The Past and the Present -
The 1787 Duke of Richmond map as included on Digimap
2004 was a watershed year for the parish
Douzaines. For centuries their representatives, together
with the Jurats and Rectors, were the States of Guernsey.
Of these three groups only the Douzaine Representatives had
survived the reforms of 1948 but 56 years later they too
were finally replaced, by directly elected Deputies.
As the Douzaines are Guernsey's only alternative political
platform they still have a role as a counterweight to the
centralised power of the States and the Civil Service.
However do they have an everyday relevance to parishioners
in an age when planning and most services are provided by
States Departments?
The object of this website is make available, in an
accessible form, information about the current functions of
the Douzaines and Constables, the parochial taxation laws
and the parishes' financial systems. These documents are
downloadable from pages which set them in the context of
the last 150 years or so. The compilation of the documents
was not necessarily an end in itself but was intended to
provide a starting point for any discussions about the
future of the Douzaines. The final page includes a few
suggestions for enhancing the role of the Douzaines in the
21st Century.
The information was gathered during my three years as a
Constable of St Pierre du Bois (2004 - 2006) and whilst all
parishes are different (St Peter Port being more different
than most) much of the information can be seen to apply
across the island's ten parishes.
Mention should be made of Richard Hocart's "An Island
Assembly" an invaluable reference for those interested in
the development of the parishes and the States and of Tom
Jehan who did sterling work for St Peter Port in compiling
the original list of laws relevant to Douzeniers and
Constables and a history of bornements.