The lieutenant governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the lieutenant governor is to act as the de facto head of state in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is also ex officio a member of the States of Guernsey but may not vote and, by convention, speaks in the Chamber only on appointment and on departure from post. The duties are primarily diplomatic and ceremonial. He has the authority to appointment two members of the board of governors of Elizabeth College and the Priaulx Library.[1]
| Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of Guernsey | |
 Flag of the lieutenant governor of Guernsey | |
 | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Appointer | Monarch of the United Kingdom |
| Term length | At His Majesty's Pleasure |
| Website | www |
The lieutenant governor has his own flag in Guernsey, the Union Flag defaced with the Bailiwick's coat of arms.
History
editThe Crown appointed Wardens or Keepers to represent its interests in the Channel Islands. After 1473 separate Wardens were appointed for Guernsey and Jersey, the title of Captain or Governor also being used. Around the early 17th century the title of Governor was settled upon, although those appointed to the position of Governor adopted the practice of appointing a lieutenant to carry out their duties in their absence. By the 19th century the post of Governor of Guernsey had become a sinecure and the position was abolished in 1835. Since then Lieutenant Governors have continued to be appointed.[1]
In 2010 it was announced that the next Lieutenant-Governor would be recommended to the Crown by a Guernsey panel consisting of the Bailiff of Guernsey, the Seigneur of Sark, and the President of the States of Alderney, sitting with a human resources professional.[2] This new system replaced the previous system of the appointment being made by the Crown on the recommendation of UK ministers.[3] The first person selected by this process was former RAF officer Air Marshal Peter Walker, who was sworn in on 15 April 2011.
A roll of honour of the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Guernsey from 1198 to date has been installed at Government House.[4]
List of lieutenant governors of Guernsey
edit1689-1690: Colonel Sidney Godolphin [5]
1704-1708: Sir Edmund Andros
| List of lieutenant governors of Guernsey 1770 to date | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title | Appointed | Name |
| Serving under Governor of Guernsey: | 1770 | Lt-Col. Paulus Aemilius Irving |
| 1784 | Lt-Col. William Brown | |
| 1793 | Maj-Gen. Thomas Dundas | |
| 1793 | Col. James Henry Craig | |
| 1793 | Maj-Gen. John Small | |
| 1796 | Lt-Gen. Sir Hew Dalrymple | |
| 1803 | Maj-Gen. Sir John Doyle | |
| 1816 | Maj-Gen. Henry Bayly | |
| 1821 | Maj-Gen. Sir John Colborne | |
| 1828 | Maj-Gen. John Ross | |
| Lieutenant Governor and Colonel on Staff: | 1837 | Gen. Sir James Douglas |
| 1842 | Maj-Gen. Sir William Francis Patrick Napier | |
| 1848 | Lt-Gen. Sir John Bell | |
| 1854 | Lt-Gen. William Thomas Knollys | |
| 1856 | Lt-Gen. Sir George Judd Harding | |
| 1859 | Maj-Gen. Marcus John Slade[6] | |
| 1864 | Maj-Gen. Charles Rochfort Scott | |
| 1869 | Lt-Gen. Edward Charles Frome | |
| 1874 | Lt-Gen. Hon. St George Gerald Foley | |
| 1879 | Maj-Gen. Alexander Abercromby Nelson | |
| 1883 | Maj-Gen. Henry Andrew Sarel | |
| 1885 | Lt-Gen. John Henry Ford Elkington | |
| 1889 | Gen. Sir Edward Gascoyne Bulwer | |
| Lieutenant Governor and Commanding the Troops: | 1894 | Lt-Gen. Nathaniel Stevenson |
| 1899 | Maj-Gen. Michael Henry Saward | |
| 1903 | Maj-Gen. Barrington Bulkeley Douglas Campbell | |
| 1908 | Maj-Gen. Robert Auld | |
| 1911 | Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Owen Fisher Hamilton | |
| 1914 | Maj-Gen. Sir Henry Merrick Lawson | |
| 1914 | Gen. Sir Reginald Clare Hart | |
| 1918 | Lt-Gen. Sir Launcelot Edward Kiggell | |
| 1920 | Maj-Gen. Sir John Edward Capper | |
| 1925 | Maj-Gen. Sir Charles Sackville-West | |
| 1929 | Maj-Gen. Lord Ruthven of Freeland | |
| 1934 | Maj-Gen. Sir Edward Nicholson Broadbent[7] | |
| 1939 | Maj-Gen. Alexander Telfer-Smollett | |
| 1940 | Maj-Gen. John Minshull-Ford (7 to 20 June 1940) | |
| 1940–1945 | German occupation of the Channel Islands – post vacated as part of demilitarisation of the island | |
| Head of the British Military Government: | 1945 | Rear-Adm. Charles Gage Stuart |
| Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief: | 1945 | Lt-Gen. Sir Philip Neame |
| 1953 | Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst | |
| 1958 | Vice-Adm. Sir Geoffrey Robson | |
| 1964 | Lt-Gen. Sir Charles Coleman | |
| 1969 | Vice-Adm. Sir Charles Mills | |
| 1974 | Vice-Adm. Sir John Edward Ludgate Martin | |
| 1980 | Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter de Lacey Le Cheminant | |
| 1985 | Lt-Gen. Sir Alexander Boswell | |
| 1990 | Lt-Gen. Sir Michael Compton Lockwood Wilkins | |
| 1994 | Vice-Adm. Sir John Francis Coward | |
| 2000 | Lt-Gen. Sir John Paul Foley | |
| 2005 | Vice-Adm. Sir Fabian Malbon | |
| 2011–2015 | Air Marshal Peter Walker | |
| 2016 | Vice-Adm. Sir Ian Corder[8] | |
| 2022 | Lt-Gen. Richard Cripwell[9] | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Lieutenant Governors". Royal Court of Guernsey. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Sark and Alderney could choose the next Lt-Governor". Guernsey Press. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Guernsey will choose its next Lt-Governor". Guernsey Press. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "800 years of history on new roll of honour". Guernsey Press. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Cruickshanks 1970.
- ^ "No. 22245". The London Gazette. 1 April 1859. p. 1369.
- ^ "No. 34053". The London Gazette. 25 May 1934. p. 3353.
- ^ "New Lt-Governor is a career Navy man". Guernsey Press. 16 February 2016.
- ^ "Guernsey's Lieutenant-Governor: Richard Cripwell to be sworn in". BBC News. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
Sources
edit- Cruickshanks, Eveline (1970). GODOLPHIN, Sidney (1652–1732), of Thames Ditton, Surr in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754 (Online ed.). Boydell & Brewer.
