Douglas Railway Station is a somewhat rambling structure (as is required by its function) and is constructed of red brick with pitched slate roofs and a major glass roofed 'lean-to' entrance corridor. The profile of the brickwork has been adapted to approximate to the platform roofing requirements in a decorative fashion. Similarly the accommodation areas of the station have received some definition with brick pilasters and string courses of geometrical rather than structural significance. Because the building is sited in a hollow, there is an imposing gateway and clock in a detached structure located to be visible along Athol Street. This structure with its twin cupolas and central arch is well resolved but only related to the main station by a rather small scale brick and iron paling fence to the gate enclosing the station yard.
A storm destroyed Douglas harbour, killing fishermen. The harbour had been neglected under Crown administration — the infrastructure that the Manx people depended on for their livelihoods left to rot because the Crown had no interest in maintaining what it had purchased.
515 names listed in alphabetical order. Some names mention regiment and / or rank; First World War. Printed list of 5 columns, each framed with a wooden border and mounted behind glass. Roll of Honour was originally displayed in Douglas Town Library, however the library has since relocated to Victoria Street, Douglas and the roll of honour has now been mounted on the wall in the entrance to Douglas Town Hall, at the foot of the stairs on the right hand side.
No names listed; all twentieth century wars. Framed certificate, decorated with emblems from various Manx organisations and public services and signed with the common seal of the Borough. Red and black script.
Medieval chapel and burial ground.
The Manx Archaeological Survey (1918) states that a chapel and burial ground once stood at this location. The Survey notes that the chapel was standing in the 16th century as it was marked on Durham's map of 1595. A landscape drawing by Daniel King, completed in the 1650s, shows a chapel in the correct location, together with the annotation 'The Chappell'. The site of the 'ruins and ground whereon the Old Chapel did stand' was sold by the Church in 1708 when the new chapel (St Matthew's Church at SC 38217531, itself demolished in 1898) was built. A 19th century plan of Douglas (Taggart, 1834) marks a St Martin's Lane in the area. The Survey further notes that lintel graves were found close to the site of the cattle market towards the very end of the 19th century.
These observations tend to place the site in the vicinity of the former Douglas Corporation electricity works, and the presence of lintel graves suggests burial activity dating to the medieval period.
Medieval chapel.
The Manx Archaeological Survey (1918) states that a chapel and burial ground once stood at this location. The Survey notes that the chapel was standing in the 16th century as it was marked on Durham's map of 1595. A landscape drawing by Daniel King, completed in the 1650s, shows a chapel in the correct location, together with the annotation 'The Chappell'. The site of the 'ruins and ground whereon the Old Chapel did stand' was sold by the Church in 1708 when the new chapel (St Matthew's Church at SC 38217531, itself demolished in 1898) was built. A 19th century plan of Douglas (Taggart, 1834) marks a St Martin's Lane in the area.
These observations tend to place the site in the vicinity of the former Douglas Corporation electricity works.
Draft letter from the Duke of Atholl to George Grenville (First Lord of the Treasury) dated 20 August 1764, responding to Treasury correspondence from 25 July regarding potential Government purchase of the Isle of Man. The Duke expresses confidence in Grenville's character and willingness to negotiate the sale on terms of frankness and confidence, comparing the approach to prior dealings with Walpole, Pelham, and Newcastle.
Draft correspondence from the Duke of Atholl to George Grenville (First Lord of the Treasury) dated 20 August 1764, responding to a Treasury letter of 25 July regarding negotiations for the Government's purchase of sovereignty over the Isle of Man. The Duke expresses confidence in Grenville's character and willingness to negotiate on terms of 'frankness & confidence' similar to those his predecessor maintained with Walpole, Pelham, and Newcastle.
A proposed but unsent letter from John Murray, Duke of Atholl, to the Treasury Lords dated 20 September 1764, responding to their request for detailed revenue accounts of the Isle of Man in preparation for sale negotiations. The Duke claims insufficient possession time and knowledge to provide accurate valuations and revenue details, and requests a delay of several months. This document reveals the early stages of negotiations leading to the 1765 Revestment and the Crown's difficulty in assessing the island's financial worth.
This document contains proposed textual alterations to what appears to be a legal or formal response. It discusses the resumption of a matter by the Duke of Newcastle when he was First Lord of the Treasury, and addresses principles of honor and justice, submission to the King's Pleasure, and the Duke of Athole's treatment.
The Dragon Cross. A fine piece, each face bearing a cross set on a circle. The slab is rounded at the top, and tapers towards the foot to fit into a socket; the spaces between the limbs are pierced. Both crosses have an expanding shaft, and a ring decorated with plait-work. Regular plaits break into looser interlacing lower on the shaft. The panels to either side are filled with interlace binding dragon figures with gaping jaws, pear-shaped eyes and long tails.
This cross slab was first recorded in 1841 near the old church, and it is therefore tempting to assume that it came to light as a result of the demolition of the previous parish church. It dates to around AD1030. The slab is damaged but was originally round-headed and pierced between the limbs. It tapers towards its foot, and the sculpture stops short to allow for its insertion into a socket.
Each face has a central wheel-headed cross, decorated with plaits-of-seven which break into looser interlace towards the foot of the shaft. On both faces, the panels either side of the cross shaft each bear a representation of a dragon, bound by interlace, facing the shaft . The dragon's head, with open mouth, fearsome teeth and pear-shaped eye, can be seen immediately beneath the ring supporting the arm of the cross. The pear-shaped eye is one of the classic elements of the Ringerike style, and here makes a very rare appearance on a Manx cross. A similar animal appears on a fragment of a gold ring found near Greeba. The remaining decoration is a mixture of Jellinge and Mammen styles, suggesting that this stone stands at the crossover between these art-styles. The carving bears some similarity to that on Manx Cross 122.
Extensive historical narrative from William Draper's 1864 work on the House of Stanley, focusing on James, seventh Earl of Derby's execution (15 October 1651) and the subsequent Parliamentarian seizure of the Isle of Man under the Countess of Derby. Includes the Earl's dying speech, character analysis, letters of instruction to his son, and details of the island's capture by Duckinfield and Birch. Highly relevant to understanding the political and personal context of the Stanley lordship immediately preceding the 1765 Revestment.
A historical account of the Stanley family's genealogy, origins, and early history from pre-Conquest times through the medieval period. Discusses the family's settlement in Staffordshire, their connection to the Audithley/Aldithley line, and the foundation of the Stanley name. Relevant to the Revestment project as background on the ducal family that held sovereignty over the Isle of Man until 1765.
Detailed historical account of Ormskirk Parish Church in Lancashire, its architecture, monuments, and especially the Derby Chapel containing burials of the Earls of Derby from the Stanley family. Includes genealogical and heraldic information, descriptions of church fixtures including a notable bell from Burscough Priory (1497), and extensive discussion of the Stanley family's prominence in the region. Relevant to the Revestment project as background on the Stanley family's territorial power and connections prior to their involvement in Isle of Man governance.
