Jurisdiction of the Bailiwick of Guernsey
Jurisdiction of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in United Kingdom
Sark
(
Sercquiais
:
Ser
or
Cerq
) is an island, part of the
Channel Islands
in the southwestern
English Channel
, off the coast of
Normandy
,
France
. It is a royal
fief
, which forms part of the
Bailiwick of Guernsey
, with its own set of laws based on
Norman law
and its own parliament. It has a population of about 500.
[4]
Sark (including the nearby island of
Brecqhou
) has an area of 2.10 square miles (5.44 km
2
).
[5]
Little Sark
is a peninsula joined by a natural but high and very narrow
isthmus
to the rest of Sark Island.
Sark is one of the few remaining places in the world where
cars are banned from roads
and only tractors, bicycles and horse-drawn vehicles are allowed.
[6]
In 2011, Sark was designated as a
Dark Sky Community
and the first Dark Sky Island in the world.
[7]
Geography and geology
[
edit
]
Sark consists of two main parts, Greater Sark, located at about
49°25′N
2°22′W
/
49.417°N 2.367°W
/
49.417; -2.367
, and
Little Sark
to the south. They are connected by a narrow
isthmus
called La Coupee which is 300 feet (91 m) long and has a drop of 330 feet (100 m) on each side.
[8]
Protective
railings
were added in 1900; before then, children would crawl across on their hands and knees to avoid being blown over the edge. A narrow concrete road covering the entirety of the isthmus was built in 1945 by German
prisoners of war
under the direction of the
Royal Engineers
. Due to its isolation, the inhabitants of Little Sark had their own distinct form of
Sercquiais
, the native
Norman dialect
of the island.
[9]
The highest point on Sark is 374 feet (114 m)
above sea level
.
[8]
A
windmill
, dated 1571, is found there, the sails of which were removed during World War II. This high point is named
Le Moulin
, after the windmill. The location is also the highest point in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Little Sark had a number of mines accessing a source of
galena
.
[10]
At Port Gorey, the ruins of silver mines
[11]
may be seen. Off the south end of Little Sark are the Venus Pool and the Adonis Pool, both natural swimming pools whose waters are refreshed at high tide.
The whole island is extensively penetrated at sea level by natural cave formations that provide unique habitats for many marine creatures, notably sea anemones, some of which are only safely accessible at low tide.
Sark is made up mainly of
amphibolite
and
granite
gneiss
rocks, intruded by igneous magma sheets called
quartz diorite
. Recent (1990?2000)
[12]
geological studies and rock age-dating by geologists from
Oxford Brookes University
shows that the gneisses probably formed around 620?600 million years ago during the Late Pre-Cambrian Age
Cadomian Orogeny
. The quartz diorite sheets were intruded during this Cadomian deformation and metamorphic event.
All the Sark rocks (and those of the nearby Channel Islands of
Guernsey
and
Alderney
) formed during geological activity in the continental crust above an ancient
subduction
zone. This geological setting would have been analogous to the modern-day subduction zone of the Pacific Ocean plate colliding and subducting beneath the North and South American continental plate.
Sark also exercises jurisdiction over the island of
Brecqhou
, only a few hundred feet west of Greater Sark. It is a
private island
, but it has recently been opened to some visitors. From 1993 Brecqhou was owned by the brothers
David and Frederick Barclay
, until David Barclay died in 2021 and Frederick Barclay became sole owner. The brothers contested Sark's control over the island. The candidates endorsed by their various business interests on the island failed to win any seats in the elections held in
2008
[13]
and
2010
.
[14]
Toponymy
[
edit
]
Old records
[
edit
]
Sark
is probably first mentioned in the
Antonine Itinerary
(
Itinerarium Antonini Augusti
, part II :
itinerarium maritimum
) 3rd ? 4th century AD together with the other main
Channel Islands
as
Sarnia
,
Caesarea
,
Barsa
,
Silia
and
Andium
, but it is unclear to which it refers. It has been suggested that
Silia
referred to
Sark
.
[15]
: 131?132
The earliest record to evoke possibly the name of
Sark
are the
Life of saint Samson
and the
Life of saint Magloire
, bishops of
Dol-de-Bretagne
. They spell it
Sargia
,
[16]
with the neighbouring island
Bissargia
,
[16]
: 41
all the other documents are from the 11th to the 12th century and the forms are :
Serc, Serch, Sercum, Serco
.
[15]
: 124
Etymology
[
edit
]
Richard Coates
has suggested that in the absence of a
Proto-Indo-European
etymology it may be worthwhile looking for a
Proto-Semitic
source for the name.
[17]
[18]
He proposes a comparison between the probable root of Sark,
*Sarg-
, and
Proto-Semitic
*?rq
"redden; rise (as of the sun); east", noting Sark's position as the easternmost island of the
Guernsey
group.
[19]
His theory is based on the early medieval Latin records mentioning
Sargia
, but many Islands more or less close to Sark have a Latin name ending with
-gia
, such as
Angia
(Channel Island),
Oye-Plage
(
Pas-de-Calais
,
Ogia
8th century) and
Ile-d'Yeu
(
Vendee
, former
Augia
). Later records all mention
Serc-
and not
*Sark
, that seem to result from a later anglicising of the /er/ group (compare French
merveille
> English
marvel
; French
Clerc
/ English
clerk
,
clark
cf. Clark). The traditional pronunciation of
Sark
in the native Norman language is
ser
[s?r]
, with regular fall of final
[k]
like
clerc
in French.
[15]
: 124
Finally, no specialist ever identified any Proto-Semitic element in the French coastal toponymy, even on the French mediterranean side.
Rene Lepelley
suggests a Scandinavian etymology that would explain the regular and late records of the root
Serc-
in the documents, according to him, it could be Old Norse
serkr
"shirt".
[15]
: 124
He compares with the name given to an island or a mountain by Vikings sailing from
Norway
to
Greenland
:
Hvitserkr
cf.
Hvitserk
, maybe
Mount Forel
,
[15]
: 124
so
Old Saxon
*Serki
or Old Norse
Serkr
>
Serc
could have been a descriptive
landmark
for Saxon or Scandinavian sailors. In addition
Norman toponymy
reveals a mixture of (Anglo-)Saxon and Old Norse (Old Danish) place name elements. The Old English form of
sark
"shirt" (related to Old Norse
serkr
) is precisely
ser?, syr?
> Middle English
serk
,
serke
,
sark
(through the Anglian variant).
History
[
edit
]
Early history
[
edit
]
In ancient times, Sark was almost certainly occupied by the
Unelli
, the
Gallic tribe
of the
Cotentin Peninsula
. These people were conquered by
Julius Caesar
of the
Roman Empire
about 56 BC in the
Gallic Wars
. About three decades later under
Augustus
,
Gallia Celtica
was subdivided into three parts, with this area a part of
Gallia Lugdunensis
, with its capital in
Lugdunum
, now
Lyon
. A later division was named
Lugdunensis secunda
(
Lyonnaise
2nd). A Unelli town, now
Coutances
,
was named
Constantia
in 298 by the Roman emperor
Constantius Chlorus
.
Around 430, the
bishopric of Coutances
(much later under the
archbishopric of Rouen
), was established in
Coutances
, having about the same limits as the
Lyonnaise
2nd.
In 933, Sark was included in the
Duchy of Normandy
, based on the traditional boundaries of the
Lugdunensis secunda
and the
archbishopric of Rouen
. Following the
Norman conquest of England
in 1066, the island was united with the
Crown of England
. In the thirteenth century, the French
pirate
Eustace the Monk
, having served
King John
, used Sark as a base of operations.
During the
Middle Ages
, the island was populated by
monastic
communities. By the 16th century, however, the island was uninhabited and used by pirates as a refuge and base. In 1565,
Helier de Carteret
,
Seigneur
of
St. Ouen
in
Jersey
, received
letters patent
from
Queen Elizabeth I
granting him Sark as a
fief
in perpetuity on condition that he kept the island free of pirates and occupied by at least forty men who were of her
English subjects
or swore allegiance to the Crown.
[20]
This he duly did, leasing 40 parcels of land (known as "Tenements") at a low rent to forty families, mostly from
St Ouen
, on condition that a house be built and maintained on each parcel and that "the Tenant" provide one man, armed with a
musket
, for the defence of the island. The 40 tenements survive to this day, albeit with minor boundary changes. (In 2015, the 450 year anniversary of this event was commemorated with the construction of a modern
henge monument
,
Sark Henge
.
[21]
) A subsequent attempt by the families to establish a
constitution
under a
bailiff
, as in Jersey, was stopped by the Guernsey authorities who resented any attempt to wrest Sark from their bailiwick.
[
citation needed
]
Recent history
[
edit
]
In 1844, desperate for funds to continue the operation of the silver mine on the island, the incumbent Seigneur,
Ernest le Pelley
, obtained
Crown permission
to mortgage Sark's
fief
to local
privateer
John Allaire. After the company running the mine went bankrupt, le Pelley was unable to keep up the
mortgage
payments and, in 1849, his son
Pierre Carey le Pelley
, the new Seigneur, was forced to sell the fief to
Marie Collings
for a total of £1,383
[22]
(£6,000 less the sum borrowed and an accumulated interest of £616 and 13s).
[23]
During
World War II
, the island, along with the other Channel Islands, was
occupied by German forces
between 1940 and 1945.
German military rule on Sark
began on 4 July 1940, the day after the Guernsey
Kommandant
Major Albrecht Lanz and his interpreter and chief of staff Major Maas visited the island to inform the Dame and Seigneur (
Sibyl
and
Robert Hathaway
) of the new regime.
British Commandos
raided the island several times.
Operation Basalt
, during the night of 3?4 October 1942, captured a prisoner, and
Hardtack 7
was a failed British landing in December 1943. Sark was finally liberated on 10 May 1945, a full day after Guernsey.
In late August 1990, an unemployed French
nuclear physicist
named Andre Gardes, who believed he was the rightful holder of the Seigneur's title, attempted an invasion of Sark armed with a
semi-automatic weapon
. The night Gardes arrived, he put up two posters declaring his intention to take over the island the following day at noon. The following day he started a solo foot patrol in front of the manor, in battle-dress, weapon in hand. While Gardes was sitting on a bench waiting for noon to arrive, the island's volunteer
connetable
approached the Frenchman and complimented him on the quality of his weapon.
[24]
Gardes changed the gun's magazine to illustrate how it worked, allowing the constable to tackle and arrest him. He was given a seven-day sentence, which he served in Guernsey.
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
Gardes attempted this again the following year, but was recognized in Guernsey, arrested, and handed over to the French government.
[
citation needed
]
Transition to new system of government
[
edit
]
Billionaire brothers
David and Frederick Barclay
had purchased an island within Sark's territorial waters in 1993
[24]
along with the hotels on the island.
[28]
In the mid-1990s, the brothers petitioned the
European Court of Human Rights
in
Strasbourg
, France, challenging Sark's inheritance law, which mandated their island be left to David's oldest son. The brothers wanted to will their estate equally to their four children.
[29]
In 1999, women in Sark were given equal rights of property inheritance, mainly due to the brothers' influence.
[30]
Until 2008, Sark's parliament (Chief Pleas) was a single chamber consisting of 54 members, comprising the Seigneur, the Seneschal, 40 owners of the tenements and 12 elected deputies. A change to the system was advocated largely by the
Barclay brothers
.
[28]
Their premise was that a change was necessary to comply with the
European Convention on Human Rights
, though it was suggested that their objection was more likely at odds with certain property tax requirements and primogeniture laws affecting their holdings.
[28]
[31]
The old system was described as
feudal
and undemocratic because the tenants were entitled to sit in Chief Pleas as of right.
[32]
On 16 January 2008 and 21 February 2008, the Chief Pleas approved a law to reform Chief Pleas as a 30-member chamber, with 28 members elected in island-wide elections, one hereditary member (the Seigneur) and one member (the Seneschal) appointed for life.
[b]
[33]
The
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
approved the Sark law reforms on 9 April 2008.
[34]
The first elections under the new law were held in December 2008 and the new chamber first convened in January 2009.
[35]
[36]
Some Sark residents have complained that the new system is not democratic and have described the powers the new law granted to the Seneschal, an unelected member whose term the new law extended to the duration of his natural life, as imperial or dictatorial. The
Court of Appeal
had ruled his powers to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights
[37]
and his powers were subject to further legal challenges on these grounds.
[38]
In 2012 the BBC
Today
programme reported on local disquiet about the influence on the island of the Barclay brothers.
[39]
The New Yorker
magazine further illustrated the ongoing and escalating tensions between the Barclays and some of the longer-term residents.
[40]
In 2017
Private Eye
also reported on the situation, following the Barclays' decision to close their vineyard and a number of hotels and shops they own on Sark.
[41]
In January 2011, the
International Dark-Sky Association
designated Sark as Europe's first Dark Sky Community
[42]
and the first Dark Sky Island in the world.
[43]
This designation recognises that Sark is sufficiently clear of
light pollution
to allow naked-eye
astronomy
. Although Sark was aided in its achievement by its location, its historic ban on cars and the fact that there is no public lighting, it was also necessary for local residents to make adjustments, such as re-siting lights, to cut the light pollution.
The designation was made in January 2011, following an audit by the IDA in 2010. The award is significant in that Sark is the first island community to have achieved this; other Dark-Sky Places have, up to now, been mainly uninhabited areas, and IDA chairman Martin Morgan-Taylor commended Sark residents for their effort.
[44]
After the designation was granted, Sark Astronomy Society worked to secure funds for an astronomical observatory on the island. In October 2015 Sark's observatory was officially opened by
Marek Kukula
, public astronomer from the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
[45]
[46]
Politics
[
edit
]
Until the second half of the
2000s
Sark was considered the last
feudal state
in Europe.
[47]
Together with the other
Channel Islands
, it is the last remnant of the former
Duchy of Normandy
still belonging to
the Crown
. Sark belongs to the Crown in its own right and has an independent relationship with the Crown through the Lieutenant Governor in Guernsey.
[48]
Formally, the Seigneur holds it as a
fief
from the Crown,
reenfeoffing
the landowners on the island with their respective parcels. The political consequences of this construction were abolished in recent years, particularly in the reform of the legislative body, Chief Pleas, which took place in 2008.
Although part of the
Bailiwick of Guernsey
, Sark is fiscally separate from the rest of the Bailiwick. Together with the islands of Alderney and Guernsey, Sark from time to time approves Bailiwick of Guernsey legislation, which, subject to the approval of all three legislatures, applies in the entire Bailiwick. Legislation cannot be made which applies on Sark without the approval of the Chief Pleas, although recently Chief Pleas has been delegating a number of ordinance-making powers to the States of Guernsey. Such powers are, however, in each case subject to dis-application, or repeal, by the Chief Pleas. By long standing custom, Sark's criminal law has been made by the States of Guernsey, and this custom was put on a statutory basis in Section 4 of the Reform (Sark) Law, 2008, by which Sark delegates criminal law making power to the States of Guernsey.
Sark has its own
United Nations Standard Country or Area Code for Statistical Use
(680). That code is used for statistical processing purposes by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat.
[49]
The
ISO 3166-1
code element
CQ
[2]
has been exceptionally reserved to refer to Sark. An “exceptionally reserved” code element does not represent a country name in ISO 3166-1, but is reserved for a particular use at the special request of a national ISO member body, government, or international organization (in this case, the
United Kingdom
).
[50]
Previously Sark was represented by
Guernsey's country code
(GG). Sark also fought for 20 years to get the .cq
country code top-level domain
.
[51]
Seigneur
[
edit
]
Christopher Beaumont
is the current and twenty-third Seigneur of Sark, having inherited the Seigneurie in 2016.
Before the
constitutional reforms of 2008
, the Seigneur (or Dame in the case of a woman holding the office) was the head of the government of the Isle of Sark. Many of the laws, particularly those related to inheritance and the rule of the Seigneur, had changed little since their promulgation in 1565 under
Elizabeth I of England
. For example, the Seigneur held the sole right to keep pigeons or an
unspayed
dog.
[25]
The latter right was repealed in 2008.
[52]
Seneschal
[
edit
]
Until 2013 the
Seneschal
of Sark was the head of the Chief Pleas. From 1583 and 1675 judicial functions were exercised by five elected
jurats
and a juge, but since 1675 the Seneschal has also been the judge of the island.
The Seneschal was historically appointed by the Seigneur, but nowadays there is an Appointment Committee consisting of the Seigneur and two other members appointed by the Seigneur.
[33]
In 2010, following the decision of the English Court of Appeal, the Chief Pleas decided to split the dual role of the Seneschal.
[53]
Thus, since 2013 the Chief Pleas has elected its own President, who presides in almost all cases. The Seneschal now presides in Chief Pleas only during the election of the President.
The complete list of all the Seneschals of Sark from 1675 is as follows:
[54]
- Pierre Gibault (15/7/1675?1680)
- Thomas de Beauvoir (1680?1683)
- Phillipe Dumeresq (1683?1702)
- Jean Payne (1702?1707)
- Philippe de Carteret (1707?1744)
- Henri de Carteret (1744?1752)
- Phillipe le Masurier (1752?1777)
- Henri le Masurier (1777?1785)
- Amice le Couteur (1785?1808)
- Jean le Couteur (1808?1812)
- Jean Falle (1812?1830)
- Elie le Masurier (1830?1841)
- Philippe Guille (1841?1851)
- Thomas Godfray (1851?1876)
- William de Carteret (1876?1881)
- Abraham Baker (1881?1891)
- Thomas Godfray (1891?1920)
- Kenneth Campbell (1920?1922)
- Ashby Taylor (1922?1925)
- Frederick de Carteret (1925?1937)
- William Carre (1937?1945)
- William Baker (1945?1969)
- Bernard Jones (1969?1979)
- Hilary Carre (1979?1985)
- Lawrence Philip de Carteret (1985?2000)
- Reginald J. Guille (2000?2013)
- Jeremy la Trobe-Bateman (2013?2021)
- Bethan Owen (2021?2022)
- Victoria Stamps (2022?present)
Tenants
[
edit
]
Pursuant to the royal
letters patent
, the Seigneur was to keep the island inhabited by at least 40 armed men.
[20]
Therefore, from his lands, 39 parcels or
tenements
, each sufficient for one family, were subdivided and granted to settlers, the
tenants
. Later, some of these parcels were dismembered, and parts of the Seigneurial land were sold, creating more parcels.
Originally each head of a parcel-holding family had the right to vote in Chief Pleas, but in 1604 this right was restricted to the 39 original tenements required by the letters patent, the so-called 'Quarantaine Tenements' (
French
:
quarantaine
: a group of forty). The newer parcels mostly did not have the obligation to bear arms. In 1611 the dismemberment of tenements was forbidden, but the order was not immediately followed.
In Sark, the word
tenant
is used (and often pronounced as in French) in the sense of
feudal landholder
rather than the common English meaning of
lessee
. Originally, the word referred to any landowner, but today it is mostly used for a holder of one of the
Quarantaine
Tenements.
Chief Pleas
[
edit
]
Chief Pleas (
French
:
Chefs Plaids
;
Sercquiais
:
Cheurs Pliaids
) is the parliament of Sark. It consists of eighteen members (
conseillers
), elected for a period of office of four years. In addition, the Seigneur and a speaker (who is elected by the
conseillers
) are counted as members; but they have no right to vote. The periods of office are shifted, with the period of half the
conseillers
starting in the middle of the periods of the other half. Thus, every second year, nine
conseillers
are elected for the coming four years. The elections are held on the basis of a single multi-member Sark-wide constituency, with the nine candidates receiving most votes being elected. The
Prevot
, the
Greffier
and the treasurer also attend but are not members; the treasurer may address Chief Pleas on matters of taxation and finance.
However, if there are not more willing candidates than the numbers of positions to fill (including any casual vacancies), then all candidates are declared elected, without any actual election necessary. This happened both in the
2014
and the
2016 elections
to the Chief Pleas.
Until 2008, the Chief Pleas consisted of the tenants, and twelve deputies of the people as the only representation of the majority, an office introduced in 1922. The Seigneur and the
Seneschal
(who presided) were also members of Chief Pleas.
Since 2000, Chief Pleas was working on its own reform, responding to internal and international pressures. On 8 March 2006 by a vote of 25?15 Chief Pleas voted for a new legislature of the Seigneur, the Seneschal, fourteen elected landowners and fourteen elected non-landowners.
[55]
[56]
But it was made plain by the British
Lord Chancellor
Jack Straw
that this option was not on the table.
[57]
Offered two options for reform involving an elected legislature, one fully elected, one with a number of seats reserved for elected tenants, 56% of the inhabitants expressed a preference for a totally elected legislature.
[58]
Following the poll, Chief Pleas voted on 4 October 2006 to replace the twelve deputies and forty tenants in Chief Pleas by 28
conseillers
elected by universal adult suffrage.
[59]
This decision was suspended in January 2007 when it was pointed out to Chief Pleas that the 56% versus 44% majority achieved in the opinion poll did not achieve the 60% majority required for the constitutional change.
[
citation needed
]
The decision was replaced by the proposal that Chief Pleas should consist of sixteen tenants and twelve
conseillers
both elected by universal adult suffrage from 2008 to 2012 and that a binding referendum should then decide whether this composition should be kept or replaced by 28
conseillers
.
[60]
This proposal was rejected by the Privy Council and the 28
conseiller
option was reinstated in February 2008 and accepted by Privy Council in April 2008.
[61]
In 2003, Chief Pleas voted to vary the long-standing
ban
on divorce in the island by extending to the Royal Court of Guernsey power to grant divorces.
[62]
In 2017, due to a lack of candidates standing for elections, the number of
conseillers
was reduced from 28 to 18, with nine elected every two years.
Bailiwick of Guernsey laws and United Kingdom Acts of Parliament can (the latter as in the case of all the other Channel Islands) be extended to Sark. Normally the consent of Chief Pleas is obtained for this, but the Supreme Court ruled in
R v Secretary of State for Justice
[2014] UKSC 54 that it need not be.
[63]
[64]
Sark does not make its own criminal laws;
[65]
the responsibility for making criminal law was assigned to the States of Guernsey by Section 4(3) of the
Reform (Sark) Law 2008
.
[33]
Officers
[
edit
]
The executive officers on the island are:
- The
Seneschal
(Chief Judge, formerly also President of Chief Pleas) and Deputy
- The
Prevot
(Sheriff of the Court and of Chief Pleas) and Deputy
- The
Greffier
(Clerk) and Deputy
- The
Treasurer
(Finances) and Deputy
- The
Connetable
(or
Constable
) is the senior of two police officers and police administrator and the
Vingtenier
is the junior police officer.
The Seneschal, Prevot, and Greffier are chosen by the Seigneur, while the Treasurer, Constable and Vingtenier are elected by Chief Pleas.
[33]
[66]
The list of current Officers of the Island of Sark:
- Seneschal ? Victoria Stamps
[67]
- Deputy Seneschal ? Ashley Jarman
[67]
- Prevot ? Kevin Adams
[67]
- Deputy Prevot ? Joanne Godwin
[68]
- Greffier ? Trevor John Hamon
[68]
- Treasurer ? Sarah Hudson
[69]
- Constable ?
- Vingtenier ?
- Speaker of Chief Pleas ? Paul Armorgie
[67]
Clameur de haro
[
edit
]
Among the old laws of the Channel Islands is the old
Norman
custom of the
clameur de haro
. Using this legal device, a person can obtain immediate cessation of any action he considers to be an infringement of his rights. At the scene, he must, in front of witnesses, recite the
Lord's Prayer
in French and cry out
"Haro, Haro, Haro! A mon aide mon Prince, on me fait tort!"
(
"Haro, Haro, Haro! To my aid, my Prince! I am being wronged!"
). It should then be registered with the Greffe Office within 24 hours. All actions against the person must then cease until the matter is heard by the Court. The last
clameur
recorded on Sark was raised in August 2021, this was withdrawn by the claimant in October 2021.
[70]
Periodicals
[
edit
]
Since 2009 a resident of Sark has operated a weekly online newspaper called
The Sark Newspaper
(earlier:
The Sark Newsletter
).
[71]
The publisher is a former longtime employee of the wealthy
Barclay brothers
, who own the small neighbouring island of
Brecqhou
.
[72]
The publication has compared the local government of Sark "to fascist Germany in the 1930s". In 2014 over 50 residents of Sark filed complaints with the police about accusations made by the paper.
[73]
Since 2011 a quarterly magazine called
Sark Life
, which promotes a positive view of the island and welcomes contributions, is published by the Sark-based publishing company
Small Island Publishing
.
[74]
Sercquiais
[
edit
]
Sercquiais (
Sarkese
, or sometimes called
Sark-French
) is a dialect of the
Norman language
still spoken in 1998 by a few older inhabitants of the island.
[9]
Its decline has been linked with the arrival of English-speaking miners in 1835, and increased tourism in more recent years.
[75]
Economy
[
edit
]
Tourism and financial services
[
edit
]
Sark's economy depends primarily on tourism and financial services. Sark has had a private company registry since 2017. The
Guernsey's financial services commission
does not register companies based in Sark.
[76]
Taxation
[
edit
]
Sark is fiscally autonomous from
Guernsey
, and consequently has control over how it raises taxes. There are no taxes on income, capital gains or inheritances. There is also no
VAT
charged on goods and services, but import duties (Impots) are charged on some goods brought onto the island at around 70?75% of Guernsey rates. However, the island does levy a Personal Capital Tax, a Property Tax, a Poll Tax ("Landing Tax") on visitors coming to the island, and a Property Transfer Tax (PTT) on residential properties when they are sold.
The island has its own tax assessor (in 2016, this remained Simon de Carteret),
[77]
who collects the
Property Tax
, PTT, and the Personal Capital Tax (direct tax).
[78]
Currently, the Personal Capital Tax ranges from a minimum of £450, to a maximum of £9,000 or 0.39% per annum (whichever is the lower).
[79]
In 2014, there were 5 taxpayers who paid the maximum amount of £6,400 (PCT and Property Tax combined), and 6 who paid zero tax. Residents over the age of 69 do not pay the PCT. If a resident chooses not to declare the value of their personal assets, they can elect to pay a flat-rate under the
Forfait
method.
In 2006, Property Transfer Tax replaced the feudal
Treizieme
.
[80]
This used to be calculated by dividing the purchase price of any of the 30 tenements or 40 freehold properties on Sark by 13. The proceeds from doing this were then paid directly to the
Seigneur
. When the Treizieme was abolished, the
Chief Pleas
introduced an indexed-linked pension of £28,000 per year, payable to the Seigneur.
An individual is considered to be a resident for tax purposes if they have remained on the island for at least 90 days in any tax year.
[81]
Sark Company Registry
[
edit
]
Sark has no public company registry, and no company law. In January 2017, a private organisation called the "Sark Company Registry" was set up. The project was initially opposed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission,
[82]
but that opposition ended with nothing, since no law could prohibit private registration of companies. None of managers of the private registry or any company registered by them was ever sanctioned.
[83]
Education
[
edit
]
Sark generally follows the
education system of England
though this is not strictly adhered to.
Sark has one school, the Sark School, which takes residents from the ages of 4 to 15. School is divided into 4 classes. Class 1 takes children from the ages of 4 to 7 (reception to year 2), class 2 caters for 7- to 9-year-olds (year 3 to year 4), class 3 has 9- to 14-year-olds (year 5 to year 9) and the older children attend class 4 (years 10 and 11).
[84]
Pupils wishing to obtain a
GCSE
or A-level qualification often finish their education in Guernsey or in England. Since 2006, however, a limited number of GCSEs have been offered to pupils at Sark School.
[85]
Population
[
edit
]
Year
|
1274
|
1821
|
1831
|
1841
|
1851
|
1861
|
1871
|
1881
|
1891
|
1901
|
1911
|
1921
|
1931
|
1939
|
1951
|
1961
|
1971
|
2008
|
2014
|
Sark
|
>400
|
488
|
543
|
785
|
580
|
583
|
546
|
571
|
570
|
504
|
579
|
611
|
571
|
430
|
555
|
550
|
584
|
>474
|
>492
|
Brecqhou
|
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
10
|
11
|
6
|
|
1
|
Notes:
- 1274 data from census taken before Black Death
[86]
- 1821?1971 data from 1971 Bailiwick of Guernsey report.
[87]
- 2008 data represents only eligible voters
[88]
- 2012 data represents only those who signed for electoral roll. Total is estimated.
[89]
- 2014 data for Brecqhou from
[90]
Demography
[
edit
]
Population by gender and movements
[
edit
]
Resident population on Sark by gender and residence at one and five-yearly intervals.
Residents (1971)
|
Residence
One Year Prior
|
Residence
Five Years Prior
|
Same
|
Different
|
Same
|
Different
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
245
|
248
|
230
|
230
|
15
|
18
|
189
|
187
|
56
|
61
|
Data from the 1971 Bailiwick of Guernsey report.
[87]
Population by birthplace and visitors
[
edit
]
Birthplace
|
Guernsey
|
Alderney
|
Sark
|
Persons
|
Males
|
Females
|
Persons
|
Males
|
Females
|
Persons
|
Males
|
Females
|
Resident in Bailiwick
|
Total
|
49399
|
23749
|
25650
|
1579
|
752
|
827
|
493
|
245
|
248
|
United Kingdom
|
47648
|
22923
|
24725
|
1429
|
689
|
740
|
463
|
233
|
230
|
Channel Islands
|
35820
|
17401
|
18419
|
642
|
323
|
319
|
264
|
139
|
125
|
Bailiwick
|
35250
|
17151
|
18099
|
607
|
309
|
298
|
247
|
131
|
116
|
Jersey
|
570
|
250
|
320
|
35
|
14
|
21
|
17
|
8
|
9
|
England
|
10346
|
4827
|
5519
|
680
|
320
|
360
|
183
|
87
|
96
|
Scotland
|
734
|
324
|
410
|
70
|
32
|
38
|
7
|
2
|
5
|
Wales
|
414
|
194
|
220
|
26
|
10
|
16
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
Northern Ireland
|
334
|
177
|
157
|
11
|
4
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Other Country
|
1751
|
826
|
925
|
150
|
63
|
87
|
30
|
12
|
18
|
Visitors
|
Total
|
2059
|
1043
|
1016
|
107
|
45
|
62
|
97
|
44
|
53
|
United Kingdom
|
1669
|
838
|
831
|
96
|
39
|
57
|
83
|
37
|
46
|
Channel Islands
|
134
|
60
|
74
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Bailiwick
|
98
|
46
|
52
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Jersey
|
36
|
14
|
22
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
England
|
1205
|
610
|
595
|
87
|
36
|
51
|
75
|
34
|
41
|
Scotland
|
116
|
55
|
61
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Wales
|
71
|
29
|
42
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
Northern Ireland
|
143
|
84
|
59
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
Other Country
|
390
|
205
|
185
|
11
|
6
|
5
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
Data from the 1971 Bailiwick of Guernsey report.
[87]
Transport
[
edit
]
The Isle of Sark Shipping Company operates small ferries from Sark to
St Peter Port
, Guernsey. The service takes 55 minutes for the 9 miles (14 km) crossing.
[91]
A high-speed passenger ferry is operated in summer by the French company Manche Iles Express to
Saint Helier
,
Jersey
.
[92]
A 12-passenger boat, the
Lady Maris II
, operates regular services to
Alderney
.
[93]
The island is a
car-free zone
[94]
where the only vehicles allowed are
horse-drawn vehicles
, bicycles,
tractors
, and battery-powered buggies for elderly or disabled people.
Electric bicycles
were deregulated in the 2019 Midsummer
Chief Pleas
with the ordinance coming in to force on 4 July 2019.
[95]
Passengers and goods arriving by ferry from Guernsey are transported from the wharf by tractor-pulled vehicles.
There is no airport on Sark, and flight over Sark below 2400 ft is prohibited by the
Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Guernsey) Regulations 1985
(Guernsey 1985/21). The closest airports are
Guernsey Airport
and
Jersey Airport
. Sark lies directly in line of approach to the runway of Guernsey airport, however, and low-flying
[
citation needed
]
aircraft regularly fly over the island.
Religion
[
edit
]
In common with the other Channel Islands, Sark is attached to the
Anglican
diocese of Canterbury
.
[96]
Catholics depend on the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth
in England.
Sark has an
Anglican
church (St Peter's, built 1820) and a
Methodist
[97]
church.
John Wesley
first proposed a mission to Sark in 1787. Jean de Quetteville of Jersey subsequently began preaching there, initially in a cottage at Le Clos a Geon and then at various houses around Sark. Preachers from Guernsey visited regularly, and in 1796, land was donated by Jean Vaudin, leader of the Methodist community in Sark, for the construction of a chapel, which Jean de Quetteville dedicated in 1797.
[98]
In the mid-1800s there was a small
Plymouth Brethren
assembly. Its most notable member was the biblical scholar
William Kelly
(1821?1906). Kelly was then the tutor to the Seigneur's children.
Supported by the evidence of the names of the
tenements
of La Moinerie and La Moinerie de Haut, it is believed
[99]
that the Seigneurie was constructed on the site of the
monastery
of Saint
Magloire
. Magloire had been
Samson of Dol
's successor as bishop of
Dol
, but retired and founded a monastery in Sark where he died in the late sixth century. According to the
vita
of Magloire, the monastery housed 62
monks
and a school for the instruction of the sons of noble families from the
Cotentin
. Magloire's
relics
were venerated at the monastery until the mid-ninth century when
Viking
raids rendered Sark unsafe, and the monks departed for Jersey, taking the relics with them.
Law enforcement
[
edit
]
Despite Sark having its own legislative assembly, Guernsey has sole responsibility for matters of criminal law under the Sark (Reform) Law 2008. For matters of extreme law enforcement the island calls upon the
States of Guernsey Police Service
. Sark has a small police station and jail, with two (rarely used) cells available.
[25]
The island has several police officers permanently stationed on it, the constable (senior officer), the vingtenier (deputy constable), two assistant constables (former constables), two custody officers (special constables) and several special constables.
[
citation needed
]
Sark also has access to police services in Guernsey through the designation of a member of the Guernsey Neighbourhood Policing Team as a dedicated point of contact for Sark constables.
[100]
[
failed verification
]
Emergency services
[
edit
]
A resident doctor provides healthcare on Sark, and is available to attend accidents and emergencies. The
Sark Ambulance Service
operates two tractor-drawn ambulances,
[101]
and is able to treat casualties and transport them to the harbour for transfer onto the Guernsey marine ambulance launch,
Flying Christine III
, operated by
Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service
. A small ambulance station houses the two ambulances.
Fire and rescue services are provided by an independent and volunteer service established in 1958. Originally named 'Sark Fire Brigade', it is now known as the
Sark Fire and Rescue Service
.
[102]
The services operates two pump tenders and an all-purpose trailer; all three appliances are drawn by tractors owing to the ban on other motor vehicles on Sark. The original fire station was a large garage. Today the service operates from a large purpose-built fire station on La Chasse Marette.
Lifeboat services are provided by the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
from the
Guernsey lifeboat station
, supported by the RNLI stations on Jersey and Alderney.
Sport
[
edit
]
Participation in sport tends towards individual sports rather than team sports, but the population supports a cricket team, a rugby union team and a
football
team.
[103]
Sark competes in the biennial
Island Games
in which the
Sark football team
has participated. The annual Sark to Jersey Rowing Race is contested by teams from both bailiwicks.
[104]
Carl Hester
, who was brought up in Sark, won a gold medal at the
2012 Summer Olympics
in the
Individual and Team Dressage events
.
[105]
A Sark
post box was painted gold
to celebrate the event.
Sark in media
[
edit
]
There are many examples of media taking Sark as an inspiration or setting.
Norman literature
[
edit
]
Although there is no record of literature about Sark in Sercquiais,
Guernesiais
and
Jerriais literature
has included writing about Sark; for example by such authors as
Edwin John Luce
,
[106]
Thomas Grut
,
[107]
George F. Le Feuvre
,
[108]
and
Denys Corbet
.
[109]
English literature
[
edit
]
- Algernon Swinburne
wrote a poem,
In Sark
, which appears in the collection
A Century of Roundels
.
- Arthur Conan Doyle
's
Sir Nigel
(1906) includes a sub-plot where Black Simon of Norwich, a man at arms travelling with Sir Nigel Loring to war, obtains permission from Sir Robert Knolles to go ashore to Sark under cover of darkness. He takes his friend the archer Samkin Alward with him and beheads the (so-called) King of Sark in payment of a wager.
- John Oxenham
wrote
Carette of Sark
(1907) and
The Perilous Lovers
(1924), historical novels largely set on Sark. His 1910 novel
A Maid of the Silver Sea
uses the mines of Little Sark as its setting.
- The novel
Mr Pye
, by
Mervyn Peake
, is set on Sark. The book has been adapted for radio and television. The TV series, filmed on Sark, starred
Derek Jacobi
and
Judy Parfitt
, and featured a number of islanders. Peake lived on the island for several years as a painter before he began writing. The setting of his best known novels, the
Gormenghast
series, may have been inspired by Sark.
- Dame of Sark
, the memoirs of the 21st Seigneur
Sibyl Mary Hathaway
, who was present during the German occupation, were made into a play and television drama of the same name.
[110]
Dame Sibyl also wrote
Maid of Sark
, an historical romance published in 1939; set in the sixteenth century, it incorporates events related to the defence of the island against the Bretons.
- The novel
Appointment with Venus
by
Jerrard Tickell
is set on the fictional island of Armorel, which is presumed to be based on Sark. The 1951
film
of the book used Sark as a principal location.
- Sarah Caudwell
's
The Sirens Sang of Murder
(1989) is partly set in Sark, and contains references to John Oxenham's
The Perilous Lovers
.
- The Last Kings of Sark:
A Novel
by
Rosa Rankin-Gee
is a 2015 coming-of-age story set in Sark.
- The 2016 novel
Iron Chamber of Memory
by
John C. Wright
is set in Sark.
- The 2018 novel
Dark Sky Island
by Lara Dearman is set in Sark.
French literature
[
edit
]
Maurice Leblanc
's horror/mystery novel
L'Ile aux Trente Cercueils
(translated in English as
The Secret of Sarek
) features an island called Sarek, off the coast of Brittany, which bears obvious similarities to Sark.
In music
[
edit
]
Irish musician, composer and singer
Enya
's 2015 album
Dark Sky Island
was inspired by Sark's designation as the first 'dark sky island'. Certain songs on the album, the title track especially, explore the stars, skies and nature.
[111]
[112]
Television
[
edit
]
- The 1986 television adaptation of
Mr Pye
by
Mervyn Peake
and starring
Derek Jacobi
was filmed on the island. The original novel is also set on Sark.
- Sark featured in the 6th episode of the fourth series of
The New Statesman
,
The Irresistible Rise of Alan B'Stard
.
- Part of the seventh episode of the second series of
World War II
television drama
Enemy at the Door
takes place in Sark.
La Coupee
features in a number of scenes.
- Sark, and in particular the Gouliot Caves, features in episode 8 of series 3 of the BBC television series
Coast
.
- Sark was featured in Episode 3 of the 2009
ITV
television series
Islands of Britain
, presented by
Martin Clunes
.
- Series 7 and 8 of the
BBC Two
six-episode television series
An Island Parish
follows the Anglican priest and Methodist minister on Sark. It was first broadcast in 2013
[113]
and 2014.
[114]
- One of the episodes of
Bergerac
called "Burnt",
[115]
was mostly filmed on Sark. Bergerac was a Jersey-based BBC and Australia's
Seven Network
detective drama starring
John Nettles
and was filmed between 1981 and 1991. It featured a fight on and over the edge of La Coupee.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
The Guernsey pound is not a separate currency, but a local issue of standard pound sterling.
- ^
The changes were in the
Reform (Sark) Law, 2008
[33]
and the
Real Property (Transfer Tax, Charging and Related Provisions) (Sark) Law, 2007
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
"Sark population grew by just 69 people in half a century, reveals census"
. 15 September 2023.
- ^
a
b
"ISO 3166: CQ"
.
- ^
"Registration form for 'CQ'
"
.
- ^
Too many people ? or not enough? Jersey's population dilemma
Archived
13 July 2018 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Jersey Evening Post
, 9 April 2015
- ^
"The official website for the Island of Sark"
. Sark Tourism. 23 January 2014
. Retrieved
1 February
2014
.
- ^
Walden, Lisa (16 August 2020).
"The idyllic car-free island of Sark is looking for 500 new residents"
.
Country Living
. Retrieved
6 August
2021
.
- ^
Palca, Joe (February 2011).
"Lights Out: Tiny Sark Named First 'Dark-Sky' Island"
.
NPR
. Retrieved
6 August
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Sark Home Page"
. Island Life. 10 December 2008
. Retrieved
7 December
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Mari C Jones.
"Voices ? Multilingual Nation / Jerriais and Sercquiais today"
.
BBC
. Retrieved
21 February
2008
.
- ^
"Galena from Le Pelley's Shaft, Little Sark, Channel Islands"
.
Hudson Institute of Mineralogy
. Retrieved
5 December
2017
.
- ^
"Sark (Channel Islands)"
.
uk-fusion.com
. Archived from
the original
on 20 April 2008.
- ^
Miller, Brent V; Samson, Scott D; D'Lemos, Richard S (October 1999). "Time span of plutonism, fabric development, and cooling in a Neoproterozoic magmatic arc segment: U?Pb age constraints from syn-tectonic plutons, Sark, Channel Islands, UK".
Tectonophysics
.
312
(1): 79?95.
Bibcode
:
1999Tectp.312...79M
.
doi
:
10.1016/S0040-1951(99)00172-9
.
- ^
"Sark goes to the polls"
.
This is Guernsey
. 8 December 2010. Archived from
the original
on 24 May 2013.
- ^
Indyjourno (29 June 2012).
"Sark and the Barclays Brothers ? Indymedia Ireland"
.
www.indymedia.ie
. Retrieved
4 December
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Lepelley, Rene (1995).
"Les Noms des iles anglo-normandes"
[The Names of the Channel Islands].
Nouvelle revue d'onomastique
(in French).
25
(25?26): 119?142.
doi
:
10.3406/onoma.1995.1221
.
- ^
a
b
de Beaurepaire, Francois (1994).
"Nouveaux regards sur la toponymie des iles normandes de la Manche"
[New Perspectives on the Toponymy of the Norman Channel Islands].
Nouvelle revue d'onomastique
(in French).
23
(23?24): 31?44.
doi
:
10.3406/onoma.1994.1189
.
- ^
Coates, Richard
(1991).
The ancient and modern names of the Channel Islands: a linguistic history
. Stamford: Paul Watkins. pp. 73?76.
ISBN
978-1871615166
.
- ^
Coates, Richard
(2009).
"A Glimpse through a Dirty Window into an Unlit House: Names of Some North-West European Islands"
(PDF)
. In Ahrens, Wolfgang; Embleton, Sheila; Lapierre, Andre (eds.).
Names in Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural and Multi-Ethnic Contact: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences: August 17?22, York University, Toronto, Canada
. Toronto: York University. p. 228.
ISBN
978-1-55014-521-2
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 7 April 2015.
- ^
Coates, Richard
(2009).
"A Glimpse through a Dirty Window into an Unlit House: Names of Some North-West European Islands"
(PDF)
. In Ahrens, Wolfgang; Embleton, Sheila; Lapierre, Andre (eds.).
Names in Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural and Multi-Ethnic Contact: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences: August 17?22, York University, Toronto, Canada
. Toronto: York University. p. 235.
ISBN
978-1-55014-521-2
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 7 April 2015.
- ^
a
b
Barclay & Ors R (on the application of) v The Seigneur of Sark & Anor
[2008] EWHC 1354 (Admin)
, [2008] 3 WLR 867 (18 June 2008)
- ^
"Sark: Sark Henge"
. Retrieved
10 July
2022
.
- ^
Marr, James
(1984).
Guernsey people
. Phillimore.
ISBN
0850335299
.
- ^
Ewen, Alfred Harry; De Carteret, Allan Roper (1969).
The Fief of Sark
.
Guernsey
:
Guernsey Press
. pp. 101?102.
- ^
a
b
c
Launet, Edouard (6 December 1997).
"Michael Beaumont, 70 ans, est le 'seigneur' de Sercq, ile anglo-normande. Deux richissimes jumeaux contestent son paisible feodalisme. Le comte de l'ile"
[Michael Beaumont, 70, is the 'lord' of Sark, Channel Island. Two extremely wealthy twins contest its peaceful feudalism. The Earl of the Island.].
Liberation
(in French)
. Retrieved
18 December
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Caesar, Ed (25 October 2006).
"Lost world: the last days of feudal Sark"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
1 February
2014
.
- ^
"Grave affair. (Andre Gardes tries to take over Sark in the Channel Islands)"
.
The Economist (US)
. 1 September 1990. Archived from
the original
on 16 September 2012
. Retrieved
1 February
2014
.
Subscription required for full article
- ^
"Weird Fact of the Day (that you probably didn't know)"
.
Metro.co.uk
. 8 September 2008
. Retrieved
4 December
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
Harrell, Eben (17 January 2008).
"A Revolution Not Televised"
.
Time
. Retrieved
18 December
2015
.
- ^
Singer, Jason (11 October 2005).
"On island of Sark, Barclay brothers joust with feudalism"
.
Wall Street Journal
. Archived from
the original
on 21 November 2014
. Retrieved
15 January
2014
– via
Mathaba News Agency
.
- ^
Grey, Paul (25 November 1999).
"Sark gives women equal right to inherit"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
23 May
2019
.
- ^
Bowers, Simon; Pidd, Helen (27 June 2012).
"Minister in row with Barclay brothers over Sark"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
28 June
2012
.
- ^
"Feudal Sark: Democratic revolution"
.
The Economist
. 12 July 2007
. Retrieved
1 February
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
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Further reading
[
edit
]
- Parry, Jonathan
(18 May 2023).
"Life on Sark"
.
London Review of Books
.
45
(10)
. Retrieved
7 June
2023
.
- Lee, Eric (2016).
Operation Basalt: The British Raid on Sark and Hitler's Commando Order
. The History Press.
ISBN
978-0750964364
.
- Kursner, Geoffroy (2015).
L'ile de Sercq: Histoire du dernier etat feodal d'Europe
. Editions du Menhir.
ISBN
978-2-919403-27-1
.
- Johnson, Henry (2015).
"The Sark/Brecqhou Dyad: Jurisdictional Geographies and Contested Histories"
(PDF)
.
Shima
.
9
(1): 89?108.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 9 October 2022.
- Johnson, Henry (2014).
"Sark and Brecqhou: Space, Politics and Power"
(PDF)
.
Shima
.
8
(1): 9?33.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 9 October 2022.
- Rivett, Peter J. (1999).
Sark: A Feudal Fraud?
. Devon: Planetesimal Publishing.
ISBN
0-9534947-2-1
.
- Hawkes, Ken (1995).
Sark
. Guernsey: Guernsey Press.
ISBN
0-902550-46-2
.
- Karbe, Lars Cassio (1984).
Das politische System der Insel Sark. Modelle europaischer Zwergstaaten ? die normannische Seigneurie Sark (Sercq)
. Frankfurt am Main.
ISBN
3-8204-7483-8
.
- Coysh, Victor (1982).
Sark: The Last Stronghold of Feudalism
. Guernsey: Toucan Press.
- Barnett, A. J. (1977).
The Constitution of Sark
.
- Ewen, A. H.; de Carteret, Allan R. (1969).
The Fief of Sark
. Guernsey: Guernsey Press.
- Sack, John
(1959).
Report from Practically Nowhere
. New York: Curtis Publishing Company. pp. 26?42.
- Toyne, S. M. (1959).
Sark: A Feudal Survival
. Eton, Windsor: The Shakespeare Head Press.
- de Carteret, A. R. (1956).
The Story of Sark
. London: Peter Owen Limited.
- Cachemaille, Rev J. L. V. (1928).
The Island of Sark
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Sark
.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for
Sark
.
49°25′59″N
2°21′39″W
/
49.43306°N 2.36083°W
/
49.43306; -2.36083
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