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- January 2, 1663
William Christian (14 April 1608 - 1663) was a Manx politician, a son of Ewan Christian, one of the Manx deemsters.
Illiam Dhone
In Manx he was known as Illiam Dhone, or Brown William due to his dark hair. In 1648 the lord of the Isle of Man, James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, appointed Christian his receiver-general; and when in 1651 the earl crossed to England to fight for Charles II he left him in command of the Island militia. Derby was taken prisoner at the battle of Worcester, and his famous countess, Charlotte de Ia Tremouille, who was residing in Mann, sought to obtain her husbands release by negotiating with the victorious parliamentarians for the surrender of the island.
At once a revolt headed by Christian broke out, partly as a consequence of this step, partly owing to the discontent caused by some agrarian arrangements recently introduced by the earl.
The rebels seized many of the forts; then Christian in his turn entered into negotiations with the parliamentarians; and probably owing to his connivance the island was soon in the power of Colonel Robert Duckenfield, who had brought the parliamentary fleet to Mann in October 1651.
The Countess of Derby was compelled to surrender her two fortresses, Castle Rushen and Peel Castle, while Christian remained receiver-general, becoming governor of the island in 1656.
Two years later, however, he was accused of misappropriating some money; he fled to England, and in 1660 was arrested in London.
Having undergone a year of imprisonment he returned to Mann, hoping that his offence against the Earl of Derby would be condoned under the Act of Indemnity of 1661; but, anxious to punish his conduct, Charles, the new earl, ordered his seizure; he refused to plead, and a packed House of Keys declared that his life and property were at the mercy of the Lord of Mann.
The deemsters then passed sentence, and Christian was executed by shooting on 2 January 1663. This arbitrary act angered King Charles II and his advisers; the deemsters and others were punished, and some reparation was made to Christians family. Christian is chiefly celebrated through the Manx ballad Baase Illiam Dhone, which has been translated into English by George Borrow, and through the references to him in Sir Walter Scotts Peveril of the Peak.