If you have ever walked across a common, driven past a manor or remember the sale of the Seigneur du Fief es Poingdestre title a couple of years ago, you may have wondered about the background of the ancient system that connects all three and still has an impact on Jersey today.

A new project is being launched to research the history of the feudal system, which dates back to medieval times. The Jersey Fiefs Project aims to create a definitive publication about this aspect of the Island’s story in time for ‘Guillaume ’27’, the celebrations to the mark the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s birth in 2027.

The research project is being overseen by Jersey Heritage in conjunction with the Société Jersiaise and directed by a steering committee that comprises historians, seigneurs and academics, led by Daniel Power, Professor of Medieval History at Swansea University.

The project is being officially launched on Monday (24th) at the Société Jersiaise headquarters at 7, Pier Road at 1pm. Professor Power will be the guest speaker. Anyone interested in attending the launch is asked to register their interest with Bronwen at Jersey Heritage. (See contact details at end of release)
The feudal system in Jersey revolved around a hierarchical system between the Crown, landowners and tenants. Feudal rights came to an end in the Island in 1966 but the customs and language attached to various titles are still in existence.

John de Veulle, former Chair of Jersey Heritage Trust, said: “Properties described as ‘manors’ are a familiar part of Jersey’s landscape and the attendance of the seigneurs of landholdings known as fiefs at the annual hearing before the Royal Court known as Assise d’Heritage is a familiar aspect of public life. But why are these properties described as ‘manors’? Who are the seigneurs and what are fiefs?

“Despite the importance of feudal landholding in Jersey’s history and the impact it has had on social, parochial and ecclesiastical life for the last thousand years, this topic has not yet received a comprehensive and thorough historical treatment. There are historical records available both publicly and privately but the results of past research have been diffuse, not easy to understand and written without access to all sources.

“Our aim is to commission the research necessary to rectify this situation and to produce a detailed academic study of Jersey fiefs, their seigneurs and tenants, and available for anyone who wants to discover more about this aspect of Jersey’s history.”

Records of Jersey’s feudal history can be found in England, France and Jersey, and include Crown administrative and judicial records, States of Jersey administrative records, Norman Church records and individual fief records.

Funding for the Jersey Fiefs Project is still being sought but it is anticipated that the first phase of the research project will focus on the medieval and early modern period.

Anyone interested in attending Monday’s meeting to launch the Jersey Fiefs Project is asked to register their interest with Bronwen Garth-Thornton at Jersey Heritage by calling 633313 or emailing bgt@jerseyheritage.org