Brief History Of The Isle of Jersey - Page Two
French is the official language of the English islands. They are not controls by the English constitution; they do not receive laws of the English Parliament, but they have a clean constitution and a distinct assembly, in a word they control themselves (self-government). No one living does not owe the military service apart from the islands; Jersey and Guemesey have the right of coinage and emit under copper of the value of 1/2 and 1 penny (5 and 10 centimes). The sovereigns of England are represented in Jersey and Guemesey by a lieutenant-governor, who does not have any administrative action or legal, and which is satisfied to oppose the veto to the decisions of the States which could attack the prerogatives of the Crown.
The deliberating assembly which bears the name of States of Jersey includes/understands: 12 sworn (jurats) retributive, 12 vice-chancellors of the parishes, 12 constables or mayors, under the presidency of the baillif, or chief of justice; these 37 members are members of right. Since 1856, one associated to them 14 deputies named for 3 years per election (including 3 for St-Helier). Any British subject (that it is or not Jersey) 20 years old accomplished and enjoying the civil laws is eligible the responsibility of deputy. Two officers, called denouncers, convene the members for the days of meeting. The laws voted by the States must be sanctioned by the private council of the Crown. On the other hand, the baillif has the right to suspend the execution of a royal decree which would be against the privileges of the island.
The most degree of the legal magistrature in Jersey is the royal Court. This court is composed of the baillif chair and twelve sworn; it sits assisted of a clerk and one of the officers of the Crown (prosecutor general, Viscount, lawyer general). Lawyers (banisters) and solicitors (sollicitors) support the causes. The baillif is named with life by the sovereign: he chairs, but does not judge; in the event of equal division E of the voices, his is dominating. Twelve the sworn retributive ones are elected with life by all the taxpayers of the island.
Jersey is divided into twelve districts bearing the name of parishes, and whose businesses are controls by a municipal assembly. Wth the head of the parish is the constable, similar to our mayors, but with capacities much wider; he is elected for three years. “This dignity, says Mr. Th. The Stag, is a memory of the communal organization introduced into the islands by the kings of England, at the beginning of XIVe S. At that time, the parishes, organized militarily, had at their head a constable who ordered with the centeniers, which in their turn, ordered with the vingtainiers. This constable consequently had jurisdiction with civil as with the criminal. Later, the creation of the body of the parochial militia left nothing any more with these officers but purely municipal attributions.”
The constable is assisted by one or more assistants, called centeniers. Below those, the vingtainiers are charged to take careon their score or agglomeration of twenty fires; they also proceed of the election. Each vingtainier is assisted by municipal officers called officers of the constable. “These last agents do not proceed of the popular election; but, chosen by the parochial assembly, they must exert their load during four years with Saint-Hélier, during seven years in the other parishes of the island.” The parochial assembly still chooses other civils servant; such are: the Prosecutor of the public property, which has the role of supervising the use of the parochial incomes, and guards of church, similar to the churchwardens (marguilliers) English. Those must take care of the strict observation of the payments in force in the island about Sundays and festivals; according to the Jersey constitution, “the two guards, during the divine service at the day of Sunday, will visit the suspect places of plays and dissolution, the taverns and houses of vice, etc”
The assemblies parochial, made up of the taxpayers or heads of households, deal with all that relates to their parish: general monitoring of the parochial police force; maintenance of the ways; distribution of local charity, tax allocation.
The functions of police force are free in Jersey, and moreover they are entwsted by election, since they are filled by the same members of the council of parish: constables, centeniers, vingtainiers and officers of the constable. The town of SaintHélier and that of Saint-Pierre-Port have some policemen paid, under the authority of the constables.
French is the official language of the islands. It is indeed, in Jersey which was born French poetry, and they is Jersey, main Robert Wace (1131-1184), who is the author of the Novel of Rou, the first poem written in language of oil, language which, passing by Villehardoin, Froissard, Rabelais, Montaigne arid Regnard, reached its apogee with Pierre Comeille, another Norman like Wace.
In the campaigns of Jersey and Guernesey, one still speaks a language which is almost that of Robert Wace. Indeed, if the language of XIIe S. became almost incomprehensible for the French of today, so much it underwent modifications, they remained almost stationary in the islands, which, separated from France since XIIIe S., and being apart from its movement, continued to speak as in XIIe S., and kept the language of the trouveres.
Islanders became involved with the Newfoundland fisheries in the late sixteenth century.
In recognition for all the help given to him during his exile in Jersey in the 1640s, Charles II gave George Carteret, Bailiff and governor, a large grant of land in the American colonies, which he promptly named New Jersey, now part of the United States of America.
Trade laid the foundations of prosperity, aided by neutrality between England and France. The Jersey way of life involved agriculture, fishing, shipbuilding, and production of woollen goods until nineteenth-century improvements in transport links brought tourism to the Island.
Jersey was occupied by Germany from 1 July 1940, and was held until 9 May 1945.
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