Find your ancestors in Guernsey, Land Records

What can these records tell me?

From these records, you will likely find information including:

Conveyances and Conveyances Lire

• First name
• Last name
• Role
• Seller first name
• Seller last name
• Date

Livres de Perchage

• First Name
• Last Name
• Year
• Parish

Partage

• First Name
• Last Name
• Year
• Parish

Cadastres

• First Name
• Last Name
• Year
• Address
• Parish

Each record set will include different information. We always recommend accessing the original records as you will find more information there.

History of Real Property in Guernsey

Guernsey's legal system has its roots in Norman customary law, dating back to the island’s historical ties with the Duchy of Normandy. This legal tradition influenced the island’s methods of recording property ownership and inheritance. Wills and Property Ownership records have been essential in determining succession and land transfers for centuries.

Guernsey’s land was primarily held under a feudal system. Local seigneurs (lords of the manor) owned large fiefs (estates), and tenants, to whom seigneurs had granted land and property, owed feudal dues. Property transactions and inheritance matters were often recorded informally, with records maintained by the seigneurial courts for the seigneurs. However, as legal frameworks developed, formal documentation of property ownership and succession became increasingly necessary. Every generation (approximately once every 25 years), each fief compiled a record of property occupiers and owners – known as Livre de Perchage – for the benefit of the seigneurs to ensure effective collection of feudal dues. These can be a valuable source for tracing how long a family has lived in a particular fief, or owned a particular property.

By the 16th century, Guernsey had developed a formal system of recording land transactions through its courts. The Royal Court of Guernsey became the central institution overseeing property matters, including the registration of property conveyances.

The sale of property was recorded in one of two ways – resulting in two record series of property transactions: Date and Lire. The main difference between these two options was the duration of retrait lignager – the period during which heirs could challenge the sale of property out of the family. For Date this was 10 years and for Lire it was one year. These documents record the names of the buyer and seller, as well as their father’s name and their place of birth.

Land transactions became more structured, with deeds recorded systematically to ensure legal clarity. This period also saw legal reforms that influenced property ownership rights, including changes to inheritance laws that gradually modernised succession practices.

Today, property ownership records and wills of realty continue to be maintained by the Greffe (the Record Office of the Royal Court). These historical records can be valuable for genealogical and legal research, as they contain much information about families and their relationships.

Partnership

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