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November 25, 2006
A Sark contrast
The tiny island of Sark, an independently-governed island off the coast of France, last month voted to abolish its feudal government that had existed since the 1500s. These strange governments like Sark's fascinate me, for reasons not fully clear.
Sark has been ruled by a Seigneur, or a feudal lord, since the first Seigneur moved with 40 families under a British royal charter in 1533. In exchange for a few pounds annual rent given to the Queen, the Seigneur runs the island. He owns all the land and has a few other strange rights, such as being the only person allowed to own piegons and unspayed bitches. He also owns whatever washes up on shore.
Reports the London Times:
In future, the island will no longer be governed by an hereditary seigneur deriving authority directly from the Queen and a group of unelected landholders, but by an elected council.Islanders voted by 234 to 184 to abolish Sark’s 450-year-old system of government.
Since the reign of Elizabeth I, Sark, which is six miles from Guernsey but entirely selfgoverning, was run by the descendants of 40 “tenants” given the right to settle there in 1533. In a concession to modernity, the island’s parliament Government, the Chief Pleas, was recently expanded to include 12 “people’s deputies” elected by islanders. They were given the choice of an entirely elected body or one that included eight representatives of the 40 tenants.
The biggest change for Sark’s 610 residents is likely to be the abolition of the feudal position of the Seigneur, who was the Sovereign’s sole representative on the island.
It's still unclear whether this will allow islanders to own piegons and unspayed bitches.
Posted by adrianjo at November 25, 2006 07:35 PM