En Voyage_Issue#14_Flickbook

En Voyage
GOING TO SARK?
it was in the hands of the Vernon family, Lords of
Néhou, who endowed the priory of St. Magloire as
a dependency of the abbey of Montebourg. Sark
reverted to the English crown in 1204 by Richard
de Vernon’s loss as a penalty for wrongdoing. The
French captured the island in 1549, but Sark was
back in English hands again by 1558. Except during
German occupation in WW11 from 1940 to 1945
when British soldiers liberated Sark on 10th May,
it has remained under English control since.
Sark was colonised by Hélier de Carteret, seigneur
of St Ouen in Jersey, under a patent of Elizabeth I in
1565, to prevent it being ruled by pirates. At first, the
court was modelled on that of Jersey, with bailiff and
jurats, but this was changed in 1675 to one composed
of seneschal, provost, greffier, tenants seigneur,
constable and vingtenier. By 1951 the members were
reduced to seigneur, seneschal, tenants', and 12
deputies. The Carterets were seigneurs until 1732,
after which the seigneurle changed hands several
times. From 1927 until 1974 the Dame of Sark, Sibyl
Hathaway, held it; on her death, her son Michael
Beaumont as 22nd seigneur succeeded her. It was
Sibyl who received the German soldiers in 1940
and with her
SARK’S FEUDAL
GOVERNMENT
SURVIVED UNTIL
APRIL 2008 WHEN
THE LAWS GOVERNING
THE ISLAND WERE
CHANGED TO
INTRODUCE THE RIGHT
OF ALL RESIDENTS TO
VOTE AND TRANSFORM
THE CHIEF PLEAS
INTO A POPULARLY
ELECTED ASSEMBLY.
knowledge of
Germany, and
being fluent in
the language,
she managed
throughout the
war to control
meetings,
reportedly
expecting officers
to bow and kiss
her hand.
Sark’s feudal
government
survived until April
2008 when the
laws governing
the island
were changed
to introduce the right of all residents to vote and
transform the Chief Pleas into a popularly elected
assembly. Previously the Chief Pleas had comprised
40 unelected tenants, heirs of the island’s colonisers,
and 12 elected deputies. The first election of the new
28-member Chief Pleas was held in December 2008.
Sark can be reached only by boat since aeroplanes
are banned. Once visitors arrive, horse-drawn carriages
and bicycles are common means of transportation.
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.
Dark-Sky Places were formally mainly uninhabited
areas. The Sark Astronomy Society opened an
astronomical observatory in October 2015.
FLY TO GUERNSEY FROM THE UK
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TRAVELLING FROM GUERNSEY?
You can travel to Sark by ferry from Guernsey.
There are several sailings a day between the
islands in peak seasons and a reduced service in
winter with daily boats travelling between the two
Monday to Saturday.
Ferries depart from the Inter-Island Quay in
St Peter Port Harbour and tickets can be
purchased online, by phone, or from the White
Rock office in Guernsey. The ferry ride takes
approximately 55 minutes.
For more information visit
sarkshippingcompany.com or call 01481 724059
28 En Voyage | Aurigny’s Magazine