Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 10.djvu/290

 on 2 Jan. 1662-3. The parish register of Malew (the vicar of which place, Parr, had been accused of complicity in the rising of 1651, and appeared as a witness on the trial) contains a notice of the execution, stating that Christian ‘died most penitently and most courageously, made a good end, prayed earnestly, made an excellent speech, an the next day was buried in the chancel of Malew.’ A broadside printed in 1776 purports to contain a copy of Christian’s dying speech. Whether authentic or not, it is eloquent and dignified in style, and the statements which it contains are not inconsistent with any known facts. It represents Christian as indignantly denying that he had ever intentionally done anything to the prejudice of the Derby family, and as declaring that ‘he had a ways been a faithful son of the church of England, and had never been against monarchy.’

During Christian’s imprisonment at Castle Rushen he had addressed a petition to the king in council, praying to be heard before the council. The petition did not reach its destination until 9 Jan., a week after Christian had been put to death. It was, however, not known in England that the sentence had already been executed, and, the attorney-general having reported in favour of granting the prayer, the Earl of Derby was commanded to produce the prisoner. The earl endeavoured to defend his conduct on the ground that the English Act-of Indemnity did not extend to the Isle of Man. The king, however, was greatly incensed by the assumption of sovereign rights on the part of a subject., and on the petition of Christian’s two sons. George and Ewan, the Earl of Derby, the deemsters, the governor, and three members of ‘the pretended court of justice’ were brought before the king in council. After hearing witnesses and counsel on both sides, the council decided that the execution of Christian and the confiscation of his property were violations ot' the Act of Inemnity. The deemsters were ordered to be detained in the king's bench until proceedings could be taken against them. Eventually they were condemned in 666l. 13s. 4d. (1,000 marks) damages to George Christian, and on humbly acknowledging their fault, paying 100l. at once, and promising to pay the rest before the next midsummer, were allowed to return to the Isle of Man. The governor, Nowell, and the other persons responsible for the sentence were discharged on giving security to appear when called upon (Nowell being allowed to resume his official functions), and the estate of Ronaldsway was restored to George Christian. His son, William, was in 1706 again disposseased by a decree of the Earl of Derby, but was reinstated by an order in council in 1716. The costs of the appeal had, however, reduced him to poverty, and the estate was sold in 1720.

The memory of Christian has been kept alive in the Isle of Man by the ballad entitled ‘Baase Illiam Dhone' (‘The Death of Brown-haired William'), which dwells on the retribution that befell the families of those who were responsible for his execution. The original nucleus of the ballad seems to have been composed shortly after Christian’s death, but in its present form it contains allusions to events which took place much later. There are two English translations, both of which are printed in vol. xvi. of the ‘Publications of the Manx Society.’ One of these is by the Rev. John Crellin, vicar of Kirk Michael in 1774, and the other by George Borrow [q. v.] To English readers Christian’s name is best known from Scott's ‘Peveril of the Peak.’ The Edward Christian who plays an important part in the novel, is—as was explained by Scott in his introduction to the later editions—purely an imaginary personage.

Two portraits of Christian still exist. One of these is in the possession of Mr. H. Curwen of Workington Hall; the other belongs to Dr. Nelson of Douglas, and represents ‘a young man of slight figure, dark complexion, close-cut hair, and a melancholy expression, clothed in a close-fitting dark green jerkin.’

Christian had eight sons and one daughter. The seventh son, Thomas, who is believed to have succeeded to his father’s estate in Lancashire, is the only member of the family of whom descendants are now known to exist.

 CHRISTIE, ALEXANDER (1807–1860), painter, eldest son of David Christie, a grand-nephew of Hugh Christie [q. v.], was born in 1807 in Edinburgh, and educated at the academy, and afterwards at the university there. Intended for the law, he served an apprenticeship to a writer to the signet, but was never admitted W.S., his father's death leaving him free to follow his own wishes, and to devote himself to art, for which he had shown great feeling from his early youth. Giving up excellent professional prospects, he entered in 1833 as a pupil at the ‘Trustees’ Academy’