord's Houses, and severall Keyes kept by the Receiver and Of ficers there; which good Custome hath been of late neglected: It is now the Lord's Pleasure, and his Lordship doth declare, order, and direct, that the Captaine and Comptroller shall, in every Quarter of the Yeare henceforth, call the Receiver to Accompt as in former Times was used; and that the Receiver shall every Quarter, upon reasonable Warning, attend the Officers and make his Accompt, and bring such Moneys of the Lord's as he hath in his Hands, and put the same into a Chest in one of the Lord's Houses, under several Lockes and Keyes, whereof the Receiver to have one, and the other Officers other Keyes, as formerly hath been used, upon Paine of the Lord's Displeasure, and the Loss of his or their Places, to such Officer or Receiver as shall neglect his or their Duty, and his Lordship's Direction in this Behalfe. Itm. Whereas the Lord is informed that the Deemsters of the Island do sometimes give Judgment by Lawes unknown to his Lordship, or any other of his Councell of that Island, called Brest Lawes : his Honour therefore declareth his Pleasure, and doth order and direct, that the said Deemsters do, upon Notice of this his Honour's Order, sett down in Writing, and certify to his Honour by the next Passage after, what Lawes these Brest Lawes are, and of what Use, in what Cases they are requisite, and how far their Power and Execution of them extende; and in particular to certify, whether the same be used in all Cases, that is to say, Criminal for Punishment of Offenders, and Civil for Decission of Rights of Lands and Goodes, or in which of them, in what Cases are any of them; whether by such |