Jurat of seven years sworn in as Lieutenant Bailiff

Friday 06 August 2021

An islander who first became a Jurat seven years ago as a way of "giving something back to the community" was sworn in as Lieutenant Bailiff in the Royal Court this morning.

Jerry Ramsden (70) became a Jurat in October 2014 and is now the second most senior on the bench.

He was sworn in as Lieutenant Bailiff before the Royal Court this morning to take the spot left vacant by Anthony Olsen, who retired in June to join the Magistrate’s Court as a Relief Magistrate.

Mr Ramsden joins Jurat Collette Crill in the role of Lieutenant Bailiff, which has been in existence for 500 years.

“In those days, the Bailiff used to be over in England or somewhere quite often, and so the Lieutenant Bailiffs were back here and were sort of running things in Jersey,” Mr Ramsden explained.

Pictured: Anthony Olsen was recently sworn in as a Relief Magistrate.

“It’s to help the Bailiff in civic duties that he can’t do for whatever reason, so that’s the connection with him and the work with him, and there are committee meetings, there are other things that he can’t go to he asks the Lieutenant Bailiffs to go to, representing him.”

He added that the role is also about being a mentor and helping the younger Jurats.

“It’s now seven years that I have been a Jurat. It’s good to be able to help one or two younger ones on,” he said. “It’s a club - it’s a wonderful club to be a member of, because there are 12 of you and we all share our views and discuss things and you learn an awful lot from what your colleagues have to say as well.”

When he was proposed as a Jurat by the Constable of St. Helier, Simon Crowcroft, and Advocate Nuno Santos-Costa, Mr Ramsden says he didn’t know “anything much” about the role.

After the initial “astonishment”, he did some research and spoke to a few of the Jurats who had recently joined at the time, which included Mr Olsen.

“I was interested in it, very interested,” he said. “It’s a way of giving something back to the community and I think there’s an awful lot to be said for that. I think it means Jurats will have an independent sort of voice - some politicians don’t like that we can be quite difficult to manage because we all have our own opinion, and we’re not shy of expressing it!

“I think it’s a very good system and most politicians feel that and accept that as well. We are ordinary people from different walks of life, but we can express our views and people tend to think, ‘Well, that’s sensible.'"

Pictured: Jurat Ramsden joins Jurat Collette Crill in the role of Lieutenant Bailiff.

Mr Ramsden particularly enjoys the “broad experience of life in different fields” that the Jurats share, which he says is very helpful when difficult decisions have to be made.

“We tend to talk about common sense, that’s what we can bring to it, whereas sometimes, in England for example, judges sit on their own and they have a very isolated and quite lonely sort of existence if you like,” he explained. “I think sometimes they come up with decisions which seem to be a bit strange, whereas if you have people with you who can say, ‘Hang on a bit, that seems a bit stupid,’ it’s really, really helpful.

“English judges that come over here, they sit in the Court of Appeal, but occasionally they sit with Jurats as well. They are hugely impressed with Jurats as a system because they can actually discuss things and get views from other people.”

In addition, he says the role, which involves a lot of reading, has proven intellectually beneficial.

“I do think Jurats do a wonderful job, they work very hard, it’s like two thirds of a full-time job, but in my seven years so far - I am now 70 - I have been learning something new every day and that is absolutely wonderful to keep the gray matter going at the age of 70,” he said. "You do get a lot of things from it from that point of view.”

Speaking at the swearing-in, which Mr Ramsden was only able to attend with his wife, Pat, Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq said: “It is sad in these times that you are denied the pomp of swearing that is the usual traditional. But it is typical that you get on with the job rather than wait for easier times, when more of friends and family could join you.

“It has become recent practice to appoint two Lieutenant Bailiffs, and you step into shoes left by Jurat Anthony Olsen who retired in June.

"You are very much up to task and I look forward to working with you.” 

READ MORE...

The Real Jurats of Jersey - an interview with Jurat Rozanne Thomas and outgoing Lieutenant Bailiff Anthony Olsen

Behind the robes - an interview with Jurat Elizabeth Dulake and former Lieutenant Bailiff Paul Nicolle