1 Pound 1954, Isle of Man
| in Banknotes Book | Number: IM18f |
| Years of issue: | 28.07.1954 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Chief Clerk: Mr. J.A. Butterworth, Manager: Mr. T.H Hall |
| Serie: | Barclays Bank |
| Specimen of: | 07.06.1924 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 150 x 84 |
| Printer: | Waterlow and Sons Limited, London |
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Description
Watermark:
Avers:
In the background is the Triskelion.
The field is decorated with stylized acanthus leaves and patterned rosettes.
In loweright corner is an emblem of Isle of Man - Triskelion.
A triskelion or triskele (which invariably has rotational symmetry) is a motif consisting of three interlocked spirals, three bent human legs, or three bent/curved lines extending from the center of the symbol. Both words are from Greek "τρισκέλιον" (triskelion) or "τρισκελής" (triskeles), "three-legged", from prefix "τρι-" (tri-), "three times" + "σκέλος" (skelos), "leg".
Although it appears in many places and periods including 3200 BCE Newgrange, it is especially characteristic of the Celtic art of the La Tène culture of the European Iron Age.
A triskelion is the symbol of Sicily, where it is called trinacria, as well as of the Isle of Man, Brittany, and the town of Füssen in Germany.
It is unknown how the Manx triskelion was originally adopted, and several theories have been put forward its origin. In 1607, English historian William Camden stated that it was derived from the Sicilian triskelion. In 1885 John Newton considered the Manx triskelion originated in the mid XIII century, when the Pope offered the throne of Sicily to Edmund, son of King Henry III of England. Newton noted that the wife of King Alexander III of Scotland was Henry's daughter, and that Alexander visited the English court in 1255. Later in 1266, Norway ceded the Isle of Man to the Kingdom of Scotland, and Newton considered it likely that Alexander utilized the triskelion for the arms of his new possession. It has also been suggested that the ancestry of the Manx triskelion can be traced to the triquetra in a coin of Olaf Cuaran, a X-century Norse-Gaelic warlord who was king of Northumbria and king of Dublin. Lending credibility to this theory is the current belief that the mediaeval Manx dynasty was related to that of Olaf Cuaran. However, the gap between the X century and late 13th century, when the Manx triskelion is first recorded, is wide indeed, and it has been noted that several kings from this period are known to have borne a galley as their emblem, and not a triskelion.
Early examples of the symbol are present in the Royal Arms ascribed to the King of Mann in several late XIII century armorials. The Manx triskelion also appears on the Manx Sword of State, which is popularly said to date to the time of King Olaf the Black (d. 1237), although recent analysis has shown it more likely dates to about the XV century. Another example can be seen on a XIV-century stone cross in the churchyard of Maughold. Another is example is a late XIV-century seal of Sir William le Scrope, Lord of Mann, in which the Manx triskelion is depicted in plate armour, rather than mail. Early representations of the Manx triskelion show the legs running clockwise, and later representations show the legs running in both directions.
The motto is "quocunque jeceris stabit", which is Latin and means: "whichever way you throw, it will stand". The motto dates to the XVII century, where it is first recorded as being present on Manx coinage dating to the year 1668. It is possible that the motto became associated to the Manx triskelion through these coins.
A little more info about Triskelion:
So long as the Kings of Man could write "Rex Manniae et Insularem" (Kingdom of Man and the Isles) after their names the arms were the ship with furled sail; but when the Scots, under their King Alexander, took possession of the Western Islands and also of Man, the three legs were substituted.
"With the toe of one leg they spurn at Ireland,
with the spur of another they kick at Scotland, and
with the third leg they kneel to England."
The legs are all cased in armour, denoting self-defence; the spurs denote speed; while in whatever position they are placed, one of them falls into the attitude of supplication.
The meaning of the symbol is, that if England should have thought of oppressing the island, Ireland and Scotland would have been asked for help; and if either of these two, or both of them combined, should assail the Manx nation, England would be called upon to help and defend them.
The motto is an iambic dimeter - "Quocunque Jeceris Stabit" ("Whichever way you may throw it, it will stand"). Whether this be taken in English or Latin, it very ingeniously agrees, both in sense and style, with the attitude of the legs. The position of the legs cannot be changed in the plain so as to alter their attitude to the three surrounding countries of England, Scotland, and Ireland; and no transposition of the words of the Latin motto will change its sense and meaning.
The occult moral of this emblem presents the instructive parable of "A brave man struggling with fate." The character is constituted by the conjunction of humility, energy, and fortitude. His attitude is that of supplication; but, at the same time, that of activity. He is only on one knee. With one limb he implores assistance; with the other two he serves himself. With the sense of dependence on strength superior to his own, he combines the most strenuous exertion of his own energies; to the modesty of supplication he conjoins the discretion of armour and the activity of the spurs. Whatever lot Providence may apportion to such a man, whatever it will cost him, he will stand.
The insignia of the Island of Sicily, in the Mediterranean, is also three legs, similarly joined together at the thighs, but the legs are bare and naked.
The origin of the very quaint device of the Manx three legs goes back to very old times—times when the Manx people believe that the island was only inhabited by fairies, and everything was carried on in quite a fairylike and supernatural manner, without any aid from mortal men.
Tradition says that the island was enchanted and ruled by a fairy enchanter, who was very jealous at the bare idea of mortals coming to its shores, and so to prevent anyof the sea-rovers from seeing the land when passing in their ships, he caused a blue mist or fog to envelop and hang over it, and thus kept the island out of the sight of all mariners who frequented those seas.
This enchanter had also the power of making one little fairy-man appear like a whole army of big men, and of so frightening away the crews of any vessels that might penetrate the mist and attempt to invade his domains.
One day, however, it so happened that some fishermen were driven by stress of weather through the mist, and, much to their surprise, discovered land where they least expected to find it; but when they did see it, it was so enshrouded in vapour and mist they could hardly discern anything distinctly. They Succeeded, after great difficulty, in getting their small vessel safely on to the beach and landing.
Once on shore, they prepared to make a fire to warm themselves and cook some food. Amid their preparations, they were frightened and astonished on hearing fearful noises, but could not distinguish whence they proceeded. Directly one of the men struck a light with his tinder-box, the fog began to break, and as the fire burned up, so did the clouds and mist commence to roll along and ascend up the sides of what they could now perceive was a mountain. The rolling mist was followed by a curious object that looked like three legs of men, joined together at the thighs, the knees and feet sticking out like the spokes of a wheel. This wonderful object, slowly revolving, followed after the cloud as it rolled up the mountainside, and disappearing, was never seen again from that time to this.
The light of the fire evidently broke the spell of the enchanter’s power, and though the island is often remarked to have a belt of fog and mist hanging about its shores, neither mist nor fog has ever returned so dense again.
An Irishwoman, on first beholding the device of the three legs on the paddle-box of one of the Isle of Man Packet Company’s steamers, on the occasion of her arrival in Liverpool, and being told what they were, exclaimed: "It must be a moighty quare counthry that his ligs for its arums."(www.isle-of-man.com).
Revers:
Banknote view (used on banknotes of Isle of Man Bank Limited since 1926) - view of the harbor of Douglas, the Isle of Man, Queen Victoria Pier and the ship of the shipping company Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. View taken from the cliff of Douglas Head.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to accurately determine the ship at Victoria Pier, however, it can be argued that this ship belongs to "Isle of Man Steam Packet Company".
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited (abbreviated to IoMSPCo.) (Manx: Sheshaght Phaggad Bree Ellan Vannin) is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, celebrating its 190th anniversary in 2020.
The company provides freight, passenger and vehicle services between the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, in Douglas, Isle of Man, and five ports in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is owned by the Isle of Man Government.
Douglas Harbour (Manx: Purt Varrey Ghoolish) is located near Douglas Head at the southern end of Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man. It is the island's main commercial shipping port. The Port of Douglas was the first in the world to be equipped with Radar.
Douglas Harbour is composed of the Outer Harbour and the Inner Harbour separated by the Bascule Bridge and Flapgate. There is a sea terminal building at the north-east end of the harbour, co-located with the harbour control.
The Outer Harbour features two jetties, four piers, eleven berths, and an area designated for lifeboats. The piers are:
Princess Alexandra Pier
Battery Pier
King Edward VIII Pier
Victoria Pier
The two jetties are:
Fort Anne Jetty
Oil Jetty
The Inner Harbour allows access and berthing of small vessels.
The earliest record of infrastructure for the use of Douglas Harbour dates back to 1660. From about 1800, many things happened to open up the island to more traffic. In 1760 construction of what amounted to a pier was begun, however it was wrecked in a severe storm before work was completed. Then the sides of the small Douglas River basin were shored up, and there was another try to extend some sort of protective structure out to sea; but this again failed. In 1787 the pier was reduced to rubble following a series of winter storms, and so for many years Douglas Harbour was fully exposed to easterly gales, whilst in the bay the perilous Conister Rock claimed many victims.
By 1815 sail was giving way to steam. The first steamer called at the island on its voyage from the Clyde to Liverpool, and in 1819 James Little opened the first steamship service to the island, with Douglas as a port of call between Liverpool and Greenock. A year later this service was augmented, with three ships appearing on the station - these being the Robert Bruce, the Superb and the Majestic.. With the sailings of these vessels augmented by the arrival of the City of Glasgow, the full journey from the Mersey to the Clyde via Douglas could be made in 25 hours.
By 1833 passenger traffic had undergone a remarkable process of progressive development, and due to the imposition of the Passenger Tax accurate passenger records became available. In the 1830s arrivals at Douglas were under 100,000 but increased steadily throughout the century, peaking at over 650,000 by 1913. 
Victoria Pier forms part of Douglas Harbour on the east coast of the Isle of Man (NGR 23875 47527). Brown's Isle of Man Guide of 1879 says, "This new landing place is called "The Queen Victoria Pier." after her Majesty. It cost about £48,000 and is about 1100 feet long. It was opened with considerable formality on the 1st July 1872. Before its erection passengers were generally landed in small boats, but happily that nuisance has been abolished." and "In the evenings the Victoria Pier is uncomfortably crowded by cars, porters, touters, and visitors who come down to meet the steamers and a lively scene is the certain consequence...here too are wandering gleemen and other "professionals," "singing men and singing women" "minstrel boys" who would be much better with "Mavors Spelling Book"... in their hands, than thrumming on the banjo, or scraping the catgut for fools' pence."
With the growth of tourism from the 1860s onwards, it became increasingly apparent that the Red Pier could not handle the volume of traffic using the port and in addition therefore a facility would be required which would allow steamers to discharge their passenger, alongside the pier, at any state of the tide. The Victoria Pier was constructed to allow this to occur and officially opened on 1 July 1872 the opening ceremony being performed by Island's Lieutenant Governor, Henry Loch.
The berthing facilities at the port were enhanced significantly and in time a 400 feet extension was added. (www.imuseum.im).
The Isle of Man Harbour Commissioners, established in 1771, who are henceforth superseded by a new board under the recent Act of Parliament, have marked their departure from office by completing and opening the new Queen’s Landing Pier at Douglas, and by laying the first stone of the Battery Pier at the same time. These two works are executed from the designs of Sir John Coode, G.E., under the superintendence of Mr. W. Powell, resident engineer, in accordance with the resolutions of the Tynwald Court, approved by the Lieutenant-Governor ; and they will make the beautiful Bay of Douglas a convenient harbour in all states of the tide, and safe against every wind and sea. The Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. H. B. Loch, C.B., performed the ceremony of opening the Queen’s Landing Pier on Monday week ; and Mrs. Loch afterwards laid the first stone of the Battery Pier. The pier was decorated with triumphal arches, on which there was a tasteful display of flags and evergreens. The procession was formed of the workmen employed, the harbour-masters and otherofficials, the Douglas and Ramsey Town Commissioners and High Bailiffs, the magistrates, the Bishop and clergy, the members of the House of Keys and Council, the Lieutenant-Governor and his Staff, with a guard of the volunteer rifles. Having reached the platform where the ceremony was to take place, Sir John Coode read his report on the work ; and Mr. Ridgway Harrison, the Receiver-General, read an address to the Governor, who made a suitable reply, declaring the Queen’s Pier opened. The company then proceeded to the site of the proposed Battery Pier, under the Old Battery on Douglas Head, where a block of stone was provided, with a platform to accommodate the persons engaged in this part of the ceremonial. Mrs. Loch had a silver trowel given to her, with which she laid mortar on the stone, and expressed her good wishes for the success of the work. The Bishop of Sodor and Man offered a prayer. A steam-boat trip to Ramsey and back gave some of the company an appetite for luncheon, which was provided at the Imperial Hotel, the Governor and Mrs. Loch, with 130 other guests, being entertained by the Harbour Commissioners. Mr. Ridgway Harrison was in the chair. The speeches at table congratulated the town of Douglas and the Isle of Man upon the benefits expected from these harbour improvements, which altogether will cost £100,000. The cost of the Queen’s Landing Pier has been £46,400. It is 1100 ft. long, 50 ft. wide, and 52 ft. high, built of solid concrete blocks well cemented together. There is a depth of water of from 6 ft. to 18 ft., at low tide, at the several landing stages of this pier. The Battery Pier, to shield the harbour against stormy seas, will extend 550 ft. in the direction of east-north-east from Douglas Head, the southern extremity of the bay. Its cost is estimated at £52,000. Our illustration of the Queen’s Landing Pier is from a photograph by Mr. Keig, of Douglas. (www.isle-of-man.com).
I have a guess about the ship in the picture, on the right. Based on the photographs I have reviewed of many of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company ships, it seems to me that the banknote shows the SS Empress Queen.
SS (RMS) Empress Queen was a steel paddle steamer, the last of its type ordered by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She was chartered by the Admiralty in 1915 and used for trooping duties until she ran aground off Bembridge, Isle of Wight, England in 1916 and was abandoned.
Empress Queen was the largest and fastest paddle-driven cross-channel steamer ever to be built.
Many thanks to Isle of Man Heritage Foundation Social History Curator Matthew Richardson for the ideas below.
Although, it could be P/S "Queen Victoria".
Name: Queen Victoria.
Owner: 1887-1888: Isle of Man, Liverpool and Manchester Steamship.
Company. 1888-1915: Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. 1915-1920: Admiralty.
Operator: 1887-1888: Isle of Man, Liverpool and Manchester Steamship Company. 1888-1915: Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. 1915-1920: Admiralty.
Port of registry: Isle of Man Douglas, Isle of Man.
Builder: Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan.
Cost: Purchased by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company together with her sister Prince of Wales for £155,000 in 1888.
Launched: 29 March 1887
Completed: 1887
In service: 1887
Out of service: 1915
Official Number 93379
Code Letters P K C S
Fate: Sold to the Admiralty together with her sister, Prince of Wales, 1915. Scrapped in the Netherlands, 1920.
The small boat, lower, is The Douglas Head ferry boat.
Three double-ended quadruple-screw ferries plied between Victoria Pier and Battery Pier for Douglas Head. Named the Rose, Thistle and Shamrock - one hestitates to wonder if a putative fourth would have been named Leek! They replaced earlier ferries serving the crowds attracted to Douglas Head which had been given to the town in 1870 by Sir Goldie Taubman of the Nunnery. The Head originally visited for its views, had by the 1890s, attracted a large assortment of attractions including the camera obscura and a revolving tower as well as the usual pierrot shows.
The service started c.1898 with the formation of the Douglas Steam Ferry Company, the fare was originally 1d but had increased to 3d by the 1920s. The ferries were first owned by Laurence Boni and then by Mr R. Knox.
The ferries were initially moved to Castletown at the start of WW2 but were then transferred to Belfast Lough to be used as training in the use of landing craft and simulated beach landings. When returned to Castletown the ferries were just about serviceable - the Thistle re-entering service after extensive repairs in 1948 and Rose, after a season as a landing stage at Battery Pier, re-entered service in 1949. Shamrock was used to provide spares. The service closed in 1950 when the Thistle was sold to Pembrokeshire County Council for use as a ferry - she however sank on her voyage to Milford Haven. The Douglas Steam Ferry Company was liquidated at the end of 1950.
Rose, sold to a new company, was re-engined with a diesel in 1951 and operated a ferry service until the late 1950s when tourism finally gave out.
Taken from a pre WW1 Ward Lock guide:
The most popular approach to "the Head" is by the steam ferry (3d.) from Victoria Pier across the Harbour to the Battery Pier. Though these tubby vessels form quite a small fleet, and cross every few minutes, they are on fine summer mornings quite inadequate for the conveyance of the waiting crowds. Numerous rowing-boats likewise ply to and fro, while people stand from four to six deep on all the landing-steps eagerly waiting their turn. The stalwarts who row these deeply-freighted' boats certainly earn their pence. From the Battery Pier a winding path and many steps lead up above Port Skillion to the summit.
A feature of these boats was the 'on-board' entertainment provided by various musicians, even including a pianist, with the passengers joining in the choruses. (www.isle-of-man.com)
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