The building of new churches (beginning with the Castletown chapel, 1698) was one of his earliest cares and, in 1699, he took up the concept of parochial libraries devised by his friend Thomas Bray and began the establishment of such libraries in his diocese. This led to provision in the Manx language for the needs of his people. The printing of "prayers for the poor families" is projected in a memorandum of Whit-Sunday 1699, but was not carried out until 30 May 1707, the date of issue of his "Principles and Duties of Christianity ... in English and Manks, with short and plain directions and prayers", 1707. This was the first book published in Manx, and is often styled the "Manx Catechism". It was followed in 1733, by "A Further Instruction" and "A Short and Plain Instruction for the Lord's Supper". "The Gospel of St. Matthew" was translated, with the help of his vicars-general in 1722 and published in 1748 under the sponsorship of his successor as bishop, Mark Hildesley . The remaining Gospels and the Acts were also translated into Manx under his supervision, but not published. He freely issued occasional orders for special services, with new prayers, the Uniformity Act not specifying the Isle of Man. A public library was established by Wilson at Castletown in 1706 and, from that year, by help of the trustees of the "academic fund" and by benefactions from Lady Elizabeth. He did much to increase the efficiency of the grammar schools and parish schools in the island. He was created DD at Oxford on 3 April 1707 and incorporated at Cambridge on 11 June. In 1724 he founded, and in 1732 endowed, a school at Burton, his birthplace.