Sark after the 22nd seigneur
Yesterday's reluctance by the seigneur to discuss his rejection of an offer by the Barclay family to purchase the lease of Sark and its feudal title for £2m. is unfortunate.
Yesterday's reluctance by the seigneur to discuss his rejection of an offer by the Barclay family to purchase the lease of Sark and its feudal title for £2m. is unfortunate.
For had he done so, he could have put to rest the notion, created by his words, that his inability to do a deal was conditional.
In particular, he could have clarified exactly what he meant by not accepting the offer 'at the moment' and whether, as the Sark News Letter contends, that was a negotiating tactic to ratchet up the sale price.
Another reading of the seigneur's letter – released by Sir David Barclay apparently in anger at the earlier passing to Chief Pleas of his own private correspondence – is far more cynical.
Under it, the seigneur's inability to accept and his lack of desire to do so 'at the moment' is based on the couple's wish to remain in the island, something that would not be possible if they were deemed to have sold out.
Yet what happens when age or health suggests that a move from Sark is best advised? A £2m. payment would make for a very nice retirement somewhere warm, should the seigneur decide to cash in his chips.
And what, realistically, does the future hold for Sark? Who will replace the seigneur and, as things stand, who would want to? Unless they are rich, with a private income or able to benefit in some opaque way from the lordship of the island, the £28,000 a year salary seems unlikely to attract any of his heirs there.
Additionally, it would not be the first time the lease of Sark had changed hands.
One suspects that for many Sark residents, finally ending the quasi-feudal nature of the island would be a relief. Whether the earlier reluctance to accept democracy came from the seigneur and some friends or the majority of the (then) non-elected Chief Pleas is irrelevant.
Islanders wanted the vote and, despite the cabal's opposition, gained it and now probably want to go further.
From the exchange of letters, Michael Beaumont now looks distinctly in line to be the 22nd and final seigneur of Sark.
