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The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes the island of Guernsey and other islands such as Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, and Lihou. Each parish was established, probably in the 11th century, as a religious area, each having its parish church. Administratively each parish is now administered by an elected council known as a Douzaine. [1]
The island of Guernsey is divided into ten parishes. The Bailiwick of Guernsey also includes the parish of Saint Anne, Alderney and the parish of Saint Peter, Sark, but these are not generally included in the enumeration of parishes: [2] [3] [4]
| Parish | Population (2019) | Area | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (vergées) | (km2) | (sq mi) | ||
| Castel | 8,795 | 6,224 | 10.200 | 3.938 |
| Forest | 1,546 | 2,508 | 4.110 | 1.587 |
| St Andrew | 2,295 | 2,752 | 4.510 | 1.741 |
| St Martin | 6,593 | 4,479 | 7.340 | 2.834 |
| St Peter Port | 18,958 | 4,074 | 6.677 | 2.578 |
| St Pierre du Bois | 2,036 | 3,818 | 6.257 | 2.416 |
| St Sampson | 8,966 | 3,687 | 6.042 | 2.333 |
| St Saviour | 2,765 | 3,892 | 6.378 | 2.463 |
| Torteval | 1,017 | 1,901 | 3.115 | 1.203 |
| Vale | 9,514 | 5,462 | 8.951 | 3.456 |
| St Anne, Alderney n | 1,960 | 7.9 | 3.1 | |
| St Peter, Sark n | 400 | 5.45 | 2.1 | |
n Non-administrative parishes
Herm and Jethou form part of the parish of St Peter Port. Lihou falls within the area of St Pierre du Bois.
The population of and names of the parish are recorded in The History of the Island of Guernsey in 1814. [5]
| Name in 1814 | Modern name | Population about |
|---|---|---|
| St Sampson's | 788 | |
| St Michael in the Vale | Vale | 1064 |
| St Philip of Torteval | Torteval | 390 |
| St Saviour | 943 | |
| St Margaret of the Forest | Forest | 443 |
| St Peter of the Wood | St Pierre du Bois | 1200 |
| St Martin | 1265 | |
| Our Lady of Deliverance of the Castle (formerly Grand Sarazin) | Castel | 1500 |
| St Andrew | 700 | |
| St Peter's Port (or Town Parish) | 11,000 | |
| Sailors and strangers not permanently settled | 2000 | |
| Total population | 21,293 |
Each parish is administered by a council called a Douzaine, made up of Douzeniers who serve four-year terms. Each year in November, one quarter of the Douzeniers are elected by parishioners at a parish meeting. In most parishes there are twelve Douzeniers in total (Douzaine = "twelve") and so three are elected each year; exceptionally, the Vale elects four each year (total 16) and St Peter Port five (total 20). The senior Douzenier is known as the Doyen (Dean). To stand for election the candidate must reside in the parish. [6]
One or more Douzaine representatives represent their parish at the States of Election when a new Jurat is elected. [7]
Two elected Constables (French : Connétables) carry out the decisions of the Douzaine, serving for between one and three years. The longer-serving Constable is known as the Senior Constable and his or her colleague as the Junior Constable. Historically the Constables have been in existence since at least 1481 although their duties have been reduced over the centuries. [6]
Both Douzeniers and Constables can be removed by the Royal Court for failing in their duty.
Amongst the many varied duties:
Parishes officials also advise the States of Guernsey on matters pertaining to the Parish, such as licensing drinking, entertainment and betting establishments. [6]
Inhabitants of each of the parishes of Guernsey also have traditional nicknames, although these have generally dropped out of use among the English-speaking population. The traditional nicknames are: [8]
| Parish | Guernésiais | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| St Peter Port | Cllichards | spitters |
| St Sampson's | Rôines | frogs |
| Vale | Hann'taons | cockchafers |
| Castel | Ânes-pur-sàng | pure-blooded-donkeys |
| St Saviour's | Fouormillaons | ants |
| St Pierre du Bois | Etcherbaots | beetles |
| Forest | Bourdons | bumblebees |
| St Martin's | Cravants | ray fish |
| St Andrew's | Les croinchaons | the siftings |
| Torteval | Ânes à pids d'ch'fa | donkeys with horses' hooves |
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy. Although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands as it is for the other Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies are neither members of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor part of the European Union. They have a total population of about 171,916, and the bailiwicks' capitals, Saint Helier and Saint Peter Port, have populations of 33,500 and 18,207 respectively.
Guernsey is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located 27 miles (43 km) west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited islands and many small islets and rocks. The Bailiwick has a population of 63,950, the vast majority of whom live on Guernsey, and the island has a land area of 24 square miles (62 km2).
Politics of the Bailiwick of Guernsey take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic British Crown dependency.
Herm is one of the Channel Islands and part of the Parish of St Peter Port in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is located in the English Channel, north-west of France and south of England. It is 2,183 m (7,162 ft) long and under 873 metres (2,864 ft) wide; oriented north–south, with several stretches of sand along its northern coast. The much larger island of Guernsey lies to the west, Jersey lies to the south-east, and the smaller island of Jethou is just off the south-west coast.
Jethou is a small island that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is privately leased from the Crown, and not open to the public. Resembling the top of a wooded knoll, it is immediately south of Herm and covers approximately 44 acres (18 ha).
Lihou is a small tidal island located just off the west coast of the island of Guernsey, in the English Channel, between Great Britain and France. Administratively, Lihou forms part of the Parish of St. Peter's in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and is now owned by the parliament of Guernsey, although there have been a number of owners in the past. Since 2006, the island has been jointly managed by the Guernsey Environment Department and the Lihou Charitable Trust. In the past the island was used by locals for the collection of seaweed for use as a fertiliser, but today Lihou is mainly used for tourism, including school trips. Lihou is also an important centre for conservation, forming part of a Ramsar wetland site for the preservation of rare birds and plants as well as historic ruins of a priory and a farmhouse.
Alderney is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is 3 miles (5 km) long and 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) wide.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency off 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.
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ.
St. Peter Port is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958.
Guernsey elects a legislature at the national level. The islands of Alderney and Sark also elect their own parliaments.
Guernsey usually refers to either:
The Guernsey Police, is the police service for the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a jurisdictional sub-group of Crown Dependencies within the Channel Islands.
The States of Guernsey, officially the States of Deliberation and sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands. All enactments of the States of Guernsey apply to Herm as well as Guernsey, since Herm is directly administered by the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Guernsey:
This page list topics related to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, including Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and smaller islands.
The States of Election has only one purpose, to elect a new Jurat to the Courts in Guernsey.
Politics of Alderney takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic British Crown dependency, whereby the President of the States of Alderney is the head of government. Alderney is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey but is largely self-governing.
The Courts of Guernsey are responsible for the administration of justice in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. They apply the law of the Island, which is a mixture of customary law dating back as far as the 10th century and legislation passed by the legislature, the States of Deliberation.
Archaeology is promoted in Jersey by the Société Jersiaise and by Jersey Heritage. Promotion in the Bailiwick of Guernsey being undertaken by La Société Guernesiaise, Guernsey Museums, the Alderney Society with World War II work also undertaken by Festung Guernsey.
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