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Guernsey was part of the French mainland up to 6,500BC until the end of the Ice Age. The 20th century discoveries have shown evidence of mankind dating back to New Stone Age when tribes from Spain moved here. All around Guernsey are traces of Neolithic Age including defensive earth works, menhirs and dolmens.
Several excavations in St Peter Port prior to reconstruction works in the late 20th century have established that the Romans used the island as a trading base from around 56 AD. They most likely stayed here for around 250 years. The Romans named Guernsey as Sarnia. The last two words "ey" in Guernsey are Viking, which means ‘island'. Although ruled from Lyons, the islands enjoyed a fair amount of independence.
Saint Sampson introduced Christianity in Guernsey in between 3rd and 4th centuries. He, later, established a church in the island. The Bretons moved to the island from between 600 and 800AD.
The Vikings started to make their mark around the Seine and Loire areas. In 911, Rollo took control of Caen from the inhabitants of Breton. This was the beginning of the Duchy of Normandy and Rollo's son William Longsword added the Cotentin peninsular in 933. In around 933, William Longsword added the islands to the dukedom of Normandy. Since then, the inhabitants of these islands have been accountable only to the Duke of Normandy and his successors, the British sovereign. When Guillaume, Duke of Normandy conquered England in 1066, he became King William I as well as Duke of Normandy. Even when King John lost the territory of Normandy to Philip II of France, the Channel Islands remained loyal to the English crown. In return for this loyalty, King John granted the rights and privileges to the island in 1215, which made them virtually self-governing, subject only to Royal assent and enactments through the Privy Council.
In 1294, a large part of the Guernsey population was killed in French raids. Over the subsequent centuries, possession of the islands switched back and forth between the English and French almost 6 times. Between 1338 and 1340, the French occupied Guernsey, seized Castle Cornet and held it for 6 years. However, raids continued up to the end of the 1400s. In 1480, Pope Sixtus IV declared the island neutral. In 1481, the States of Guernsey had been formed and it had started exporting woolens.
At the end of the English civil war, Guernsey petitioned the Monarchy pleading for a Royal pardon in 1660. When it granted, all previous rights and privileges were restored. In the 1600's, privateering became commonplace and considerable wealth started to build up in the islands. This was legalized piracy licensed by the Crown to seize foreign ships. During the Reformation, the islands moved back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism. John Wesley visited Guernsey in 1787 and Methodism flourished.
In the 1800's, wealthy French residents fleeing the revolution and set up home in the islands. 16 forts and 58 coastal batteries were also built to defend the island from the French prior to the Battle of Waterloo. The Bridge area at St Sampsons was also filled in to stop the north of the island from being separated.
At the beginning of the 19th century, because of the Napoleonic wars, the trade of Guernsey was practically extinguished. It led to unemployment, break down of sea defense, lack of roads and disrepair of public buildings. After much debate, the States agreed to issue its own bank notes for the first time in 1816.
In 1926, the island adopted English language and the island's currency linked to the British Pound. During 1940-1945, Guernsey was occupied by German forces and huge numbers of defensive positions were built as part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Of the population of 40,000, 17,000 were evacuated to England. The islands were liberated in May 1945 and May 9 is celebrated as the Liberation Day.
Post war, tourism started to take off and around 250,000 people per annum were visiting Guernsey. Stable government and a lack of party politics has encouraged Banking and Finance generally, to be the main income earners from the 1980's onwards and has brought huge wealth to Guernsey and a respectable standing in the world of Offshore Finance centers.
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