6th July 1996
Queen Elizabeth II gifts Elizabeth Castle and Mont Orgueil to Jersey
Elizabeth Castle and Mont Orgueil were both once owned by the monarch but, when the threat of invasion finally seemed an impossibility, Queen Elizabeth II handed them over to the people of Jersey. The official ceremony saw her representative on the island, General Sir Michael Wilkes, pass the keys to the castles to the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache. Maintenance and day-to-day running of the castles was already the responsibility of the States of Jersey – and had been for almost a century.
Two ancient strongpoints
Mont Orgueil, which faces France, is the older of the two by 300 years, having been built in the 13th century. Elizabeth Castle, which overlooks the capital, is built into a rock that was reputedly home to Helier, the Belgian monk who was murdered on the site and gave Jersey’s capital its name.
Mont Orgueil was built not long after the Channel Islands opted to remain true to the English crown in 1204, rather than reverting to France and, for a long time it was the island’s seat of government.
The States met at 11.45am on Saturday 6 July 1996 to witness the handover. The minutes from that day record that, “The States assembled in extraordinary session in the Middle Ward of Mont Orgeuil Castle to receive His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor and to acknowledge formally their acceptance of the most gracious gift by Her Majesty The Queen in conveying by deed of gift to the public of the Island the reversionary ownership of Mont Orgueil Castle and Elizabeth Castle. His Excellency handed to the Bailiff the keys of Mont Orgueil Castle. The States rose at 12.10 p.m.”
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Other events that occured in July
Queen Elizabeth II visits Jersey
- The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh began their 1957 tour of the Channel Islands by sailing in to St Helier on the Royal Barge.
- Read more…
Jersey Royal potatoes are trademarked
- The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries applied to the UK patent office to register the terms Jersey Royal and Jersey Royals.
- Read more…
Record-breaking Jersey cow finds fame
- A Jersey cow found fame when she produced more than her own weight in butter in a single year.
- Read more…
Same-sex marriage becomes legal
- The States of Jersey voted in favour of marriage equality in February 2018 and the first same sex wedding took place in July.
- Read more…