'Historic occasion' for first female bailiff

The first female bailiff in Guernsey has been officially sworn into the courts and is now the 91st bailiff of the island.

Jessica Roland became the first female deputy bailiff when she was appointed in 2020, and received approval to become bailiff by the King in July.

She is succeeding Sir Richard McMahon who has been in the role since 2020.

In her speech to the crowd of politicians and other members of the court, the new bailiff thanked her family and those around her.

After the ceremony, the procession from St James to the Royal Court started with a guard of honour from Women in Public Life.

Chair of the organisation, Shelaine Green, said: "This is an absolutely historic occasion. Jessica Roland is our first female bailiff in 748 years.

"She has had 90 predecessors, all of them have been men."

She said it was important for young people to see women in decision-making positions to inspire them.

Students from schools across the island were invited to watch the ceremony.

Josie, a student from Les Beaucamps High School, said: "It is inspiring that we are in a generation now that we can do this type of stuff and be able to uplift other people."

Green said: "I will carry her smile with me for a long, long time. That was exactly what we wanted.

"We just wanted our new bailiff to know how much Guernsey celebrated her becoming our 91st Bailiff."

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