Historic Rights, Liberties, and Franchises of a Norman Seigneury

The Fief Thomas Blondel, established circa 1179, has maintained uninterrupted feudal rights, liberties, and franchises for more than eight centuries. Its territorial domain lies principally within the parishes of St. Pierre du Bois and Torteval in Guernsey, where its privileges have been continually recognized under the authority of successive Kings and Queens of England.

While the Seigneur of Sark presides over his own island, the Fief Thomas Blondel holds a distinctive position among Guernsey’s ancient manors—possessing multiple beachheads and foreshores along the island’s coast. These coastal holdings confer both historic and manorial incidents, forming part of the Fief’s hereditary rights and dignities.

Accordingly, the Fief Thomas Blondel and its Seigneur assert and preserve the following traditional seigneurial claims and privileges associated with its beaches, foreshores, and maritime boundaries:

1. Maritime Rights  
2. Rock Islands of the Foreshore  
3. The Foreshore from high to low.  
4. The Navigation in and out of the Fief Territory.  
5. Fishing Rights  
6. Seasted Rights  
7. Beaches and Sand Rights  
8. Rights to Light and Airwaves  
9. Other islands within its maritime sphere.  
10. Rights to dock and anchor.  
11. Rights to house boats or rigs.  
12. Underwater Cable Rights  
13. ECS Extended Continental Shelf Rights.  
14. Rights to land boats, drones, helicopters or other transport on the property or common land.  
15. Any rights or unclaimed rights under UNCLOS  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  
16. Any rights or unclaimed rights of: Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)  
17. Territorial Waters of 12 miles and  Contiguous Zone: Beyond the territorial waters of 24 Miles and up to 200 miles of international waters.  
18. Rights to house, feed or protect refugees for asylum on the foreshore and territory if approved by the Seigneur.  
19. Seabed Rights 
20. The Seigneur of Fief Blondel also claims A few islands such as La Genouinne or Nipple Rock Island in Rocquaine Bay https://mapcarta.com/25185814 &  La Genouinne, bato, 49.445°N 2.6825°W   

** Note all humans, pets, boats, swimmers, and vessels are warned to stay away from any rocks or dangers in the bays.

The Bissets Isles and The Hanois Isles have never been claimed except by the Foreshore Rights of the Fief Blondel. Lord Kinnear, in Smith v. Lerwick Harbour Trustees said about the Crown's property rights: "If the solum of Shetland as a whole is not originally the property of the Crown, I know of no authority, and can see no reason, for holding (saying) that part of it which is called the foreshore is Crown Property". This statement could equally well be applied to the seabed, especially since the foreshore is regarded as part of the seabed in English law. S.O.U.L. (udallaw.com)  Today, there are  24 private lords totaling 46 lordships inherited from this feudal system    , except that two of these 46 seigneuries are indivision between several owners. It appears that only 15 or so Private Fiefs own Beachfront, Foreshore and Maritime Rights.   history of guernsey – Channel Islands (home.blog)

Images from Old Postcards

Images courtesy of Google Maps

North Fief Blondel Beach - Portelet Bay

On either side of the Fief Thomas Blondel Territory, Beaches,  Foreshores, territorial waters, and Islands are the The Fief Pleinmont and Fief St. Michael which belong to the crown for and the court, which consists of a seneschal, eleven vavasors, three prevosts, a greffier, and serjeant, was held three times a year, viz. on the day following each of the Chief Pleas of the Royal Court, at which the tenants are obliged to attend.
https://channelislands.home.blog/tag/history-of-guernsey/

The Fief de Blondel asserts hereditary ownership, access, and use rights to the island rocks and maritime formations known as The Bissets and Les Hanoveaux (The Hanois Isles), located within its historic territorial and maritime boundaries.

The Seigneur of the Fief Blondel issues an official notice and warning to all mariners, swimmers, and divers that these reefs, rocks, and coastal obstacles present serious navigational hazards and must be avoided for safety reasons. Any unauthorized entry upon or interference with these natural features is strictly discouraged.

In accordance with Norman customary and maritime law, the Fief Blondel also maintains its traditional rights and interests over the surrounding maritime waters and seabed, including areas of international waters adjacent to its islands, reefs, and coastal extensions that become visible above the waterline at any tide.

By long-standing title and custom, the Seigneur of Fief Blondel further claims the historic and honorary styles of:

Prince, Viscount, and Lord of the Bissets Isles, and

• Prince, Viscount, and Lord of the Hanois Isles,

reflecting the ancient feudal and maritime dignities associated with these territories.

The Fief Thomas Blondel claims part of the Les Bissets Islands off of the coast of Fief Blondel's Beach and Foreshore while also claiming partial rights to the Les Hanoveaux Islands.

Fief Blondel Islands on and with Foreshore

South Blondel Beach

Blondel Beach South Two

 Foreshore Rights under International Law and Crown Common Laws

1. Wind Farms and Bays  https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2015/06/04/ancient-property-laws-must-be-respected-despite-foreshore-gift/    
2. Foreshore - High and Low Tide Lands - https://www.jerseylaw.je/publications/jglr/PDF%20Documents/JLR1006_Falle.pdf    
3. Seaweed www.bahs.org.uk/AGHR/ARTICLES/14n2a4.pdf  
4. SeaSted SeaBed - Shoreline Disputes  https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2015/05/28/queens-foreshore-gift-could-cost-islanders-millions-warns-advocate/    
5. The Queens Foreshore Gift - PDF Document http://axiomci.com/reports/queens_gift.pdf  
6. Queen's Gift Jersey https://sosjersey.co.uk/the-queens-gift-saga-report/  
7. Fiefs of Guernsey - Colored Map http://sog.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=b72b10ff812b4f58a2895a08b8d10cb1    

 * This page is designed to illustrate a Fief's rights to foreshore provided that the rules and laws in relation to foreshore are maintained in law.

Feudal and Coastal Rights in the Channel Islands and Monaco

The Foreshore and Seigneurial Rights in Jersey

In Jersey, a Crown Dependency and self-governing territory under the sovereignty of the British Crown, the ownership of the foreshore is a distinctive and ancient feature of its feudal legal system. Unlike England and Wales, Jersey retains a customary Norman legal framework that recognizes the Lords Seigneurs as holding title to portions of the coastal foreshore — a right derived from over a thousand years of feudal and customary law.

A defining precedent is found in the case of Les Pas Holdings v Les Pas Farm Ltd [2007] JLR 54, in which the Royal Court of Jersey examined a dispute concerning the ownership of certain foreshore lands. The Seigneur of St. Ouen claimed that the disputed coastal area formed part of the Fief of St. Ouen and therefore fell within his feudal rights and seigneurial jurisdiction.

The Royal Court upheld the Seigneur’s claim, affirming that the foreshore in question was integral to the Fief of St. Ouen and remained under the ownership of the Seigneur. This ruling reinforced the continuing validity of feudal tenures within Jersey’s modern legal system and demonstrated that seigneurial ownership of coastal areas remains recognized under Norman customary law.

As Jersey’s legal tradition is independent from English common law, such ownership principles differ markedly from those found elsewhere in the British Isles. The case underscores the importance of understanding Jersey’s unique legal heritage when evaluating property and maritime rights, particularly those concerning foreshore and tidal zones.

Crown and Maritime Jurisdiction

Historically, the Crown has exercised overarching ownership of the territorial waters surrounding the Channel Islands, including Guernsey. Nevertheless, fishing, foreshore, and maritime rights have been held by coastal Seigneurs for over a millennium.

Under modern international law, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends up to 200 nautical miles (approximately 370 kilometers) from the baseline. Within this zone, coastal states hold sovereign rights to explore, exploit, and manage marine and seabed resources.
The outer limit of the continental shelf may extend beyond 200 miles where specific geological conditions are satisfied, granting further rights to seabed resources.
In this historical and legal context, the Seigneurs of Guernsey and Jersey retain traditional rights related to fishing, navigation, and maritime access, rooted in feudal tenure yet consistent with modern international maritime principles.

Monaco: From Feudal Fiefdom to Sovereign Principality

The Principality of Monaco offers a compelling parallel. Once a feudal fiefdom, Monaco was ruled by the House of Grimaldi, a noble family of Genoese origin that gained control of the territory in 1297. Initially, the Grimaldis held Monaco as vassals under higher sovereigns, owing allegiance at various times to the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Monaco’s feudal dependence continued until 1861, when a treaty with France formally recognized the principality’s complete sovereignty, thus ending its vassal status.
This agreement transformed Monaco from a feudal lordship into a sovereign state, securing full independence for the Grimaldi dynasty while maintaining close diplomatic, economic, and defense ties with France.

Today, Monaco remains a sovereign microstate governed by the Prince of Monaco, preserving vestiges of its feudal origins while functioning as a modern constitutional monarchy — a rare evolution from vassalage to sovereignty that parallels, in structure if not in outcome, the historic autonomy of the Channel Island fiefs.

Rocquaine Bay Regatta - Photo on Visit Guernsey Site

Rocquaine Regatta | Visit Guernsey

  La Grenouille  or the Nipple Rock of Fief Blondel Guernsey (1000 Years of History ) The Islands and Rocks are exposed as part of the high and low tides.

Rocquaine Bay Link - Google Maps

Link to Government Map of Guernsey showing islands and rocks and foreshores ADAS_Agricultural_Land_Classification.pdf (gov.gg)