Search 1827 Guernsey Census

Each record includes

• First name
• Last name
• Address
• Parish

Where possible, we always encourage researchers to access the original record where more information can be found. The names underlined were the ‘principal resident’ and may or may not have been the owner. Other names listed could include family members, children, and other residents.

The 1827 Guernsey census was created to track the status of the various types of residents on the island including natives, ‘strangers’, and the homeless.

The columns are translated from French -

• House, name of principal occupant
• Native or married to native or having acquired permanent residence
• Strangers intending to remain or having house or lodgings therein
• Strangers passing through or staying in lodgings or other accomodation for strangers

The court met in extraordinary session as a result of recent thefts or attempted thefts on all the public highways, where people’s lives were put at risk by firearms during housebreakings. And due to the general complaints about the large number of suspicious strangers in the town and country, some without means and often homeless, others pedlars who, under the pretext of offering their wares approach all the houses; finally given the danger threatening the general population, particularly in the country, where their occupations require them to leave their homes often isolated without defence, the Court, cognisant of the necessity of a strong police at this time to ensure the protection of the inhabitants and to return this country to the state of perfect security it once enjoyed, which all well regulated countries should enjoy, has ordained [under delegated control of the King?]; and having inquired into this matter, and established the truth of the facts under oath, in presence of the constables of all the parishes, that the following rules, dictated largely by the urgency of the situation, will be will be in force temporarily until [Chefs-Plaids] after next Christmas.

1. All persons occupying a house or part thereof shall within 8 days of publication of this present Ordnance deliver to the Constables of their respective parishes the list of all those living in the said house or part thereof.
2. This list shall distinguish between natives and non-natives; the minor children of the latter born on the island shall be recorded in the same list as their fathers
3. All changes occurring to this list after it is made and registered shall be reported to the said Constables within 48 hours after such changes take place; that is to say, if a person leaves or another person arrives, the occupant shall give notice as above. The whole of the foregoing three articles, under pain of a fine at the discretion of the Justice not exceeding fifty livres tournois
4. The Constables of each Parish shall maintain a register where they shall make an entry for each house, with the list of all those who live there. The Constables shall maintain another book for the non-natives alone, where they shall maintain a list of strangers who have resided in the Parish for more than one month, and another list of those who have resided there for less than one month; those of the latter who complete a month shall be transferred to the first list.

All changes reported to the Constables shall be recorded in the aforementioned books, which the date on which the reports were made.

The Constables shall take care to leave at the bottom of the first list of residents of each house sufficient space to insert changes which arise.

1. All masters of Vessels, Barques or Boats which arrive on this island shall, on arrival or within at most 24 hours, report themselves or through their agents to the Constables of the town or deliver to their Office an exact list of passengers disembarking on this island, on pain of a fine at the discretion of the justice not exceeding seventy livres tournois per passenger disembarked without report being made to the said Constables.
2. It shall be prohibited for any person after the publication of the present Ordnance to carry out the occupation of peddlar on the streets and public highways of this island or to peddle goods and wares on the public highways, to transport and sell them, or to sell or offer to sell them on the public highways, or in houses or elsewhere not within the apartments occupied by the person selling, on pain of a fine at the discretion of the Justice not exceeding fifty livres Tournois.

Nothing in the present Ordnance shall derogate in any way from regulations not found in the foregoing Ordnance regarding strangers and the police of this island; such regulations shall remain in full force. And this present Ordnance shall be published and affixed in the ordinary place, such that nobody can claim ignorance hereof.

Census or enumeration

Of this parish of St Pierre du Bois, conform to the aforementioned Ordnance of the Cour Royale, done by the undersigned in September Eighteen hundred and twenty seven

Abraham Simon

Pierre David Simon

Constables

Frederick Lukis (1787–1871) was a passionate antiquarian and pioneering archaeologist from Guernsey, whose curiosity about the ancient past led him to uncover and document the rich history of the Channel Islands. Growing up surrounded by prehistoric monuments, Lukis became deeply fascinated by megalithic tombs, burial mounds, and ancient stone structures. Though he wasn't formally trained in archaeology, his meticulous excavations and writings made him one of the first to study these ancient sites systematically.

Lukis's most significant contributions include his detailed work on the dolmens and burial chambers of Guernsey, which helped establish the Channel Islands as a key archaeological region. His discoveries and scholarly work laid the foundation for future studies of prehistoric Europe, and his records preserved important monuments for posterity. A dedicated collector, he amassed a wealth of artifacts, enriching our understanding of Bronze Age life.

Though Lukis’s work was largely unrecognised during his lifetime, his legacy lives on as one of the foundational figures in the archaeology of the Channel Islands, whose contributions continue to influence the field today.

In partnership with Bailiwick of Guernsey Digitisation Partnership this landmark digitisation project brings millions of searchable records online, only at Findmypast.