Changes In Jersey Ecclesiastical Law

The customary law of Jersey governed matters in the sacramental life of the twelve parishes of Jersey in line with the universal Canon law. The development of a distinct body of ecclesiastical law for Jersey began with the Island’s attachment to the episcopal See of Winchester under Queen Elizabeth I followed by the promulgation of Jersey’s own Canons under James I. The States Assembly legislated in the late 19th century and new forms of ecclesiastical legislation were developed in response to rapid changes in the church’s ministry and synodical government. 2012 saw the achievement of the first new set of Jersey Canons since 1623 but a constitutional crisis the following year led to the more substantive revision which occurred very recently with Jersey’s attachment to the Diocese of Salisbury and the promulgation of new Canons in September 2022 at the very end of the second Elizabethan age.