Decarteret, A Family History

Part 6

Guernsey's Objection

The Guernsey authorities were not prepared to lose Sark without acting, and a Commission was set up to study the situation. Arising out of the deliberations of this Commission, a summons was served on Helier de Carteret, at the instance of the Guernsey Michaelmas Chief Pleas of 1581, to appear before the Royal Court of Guernsey and give an account of his actions. His Seigneurship of Sark was disregarded, and he was described as merely as "a farmer of Sark".

Helier refused to obey the summons and as the Guernsey authorities could not compel him to do so, they turned their attention to Philippe, only to meet with a similar refusal. On 31 May 1582, Nic Carey, Andre Henry, Thomas Le Marchant and Jean Andros, four of the Jurats of the Royal Court of Guernsey, crossed to Sark accompanied by an appropriate guard, to make inquiries on the spot.

The outcome of this inquiry was that Edouard de Carteret, Bailiff, and two Jurats of Sark, were brought before the Royal Court of Guernsey to answer the charge of having set up a Court in Sark without due authority. Edouard was found guilty of being a usurper and sentenced to imprisonment in Castle Cornet, then the official prison. But as his offence was technical, he was freed on 21 July 1582, on his own petition, on condition that he would not return to Sark. He remained in St Peter Port, dying there and being buried in the Town Church on 10 February 1601.