The parishes of Guernsey are the ten civil parishes of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. They are based on ancient ecclesiastical parishes, each with its own parish church from which they get their names. They are the main administrative divisions of Guernsey, and are governed by an elected council known as a Douzaine.
Parishes Below are the ten parishes of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The parishes of Saint Anne, Alderney and Saint Peter, Sark are non-administrative and thus are not generally included in the enumeration of parishes. Both these islands are instead administrated by their own respective autonomous legislature.
ParishPopulation(2019)Area(vergées) (km2) (sq mi) Castel 10.200 3.938 Forest 4.110 1.587 St Andrew 4.510 1.741 St Martin 7.340 2.834 St Peter Port 6.677 2.578 St Pierre du Bois 6.257 2.416 St Sampson 6.042 2.333 St Saviour 6.378 2.463 Torteval 3.115 1.203 Vale 8.951 3.456 St Anne, Alderneyn 7.9 3.1 St Peter, Sarkn 5.45 2.1
n Non-administrative parishes
The islands of Herm and Jethou form part of the parish of St Peter Port. Lihou falls within the area of St Pierre du Bois.
History The population of and names of the parish are recorded in The History of the Island of Guernsey in 1814.
+Estimated population of the island of Guernsey by parish in 1814Name in 1814Modern namePopulation aboutSt Sampson's788St Michael in the ValeVale1,064St Philip of TortevalTorteval390St Saviour943St Margaret of the ForestForest443St Peter of the WoodSt Pierre du Bois1,200St Martin1,265Our Lady of Deliverance of the Castle(formerly Grand Sarazin)Castel1,500St Andrew700St Peter's Port (or Town Parish)11,000Sailors and strangers not permanently settled2,000Total population21,293
Administration
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 ( = "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.
One or more Douzaine representatives represent their parish at the States of Election when a new Jurat is elected.
Two elected Constables () 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.
Both Douzeniers and Constables can be removed by the Royal Court for failing in their duty.
Parish business Amongst the many varied duties: Obligation to ensure roadside hedges are trimmed Supervise watercourses (douits) Administer Parish cemeteries Maintain wayside pumps and troughs Collecting Parish rates Issue dog licence and collect dog tax Manage parish boat moorings Parishes officials also advise the States of Guernsey on matters pertaining to the Parish, such as licensing drinking, entertainment and betting establishments.
Nicknames 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:Dictiounnaire Angllais-Guernésiais Parish Guernésiais English translationSt Peter Port Cllichards spittersSt Sampson's Rôines frogsVale Hann'taons cockchafersCastel Ânes-pur-sàng pure-blooded-donkeysSt Saviour's Fouormillaons antsSt Pierre du Bois Etcherbaots beetlesForest Bourdons bumblebeesSt Martin's Cravants ray fishSt Andrew's Les croinchaons the siftingsTorteval Ânes à pids d'ch'fa donkeys with horses' hooves
See also Parishes of Jersey
References