Petitions for Reform
Petitions were an important part of the reform movement. Although none of them led to immediate reform, they were a means by which to drum up support, and they provide us with evidence for the extent of desire for reform amongst Island residents.
1776 A petition is presented to the Lieutenant Governor, Richard Dawson, by Mr Moore, Mr Cosnahan and ‘other patriots of the day’. It called for the election of a new House of Keys every seven years by those with property and was signed by 563 of ‘the most opulent and respectable landowners’.
1792 A Royal Commission is appointed to inquire into the condition of the Island. Reformers use this as an opportunity to present the Commission with a petition for reform which was signed by nearly 1000 of the ‘principle landed proprietors’ of the Island.
1833 Produced at a time when the Manx reform movement was blossoming, this petition was signed by 1776 people and sent to King William IV. It is unlikely that the King received it, and the petition was ridiculed by conservatives.
1834 A mock petition appears in the Manx Sun which attacks the reformers and cleverly advocates the status quo. It is signed by ‘Disappointed Candidates, Self-Sufficiency, Hypocrisy, Snarling Discontent, Pedantry, Tavern Debaters, Would-Be-Thought-Wise, Pomposity’.
1834 Brothers William and Edward Christian petition for a new legislative assembly to replace the Keys, to be elected on the basis of household suffrage. The petition makes 13 suggestions for fairer representation, including triennial parliaments and vote by ballot. The Keys react by electing William to be a member of the House of Keys, which he accepts.
1838 The Reform Association, which had been established in 1835, draws up a new petition towards the end of 1837. They argue that ‘by reforming itself, the Island would be left alone, free from critical gaze and the threat of incorporation into the United Kingdom’. The petition was sent to Governor Ready with over 3000 signatures. It was met with the response that ‘it is my duty to inform you that such a change in the constitution of the Island cannot be agreed to; and I have further to inform you, that if reform in the House of Keys is found to be really wanted, that a Representation for the Island in Parliament may be the measure of reform adopted’.
1844 With the support of Dr John Bowring, MP for Bolton and champion of the Island in Parliament, petitions are organised in the North and West by the Northern Association and in the East and South by the Douglas reformers. Along with a strangers’ petition of 543 signatures, these three petitions were signed by a total of 5261 men, almost half of the adult male population of the Island at the time. They are presented to Governor Ready, who rejects them.
1863 J.J. Moore organises a petition requesting an investigation into the conduct of the ‘irresponsible, self-elected Keys’ with regarded to a number of issues of the period. Signed by 3373 men, it is forwarded to the newly appointed Governor Loch, who declares that, ‘there are no grievances that cannot and will not be very shortly removed by the action of the Insular Legislature’.
