Fourth Duke of Atholl and the last member of the family to retain substantial proprietary rights in the Isle of Man.

By the early nineteenth century the sovereign rights formerly held by the Atholls had already passed to the Crown under the 1765 Revestment. The family nevertheless retained property, patronage and other rights which had not formed part of that original purchase.

The fourth Duke pressed further claims for compensation. Parliamentary proceedings in 1805 repeatedly considered “the Duke of Atholl’s Claim”, leading to the settlement of an annuity calculated by reference to Manx customs revenue but charged on the Consolidated Fund.

He later also held the office of Governor-in-Chief of the Isle of Man. Home Office indexes preserve warrants and instructions concerning his appointment, together with correspondence over Manx judicial and constitutional questions.

His role brought him into disputes and petitions involving the courts, the Keys and local administration. Surviving Home Office entries include questions put by Atholl concerning the role of the Keys in the Court of Gaol Delivery and petitions transmitted to him during the 1820s.

Parliament authorised the Treasury in 1825 to purchase the remaining Atholl rights in Mann. Later Manx accounts identify the final surrender as taking place in 1828.