View source for Bailiwick of Guernsey

{{Short description|British Crown Dependency in the English Channel}}
{{About|the whole territory of the Bailiwick of Guernsey|the island|Guernsey}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox dependency
| name = Bailiwick of Guernsey
| native_name = {{nobold|{{native name|fr|Bailliage de Guernesey}}}}<br />{{nobold|{{native name|nrf-GG|Bailliage dé Guernési}}}}
| settlement_type = [[Crown Dependencies|Crown Dependency]]
| linking_name = Guernsey
| image_flag = Flag of Guernsey.svg
| flag_size = 120px
| flag_link = Flag of Guernsey
| image_seal = Coat of arms of Guernsey.svg
| seal_size = 70px
| seal_type = Coat of arms
| seal_link = Coat of arms of Guernsey
| anthem = Various: "[[God Save the King]]"{{Efn|"God Save the King" is the [[national anthem]] by custom, not statute, and there is no authorised version. Typically only the first verse is usually sung, although the second verse is also often sung as well at state and public events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Anthem |url=https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/national-anthem |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=The Royal Family |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520130352/https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/national-anthem |url-status=live }}</ref> The words ''King, he, him, his'', used at present, are replaced by ''Queen, she, her'' when the monarch is female.}}<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:United States Navy Band - God Save the Queen.ogg|God Save the King / Queen <!-- Do not change file name due to computer error without ensuring that the file is playable. -->]]</div><br />Unofficial: "[[Sarnia Cherie]]"
| song = 
| song_type = 
| image_map = {{Bailiwick of Guernsey location map|Guernsey}}
| mapsize = 
| map_alt = Location of the Bailiwick
| map_caption = {{map caption|location=circled |region = the [[English Channel]] |region_color=red}}
| image_map2 = Guernsey-islands.png
| mapsize2 = 
| map_alt2 = Map of the Bailiwick
| map_caption2 = Map of the Bailiwick
| subdivision_type = [[Sovereign state]] responsible for the Bailiwick<ref>{{citation|title=Fact sheet on the UK's relationship with the Crown Dependencies|publisher=UK Ministry of Justice|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/863381/crown-dependencies-factsheet-february-2020.pdf|quote=The Crown Dependencies are not recognised internationally as sovereign States in their own right but as "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible".|access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Framework for developing the international identity of Guernsey |url=https://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=122853&p=0|quote=2. Guernsey has an international identity which is different from that of the UK.|publisher=States of Guernsey|access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
| subdivision_name = [[United Kingdom]]
| established_title2 = Separation from the [[Duchy of Normandy]]
| established_date2 = 1290
| official_languages = [[English language|English]]
| religion = [[Church of England]]
| largest_settlement = {{nowrap|[[Saint Peter Port|St. Peter Port]] {{small|(St. Pierre Port)}}}}
<!-- (It is the Island that has a capital)
| capital = {{nowrap|[[Saint Peter Port|St. Peter Port]] {{small|(St. Pierre Port)}}}} -->
<!-- (It is the Islands that have a government)
| government_type = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]] [[non-partisan democracy]] masculine gender, even when holder is female  -->
| leader_title1 = [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Sovereign]]<ref>{{Google books |id=eNHriNq-89QC |page=314 |title=The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=UlY6unhtCEAC |page=11 |title=The Channel Islands }}</ref>
| leader_name1 = [[Charles III]]
| leader_title2 = [[Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey|Lieutenant Governor]]
| leader_name2 = [[Richard Cripwell|Sir Richard Cripwell]]
| leader_title3 = [[Bailiff of Guernsey|Bailiff]]
| leader_name3 = [[Richard McMahon (bailiff)|Sir Richard McMahon]]
<!-- | leader_title4 = [[President of the Policy and Resources Committee of Guernsey|P&RC president]]
| leader_name4 = [[Peter Ferbrache]] -->
| legislature = [[States of Guernsey]]
| national_representation = [[Government of the United Kingdom]]
| national_representation_type1 = [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice|Minister]]
| national_representation1 = [[Alison Levitt, Baroness Levitt|Baroness Levitt]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-06 |title=Ministerial appointments: September 2025 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-5-september-2025 |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>
| area_rank = 223rd
| area_km2 = 78
| area_sq_mi = 30.1 <!-- Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| percent_water = 0
| elevation_max_m = 114
| population_estimate = 67,334<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/guernsey/#people-and-society|title=Guernsey - The World Factbook|website=www.cia.gov|date=14 November 2022 }}</ref>
| population_estimate_rank = 206th
| population_estimate_year = 2016
| population_census = 
| population_census_year = 
| population_density_km2 = 844
| population_density_sq_mi = 2,170.9 <!-- Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| population_density_rank = 14th
| GDP_PPP = $2.1 billion
| GDP_PPP_rank = 176th
| GDP_PPP_year = 2003
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = £33,123
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 37th
| Gini = 
| Gini_year = 
| Gini_change = <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref = 
| HDI_year = 2008
| HDI_change = <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| HDI = 0.975 <!-- number only -->
| HDI_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/workingpaper/wp_09_02.pdf |title=Filling Gaps in the Human Development Index: Findings for Asia and the Pacific |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005100501/http://www.unescap.org/pdd/publications/workingpaper/wp_09_02.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-05 |publisher= United Nations ESCAP|date= February 2009 |first1=David A. |last1=Hastings }}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 9th
| currency = [[Pound sterling]]<br />[[Guernsey pound]] (£)
| currency_code = GBP
| timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset = +00:00
| timezone_DST = [[British Summer Time|BST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +01:00
| date_format = dd/mm/yyyy
| electricity = 230 V–50 Hz
| drives_on = left
| calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom#Guernsey|+44]]
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:GG|GG]]
| cctld = [[.gg]]
| GDP_nominal = USD 4,513,630,000<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-15|title=About the Bailiwick of Guernsey|url=https://www.channelislands.eu/about-channel-islands/about-bailiwick-of-guernsey/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Channel Islands Brussels Office (CIBO)|language=en-US|archive-date=2 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302012305/https://www.channelislands.eu/about-channel-islands/about-bailiwick-of-guernsey/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|national_languages = {{hlist|[[Auregnais]]|[[Guernésiais]]|[[Sercquiais]]}}
|blank_name_sec1 = Jurisdictions
|blank_info_sec1 = [[Alderney]]<br />[[Guernsey]]<br />[[Sark]]
|largest_settlement_type = settlement and administrative centre
}}

'''Guernsey''' (officially the '''Bailiwick of Guernsey'''; {{langx|fr|Bailliage de Guernesey}}; [[Guernésiais]]: ''Bailliage dé Guernési'') is a [[Self-governance|
self-governing]] British [[Crown Dependencies|Crown Dependency]] off the coast of [[Normandy]], France, comprising several of the [[Channel Islands]]. It has a total land area of {{Convert|78|km2|mi2}} and an estimated total population of 67,334.

The Channel Islands were part of the [[Duchy of Normandy]], whose dukes became kings of England from 1066. In 1204, as a consequence of the [[Treaty of Le Goulet]], insular Normandy alone remained loyal to the English Crown, leading to a political split from the mainland. Around 1290, the Channel Islands' Governor, [[Otto de Grandson]], split the archipelago into two [[Bailiwick|bailiwicks]], establishing those parts other than [[Jersey]] as a single Bailiwick of Guernsey.<ref name="TCI" />{{rp|21}}

The Bailiwick is a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy]], comprising three separate jurisdictions: [[Alderney]], [[Guernsey]] (incorporating [[Herm]]), and [[Sark]]. The [[Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey|Lieutenant Governor]] is the representative of the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British monarch]], who remains the [[head of state]]. The [[States of Guernsey]] is the parliament and government of the whole Bailiwick, though several matters are decided locally by the [[States of Alderney]] and by Sark's Chief Pleas. The [[Bailiff of Guernsey]] is the civil head of the Bailiwick, and is also president of the [[States of Guernsey]] and head of the Bailiwick's [[judiciary]].

The Bailiwick is self-governing and not part of the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal |last=Mut Bosque |first=Maria |date=May 2020 |title=The sovereignty of the British Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories in the Brexit era |journal=Island Studies Journal |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=151–168 |doi=10.24043/isj.114 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201617/ldselect/ldeucom/136/136.pdf |title=Brexit: the British Crown Dependencies |last=Committee |first=European Union |date=23 March 2017 |publisher=[[House of Lords]] |access-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427043240/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201617/ldselect/ldeucom/136/136.pdf |archive-date=27 April 2021 |url-status=dead}} (Summary, first sentence; Paragraph 4)</ref> Its defence and international representation — as well as certain policy areas, such as [[British nationality law|nationality law]] — are the responsibility of the [[Government of the United Kingdom|UK Government]], but the Bailiwick still has a separate international identity.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8611/CBP-8611.pdf |title=The Crown Dependencies |last=Torrance |first=David |date=20 June 2022 |publisher=House of Commons Research Library |access-date=16 November 2022}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Further|History of Guernsey|Alderney#History|Sark#History}}

The history of the Bailiwick of Guernsey goes back to 933, when the islands came under the control of [[William Longsword]], having been annexed from the [[Duchy of Brittany]] by the [[Duchy of Normandy]]. The island of Guernsey and the other [[Channel Islands]] formed part of the lands of [[William the Conqueror]]. In 1204, France conquered mainland Normandy – but not the offshore islands of the [[bailiwick]]. The islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy.<ref name=HoG>Marr, J., ''The History of Guernsey – the Bailiwick's story'', Guernsey Press (2001).</ref>

Initially, there was one governor, or co-governors working together, of the islands making up the [[Channel Islands]]. The title "governor" has changed over the centuries. "Warden", "keeper", and "captain" have previously been used.<ref>{{cite book |first=William |last=Berry |title=The History of the Island of Guernsey |year=1815 |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1815 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.16940/page/213 213]}}</ref> The bailiff stands in for the Governor, or more recently the Lieutenant Governor, if the latter is absent, for a short term or for longer: for instance during the five years of the [[German occupation of the Channel Islands]]. The [[Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey]] is the Lieutenant Governor of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and, being the personal representative of the British monarch,<ref name="MOJ">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/about/moj/our-responsibilities/Background_Briefing_on_the_Crown_Dependencies2.pdf |title=Background briefing on the Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man |publisher=Ministry of Justice |access-date=20 January 2016 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183721/https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/about/moj/our-responsibilities/Background_Briefing_on_the_Crown_Dependencies2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> has usually had a distinguished military service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guernseyroyalcourt.gg/article/1942/Lieutenant-Governors |title=Lieutenant Governors |date=29 April 2021 |publisher=Guernsey Royal Court}}</ref>

Originally, the local courts in Guernsey were "''[[fief]]s''" with the lord of the manor presiding. Before 1066, a superior court was introduced above the ''fiefs'' and below the ''Eschequier'' Court in [[Rouen]] and comprised the bailiff and four knights; the court heard appeals and tried criminal cases.<ref>{{cite book |first=William |last=Berry |title=The History of the Island of Guernsey |year=1815 |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1815 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.16940/page/185 186]}}</ref>

[[Otton de Grandson]], then the governor of the Islands, delegated the civil powers to two separate bailiffs for Guernsey and [[Jersey]] before he went on crusade to the [[Holy Land]] in 1290.<ref name="TCI">{{cite book |first=Henry |last=Wimbush |title=The Channel Islands |year=1904 |url=https://archive.org/details/channelislands00wimbgoog |publisher=A&C Black 1924}}</ref>{{rp|21}} This can be assessed as the date of first creation of the two bailiwicks.

== Geography ==
{{See also|Guernsey#Geography}}
[[File:Guernsey location map.svg|thumb|Islands and islets belonging to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, shown within the Channel Islands]]
Situated around {{coord|49.4|-2.6|display=inline,title}}, Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands together have a total area of {{convert|78|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and coastlines of about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Elevation varies from sea level to {{convert|114|m|ft|abbr=on}} at [[Le Moulin]] on Sark.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

There are many smaller [[List of islands of the Bailiwick of Guernsey|islands, islets, rocks and reefs]] in the Bailiwick. Combined with a tidal range of {{cvt|10|m}} and fast currents of up to {{convert|12|knot|mph km/h}}, sailing in local waters is dangerous.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

== Constitutional status ==
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a separate jurisdiction in itself and is, in turn, also three separate sub-jurisdictions. It does not form part of, and is separate from (but is not independent of, or from), the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="GG">{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=82478&p=0 |title=Background information on the Bailiwick of Guernsey |publisher=Guernsey gov |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215014832/http://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=82478&p=0 |archive-date=2016-02-15 }}</ref> The two Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey together make up the [[Channel Islands]].

The islanders have never had formal representation in the House of Commons of the British Parliament,<ref name=MOJ/> nor the [[European Parliament]].<ref name=GG/> Those islanders who were not somehow qualified and eligible ''in their own right'' to register to vote and to vote in the United Kingdom under the [[Representation of the People Acts]] as "overseas voters", were excluded from the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum]].

Guernsey has an [[unwritten constitution]] arising from the [[Treaty of Paris (1259)]]. When Henry III and the King of France came to terms over the Duchy of Normandy, the [[Normandy|Norman mainland]] fell under the [[suzerainty]] of the King of France. The Channel Islands, however, remained loyal to the English Crown due to the loyalties of its [[Seigneur]]s. However, they were never absorbed into the [[Kingdom of England]] by any Act of Union, but exist as "peculiars of the Crown".

A unique constitutional position has arisen as successive British monarchs have confirmed the liberties and privileges of the Bailiwick, often referring to the so-called ''Constitutions of King John'', a legendary document supposed to have been granted by [[John, King of England|King John]] in the aftermath of 1204. Governments of the Bailiwick have generally tried to avoid testing the limits of the unwritten constitution by avoiding conflict with British governments.

This peculiar political position has often been to the benefit of islanders. Until the 19th century, the Bailiwick was generally exempt from the harsher parts of Westminster legislation while being included in favourable policies, such as [[Protectionism|protectionist]] economic policies. England, and later the United Kingdom, passively exploited the strategic benefits of the Channel Islands. For example, the islands were a convenient stop-off point for trade to [[Gascony]].<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=The rural community in nineteenth century Jersey|url=https://pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/record=b1410448~S15|publisher=typescript|date=1991|place=S.l.|first=John D.|last=Kelleher}}</ref>

== Parishes ==

The bailiwick comprises [[Parishes of Guernsey|twelve parishes]]: Alderney, Sark, and ten on mainland Guernsey (one of which includes Herm). Each parish has a parish church dating from the 11th century, with strong religious control exercised initially by the French Catholic church and for the last 500 years by the English church. Over the years, the religious aspect of the administration of each parish has been reduced in favour of democratically elected douzeniers.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

== Jurisdictions ==
Each jurisdiction has inhabited and uninhabited islands and its own elected government. All three legal jurisdictions need [[royal assent]] from the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Monarch]] on its primary legislation, but as of February 29, 2024, certain domestic primary legislation need only the Lieutenant-Governor's assent. Each jurisdiction raises its own taxation,<ref name=MOJ/> although in 1949 Alderney transferred its rights to Guernsey.

===Alderney===
{{Main|Alderney}}

With a population of around 2,200 in {{convert|3|sqmi|km2|abbr=in|order=flip}}, [[Alderney]] has its own parliament, the [[States of Alderney]], which has ten elected members and an elected president.<ref name=CIBO/>

From 1612, Alderney had a judge appointed, with similar judicial powers to a bailiff, but on 1 January 1949, the island adopted a new constitution, giving up some independence, moving closer to Guernsey, and confirming that it is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

=== Guernsey ===
{{Main|Guernsey}}

The island of [[Guernsey]] has a population of around 63,000 in {{convert|24|sqmi|km2|abbr=in|order=flip}} and forms the legal and administrative centre of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The parliament of Guernsey and the nearby inhabited islands of [[Herm]], [[Jethou]] and [[Lihou]]<ref name=MOJ/> is the [[States of Guernsey]].<ref name="CIBO">{{cite web |url=http://www.channelislands.eu/about-channel-islands/about-bailiwick-of-guernsey/ |title=About the Bailiwick of Guernsey |date=15 September 2019 |publisher=Channel Islands Brussels Office}}</ref>

===Sark===
{{Main|Sark}}

[[Sark]] has a population of around 600 who live in {{convert|2|sqmi|km2|abbr=in|order=flip}}. Its parliament (together with the inhabited island of [[Brecqhou]])<ref name=MOJ/> is the [[Chief Pleas]] of Sark, with 18 elected members.<ref name=CIBO/>

In 1565, [[Helier de Carteret]], [[Seigneur]] of [[Saint Ouen, Jersey|St. Ouen]] in [[Jersey]], was granted the [[fief]] of Sark by [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]]. He received [[letters patent]] granting him Sark in perpetuity on condition that he kept the island free of pirates and that at least forty men occupied it to defend it. Despite most families coming from Jersey, Sark remained within the Bailiwick of Guernsey.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sepacstamps.eu/jersey-post-celebrates-the-island-of-sark/ |title=Jersey Post celebrates the island of Sark |publisher=Sepac}}</ref>

==Recognition==
[[File:Three Leopards Shield.jpg|thumb|Duchy of Normandy three leopards symbol]]
There is no flag or coat of arms for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. In historic times, the governor would have used his personal symbols before a generic flag was created for use by the governor.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

In 1279, [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] granted a [[Seal (emblem)|Seal]] for use in the Channel Islands. In 1304, separate seals were provided to Jersey and Guernsey. The provision of different seals is one of the earliest indications of the individual identity and personality of the two Bailiwicks. The seal comprised three leopards (or lions), a symbol taken from the original arms of the Duchy of Normandy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guernseyroyalcourt.gg/article/1924/Bailiwick-Seal |title=Bailiwick Seal |date=22 June 2011 |publisher=Guernsey Royal Court}}</ref>

The United Kingdom and [[Government of the United Kingdom|His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom]] are responsible for the defence and also for ''formal'' international, intergovernmental, and consular representation of, and the foreign affairs generally, of the Bailiwick.<ref name=MOJ/>

While never a member of the [[European Union]] (EU) or its predecessors, before [[Brexit]] the Bailiwick had a special relationship with the EU under Protocol 3 of the UK's [[Treaty of Accession 1972]] to the [[European Community]].<ref name=MOJ/> Pooling resources with Jersey, the Bailiwick established in 2010 an office in [[Brussels]] to develop the Channel Islands' influence with the EU,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channelislands.eu/ |title=Channel Islands Brussels Office}}</ref> to advise the Channel Islands' governments on European matters, and to promote economic links with the EU.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Government%20and%20administration/ID%20InternationalInsight%2020101118%20JN.pdf |title=Guernsey and Jersey begin recruiting for senior Brussels positions |access-date=4 October 2012}}</ref>

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is in the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth (Commonwealth of Nations)]], although not as a ''member'', ''in its own right''. The Bailiwick is also a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation and competes in the [[Commonwealth Games]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=GGY |title=Guernsey |publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=2016-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051043/http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=GGY |archive-date=2014-08-08 |url-status = dead}}</ref>

In 1969, the [[Royal Mail]] relinquished control of postal services in the Bailiwick,<ref>''Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Commonwealth and British Empire Stamps 1840–1970''. 112th edition. London: [[Stanley Gibbons]], 2010, p. GB31. {{ISBN|0852597312}}</ref> with Guernsey then being recognised by the [[Universal Postal Union]].{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

Since 1999, the Bailiwick of Guernsey has been a member of the [[British–Irish Council]], currently represented by the [[Policy and Resources Committee of Guernsey|Chief Minister of Guernsey]].

== See also ==
* [[Outline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Channel Islands}}
{{Guernsey topics |state=collapsed}}
{{British dependencies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bailiwick of Guernsey| ]]
[[Category:Island countries]]
[[Category:Crown Dependencies]]
[[Category:Dependent territories in Europe]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1204]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where English is an official language]]