Sark

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For other uses, see Sark (disambiguation).
Sark
Coat of arms of Sark
Coat of arms
The location of the Channel Islands in Europe
The location of the Channel Islands in Europe
Aerial view of Sark; North is to the left, Little Sark in the upper right and Brecqhou below it.
Aerial view of Sark; North is to the left, Little Sark in the upper right and Brecqhou below it.
CapitalLa Seigneurie1
Official languagesEnglish
Government
John Michael Beaumont
Part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey
(Crown dependency of the British Crown)
1565
Area
• Total
5.45 km2 (2.10 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate
600
• Density
110.09/km2 (285.1/sq mi)
CurrencyPound sterling2 (GBP)
Time zoneGMT
• Summer (DST)
UTC+1
Calling code44
Internet TLD.gg  (Guernsey)
  1. Head of government. Sark has no capital
  2. See Guernsey pound, notes and coins generally not legal tender outside Guernsey

Sark (French: Sercq; Sarkish: Sèr) is a small island in the southwestern English Channel. It is one of the Channel Islands, and is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It has a population of about 600 (610 as of 2002). The island is a car-free zone where the only vehicles allowed are horse-drawn vehicles, bicycles, tractors, and battery-powered buggies or motorised bicycles for elderly or disabled people. Passengers and goods arriving by ferry from Guernsey are transported from the wharf by tractor-pulled vehicles. Sark's main industries are tourism, crafts and finance. Sark has an area of two square miles.

Geography

Trident VI at Maseline Harbour
La Coupée is the narrow isthmus which links Greater and Little Sark

Sark consists of two main parts, Greater Sark and Little Sark to the south. They are connected by a narrow isthmus called La Coupée which is just nine feet wide with a drop of 300 feet (91 m) either side. Protective railings were erected in 1900; before then, children would crawl across on their hands and knees to avoid being blown over the edge. There is a narrow concrete road covering the entirety of the isthmus, built in 1945 by German prisoners of war under the direction of the Royal Engineers.

The highest point on Sark is 374 feet (114 m) above sea-level. A windmill, dated 1571 is found here, the sails of which were removed by the Germans during their occupation in World War II. This location is also the highest point in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Little Sark had a number of mines; as well as a source of galena,[1] at Port Gorey, the ruins of silver mines[2] can still be seen. Just off the south end of Little Sark is the "Venus Pool", a natural swimming pool, and the "Adonis Pool".

The island of Brecqhou is also under the jurisdiction of Sark, only a few hundred feet west of Greater Sark. It is a private island, currently home to Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay who purchased it in 1993, and not open to visitors. They contest Sark's control over the island.

Politics

Sark was previously considered the last feudal state in Europe,[3] as fiefdom existed until April 2008. Fiefdom was abolished by the amending of electoral laws to grant universal suffrage and fully elected governance.

Seigneur

The Seigneurie

The Seigneur of Sark was, prior to April 2008, the head of the feudal government of the Isle of Sark (in the case of a woman, the title was Dame). From 1980 - 2008, John Michael Beaumont was the twenty-second and final Seigneur of Sark. Many of the laws, particularly those related to inheritance and the rule of the Seigneur, changed little since they were enacted in 1565 under Queen Elizabeth I. The Seigneur retained the sole right on the island to keep pigeons and was the only person allowed to keep an unspayed female dog.[4][5]

Tenants

In Sark, the word tenant is used (and often pronounced, as in French) in the sense of feudal landholder rather than the common English meaning of lessee. The landholdings of Sark are held by 40 tenants representing the parcels of the 40 families who colonised Sark. As explained on the Sark government website: "There is no true freehold, all land being held on perpetual lease (fief) from the Seigneur, and the 40 properties (Tenements) into which the Island is divided (as well as a few other holdings in perpetual fief) can only pass by strict rules of inheritance or by sale. The Island was originally divided into forty landholdings known as Tenements and the owner or Tenant has, by right, a seat in Chief Pleas. Over the years further Seigneurial land has been leased in small parcels in perpetuity in similar manner to the Tenements but usually without the obligation to hold arms (La Fregondée is one exception) and without a seat in Chief Pleas. These properties are frequently but erroneously referred to as "freeholds" to distinguish them from the Tenements."[4]

Chief Pleas

Chief Pleas (French: Chefs Plaids; Sercquiais: Cheurs Pliaids) is the parliament of Sark. Today Chief Pleas consists of the 40 Tenants plus 12 Deputies of the People (elected by universal adult suffrage for a mandate of three years).

The Seigneur and the Seneschal (who presides) are also members of Chief Pleas. 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.

The executive officers on the island are

  • The Seneschal (President of Chief Pleas and Chief Judge) and the Deputy Seneschal
  • The Prevôt (Sheriff of the Court and of Chief Pleas) and the Deputy Prevôt
  • The Greffier (Clerk) and the Deputy Greffier
  • The Treasurer (Finances)
  • The Constable (the senior policeman and administration) and the Vingtenier (the junior policeman)

Seneschal, Prevôt, Greffier and Treasurer are chosen by the Seigneur, Constable and Vingtenier are elected by Chief Pleas.

Since 2000, Chief Pleas has been working on its own reform, responding to internal and international pressures. On 8 March 2006 by a vote of 25–15 Chief Pleas voted for a new legislature of the Seigneur, the Seneschal, 14 elected landowners and 14 elected non-landowners.[6] Not everyone favoured the changes: many people wanted to keep feudalism completely.[citation needed] But it was made plain that this option was not on the table. Offered two options for reform involving a fully elected legislature, one with three, and one with a single class of seats, 56% of the inhabitants expressed a preference in an opinion poll for the simpler option.[citation needed][7] Following the poll, Chief Pleas voted on 4 October 2006 to replace the 12 Deputies and 40 Tenants in Chief Pleas by 28 Conseillers elected by universal adult suffrage.[8] 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 the 20% majority required for the constitutional change. The decision was replaced by the proposal that Chief Pleas should consist of 16 Tenants and 12 Conseillers both elected by universal adult suffrage from 2008-2012 and that a binding referendum should then decide whether this composition should be kept or replaced by 28 Conseillers.[9] This proposal was rejected by the Privy Council and the 28 Conseiller option was reinstated in February 2008.

In 2003, Chief Pleas voted to vary the longstanding ban on divorce in the island by extending to the Royal Court of Guernsey power to grant divorces.[citation needed]

History

A horse-drawn carriage on Sark
Sark in relation to the other Channel Islands, and France

In the thirteenth century, Sark was used as a base of operations by the French pirate Eustace the Monk after he served King John of England. Although populated by monastic communities in the mediaeval period, Sark was uninhabited in the 16th century and used as a refuge and raiding base by Channel pirates. Helier de Carteret, Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey, received a charter from Queen Elizabeth I to colonise Sark with 40 families from St. Ouen on condition that he maintain the island free of pirates.

An attempt by the newly settled families to endow themselves with a constitution under a bailiff, as in Jersey, was put down by the authorities of Guernsey who resented any attempt to wrest Sark from their bailiwick.[citation needed]

During World War II, the island was occupied by the Germans from 1940–1945, as were the other Channel Islands, and was the site of Operation Basalt.

Recent history

One-man invasion attempt

In 1991 an unemployed French nuclear physicist named André Gardes attempted a singlehanded invasion of Sark, armed with a semi-automatic weapon. He was arrested by the Island's police officer (who at the time was Little Sark farmer Philip Perrée Jnr) while sitting on a bench, changing the gun's magazine.[5]

Transition to democracy

On 4 July 2007 Sark began to dismantle its feudal system to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. The majority of the island's legislature could be elected by 2009.[10] On January 16, 2008 and February 21, 2008, the Chief Pleas approved a law which introduces a 30-member chamber, with 28 elected members and retaining only two unelected members. On 9 April 2008, the Privy Council approved the Sark law reforms,[11] and the first elections under the new law will be held in December 2008 and the new chamber will first convene in January 2009.[12][13][14]

Sarkish

Sercquiais (Sarkish, or sometimes called Sark-French) is a dialect of the Norman language still spoken by older inhabitants of the island.[15] Its use has declined in recent years due to a large influx of people who have moved to Sark,[16] and the ongoing anglicisation of the island.

Education

Sark has one school, the Sark School, which takes residents from the ages of 5 to 15.[17] Pupils wishing to obtain a GCSE and A level qualifications usually finish their education in Guernsey or Jersey. Students may also enroll in United Kingdom boarding schools.

Religion

St. Peter's Anglican church

Sark has an Anglican church (St. Peter's, built 1820) and a Methodist[18] church. John Wesley first proposed a mission to Sark in 1787. Jean de Quetteville of Jersey subsequently began preaching there, initially in a cottage at Le Clos à Geon and then at various houses around Sark. Preachers from Guernsey visited regularly, and in 1796, land was donated by Jean Vaudin, leader of the Methodist community in Sark, for the construction of a chapel, which Jean de Quetteville dedicated in 1797.[19] In the mid-1800s there was a small Plymouth Brethren assembly. Its most notable member was the classicist William Kelly (1821-1906). Kelly was then the tutor to the Seigneur's children.

Supported by the evidence of the names of the tenements of La Moinerie and La Moinerie de Haut, it is believed[20] that the Seigneurie was constructed on the site of the monastery of Saint Magloire. Magloire had been Samson of Dol's successor as bishop of Dol, but retired and founded a monastery in Sark where he died in the late 6th century. According to the vita of Magloire, the monastery housed 62 monks and a school for the instruction of the sons of noble families from the Cotentin. Magloire's relics were venerated at the monastery until the mid-9th century when Viking raids rendered Sark unsafe and the monks departed for Jersey, taking the relics with them.

Clameur de Haro

Among the old laws of the Channel Islands is the old Norman custom of the Clameur de Haro, a legal device which also still exists in the other Channel Islands.[clarification needed] A person can obtain immediate cessation of any action he considers to be an infringement of his rights. At the scene, he must, in front of witnesses, recite the Lord's Prayer in French and cry out "Haro, Haro, Haro! À mon aide mon Prince, on me fait tort!"[4] ("Haro, Haro, Haro! To my aid, my Prince! One does me wrong!") It should then be registered with the Greffe Office within 24 hours. All actions against the person must then cease until the matter is heard by the Court. It is not frequently used; the last recorded Clameur was raised in June 1970 to prevent the construction of a garden wall.[5] The Clameur has been used on occasions since then in the other islands.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Sark (Channel Islands
  3. ^ "www.lonelyplanet.com/theme/islands/islands_sark.htm".
  4. ^ a b c Sark GovernmentLaw and Custom
  5. ^ a b c "Lost world: the last days of feudal Sark". The Independent. 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  6. ^ "Minutes EXTRAORDINARY MEETING of the Chief Pleas held on the 8th day of March, 2006" (pdf). p. 8. Retrieved 2008-02-21. Proposition 1
  7. ^ "ISLAND OF SARK – TEST OF OPINION ON COMPOSITION OF THE CHIEF PLEAS" (pdf). 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2008-02-21. for 28 Open Seats...234 ... for 12 Seats for Deputies, 8 Seats for Tenants, 8 Open Seats...184
  8. ^ "Minutes of the meeting held in the Assembly Room, Sark on 4 October 2006" (pdf). p. 3. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  9. ^ "MINUTES of the EASTER MEETING of CHIEF PLEAS Held in the Assembly Room, Sark on 11–12 April 2007" (pdf). pp. 4, 7, 13. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  10. ^ Democratic Revolution, The Economist, July 14 – July 20, 2007
  11. ^ Sark democracy plans are approved, BBC News Online, 9 April 2008
  12. ^ A Revolution Not Televised, Time.com, January 17, 2008
  13. ^ After 443 years, Sark gets democracy, The Bugle, Episode 13, January 2008. The Bugle is a satirical podcast of the Times Online.
  14. ^ Sark agrees switch to democracy, BBC News Online, 22 February 2008
  15. ^ Dr Mari C Jones. "BBC - Voices - Multilingual Nation / Jèrriais and Sercquiais today". Retrieved 2008-02-21. 1998 it was estimated that, at that time, fewer than 20 out of the Island's 600 permanent inhabitants (3.3%) were still able to speak Sercquiais
  16. ^ "BBC - Voices - Multilingual Nation". Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  17. ^ "Sark Tourism - Isle of Sark, Channel Islands / General Information". Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  18. ^ "Sark Methodist Church".
  19. ^ Methodism in the Channel Islands, Moore, London, 1952
  20. ^ Channel island Churches, McCormack, 1986 ISBN 0850335418
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