David Howe (claimant to King of Mann)

David Drew Howe, also known as Drew Howe, David Howe-Stanley,Archived Prince of Mann Site

and King David of the Isle of Man, (born AbOUT 1969), is an American who claims to be a descendant of Thomas II Stanley of the Isle of Man, sometimes stated to be the last lord of Man to use the title King of Mann; consequently Howe claims that title. Notice of his claim was published in the London Gazette, and was allegedly not disputed in the following three months. According to Howe, there have not been any competing claims. The title of King of Mann is said to have been abandoned in 1504 in favour of the title Lord of Mann, currently held by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

His claim to be King of Mann

Howe's website states that on August 15, 2005 he discovered his descent from the Stanley Earls of Derby while researching his Plantagenet ancestry. Howe says "Several months after publishing these findings in an on-line blog, HRH David was contacted by a royal genealogist from England informing him that he was the King of the Isle of Man." A previous version of the website stated that Howe had formally reclaimed the royal crown of the Kingdom of the Isle of Man on August 15, 2005 seeming to contradict a statement in the December 16 2007 Frederick News-Post. The article stated, "A United Kingdom genealogy expert and a few British amateur historians contacted him about fifteen months ago, spouting an outlandish tale, and they have helped lead him to his claim," although Howe has not revealed their identities.

Subsequently, Howe arranged for a legal notice of his claim to the Manx throne to be published in the London Gazette, the United Kingdom Government's official journal for the publication of legal notices to the general public, published by Her Majesty's Stationary Office. The notice was published on 16 January, 2007 in the 'Other Notices' section. Howe claims that publication of this notice constitutes substantial concession of the validity of his claim, as his website states that "After a four week investigation conducted by the London Gazette and the Crown of England, both conceded and published a notice of this claim in the London Gazette." His website stated that no challenges to the claim were made immediately following publication of the notice.

Later on March 30 2007, Howe had himself crowned "the undisputed King of the Isle of Man" in a private ceremony at a "secret location in southern Maryland." Howe claimed the ceremony, which was conducted by an American archbishop "who wishes to remain anonymous", "restored the hereditary legacy for future generations."

Analysis of claim

The London Gazette makes specific mention of only "the letters patent of 1405" and no other documents. The 1405 grant to Sir John Stanley was for life only. That is to say for only the lifetime of Sir John, and so did not extend to his heirs. A further, replacement grant was made in 1406 which could be inherited.

Howe claims that there is clear historical consensus that there was nearly a century, divided among four generations, of House of Stanley Kings of Mann and this provided the foundation of his claim to the throne. He also states that researchers working on his behalf could find no clear consensus on the 1405/1406 grant issue, and as a result he states that his claim was published to show the earliest known grant establishing King John I's ownership of the Isle of Man.

Howe claims that the royal title and regalities of the Isle of Man had been abandoned from the time of Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby onwards, whose successors instead used the title Lord of Mann. In a 1901 letter Sir James Gell, deputy governor of the Isle of Man, states the Stanley Kings reigned in the Isle of Man as Kings thereof, and were so styled. But during the reign of the last THOMAS second Earl of Derby - he dropped the title of "King" and assumed that of "Lord." However, historian J.R. Dickinson has recently pointed out that the style "Rex Manniae et Insularum" ('King of Mann and the Isles') continued to be used to identify the Stanley Lords in Isle of Man court records until the later part of the 17th century. Howe claims that his descent from the Stanley kings, and his status as the first and only claimant to the allegedly abandoned title, establish his right to hold the title "King" of the Isle of Man.

Reaction to claim

Within the Isle of Man, the claim has been met by a range of responses that The Daily Telegraph described as ranging 'from anger to genuine concern'. The claim has not received much support in the insular media, and the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, Tony Brown has responded by adding "As far as the Isle of Man Government is concerned the Isle of Man's sovereign is Her Majesty the Queen, as Lord of Mann. I'm not aware of any valid alternative claim of sovereignty over the Island." A statement issued from Buckingham Palace states that, "Her Majesty the Queen is the Lord of Mann – any challenge to that should be a matter for the Isle of Man Government."

However, in a November 30, 2007 letter to the Manx Independent, Howe stated that, "my concern is only the issue of the title king and the incorporeal herediment rights that belonged to the kingdom and my ancestors as the kings. To wit, I've never had some grandiose and delusional notions of moving into Castle Rushen and challenging the Lord of Mann over governing rights. I have never implied this directly or indirectly and that notion is a media creation."

His claim has brought about a series of blogs and petitions that seek to ban Howe from calling himself the King of Mann, and to be barred from ever setting foot on the island.

The first Manx media interview

In his first interview with the Isle of Man media and with Manx Radio Mandate host Stuart Peters on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, David Howe talked about his claim and addresses other concerns. Peters stated, "Reaction here in the island is fairly mixed as you would expect. Some people think good for him, yeah, have a go at it, other people are fairly incensed. Some people think you might well have a claim, other people say you don't."

Sale of titles

Howe has arranged to sell titles of nobility through a UK-based company, Noble Titles, and has stated that this is being done to raise money to benefit orphans in Malawi, Africa, although Noble Titles and/or Howe retain certain "investiture, regalia and administration costs." It was suggested that the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 may make this illegal in the United Kingdom, as it forbids attempting to obtain money in exchange for 'the grant of a dignity or title of honour', or for any assistance in obtaining such an honour. Noble Titles, who previously refused to say which monarch was granting the titles it was offering, and denied it had anything to do with the Isle of Man, has since added a picture of Howe to their website. The company, Noble Titles, has denied any illegality. Although there is no history of the sale of Manx titles, noble titles have previously been sold by other countries, including England.

The creation of Manx noble titles seems to be a new innovation. In Volume V of the Manx Society (1860), H.R. Oswald states “Baronial nobility did not become hereditary till after the reign of William the Conqueror, and I cannot find that the Isle of Man ever possessed families in which nobility was hereditary. The honours of the king himself and his family were hereditary,...”.

A history of claims, noble titles and micronations

Vikesland documentary

In October 2006 the Frederick News-Post, published an article about Howe's involvement in a documentary about a micronation called "Vikesland" founded by filmmaker Christopher Beyette (who styles himself as 'Prince Christopher I'). In the article, Howe claimed to be a "thirteen generation great-grandson of Lord George Calvert", and also was awarded the title "Duke of Antwerp" by the filmmaker and Vikesland founder.

In the Frederick News-Post article it was noted that Howe was "minister of business affairs of Vikesland", and intended to attract new members to the micronation by use of an aggressive Internet campaign selling titles of nobility. Howe said he hoped to create an order of knights similar to the Knights of Columbus to benefit children's hospice care. In that article Howe was quoted as saying, "Lots of folks want 'Sir' in front of their name," and hoped to capitalise on the "ego-centrism that goes with having a noble title," and pair people who want the title with a philanthropic effort.

In a December 19, 2007 radio interview, Howe stated that Vikesland was "a make believe place".

Personal

Howe married Pamela Marie Ahearn in 1994, and has one daughter, Grace. He is a volunteer citizen constable in Frederick County, and is the owner of a full service glass franchise in Frederick, which specializes in residential and automotive glass repairs. It has recently been reported in Manx and American press that Howe hopes to visit the Isle of Man, some time in the Spring of 2008.

See also

• King of Mann
• History of the Isle of Man
• Pretender

External links

• www.royaltyofman.com - David Howe's Official Website
• myspace.com - Howe's Myspace page