La Seigneurie
| La Seigneurie | |
| Bailiwick of Guernsey | |
|---|---|
 La Seigneurie | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 49°26’16"N, 2°21’46"W |
| History | |
| Built 1675 | |
| Mansion | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | The Seigneur of Sark |
La Seigneurie stands prominently on the isle of Sark. A grand house built in the reign of King Charles II, it is the traditional residence of the Seigneur of Sark, the island’s feudal head, all within the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
History
The site was once occupied by the Priory of Saint Magloire, until the late 14th century. The current house was built in 1675, but as a private house, not for the Seigneur (the Seigneur's residence at the time was La Manoir of 1565 which stands nearby). In 1730, Susanne Le Pelley bought the fief of Sark and decided to keep this house, which she already owned, as her residence. As Dame of Sark she expanded and gentrified the house.[1] In 1852, the then Seigneur, Pierre Carey le Pelley, sold the fief and the house to Marie Collings in settlement of a debt following a bad investment. The Seigneurs of the Collings family in subsequent generations expanded and modernised La Seigneurie.
Michael Beaumont, 22nd Seigneur of Sark, and his wife Diane, moved from the Seigneurie to a smaller cottage on their estate, when frail health triggered a need for a smaller residence, better suited to aging residents.[2] In 2009 the Seigneur agreed to allow David Synnott and his wife to live in the Seigneurie, for ten years, in return for making some renovations.[3]
Gardens
The gardens of the Seigneurie are opened to the public.[3]
Le Colombier
The Colombier is a dovecote, and according to island law, the keeping of a dovecote is an exclusive right of the Seigneur, though they are a common feature elsewhere amongst Channel Island manor houses. The privilege was established to prevent the uncontrolled breeding of pigeons to the harm of the island's crops, while still providing birds for the lord's table.
The Colombier is an elaborate dovecote built in 1855 by Seigneur William Thomas Collings. Behind it stands a house built in the 1970s for the Dame of Sark’s cook, also called Le Colombier but locally as 'Cook's Cottage' or 'Cookie's.Chapel'.
Chapel
The Chapel is a Victorian idea of the mediæval chapel which once stood here (although some mediæval stonework has been incorporated), again born of the enthusiasm of William Thomas Collings. The building has not been consecrated and houses an exhibition on the history of Seigneurs and La Seigneurie.
Signalling Tower
A Signalling Tower stands in the grounds, built as a military measure probably before the Napoleonic Wars. It was a practical building, which could pass signals to and from Guernsey, before the growth of trees in later years. It did not escape the improving eye of Seigneur William Thomas Collings, who took advantage of its military redundancy to add ornamentation around the top of the tower.
Outside links
References
- ↑ La Seigneurie Garden : History
- ↑ 'Sark Spring: A feudal feud in the Channel Islands' – Lauren Collins in New Yorker magazine, 29 October 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Foreman, Liza (2014-10-04). "The Crazy Medieval Island of Sark". http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/04/the-crazy-medieval-island-of-sark.html. Retrieved 17 May 2015.