Search has begun for the next Lt-Governor
THE process has begun to find a new Lt-Governor as the incumbent, Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder, is due to retire.
The office of the Lt-Governor is the official line of communication between the Bailiwick’s authorities and the United Kingdom.
The office submits citations recommending national honours and awards after consultation with the Bailiff, the President of the States of Alderney and the Seigneur of Sark.
A notice was posted on the Royal Court website saying a vacancy will arise on Sir Ian’s retirement.
He was appointed in 2016, following a career in the Royal Navy.
As the representative of Her Majesty The Queen, the Lt-Governor will hold investiture events, conferring medals or honours for long service and distinguished conduct.
The Lt-Governor also deals with certain immigration and national security issues and has responsibility for licensing shipping to Alderney and Sark.
The post holder also has the power to appoint two members of the board of Elizabeth College and the Priaulx Library.
Candidates for the role will have distinguished themselves in military service.
. The Bailiff is ex-officio the Deputy Lt-Governor with power to discharge the duties of Lt-Governor in his absence.
In the absence of both the Lt-Governor and the Bailiff, the duty falls to the Deputy Bailiff of Guernsey and failing that, the senior Jurat of the Royal Court.
How the post came into being
FOLLOWING the loss of Normandy, the King appointed a warden or keeper to represent his interests in the Channel Islands, overseeing defence, administering justice, collecting revenues, and organizing assizes.
After 1473, the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey each had their own wardens appointed and the office increasingly became known as captain or governor.
In 1618 the Privy Council decreed that in Jersey the term governor should prevail. Around the same time this title was adopted in Guernsey.
As governors were often resident in England, they usually appointed lieutenants who were resident in Guernsey to oversee affairs.
By the 19th century the governorship had become a sinecure and the office was abolished in 1835.
However, the practice of appointing Lt-Governors continued, as it does today.
A Lt-Governor is the personal representative of the Sovereign in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and is appointed by warrant of the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in his capacity as Privy Councillor with special responsibility for the Channel Islands.
