Sercq

Sercq (to pronounce: Ser ) (in Sercquiais: Sèr , in English: Sark ) is small a island of a surface of 5 km ² of the Archipel of the Channel Islands, which belongs to the Bailliage of Guernesey. In 2002, it was populated of 610 inhabitants (Sercquiais). The cars are prohibited there except for the tractors, which makes Bicyclette privileged means of transport. The principal branch of industry is the Tourisme. Sercq in fact is separated in 2 parts: the small one and large Sercq. They are connected by “Crossed”, a narrow Isthme which makes only 3 meters broad whereas a vacuum of a hundred meters is present on each side. Safety fences were installed in 1900; previously, the children crossed the passage to four legs to avoid falling. There is today a narrow concreted way covering the totality of the isthmus, built in 1945 by German prisoners of war, under the direction of engineers royaux.
Sercq is served only by sea for freight and the passengers since Saint-Pierre-Port.

Sercq is often regarded as being the last feudal State of Europe. The Seigneur of Sercq is with the head of the feudal government of the Island of Sercq. Much of its laws, in particular those which treat role of the lord and the way in which he inherits, remained unchanged since they are comings into effect in 1565 under the reign of the queen Elisabeth I {{Re}} when the lord from Saint-Ouen (in Jersey), Hélier de Carteret, accepted the seigniory of Sercq under condition that he colonizes it: it was then an uninhabited island which it was necessary to protect against from the bands of pirates who were used themselves about it as a basis of operations. It is with 40 families come from the parish of Saint-Ouen that Carteret established the small feudal State. The colonists had first of all tried to establish an independent bailliage, but the Baillif F of Guernesey hastened to remove the claims of the colonists and to affirm the authority of the royal Court of Guernesey on the island.

Sercq thus forms juridically part of the bailliage of Guernesey. It does not have the row of independent State.

The Chiefs Plaids , Parliament of the island, consist of 40 Holding (ground owners whose subdivision goes back to the 40 families of origin) and 12 appointed of the People (elected for a three years mandate). The seneshal is the president of the Chefs Plaids , and the Lord (or his delegate) must assist to with it.

In 2006, Sercq started democratic reforms, which will put it in conformity with the European Convention of the human rights. These reforms are explained by the pressures imposed by the brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, owners of the Daily Telegraph, richissimes new Holding whose laws of Sercq prevented them from carrying out their business roundly. In fact, the brothers had bought the small island of Brecqhou for 2,3 million books in 1993, and seem to wish to have it without regard for the local legislation. Under pressure, apparently, British Crown, on October 4th, 2006, the members of the Parliament of the island (the Plaids Chiefs) voted the end of the feudal mode with 23 vote for a system of representation on a level, 1 vote against and 14 abstentions. 28 advisers will replace the 40 holding and 12 deputies of the People. The advisers will receive honorary the Sieur or Madam formerly reserved with Holding. Sercq is, to date, in conformity with the the Council of Europe.

Among the laws of Sercq appears the Clameur of haro , article of the Coutume of Normandy by which a person can obtain the immediate suspension of any action that she considers enfreindre her rights, and which also exists in all the bailliage, like in the bailliage of Jersey. It must, opposite it pilot, to recite to the Our Father in French, whereas the population is anglophone today, and to exclaim (in French also): “Haro, Haro, Haro! With my assistance my Prince, one makes me wrong! ” It must be, then, recorded with the office of the clerk's office in the 24 hours. All the actions against the person must, then, cease until the object of the disagreement is heard by the court of justice. It is not frequently used: the last recorded “clamor” was marked in June 1970 to prevent the construction of a wall of garden. This habit always exists, in a different way, in the other islands of the archipelago, also controls by the habit of Normandy.

According to the “right of dovecote”, only the Lord can keep doves. The Colombier of the Seigniory is worth the turning. It is also prohibited, with all the inhabitants of the island (except the lord), to have dogs, since at the 17th century of the attacks of nomadic animals took place on the herds of sheep.

The Sercquiais, language Norman E of Sercq, is linguistically close to the Jersey whose dialect was brought on the island by the first Jersey families to the 16th century. One and the other languages are an insular form of the Normand. Sercquiais is currently minority and in the process of disappearance. In a general way, the free-Norman remainder still the usual language of some 600 islanders.

The current lord (2007), 22e of the name, is John Michael Beaumont (1927 -), which inherited the title into 1974 of his/her large' mother.

See too

List of the Lords of Sercq
Brecqhou

External bonds

Tourism on Sercq
Official site of the government of Sercq
Interference against the island of Sercq

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