Records of the Chief Secretary's Office The records at the Isle of Man Public Record Office now catalogued as S17 comprise a sequence of Government Office subject files. The majority of files stored at the Public Record Office date from the 1930s onwards, however some earlier 19th and 20th century files do exist amongst this series. The earliest records of the post-revestment Government Office (now known as the Chief Secretary's Office), including Government Letter Books from 1781-1898 and subject files continuing until the 1930s, were transferred to the Manx Museum by the Government Office in the 1950s and are currently held by Manx National Heritage Library and Archives. In 1898, the Government Office appears to have ceased using letter books and moved to a system of storing records in subject files only. Due to the central role of the Government Office and Government Secretary in all core functions of Government, the subject files in this series are a key source documenting the political and administrative history of the Isle of Man during the 19th and 20th century, including the move to self-governance. 1826-1982