The Leader of Alderney is the civil leader of Alderney. Alderney is a dependency of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Its leader has traditionally been appointed by the British Crown and has been known by various titles including Lord of Alderney, Governor of Alderney, and the current President of the States of Alderney. The President of the States of Alderney is directly elected every four years and there is no constitutional limit to the number of terms served. The current president, William Tate has held the post since 2019."Alderney election hopeful withdraws due to abuse" in Guernsey Press (24 June 2019)Rulers.org
Current function The Leader of Alderney is the highest civil figure in Alderney. The President as leader currently is elected by all of Alderney for a four-year term. The President is also the chairman of the States of Alderney and entitled to vote; however, this is usually only done in the event of a tied vote, where he has the deciding vote.
Historical role Alderney was initially part of the Duchy of Normandy from 933 AD. In 1042, possession of Alderney passed to Mont Saint Michel Abbey and from there, passed to the Bishop of Coutances. In 1182, the first individual leader of Alderney was William L'Ingenieur who was ennobled as Lord of Alderney. During L'Ingenieur's time as Lord of Alderney, possession was granted to him as a fief. As a result of this, Alderney was invaded and occupied by the French twice in 1204 and 1205 before being reclaimed by England each time. Under his successor as Lord of Alderney, Peter L'Ingenieur, ownership of Alderney was divided between the King of England (as the Duke of Normandy) and the Bishop of Coutances. In 1228, the title of the Lord of Alderney became extinct as Peter L'Ingenieur had no lawfully begotten male heirs. During this time France invaded Alderney again before being expelled by English forces, with King Henry III of England stripping the Bishop of the rights to Alderney and taking sole ownership as a result of the French actions. Under the Treaty of Brétigny in 1260, the Bishop's rights in Alderney were restored.
In 1559, George Chamberlain was appointed as the Lieutenant-Governor of Alderney and later bought the title and lease of Alderney from the Crown. In 1586 Queen Elizabeth I of England ordered the Bishop of Coutances surrender the rights to Alderney to the Bishop of Winchester, which was done shortly after the leadership of Alderney had passed to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex despite the Earl of Essex never visiting Alderney. During the English Civil War and the Commonwealth of England, leadership of Alderney changed hands several times between the Royalists and Parliamentarians with Nicholas Ling being appointed as the Lieutenant-Governor of Alderney by Oliver Cromwell. In 1660, during the Restoration of the Monarchy, Edward de Carteret was granted the title of Governor of Alderney by King Charles II of England as a reward for loyalty to the Crown and became the leader of Alderney as a result, with Ling remaining as Lieutenant-Governor. Alderney was also separated from Guernsey as a result of the creation of the governorship. The governorship went into abeyance after the death of his son, Edward de Carteret, before being sold to Sir Edmund Andros by de Carteret's widow. Andros then was granted the governorship on a 99-year lease from the Crown in exchange for an annual 13 shillings payment of rent to the Crown. The Governor of Alderney became a hereditary position and later passed to the Le Mesurier family through marriage with the Andros family. The lease was later extended by King George III of Great Britain. In 1825 the governor, John Le Mesurier III, resigned the grant of the island and returned it to the Crown in exchange for an annual pension of £700 (approximately £). This agreement eventually expired in 1862.
After the office of Governor of Alderney was abolished, the Judge of Alderney assumed the role of leader of Alderney as the highest ranking appointed representative of the Crown on the island. The Judge of Alderney was the leader of Alderney as well as the head of Alderney's judiciary. This lasted until the Second World War when Alderney and the rest of the Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany and the leadership of Alderney was assumed by German officials. Most of Alderney's population had been evacuated and the Nazis used Alderney as a base to build the Atlantic Wall and the Alderney camps. Thus during the war, the concentration camp commandants and administrators took over as leaders of Alderney.
When the Channel Islands were liberated, the Judge of Alderney regained leadership of Alderney. However, by 1947 less than 50% of Alderney's population had returned to the island. This led to the Parliament of the United Kingdom discussing what to do with Alderney as land ownership markers and official papers had been destroyed in the war and Alderney's economy was stagnating as a result of more than half of the islanders not returning. The United Kingdom's Home Secretary, Chuter Ede recommended "Guernseyfication" of Alderney. In 1948 His Majesty's Privy Council decided that Alderney would become a part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey again. Later in the year, both the States of Alderney and the States of Guernsey voted through the Alderney (Application of Legislation) Law which gave powers to the States of Guernsey in respect of certain "transferred services" in 1949. The law also provided for a democratically elected President of the States of Alderney to be the Leader of Alderney as the Judge of Alderney had been superseded as the representative of the Crown on Alderney by the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey.
List of Leaders of Alderney Ruler Reigns of rulersLord of Alderney William L'Ingenieur 1182 Peter L'Ingenieur and Mayn L'Ingenieur 1238 Vacant 12381290Guardian Raoul Eudes (Guardian) 12901302 or after Vacant 1302 or after1376Governor Thomas Porteman 13761379 Vacant 13791546Marshal Robert de Turberville 15461559Lieutenant governor George Chamberlaine, Baron of Guernsey 15591584 John Chamberlain of Longcombe, Baron Oxfordshire 29 May 158430 September 1585 Vacant 30 September 158526 March 1590 Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 26 March 159025 February 1601Clarke, 1851, p. 77. Vacant 25 February 16011604 Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex 16041607 William Chamberlain I 16071608 John Chamberlain I 1608 William Chamberlain II 1608 John Chamberlain II 1615 Chamberlain 16181630s Mary Colles (1st time) 1630s1639 John Colles 3 March 163927 October 1639 William Colles 27 October 16391642Clarke, 1851, p. 78. Mary Colles (2nd time) 16421646 Peter Le Febvre, surier de L'Epine (pretender) 3 November 16431646 Peter de Beauvoir de Bosq 25 March 16461648 Benjamin Lemprière 11 March 16481651 George Mishaw (1st time) June 16511651 John Ring 16511654 George Mishaw (2nd time) 23 June 16541650s Sir William Essex 1650s1658 Nicholas Ling 21 May 16581659 William Andros 13 July 16591660Governor Edward de Carteret 5 May 16601660Clarke, 1851, p. 79. Sir George Carteret 166014 January 1679 Nicholas Ling (interim for Carteret) 16 August 16616 January 1679 George Mishaw (interim for Carteret) 6 January 167914 January 1680 Elizabeth de Carteret 14 January 16801682 Edward Le Breton (1st time) (interim for de Carteret to 1682) 168229 August 1683 Sir Edmund Andros 29 August 168324 February 1714Clarke, 1851, p. 80. Edward Le Breton (2nd time) (interim for Andros) 29 August 16833 March 1684 Thomas Le Mesurier (1st time) (interim for Andros) 31 March 16841 September 1690 Thomas Le Marchant (interim for Andros) 1 September 16901 September 1696 Charles Le Marchant (interim for Andros) 1 September 169621 July 1703 Thomas Le Mesurier (2nd time) (interim for Andros) 21 July 17031714 George Andros 1714 Thomas Le Mesurier (interim) (3rd time) 171322 July 1714 John Le Mesurier I (interim) (1st time) 22 July 17141714 Ann Andros February 17141721 John Le Mesurier I (2nd time) (interim [for Andros to 1721]) 17141722 Anne Le Mesurier 17221729 Nicholas Reserson (interim for Ann Le Mesurier) 17 February 17281729 Thomas Le Cocq (pretender until 1729) 26 March 17261730 Henry Le Mesurier 6 February 17301744 John Le Mesurier II 174412 March 1793 John Le Cocq (acting for Le Mesurier) 2 November 17451763 Peter Le Mesurier (3 December 177016 March 1793 acting for John Le Mesurier) 16 March 17939 January 1803 John Le Mesurier III 21 January 180313 April 1825Judge Pierre Gauvin 1 August 18072 April 1836 Jean Gauvain (interim) 2 April 183611 April 1836 Thomas Le Cocq (interim) 11 April 183628 April 1836 Nicholas Barbenson (1st time) (interim) 28 April 183626 November 1836 Jean Gaudion 26 November 183621 September 1856 Nicholas Barbenson (2nd time) (interim) 29 November 183615 December 1856 Thomas Clucas 15 December 185630 April 1876 Jean Pezet (interim) 1 May 18769 October 1876 Thomas Nicholas Barbenson 9 October 1876October 1892Peter Herivel (interim) October 189217 December 1892 John A. Le Cocq 17 December 1892May 1897 Nicholas Peter Barbenson 5 June 18971912 Robert Walter Mellish 12 April 191315 March 1938 A.C. Tourgis (interim) March 193816 July 1938 Frederick G. French 16 July 1938November 1947Inselkommandant Alderney (Military)Sanders, 2005, p. 192. Hauptmann Karl Hoffman 27 July 1941December 1941 Gleden December 1941January 1942 Oberstleutnant Rohde January 1942 Oberst Zuske February 1942November 1943 Oberstleutnant Schwalm November 1943May 1945Sonderführer von Alderney (Civil) Schmidt 2 July 19401940 Koch 19401941 Heinz Herzog 1941April 1942 Hans Spann April 1942March 1944 Wilhelm Richter March 194416 May 1945 Judge Daniel Le Cocq (interim) November 194715 December 1947 Sir Frank Henry Cafande Wiltshire 15 December 194731 December 1948 President of Alderney Sydney Peck Herivel 1 January 194926 August 1970 George William Baron (1st time) 19701977 Jon Kay-Mouat (1st time) 19771994 George William Baron (2nd time) 19941997 Jon Kay-Mouat (2nd time) 199719 January 2002 Sir Norman Browse 19 January 200222 June 2011 Stuart Trought 22 June 201115 May 2019James Dent - Interim President15 May 2019 - 28 June 2019 William Tate 28 June 2019present
See also President of the States of Alderney
References
Books
External links Leaders of Alderney