His Majesty’s Receiver General is appointed by His Majesty The King to administer the affairs of the Crown’s estate in Jersey.
This estate includes:
- land
- buildings
- rights to various sources of income arising in the Island and its offshore reefs
The Receiver General is responsible for:
- maintaining the value of the Crown Estate in the Island
- promoting and defending the historical rights, titles and estates of the Crown in the Island
- providing benefit to the people of Jersey, including making a significant payment to the States of Jersey each year
The current Receiver General’s term office will expire in October 2032 and a formal process of recruitment will take place earlier in the year.
If you want to learn more about the role of His Majesty’s Receiver General contact Alan Blair on +44 (0) 1534 441702 or email HMReceiverGeneral@gov.je.
Receiver General jurisdiction
Her Majesty’s Receiver General in Jersey deals with escheat and bona vacantia where the property in question is situated in Jersey.
The Receiver General may also claim on behalf of the Crown in Jersey bona vacantia (wherever situated) that belonged to a deceased Jersey person or a dissolved Jersey registered company.
However, in these 2 cases it may be that the relevant authorities in the jurisdiction in which the property is located will have a better claim upon it. This information is provided for guidance only. Interested parties are advised to rely upon their own legal advice.
History of the Receiver General
In 933 Jersey, with the other Channel Islands, was annexed by William Longsword, Duke of Normandy.
Then in 1066 his successor William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold III at the Battle of Hastings and was crowned King of England.
In 1204 when John, then King of England, lost the Duchy of Normandy to the King of France, Jersey remained loyal to the Crown of England.
First recorded appointment of Le Receveur Général de l’Île de Jersey
The first recorded appointment of Le Receveur Général de l’Île de Jersey was made in 1320.
At that time the King drew considerable revenues from his ownership of 7 manors inherited from the Dukes of Normandy.
He also received all fines imposed by the Court, the Great Custom on foreign ships using the anchorages, the Little Custom on foreign imports and exports and innumerable feudal dues of fowls and wheat and eggs.
This income was further enhanced when in 1413 King Henry V confiscated the property of the alien priories and the Crown gained the income previously paid to great Norman abbeys. This included most of the wheat tithe, and then again at the Reformation when many endowments for masses and other ecclesiastical purposes were seized.
Value and income
Although the Crown’s estate in Jersey has been added to by claiming its rights to escheats and bona vacantia, its value and the income it generates have been substantially reduced by the sale or gift of substantial landholdings during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In recent times, the transfer of property and rights to various sources of income to the Jersey public has also reduced the income.
Responsibility for Lieutenant-Governor and Crown Officers
In 1947, King George VI decided that the hereditary revenues of the Crown derived in Jersey should be placed at the disposal of the British Government and that Jersey should be responsible for the remuneration and upkeep of the Lieutenant-Governor and the Crown Officers.
Payment of revenues
At the same time the British Government agreed that any such revenues that it received would be paid over to the States of Jersey to defray such costs and this arrangement was given effect by statute in both Jersey and the UK.
The Sovereign’s gift of hereditary revenues in the UK and the Islands came with the request that they should be used to ensure that they make such provision to maintain the honour and dignity of the Crown.
Net revenues collected by the Receiver General in the Island are paid over to the States of Jersey every year.