Christopher R. Shimmin (1870–1933) was a Manx playwright and a member of the

House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in Lat ...

Life

Christopher Robert Shimmin was born in

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in September 1870,'Labour History', by Robert Fyson, in ''A New History of the Isle of Man: Volume V: The Modern Period, 1830–1999'', ed John Belchem, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2000, p. 289 (fn. 49) the eldest son of Robert Daniel Shimmin and Eleanor Brew Shimmin.‘Photographs of Cast of "Illiam Kodhere's Will"‘
in ''Manx Quarterly'' No. 13 Vol. II, available on www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook''The Celtic Who's Who'', The Fifeshire Advertiser Ltd, Kircaldy, Scotland, 1921 He was an apprentice sailmaker in his grandfather's business before moving to work in England.
available on www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook He emigrated to the United States and there suffered unemployment in c.1895-6. After a period working as a seaman, Shimmin eventually returned to Peel and started his own business as a

monumental mason Monumental masonry (also known as memorial masonry) is a kind of stonemasonry focused on the creation, installation and repairs of headstones (also known as gravestones and tombstones) and other memorials. Cultural significance In Christian cu ...

. In 1919 he was elected as a

Member of the House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in La ...

for Peel as a member of the

Manx Labour Party The Manx Labour Party is a political party on the Isle of Man that was founded in 1918. Policies The Manx Labour Party published a manifesto of policies in 2021. It proposed increasing government spending on education to a minimum of 4% of GD ...

. He was an active and dedicated member of the Labour Party, the president of its Manx wing, often travelling to Britain for meetings and conferences. He served as an MHK until his death at his home at 23 Mona Street, Peel, on 9 January 1933, leaving behind him £3,300 in his will. At the first meeting of the House of Keys after his death, W. P. Clucas eulogised that Shimmin had "lived an unselfish life of service, and his real feelings and character were a burning hatred of injustice wherever met." In the subsequent election for his vacant seat in the House of Keys, his wife Marion Shimmin was voted in, making her the first woman member to be returned to the House of Keys. He was president of the Manx Society (1924–25), an amateur actor with The Peel Players, a "brother" of The Independent Order of Rechabites (an (alcohol)

abstinence Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol (drug), ...

Friendly Society),''100 Years of Manx Rechabitism''
by P.W. Caine, Independent Order of Rechabites (Salford Unity), Isle of Man District, No. 6, 1936, available on www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook and author of a number of plays and stories in Manx dialect, as well as of an outline of Manx history.

Writing

*'' The Charm'' (1912) – Manx Comedy, One Act. Published by the

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, in Douglas, and sold for sixpence.''Manx Quarterly'', No. 19 Vol. IV, 1918
/ref> It was successfully performed in

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and Liverpool in 1912–13. *''The Smuggler'' (1913) – Short story. Published in ''Mannin'' No. 1, May 1913.
The story is set in Peel around 1820. It concerns a band of poor fishermen with 'unmistakable Celtic features' who have turned to smuggling to earn a living under the yolk of English-imposed taxes. The smugglers out-sail and out-wit the English authorities, with the collusion of other Manx fishermen and farmers, using peaceful means and making an asset of their

Manx language Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx ...

and natural knowledge of the sea. *''Illiam Kodhere's Will'' (1913) – Manx Play, Four Acts. Published by the Manx Language Society, in Douglas, and sold for sixpence. Having been given its premier at the Gaiety Theatre,

on 13 January 1913, the play was successfully performed in Peel, Douglas and Liverpool in 1912–13. In the performance by the Peel Players, Shimmin took the leading role of Dan Quilliam. *''Luss ny Graih'' (1913) – Manx Comedy, Two Acts. The title translates as "The Love Herb" in Manx. It was originally published in ''Mannin'', and then in booklet form by the Manx Language Society, in Douglas, which was sold for sixpence. It was first performed by The Peel Players on 3 December 1914.
In 1913 the play was entered into a Manx Society competition and judged to be the best entry by the auspicious panel of W. H. Gill, A. P. Graves and

William Boyd Dawkins Sir William Boyd Dawkins (26 December 183715 January 1929) was a British geologist and archaeologist. He was a member of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, Curator of the Manchester Museum and Professor of Geology at Owens College, M ...

(though it was not awarded first prize, as it exceeded the word limit).

Sophia Morrison Sophia Morrison (24 May 1859 – 14 January 1917) was a Manx cultural activist, folklore collector and author. Through her own work and role in encouraging and enthusing others, she is considered to be one of the key figures of the Manx cultur ...

announced the play's success in the November 1913 edition of ''Mannin'':

"Luss ny Graih" by Mr. Christopher R. Shimmin, of Peel, secured 270 marks (out of 300), but his play exceeded the word limit and was therefore ruled out for a first prize. On the recommendation of the judges, however, the Manx Language Society gave a prize of £10 to "Luss ny Graih." It is an extremely clever play, with an amusing plot. It will be acted by the Peel Players during the present winter, and the words will be found in the present number of ''Mannin''.

*''Dooinney Moyllee'' (1914) – Manx Comedy, Two Acts. The title translates as "The Man Praiser" in Manx. *''The Third Boat'' (1915) – Manx Tragedy, Three Acts. *''Outlines from Manx History'' (1916) – Published in Peel by W.K. Palmer. *''Club Day'' (1919) – Manx Comedy, One Act. The club of the title is Shimmin's abstinence Friendly Society, The Independent Order of Rechabites. *''Mrs Kelly's Slough'' (1921)''Mrs. Kelly's Slough''
available from www.manxliterature.com

References

External links

The complete extant works of Christopher Shimmin
available from www.manxliterature.com *

', available from

Culture Vannin Culture Vannin is the trading name for the Manx Heritage Foundation, established in 1982 by the Isle of Man Government to promote Manx culture, heritage and language. It was rebranded in February 2014, having previously been known as the "Manx He ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimmin, Christopher R. 20th-century Manx writers Culture of the Isle of Man Manx dramatists and playwrights Manx short story writers Manx Labour Party politicians Manx language Members of the House of Keys 1919–1924 Members of the House of Keys 1924–1929 Members of the House of Keys 1929–1934 Manx language activists Manx nationalists 1870 births 1933 deaths British political party founders