Talk:Brecqhou

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Contents 1 Previous tenants 2 Population 3 Flag 4 Tenants

[edit] Previous tenants

Can anyone shed any light on previous tenants before Matchan? I seem to remember the island was uninhabited for a while in the mid 20th century and a man and his son "invaded" the island and lived off rabbits. Twoquidtunes 06:40, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Population

List of places with fewer than ten people contents that the brothers are the only inhabitants of the island. Surely they don't do all the cooking and cleaning and fixing stuff themselves - "population" seems to be mean "overwintering" in the UK, so surely there are a dozen or so servants and workers? -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:28, July 29, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Flag

I removed the flag (and ammended the text about the flag), because this was the personal flag of the former tenant.--Mevsfotw 09:22, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Tenants

In response to the question as to whether they are tenants or owners - they are feudal tenants, i.e. holding the land. The landholdings of Sark are held by 40 tenants representing the parcels of the 40 families who colonised Sark.

From the Sark government website: There is no true freehold, all land being held on perpetual lease (fief) from the Seigneur, and the 40 properties (Tenements) into which the Island is divided (as well as a few other holdings in perpetual fief) can only pass by strict rules of inheritance or by sale. [1] Man vyi 11:49, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Ah, I was curious since article both talks about Barclays "owning" and buying island, and about "tenants" - so presumably they only bought a lease. If you (Man vyi) know more about CI issues than I, perhaps you could re-phrase article appropriately. Thanks, mervyn 13:35, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I think part of the confusion is that in writing it's impossible to distinguish between tenant (English language) and tenant (French language) as one does in speech. What they "own" as fief-holders is the tenement. It's not a lease as commonly understood, and it's confusing for the uninitiated to work out that the tenants are the "landed gentry" of Sark with (for the time being) automatic seats in Chief Pleas. I'll try and come back to the article and sort something out. Man vyi 14:33, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the update on "Tenant" -- the article still says at start of 2nd para "Since 1993 the island has been owned by the Barclay brothers..." -- is that still an accurate shorthand way of describing it? Or should we call them something other than "owners", to make it clear they don't own the island in the same way that people can own Scottish islands? Just a thought, mervyn 11:20, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

How's the change to owning the tenement, instead of owning the island. Does make it clearer that there's a difference, or is it just confusing? Plus I've updated Sark with info on tenants and Chief Pleas. Man vyi 11:40, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes that's great -- I think it was important to show they do not own it "free and clear" as in usual way. I have made same change to David and Frederick Barclay page. Thanks, mervyn 16:17, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

There is great argument as to whether Brecqhou falls under Sark or not. Sark says it does, but the evidence the other way is quite strong. --MacRusgail 19:48, 23 January 2006 (UTC)