A page from the 1694 Liber Assedationis

The image below is a page of the 1694 Liber Assedationis (also known as the Setting Book) which records the tenants of the Lord's land for the year.

This image by courtesy of Manx National Heritage and also of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which produced the microfilm from which it is taken.

Click for a full size image

This page contains the first part of the Liber Assedationis entries for the Parish of Kirk Michael. My literal transcription of the header is as follows.

            Parochia St Michell

                       }  Wm Cannon   }
            Noia iiii  }  Jon Curlett } 
            Jur ibm    }  Jon Cannell } jurat
                       }  Wm Cannell  }

This gives the names of the four man jury (the Setting Quest) which oversaw the land transfers recorded in for that Sheading Court as recorded in the Liber Vastorum for the preceding year. They were liable if new tenants were unable to pay the rent

My literal transcription of the first section is as follows.

Ballacrynane    Jon Cannell --------------------------------------- } xxvis viiid 

                Jon Cannell --------------------------------------- } xxvis viiid
                   ixs iiiid         iiiis viiid              
                Phillip Cannell   Hen: Kaighen -------------------- } xiiiis

                                  Sum } iiil viis iiiid

The word on the left indicates the type of land concerned. The roman numerals on the right of the brackets give the sub-parts of this land. In this instance Ballacrynane is the name of a treen and the rents correspond to the quarterlands (ancient farmlamds) within the treen. The lands and sub-divisions always appear in the same order within the Liber Assed, but the individual place-names of the sub-divisions are never given. The rents are nearly always given in Roman numerals and the l,s and d abbreviations are used for pounds, shillings and pence respectively. The three rents above are 26 shillings 8 pence, 26 shillings 8 pence and 14 shillings respectively.

The middle of each line records the name(s) of the tenant(s) of that sub-division. Where just one name is given, that individual rents the entire land. Where multiple names are present (as in the third line) the tenancy is divided between them. The figures above their names record the share of the rent which they pay. In this case Phillip Cannell pays 9 shillings 4 pence of the 14 shilling rent and Henry Kaighen pays the remaining 4 shillings 8 pence. (The colon following Hen indicates an abbreviated name.)

The final line of this section is simply the sum of the total rent, in this case 3 pounds 7 shillings and 4 pence.

My transcription of the remaining entries on this page is given below. One significant aspect in this entries which is not described above is the partial box around certain tenant's names. This reflects that the fact that these tenant(s) of the specified plot of land changed during the year. These changes would have been confirmed at the Sheading Court (for 1694) and recorded in the corresponding Liber Vast. Another is the occasional use of Latin as in the first line for Shalcagh: cu (with) and et (and).

                vs iiiid   iis viiid     viiis
Ballister      Jon Quayle  Jon Caine  Wm Quayle  Margt }
                 viid      vd          xxiid           }
               Quayle  Patr Kaighen  James McBoy ----- } xxs
                 iid              xiid                 }
               William Quayle  Margt Quayle ---------- }

                 viiis           viiis
               Jon Quartaige  Jon Quayle + ----------- } xvis
                              -----------|

                 iiis ixd        iiis ixd  
               Jon Caine      William Cannon --------- } viis vid

                  vs vd      iiis id         iid
               Will Quayle  Margt Quayle   Wm Quayle - }  
                  xs xd      iis iid                   } xxis viiid
               James McBoy  William Quayle ----------- }


               William Cannell  Jon Carrett ---------- } iiis iiiid

                                 Sum } iiil viiis vid



                                      iiis xd ob
Shalcagh       Will Quayle cu Jon Quiggin et Don: Cannell   }
                 iiis xd ob        vid                      }
               Dollin Caine  Will Quayle  Jon Quiggin  Doll } xviis vid
                         vid       xiid                     }
               Caine  Wm Quayle  Wm Quayle ---------------- }


                           iiis viiid ob
               Jon Quiggin  Doll Caine  Jon Cannell  Jon    }
                              xiid                          } xiiiis xd
               Cannell  Wm Cannon ------------------------- }


               finloe Cannell  Will Cannell  Thomas         }
                 xviis       xiid                           } xxxis vid
               Cannell  Will Cannell  Jo Tear ------------- }

                               Sum } iiil iiis xd



                     vis         iid       vis iid
Ballanymade    Wm Quartaige  Wm Caine  Jon Caine ---------- }
                 vis iid        vs xd       iiiid           } xxiiiis viiid
               James Boy  Tho Crellin  Tho: Quayle -------- } 

               viiis viiid    viiis viiid
               Wm Curleod +  Thomas Curleod --------------- } xviis iiiid
               -----------|

               vs viid ob   vs viid ob     iiis  ixd
               Jon Quayle   Jon Quayle |   Jon Caine ------ } xvs
               ------------------------|