Decarteret, A Family History

Part 6

Jurats revolt

Three Jurats who opposed his increasingly autocratic rule, Michel Lempriere, Seigneur of Diélament, Henri Dumaresq, Seigneur of Samarès, and Abraham Herault, went to Westminster with A Humble Information of the State of His Majesty's Isle of Jersey with part of the Grievances of the Inhabitants. They complained that

"Sir Philippe doth entrust with all the chiefest offices those of his own name to get the whole disposing of the Island into his own hands" and claimed that "he bears sundry offices incompatible in one person, Governor, Bailiff and Farmer of the King's Revenues; he procureth the nominations to prison without order of the Court; he hath procured from the Lords in Council the alteration of some of our laws without consent of the States".

William Prynne had been released by Parliament and returned in triumph to London and the Jurats thought that he would be the ideal person to represent them. But Prynne owed a debt of gratitude to Sir Philippe and refused to present their petition, offering his support to de Carteret. Eventually before a committee of the House of Lords the Jurats were forced to admit that they had not been sent as official island representatives and were acting on their own initiative, whereas de Carteret produced an Act of the States appointing him their Deputy.

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