82-556: In the Bailiwick of Guernsey (red) Sark ( Sercquiais : Sèr or Cerq , French : Sercq ) is an island, part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel , off the coast of Normandy , France . It is a self-governing British Crown Dependency , with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It was a royal fief until 2008. It has a population of about 500. Sark (including
164-428: A Latin name ending with -gia , such as Angia (Channel Island), Oye-Plage ( Pas-de-Calais , Ogia 8th century) and Île-d'Yeu ( Vendée , former Augia ). Later records all mention Serc- and not *Sark , that seem to result from a later anglicising of the /er/ group (compare French merveille > English marvel ; French Clerc / English clerk , clark cf. Clark). The traditional pronunciation of Sark in
246-499: A judge appointed, with similar judicial powers to a bailiff, but on 1 January 1949, the island adopted a new constitution, giving up some independence, moving closer to Guernsey, and confirming that it is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The island of Guernsey has a population of around 63,000 in 62 km (24 square miles) and forms the legal and administrative centre of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The parliament of Guernsey and
328-533: A law which introduced a 30-member chamber, with 28 elected members and two unelected members. On 9 April 2008 the Privy Council approved the Sark law reforms, and the new chamber convened for the first time on 21 January 2009. The first election held in Sark under the new system took place on 10 December 2008. In total, 28 Conseillers were to be elected via plurality block voting from 57 candidates, with
410-580: A parish church dating from the 11th century, with strong religious control exercised initially by the French Catholic church and for the last 500 years by the English church. Over the years, the religious aspect of the administration of each parish has been reduced in favour of democratically elected douzeniers. Each jurisdiction has inhabited and uninhabited islands and its own elected government. All three legal jurisdictions need royal assent from
492-570: A part of Gallia Lugdunensis , with its capital in Lugdunum , now Lyon . A later division was named Lugdunensis secunda ( Lyonnaise 2nd). A Unelli town, now Coutances , was named Constantia in 298 by the Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus . Around 430, the bishopric of Coutances (much later under the archbishopric of Rouen ), was established in Coutances , having about the same limits as
574-475: A period of office of four years. In addition, the Seigneur and a speaker (who is elected by the conseillers ) are counted as members; but they have no right to vote. The periods of office are shifted, with the period of half the conseillers starting in the middle of the periods of the other half. Thus, every second year, nine conseillers are elected for the coming four years. The elections are held on
656-481: A political split from the mainland. Around 1290, the Channel Islands' Governor, Otto de Grandson , split the archipelago into two bailiwicks , establishing those parts other than Jersey as a single Bailiwick of Guernsey. The Bailiwick is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy , comprising three separate jurisdictions: Alderney , Guernsey (incorporating Herm ), and Sark . The Lieutenant Governor
738-569: A solo foot patrol in front of the manor, in battle-dress, weapon in hand. While Gardes was sitting on a bench waiting for noon to arrive, the island's volunteer connétable approached the Frenchman and complimented him on the quality of his weapon. Gardes changed the gun's magazine to illustrate how it worked, allowing the constable to tackle and arrest him. He was given a seven-day sentence, which he served in Guernsey. Gardes attempted this again
820-403: A total area of 78 km (30 sq mi) and coastlines of about 50 km (31 mi). Elevation varies from sea level to 114 m (374 ft) at Le Moulin on Sark. There are many smaller islands, islets, rocks and reefs in the Bailiwick. Combined with a tidal range of 10 m (33 ft) and fast currents of up to 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h), sailing in local waters
902-557: A vote of 25–15 Chief Pleas voted for a new legislature of the Seigneur, the Seneschal, fourteen elected landowners and fourteen elected non-landowners. But it was made plain by the British Lord Chancellor Jack Straw that this option was not on the table. Offered two options for reform involving an elected legislature, one fully elected, one with a number of seats reserved for elected tenants, 56% of
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#1732765462576984-519: Is dangerous. The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a separate jurisdiction in itself and is, in turn, also three separate sub-jurisdictions. It does not form part of, and is separate from (but is not independent of, or from) the United Kingdom . The two Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey together make up the Channel Islands . The islanders have never had formal representation in the House of Commons of
1066-443: Is extensively penetrated at sea level by natural cave formations that provide unique habitats for many marine creatures, notably sea anemones, some of which are only safely accessible at low tide. Sark is made up mainly of amphibolite and granite gneiss rocks, intruded by igneous magma sheets called quartz diorite . Recent (1990–2000) geological studies and rock age-dating by geologists from Oxford Brookes University shows that
1148-597: Is found there, the sails of which were removed during World War II. This high point is named Le Moulin , after the windmill. The location is also the highest point in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Little Sark had a number of mines accessing a source of galena . At Port Gorey, the ruins of silver mines may be seen. Off the south end of Little Sark are the Venus Pool and the Adonis Pool, both natural swimming pools whose waters are refreshed at high tide. The whole island
1230-792: Is precisely serċ, syrċ > Middle English serk , serke , sark (through the Anglian variant). In ancient times, Sark was almost certainly occupied by the Unelli , the Gallic tribe of the Cotentin Peninsula . These people were conquered by Julius Caesar of the Roman Empire about 56 BC in the Gallic Wars . About three decades later under Augustus , Gallia Celtica was subdivided into three parts, with this area
1312-403: Is reserved for a particular use at the special request of a national ISO member body, government, or international organization (in this case, the United Kingdom ). Previously Sark was represented by Guernsey's country code (GG). Sark also fought for 20 years to get the .cq country code top-level domain . Christopher Beaumont is the current and twenty-third Seigneur of Sark, having inherited
1394-488: Is self-governing and not part of the United Kingdom . Its defence and international representation — as well as certain policy areas, such as nationality law — are the responsibility of the UK Government , but the Bailiwick still has a separate international identity. The history of the Bailiwick of Guernsey goes back to 933, when the islands came under the control of William Longsword , having been annexed from
1476-662: Is the Lieutenant Governor of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and, being the personal representative of the British monarch, has usually had a distinguished military service. Originally, the local courts in Guernsey were " fiefs " with the lord of the manor presiding. Before 1066, a superior court was introduced above the fiefs and below the Eschequier Court in Rouen and comprised the bailiff and four knights;
1558-535: Is the representative of the British monarch , who remains the head of state . The States of Guernsey is the parliament and government of the whole Bailiwick, though several matters are decided locally by the States of Alderney and by Sark's Chief Pleas. The Bailiff of Guernsey is the civil head of the Bailiwick, and is also president of the States of Guernsey and head of the Bailiwick's judiciary . The Bailiwick
1640-505: Is unclear to which it refers. It has been suggested that Silia referred to Sark . The earliest record to evoke possibly the name of Sark are the Life of saint Samson and the Life of saint Magloire , bishops of Dol-de-Bretagne . They spell it Sargia , with the neighbouring island Bissargia , all the other documents are from the 11th to the 12th century and the forms are: Serc, Serch, Sercum, Serco . Richard Coates has suggested that in
1722-558: Is used (and often pronounced as in French) in the sense of feudal landholder rather than the common English meaning of lessee . Originally, the word referred to any landowner, but today it is mostly used for a holder of one of the Quarantaine Tenements. Chief Pleas ( French : Chefs Plaids ; Sercquiais : Cheurs Pliaids ) is the parliament of Sark. It consists of eighteen members ( conseillers ), elected for
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#17327654625761804-535: The 2010 election , held in December 2010; while the remainder served four years terms, thus achieving a rolling election cycle. The selection of which Conseillers elected in 2008 were to serve a two-year term or a four-year term was determined by random ballot. A recount took place on 11 December due to the closeness of the votes for the 28th seat. On 16 January and 21 February 2008, the Chief Pleas approved
1886-485: The 2014 and the 2016 elections to the Chief Pleas. Until 2008, the Chief Pleas consisted of the tenants, and twelve deputies of the people as the only representation of the majority, an office introduced in 1922. The Seigneur and the Seneschal (who presided) were also members of Chief Pleas. Since 2000, Chief Pleas was working on its own reform, responding to internal and international pressures. On 8 March 2006 by
1968-458: The Barclay brothers (Anti-Reform Law 2008 Candidates). The overwhelming majority of candidates who were elected had either previously voted in Chief Pleas to enact the 2008 Reform Law, or had made public statements in support of it, and since advocated the further dismantling of the feudal system via the reform of the ancient feudal land tenure laws. Results from the second count were: After
2050-743: The Commonwealth Games . In 1969, Royal Mail relinquished control of postal services in the Bailiwick, with Guernsey then being recognised by the Universal Postal Union . Since 1999, the Bailiwick of Guernsey has been a member of the British–Irish Council , currently represented by the Chief Minister of Guernsey . 2008 Sark general election General elections were held in Sark on 10 December 2008,
2132-512: The Duchy of Brittany by the Duchy of Normandy . The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands formed part of the lands of William the Conqueror . In 1204, France conquered mainland Normandy – but not the offshore islands of the bailiwick . The islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy. Initially, there was one governor, or co-governors working together, of
2214-738: The Lyonnaise 2nd. In 933, Sark was included in the Duchy of Normandy , based on the traditional boundaries of the Lugdunensis secunda and the archbishopric of Rouen . Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the island was united with the Crown of England . In the thirteenth century, the French pirate Eustace the Monk , having served King John , used Sark as a base of operations. During
2296-590: The Middle Ages , the island was populated by monastic communities. By the 16th century, however, the island was uninhabited and used by pirates as a refuge and base. In 1565, Helier de Carteret , Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey , received letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I granting him Sark as a fief in perpetuity on condition that he kept the island free of pirates and occupied by at least forty men who were of her English subjects or swore allegiance to
2378-596: The Monarch on its primary legislation, but as of February 29, 2024, certain domestic primary legislation need only the Lieutenant-Governor's assent. Each jurisdiction raises its own taxation, although in 1949 Alderney transferred its rights to Guernsey. With a population of around 2,200 in 7.8 km (3 square miles), Alderney has its own parliament, the States of Alderney , which has ten elected members and an elected president. From 1612, Alderney had
2460-676: The 28 conseiller option was reinstated in February 2008 and accepted by Privy Council in April 2008. In 2003, Chief Pleas voted to vary the long-standing ban on divorce in the island by extending to the Royal Court of Guernsey power to grant divorces. In 2017, due to a lack of candidates standing for elections, the number of conseillers was reduced from 28 to 18, with nine elected every two years. Bailiwick of Guernsey laws and United Kingdom Acts of Parliament can (the latter as in
2542-480: The 60% majority required for the constitutional change. The decision was replaced by the proposal that Chief Pleas should consist of sixteen tenants and twelve conseillers both elected by universal adult suffrage from 2008 to 2012 and that a binding referendum should then decide whether this composition should be kept or replaced by 28 conseillers . This proposal was rejected by the Privy Council and
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2624-680: The Bailiwick established in 2010 an office in Brussels to develop the Channel Islands' influence with the EU, to advise the Channel Islands' governments on European matters, and to promote economic links with the EU. The Bailiwick of Guernsey is in the Commonwealth (Commonwealth of Nations) , although not as a member , in its own right . The Bailiwick is also a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation and competes in
2706-622: The Barclay brothers announced that they were shutting down their businesses on Sark – hotels, shops, estate agents and building firms – leaving about 100 people, or a sixth of the population, out of work. The closures started almost immediately following the announcement. Diana Beaumont, the wife of Seigneur John Michael Beaumont , commented that "[the Barclay brothers] were the ones that started all this democracy business, now they don’t like it because they haven't won." The States of Jersey , sitting in session on 12 December 2008, resolved to send
2788-824: The British Parliament, nor the European Parliament. Those islanders who were not somehow qualified and eligible in their own right to register to vote and to vote in the United Kingdom under the Representation of the People Acts as "overseas voters", were excluded from the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum . Guernsey has an unwritten constitution arising from the Treaty of Paris (1259) . When Henry III and
2870-473: The Channel Islands. In 1304, separate seals were provided to Jersey and Guernsey. The provision of different seals is one of the earliest indications of the individual identity and personality of the two Bailiwicks. The seal comprised three leopards (or lions), a symbol taken from the original arms of the Duchy of Normandy. The United Kingdom and His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are responsible for
2952-520: The Crown. This he duly did, leasing 40 parcels of land (known as "Tenements") at a low rent to forty families, mostly from St Ouen , on condition that a house be built and maintained on each parcel and that "the Tenant" provide one man, armed with a musket , for the defence of the island. The 40 tenements survive to this day, albeit with minor boundary changes. (In 2015, the 450-year anniversary of this event
3034-606: The European Convention on Human Rights and his powers were subject to further legal challenges on these grounds. In 2012 the BBC Today programme reported on local disquiet about the influence on the island of the Barclay brothers. The New Yorker magazine further illustrated the ongoing and escalating tensions between the Barclays and some of the longer-term residents. In 2017 Private Eye also reported on
3116-561: The King of France came to terms over the Duchy of Normandy, the Norman mainland fell under the suzerainty of the king of France. The Channel Islands, however, remained loyal to the English crown due to the loyalties of its Seigneurs . However, they were never absorbed into the Kingdom of England by any Act of Union, but exist as "peculiars of the Crown". A unique constitutional position has arisen as successive British monarchs have confirmed
3198-595: The Seigneur. In 2010, following the decision of the English Court of Appeal, the Chief Pleas decided to split the dual role of the Seneschal. Thus, since 2013 the Chief Pleas has elected its own President, who presides in almost all cases. The Seneschal now presides in Chief Pleas only during the election of the President. The complete list of all the Seneschals of Sark from 1675 is as follows: Pursuant to
3280-572: The Seigneurie in 2016. Before the constitutional reforms of 2008 , the Seigneur (or Dame in the case of a woman holding the office) was the head of the government of the Isle of Sark. Many of the laws, particularly those related to inheritance and the rule of the Seigneur, had changed little since their promulgation in 1565 under Elizabeth I of England . For example, the Seigneur held the sole right to keep pigeons or an unspayed dog. The latter right
3362-668: The States of Guernsey. Sark has its own United Nations Standard Country or Area Code for Statistical Use (680). That code is used for statistical processing purposes by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat. The ISO 3166-1 code element CQ has been exceptionally reserved to refer to Sark. An “exceptionally reserved” code element does not represent a country name in ISO 3166-1, but
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3444-561: The United Kingdom approved the Sark law reforms on 9 April 2008. The first elections under the new law were held in December 2008 and the new chamber first convened in January 2009. Some Sark residents have complained that the new system is not democratic and have described the powers the new law granted to the Seneschal, an unelected member whose term the new law extended to the duration of his natural life, as imperial or dictatorial. The Court of Appeal had ruled his powers to be in breach of
3526-510: The absence of a Proto-Indo-European etymology it may be worthwhile looking for a Proto-Semitic source for the name. He proposes a comparison between the probable root of Sark, *Sarg- , and Proto-Semitic *śrq "redden; rise (as of the sun); east", noting Sark's position as the easternmost island of the Guernsey group. His theory is based on the early medieval Latin records mentioning Sargia , but many Islands more or less close to Sark have
3608-580: The approval of the Chief Pleas, although recently Chief Pleas has been delegating a number of ordinance-making powers to the States of Guernsey. Such powers are, however, in each case subject to dis-application, or repeal, by the Chief Pleas. By long standing custom, Sark's criminal law has been made by the States of Guernsey, and this custom was put on a statutory basis in Section 4 of the Reform (Sark) Law, 2008, by which Sark delegates criminal law making power to
3690-565: The basis of a single multi-member Sark-wide constituency, with the nine candidates receiving most votes being elected. The Prévôt , the Greffier and the treasurer also attend but are not members; the treasurer may address Chief Pleas on matters of taxation and finance. However, if there are not more willing candidates than the numbers of positions to fill (including any casual vacancies), then all candidates are declared elected, without any actual election necessary. This happened both in
3772-547: The benefit of islanders. Until the 19th century, the Bailiwick was generally exempt from the harsher parts of Westminster legislation while being included in favourable policies, such as protectionist economic policies. England, and later the United Kingdom, passively exploited the strategic benefits of the Channel Islands. For example, the islands were a convenient stop-off point for trade to Gascony . The bailiwick comprises twelve parishes : Alderney, Sark, and ten on mainland Guernsey (one of which includes Herm). Each parish has
3854-500: The brothers' influence. Until 2008, Sark's parliament (Chief Pleas) was a single chamber consisting of 54 members, comprising the Seigneur, the Seneschal, 40 owners of the tenements and 12 elected deputies. A change to the system was advocated largely by the Barclay brothers . Their premise was that a change was necessary to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights , though it was suggested that their objection
3936-526: The case of all the other Channel Islands) be extended to Sark. Normally the consent of Chief Pleas is obtained for this, but the Supreme Court ruled in R v Secretary of State for Justice that it need not be. Sark does not make its own criminal laws; the responsibility for making criminal law was assigned to the States of Guernsey by Section 4(3) of the Reform (Sark) Law 2008 . The executive officers on
4018-489: The coast of Normandy , France, comprising several of the Channel Islands . It has a total land area of 78 square kilometres (30 sq mi) and an estimated total population of 67,334. The Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy , whose dukes became kings of England from 1066. In 1204, as a consequence of the Treaty of Le Goulet , insular Normandy alone remained loyal to the English Crown, leading to
4100-494: The company running the mine went bankrupt, le Pelley was unable to keep up the mortgage payments and, in 1849, his son Pierre Carey le Pelley , the new Seigneur, was forced to sell the fief to Marie Collings for a total of £1,383 (£6,000 less the sum borrowed and an accumulated interest of £616 and 13s). During World War II , the island, along with the other Channel Islands, was occupied by German forces between 1940 and 1945. German military rule on Sark began on 4 July 1940,
4182-609: The court heard appeals and tried criminal cases. Otton de Grandson , then the governor of the Islands, delegated the civil powers to two separate bailiffs for Guernsey and Jersey before he went on crusade to the Holy Land in 1290. This can be assessed as the date of first creation of the two bailiwicks. Situated around 49°24′N 2°36′W / 49.4°N 2.6°W / 49.4; -2.6 , Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands together have
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#17327654625764264-414: The day after the Guernsey Kommandant Major Albrecht Lanz and his interpreter and chief of staff Major Maas visited the island to inform the Dame and Seigneur ( Sibyl and Robert Hathaway ) of the new regime. British Commandos raided the island several times. Operation Basalt , during the night of 3–4 October 1942, captured a prisoner, and Hardtack 7 was a failed British landing in December 1943. Sark
4346-403: The defence and also for formal international, intergovernmental, and consular representation of, and the foreign affairs generally, of the Bailiwick. While never a member of the European Union or its predecessors, before Brexit the Bailiwick had a special relationship with the EU under Protocol 3 of the UK's Treaty of Accession 1972 to the European Community. Pooling resources with Jersey,
4428-416: The designation was granted, Sark Astronomy Society worked to secure funds for an astronomical observatory on the island. In October 2015 Sark's observatory was officially opened by Marek Kukula , public astronomer from the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Until the second half of the 2000s Sark was considered the last feudal state in Europe. Together with the other Channel Islands , it is the last remnant of
4510-401: The edge. A narrow concrete road covering the entirety of the isthmus was built in 1945 by German prisoners of war under the direction of the Royal Engineers . Due to its isolation, the inhabitants of Little Sark had their own distinct form of Sercquiais , the native Norman dialect of the island. The highest point on Sark is 374 feet (114 m) above sea level . A windmill , dated 1571,
4592-514: The first Dark Sky Island in the world. Sark consists of two main parts, Greater Sark, located at about 49°25′N 2°22′W / 49.417°N 2.367°W / 49.417; -2.367 , and Little Sark to the south. They are connected by a narrow isthmus called La Coupée which is 300 feet (91 m) long and has a drop of 330 feet (100 m) on each side. Protective railings were added in 1900; before then, children would crawl across on their hands and knees to avoid being blown over
4674-555: The first elections on the island. Fifty-seven candidates (12% of the 474 eligible electors) stood for 28 seats in the Chief Pleas . The elected members in the new Chief Pleas were titled Conseillers and replaced the mixed system of elected People's Deputies and ex officio Tenants in the outgoing Chief Pleas. The President of the Chief Pleas continued to be the Seneschal, whose term was extended from three years to life. The Conseillers elected in 2008 served either four or two-year terms. 14 Conseillers elected for two-year terms served until
4756-616: The following year, but was recognized in Guernsey, arrested, and handed over to the French government. Billionaire brothers David and Frederick Barclay had purchased an island within Sark's territorial waters in 1993 along with the hotels on the island. In the mid-1990s, the brothers petitioned the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg , France, challenging Sark's inheritance law, which mandated their island be left to David's oldest son. The brothers wanted to will their estate equally to their four children. In 1999, women in Sark were given equal rights of property inheritance, mainly due to
4838-432: The former Duchy of Normandy still belonging to the Crown . Sark belongs to the Crown in its own right and has an independent relationship with the Crown through the Lieutenant Governor in Guernsey. Formally, the Seigneur holds it as a fief from the Crown, reenfeoffing the landowners on the island with their respective parcels. The political consequences of this construction were abolished in recent years, particularly in
4920-450: The gneisses probably formed around 620–600 million years ago during the Late Pre-Cambrian Age Cadomian Orogeny . The quartz diorite sheets were intruded during this Cadomian deformation and metamorphic event. All the Sark rocks (and those of the nearby Channel Islands of Guernsey and Alderney ) formed during geological activity in the continental crust above an ancient subduction zone. This geological setting would have been analogous to
5002-416: The inhabitants expressed a preference for a totally elected legislature. Following the poll, Chief Pleas voted on 4 October 2006 to replace the twelve deputies and forty tenants in Chief Pleas by 28 conseillers elected by universal adult suffrage. This decision was suspended in January 2007 when it was pointed out to Chief Pleas that the 56% versus 44% majority achieved in the opinion poll did not achieve
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#17327654625765084-439: The island are: The Seneschal, Prevôt, and Greffier are chosen by the Seigneur, while the Treasurer, Constable and Vingtenier are elected by Chief Pleas. The list of current Officers of the Island of Sark: Bailiwick of Guernsey in the English Channel (red) The Bailiwick of Guernsey ( French : Bailliage de Guernesey ; Guernésiais : Bailliage dé Guernési ) is a self-governing British Crown Dependency off
5166-416: The island free of pirates and that at least forty men occupied it to defend it. Despite most families coming from Jersey, Sark remained within the Bailiwick of Guernsey. There is no flag or coat of arms for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. In historic times, the governor would have used his personal symbols before a generic flag was created for use by the governor. In 1279, Edward I granted a Seal for use in
5248-416: The island. The candidates endorsed by their various business interests on the island failed to win any seats in the elections held in 2008 and 2010 . Sark is probably first mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary ( Itinerarium Antonini Augusti , part II: itinerarium maritimum ) 3rd – 4th century AD together with the other main Channel Islands as Sarnia , Caesarea , Barsa , Silia and Andium , but it
5330-421: The islands making up the Channel Islands . The title "governor" has changed over the centuries. "Warden", "keeper", and "captain" have previously been used. The bailiff stands in for the Governor, or more recently the Lieutenant Governor, if the latter is absent, for a short term or for longer: for instance during the five years of the German occupation of the Channel Islands . The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
5412-401: The latter figure representing about 12% of the electorate in the island. A recount was ordered as several of the candidates for the last seat were separated by only a few votes. The elections reflected the division throughout the island between those who supported the traditional system (Pro-Reform Law 2008 Candidates, or the establishment), and those who supported further reforms advocated by
5494-409: The liberties and privileges of the Bailiwick, often referring to the so-called Constitutions of King John , a legendary document supposed to have been granted by King John in the aftermath of 1204. Governments of the Bailiwick have generally tried to avoid testing the limits of the unwritten constitution by avoiding conflict with British governments. This peculiar political position has often been to
5576-519: The modern-day subduction zone of the Pacific Ocean plate colliding and subducting beneath the North and South American continental plate. Sark also exercises jurisdiction over the island of Brecqhou , only a few hundred feet west of Greater Sark. It is a private island , but it has recently been opened to some visitors. From 1993 Brecqhou was owned by the brothers David and Frederick Barclay , until David Barclay died in 2021 and Frederick Barclay became sole owner. The brothers contested Sark's control over
5658-464: The name given to an island or a mountain by Vikings sailing from Norway to Greenland : Hvítserkr cf. Hvitserk , maybe Mount Forel , so Old Saxon *Serki or Old Norse Serkr > Serc could have been a descriptive landmark for Saxon or Scandinavian sailors. In addition Norman toponymy reveals a mixture of (Anglo-)Saxon and Old Norse (Old Danish) place name elements. The Old English form of sark "shirt" (related to Old Norse serkr )
5740-450: The native Norman language is sèr [sɛr] , with regular fall of final [k] like clerc in French. Finally, no specialist ever identified any Proto-Semitic element in the French coastal toponymy, even on the French mediterranean side. René Lepelley suggests a Scandinavian etymology that would explain the regular and late records of the root Serc- in the documents, according to him, it could be Old Norse serkr "shirt". He compares with
5822-510: The nearby inhabited islands of Herm , Jethou and Lihou is the States of Guernsey . Sark has a population of around 600 who live in 5.2 km (2 square miles). Its parliament (together with the inhabited island of Brecqhou ) is the Chief Pleas of Sark, with 18 elected members. In 1565, Helier de Carteret , Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey , was granted the fief of Sark by Queen Elizabeth I . He received letters patent granting him Sark in perpetuity on condition that he kept
5904-408: The nearby island of Brecqhou ) has an area of 2.10 square miles (5.44 km). Little Sark is a peninsula joined by a natural but high and very narrow isthmus to the rest of Sark Island. Sark is one of the few remaining places in the world where cars are banned from roads and only tractors, bicycles and horse-drawn vehicles are allowed. In 2011, Sark was designated as a Dark Sky Community and
5986-447: The reform of the legislative body, Chief Pleas, which took place in 2008. Although part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey , Sark is fiscally separate from the rest of the Bailiwick. Together with the islands of Alderney and Guernsey, Sark from time to time approves Bailiwick of Guernsey legislation, which, subject to the approval of all three legislatures, applies in the entire Bailiwick. Legislation cannot be made which applies on Sark without
6068-432: The results of the ballot were declared, a separate ballot was held among the 28 successful Conseillers to determine which would serve for two years, and which for four years, which is indicated by the figure after the number of votes. Since the initial period, Conseillers have served four-year terms with half elected every two years. When it became apparent that only about five candidates they had supported had been elected,
6150-410: The right to vote in Chief Pleas, but in 1604 this right was restricted to the 39 original tenements required by the letters patent, the so-called 'Quarantaine Tenements' ( French : quarantaine : a group of forty). The newer parcels mostly did not have the obligation to bear arms. In 1611 the dismemberment of tenements was forbidden, but the order was not immediately followed. In Sark, the word tenant
6232-470: The royal letters patent , the Seigneur was to keep the island inhabited by at least 40 armed men. Therefore, from his lands, 39 parcels or tenements , each sufficient for one family, were subdivided and granted to settlers, the tenants . Later, some of these parcels were dismembered, and parts of the Seigneurial land were sold, creating more parcels. Originally each head of a parcel-holding family had
6314-496: The situation, following the Barclays' decision to close their vineyard and a number of hotels and shops they own on Sark. In January 2011, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Sark as Europe's first Dark Sky Community and the first Dark Sky Island in the world. This designation recognises that Sark is sufficiently clear of light pollution to allow naked-eye astronomy . Although Sark
6396-677: Was aided in its achievement by its location, its historic ban on cars and the fact that there is no public lighting, it was also necessary for local residents to make adjustments, such as re-siting lights, to cut the light pollution. The designation was made in January 2011, following an audit by the IDA in 2010. The award is significant in that Sark is the first island community to have achieved this; other Dark-Sky Places have, up to now, been mainly uninhabited areas, and IDA chairman Martin Morgan-Taylor commended Sark residents for their effort. After
6478-567: Was commemorated with the construction of a modern henge monument , Sark Henge .) A subsequent attempt by the families to establish a constitution under a bailiff , as in Jersey, was stopped by the Guernsey authorities who resented any attempt to wrest Sark from their bailiwick. In 1844, desperate for funds to continue the operation of the silver mine on the island, the incumbent Seigneur, Ernest le Pelley , obtained Crown permission to mortgage Sark's fief to local privateer John Allaire. After
6560-433: Was finally liberated on 10 May 1945, a full day after Guernsey. In late August 1990, an unemployed French nuclear physicist named André Gardes, who believed he was the rightful holder of the Seigneur's title, attempted an invasion of Sark armed with a semi-automatic weapon . The night Gardes arrived, he put up two posters declaring his intention to take over the island the following day at noon. The following day he started
6642-631: Was more likely at odds with certain property tax requirements and primogeniture laws affecting their holdings. The old system was described as feudal and undemocratic because the tenants were entitled to sit in Chief Pleas as of right. On 16 January 2008 and 21 February 2008, the Chief Pleas approved a law to reform Chief Pleas as a 30-member chamber, with 28 members elected in island-wide elections, one hereditary member (the Seigneur) and one member (the Seneschal) appointed for life. The Privy Council of
6724-418: Was repealed in 2008. Until 2013 the Seneschal of Sark was the head of the Chief Pleas. From 1583 and 1675 judicial functions were exercised by five elected jurats and a juge, but since 1675 the Seneschal has also been the judge of the island. The Seneschal was historically appointed by the Seigneur, but nowadays there is an Appointment Committee consisting of the Seigneur and two other members appointed by
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