Since 1399, the kings and lords of Mann were vassals of the kings of England who were the ultimate sovereigns of the island. This right of 'lord proprietor' was revested into the Crown by the Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765 for £70,000 and a £2,000 annuity, at which point it became a self-governing British Crown Dependency. King George III became the first British monarch to reign over the Isle of Man as Lord of Mann in 1765.[3] For reasons of culture and tradition, the title Lord of Mann continues to be used. For these reasons, the correct formal usage, as used in the Isle of Man for the loyal toast, is The King, Lord of Mann. The term "the King, Lord of Mann" was also used when Charles III was proclaimed king on the Isle of Man.[4]
The Queen, in consideration of the "many eminent services performed to herself and to her royal predecessors by the honourable and noble House of Stanley", withdrew her right and referred the contending claimants to the decision of the Privy Council as to the best claim of inheritance.
The Privy Council decided "the grant being by letters patent under the Great Seal of England, such right would descend according to the Common Law of England to the heirs general, and not to the heirs male", and the island was therefore awarded to Ferdinando's daughters; whereupon William agreed to purchase their several shares and interests.[9]
Interim (1607–1609)
Following the resolution of the succession dispute, it was ruled that the daughters of Ferdinando Stanley were the rightful heirs. As the oldest of them would not reach the age of majority until 1609, two temporary Lords of Mann were appointed by James I by letters patent,[10] so that the daughters could benefit from the Island's revenues.
The original letters patent having been declared void, the Parliament of England in 1609 under James I passed a private act of Parliament entitled "An Act for assuring and establishing the Isle of Man in the name and blood of William, Earl of Derby", the Assurance of the Isle of Man Act 1609 (7 Jas. 1. c. 4)[11] which established the title in law as Lord of Mann. The lordship was conferred by letters patent dated 7 July 1609 upon William.[12] Subsequent succession was under the terms of this grant.[13]
In 1736, on the death of James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby, the Duke of Atholl, a maternal grandson of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, succeeded to the sovereignty of the Isle of Man, while a more distant cousin succeeded as Earl of Derby.
In 1828, all remaining property interests and rights of the Dukes of Atholl on the island were sold to HM Treasury, a department of the British government, for the sum of £417,144, equivalent to £45,127,903 in 2023.[14][15] This was accomplished by a further Act of Parliament"An Act to empower the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to purchase a certain Annuity in respect of Duties and Customs levied in the Isle of Man, and any reserved sovereign rights in the said Island belonging to John Duke of Atholl" (6 Geo. 4. c. 34).
Queen Elizabeth II on a Manx crown coin of 1970. A Manx cat is shown on the reverse.
^Callow, Edward (1899). "Preface". From King Orry to Queen Victoria: A Short and Concise History of the Isle of Man. London, UK: Elliot Stock. Retrieved 27 October 2013 – via Isle-of-man.com.
^Callow, Edward (2007). From King Orry to Queen Victoria: A Short and Concise History of the Isle of Man. Gardners Books. ISBN978-1-4326-8295-8.
^Parr, John (1867). "Reign of Queen Elizabeth". In Gell, James (ed.). An Abstract of the Laws, Customs, and Ordinances of the Isle of Man. Douglas: The Manx Society. Retrieved 27 October 2013 – via Isle-of-man.com.