The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (, Jèrriais: ''Gouvèrneux d'Jèrri'') is the representative of the

British monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

in the

Bailiwick of Jersey A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on the ...

, a Crown dependency of the

British Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

. The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Jersey, the

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

defaced with the Bailiwick's coat of arms. The Lieutenant Governor's official residence ( Government House) in St. Saviour was depicted on the Jersey £50 note 1989–2010.

Duties

Jour d'la Libéthâtion Jèrri 9 d'Mai 2010 07

The duties are primarily diplomatic and ceremonial. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

in Jersey. The Lieutenant Governor also liaises between the Governments of Jersey and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The holder of this office is also ex officio a member of the States of Jersey but may not vote and, by convention, speaks in the Chamber only on appointment and on departure from post. The Lieutenant Governor exercises certain executive functions relating broadly to citizenship (passports, deportation and nationality). Jersey passports are British passports issued on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor, in the exercise of the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...

, through the Passport Office which the States fund and from which the States retain any revenue generated.

Deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

from Jersey is ordered by the Lieutenant Governor. Certificates of

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

as a British citizen are issued by the Lieutenant Governor.

History

The office of Lieutenant Governor has its origins in the Norman administration of the Channel Islands. The functions of the

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their o ...

and the official who was later to become known as Lieutenant Governor (called variously, Warden or Captain) became separate in the aftermath of the division of Normandy in 1204. However, the respective responsibilities of the two officials were only clearly defined in the 17th century as a result of a power struggle between bailiff and governor. An Order in Council dated 18 February 1617 laid down that "the charge of military forces be wholly in the Governor, and the care of justice and civil affairs in the Bailiff" When the monarchy was restored, King Charles II who had escaped to Jersey on his way to exile in France rewarded Jersey with the power to levy customs duties. This power, exercised by the Assembly of Governor, Bailiff and Jurats, was finally taken over by the States of Jersey in 1921, thereby enabling the States to control the budget independently of the Lieutenant Governor. The post of Governor of Jersey became a titular

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval ch ...

, and a Lieutenant Governor was appointed to actually carry out the functions of the office.

William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he fought ...

, was the last titular Governor of Jersey; since his death in 1856 the Crown has been formally and constitutionally represented in Jersey by the Lieutenant Governor. The States of Jersey Law 2005 abolished any power of the Lieutenant Governor to veto a resolution of the States. In 2010, it was announced that the next Lieutenant Governor would be recommended to the Crown by a Jersey panel, thus replacing the previous system of the appointment being made by the Crown on the recommendation of UK ministers.Guernsey will chose its next Governor

List of governors of Jersey

Governors have been:

List of lieutenant governors of Jersey

Lieutenant Governors of Jersey have been:

References

External links