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Sark is a small island of the Channel Islands, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It has a population of 610. No cars are allowed on the small island, where tractors and bicycles are the only means of transport. Passengers and goods arriving by ferry from Guernsey are transported from the harbour by tractor-pulled vehicles.

Geography

There are two parts of Sark, Little Sark and Greater Sark. A narrow isthmus called La Coupée, which is just nine feet wide with a drop of 300 feet either side, connects them. Protective railings were erected in 1900; before then, children would crawl across on their hands and knees to avoid being blown over the edge. There is currently a narrow concrete road covering the entirety of the isthmus, built in 1945 by German prisoners of war under the direction of the Royal Engineers. The island of Brecqhou is also owned by Sark. It is a private island, and not open to visitors.

Industry

The main industry is tourism.

History

Although populated by monastic communities in the mediaeval period, Sark was uninhabited in the 16th century and used as a refuge and raiding base by Channel pirates. Helier de Carteret, Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey, received a charter from the Queen to colonise Sark with 40 families from St. Ouen on condition that he maintain the island free of pirates. An attempt by the newly settled families to endow themselves with a constitution under a bailiff, as in Jersey, was put down by the authorities of Guernsey who resented any attempt to wrest Sark from their bailiwick. Sarkese (Sercquiais, or sometimes called Sark-French) is a Norman language still spoken by older inhabitants of the island. It is a descendant of the Jèrriais spoken by the original settlers, although influenced in the interim by Dgèrnésiais. Although the lexis is heavily anglicised, the phonology retains features lost in Jèrriais since the 16th century.

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