The Seigneur of Sark is the lord of the manor of Sark in the Channel Islands. A female seigneur of Sark is called Dame of Sark, of which there have been three. The husband of a female ruler of Sark is not a consort but is jure uxoris ("by right of (his) wife", citing ) a seigneur himself.
Description
The title is hereditary, but with permission of the Crown, it may be mortgaged or sold, as happened in 1849 when Pierre Carey le Pelley sold the fief to Marie Collings for £6,000.
The Seigneur was, before the constitutional reforms of 2008, the head of the feudal government of Sark, with the British monarch being the feudal overlord. The Seigneur had a suspensive veto power and the right to appoint most of the island's officers. Many of the laws, particularly those related to inheritance and the rule of the Seigneur, had changed little since Queen Elizabeth I, by Letters Patent, granted a fiefdom to Hellier de Carteret in 1565.
The residents of Sark voted to introduce a fully elected legislature to replace the feudal government in a 2006 referendum, and the law change was approved on 9 April 2008. The first democratic election was held on 10 December 2008. The changes in the political system mostly apply to the parliament, the Chief Pleas, not to the Seigneur.
Many seigneurs are buried at St. Peter's Anglican Church, Sark.
List of seigneurs of Sark Portrait Name Reign Notes 1 Hellier de Carteret 1563–1578 2 Philippe de Carteret I 1578–1594 3 Philippe de Carteret II 1594–1643 4 Philippe de Carteret III 1643–1663 5 Philippe de Carteret IV 1663–1693 6 Charles de Carteret 1693–1715 7 John Carteret 1715–1720 8 John Johnson 1720–1723 9 James Milner 1723–1730 10 Susanne le Pelley 1730–1733 11 Nicolas le Pelley 1733–1742 12 Daniel le Pelley 1742–1752 13 Pierre le Pelley I 1752–1778 14 Pierre le Pelley II 1778–1820 15 Pierre le Pelley III 1820–1839 16 Ernest le Pelley 1839–1849 17 Pierre Carey le Pelley 1849–1852 18 Marie Collings 1852–1853 19 William Thomas Collings 1853–1882 20 William Frederick Collings 1882–1927 21 Sibyl Hathaway 1927–1974Reigned under the German occupation from 1940 to 1945. Robert Hathaway 1929–1954 22 Michael Beaumont 1974–2016 23 Christopher Beaumont 2016–present
Heir apparent The heir to the Seigneur of Sark is the person next in line to inherit the island’s hereditary headship, usually the eldest child of the current Seigneur, Christopher Beaumont. The current heir is Hugh Rees-Beaumont, who would take on the role if the Seigneur dies or steps down. The position today is mostly ceremonial, with Sark’s day-to-day governance handled by the Chief Pleas of Sark. Notes
References