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Gautier de la Salle: a "most notorious" henchman |
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The tables turned
Some years later, Gerard Philippe, nephew of Ranulph Gautier, petitioned Edward II demanding justice for the murder of his uncle. In 1320 de la Salle was apprehended, tried and executed for murder, whilst the rest of his accomplices escaped. He was hanged at the Courtil de Gibet, which has given rise to another part of the legend: the Bailiff's Cross. It is said that de la Salle halted at the spot on the road still known as the Bailiff's Cross to make his last confession, although the truth of this is still debated.
A lazy Warden
Whilst we will never know exactly what happened, the legend of La Ville au Roi, and the truth behind it, opens a window onto the state of the Guernsey administration in the early-14th Century, and people's attitudes towards it. 
Edward I bestowed Otto de Grandison with the title Lord of the Isles |
From 1275 to 1328, during which period the legend is set, Guernsey was under the wardenship of Otto de Grandison. Otto, a Burgundian Knight, was a favourite of Edward I, and was granted the office of Warden (and later “Lord of the Isles”) by the king as a means of income. Otto only visited Guernsey once, however, in 1323, and thus the island's administration developed so that appointees, called variously "ministers", "sub-wardens" and "bailiffs", carried out his functions, collecting taxes and rents, administering justice and so on.
Otto was only interested in the money he could make from the island, and created an oppressive and extortionate regime to make the most out of his position, which, not surprisingly, caused unrest. Much of this was targeted at the bailiffs and jurats, as his representatives of justice on the island, and it is against this background that the story of Gautier de la Salle is best understood – the legend reflects the administrative breakdown of the period, and the people of Guernsey's resentment at the erosion of local laws and customs.
The legend shows a corrupt and money-grabbing official exploiting his position for his own ends, but being foiled by a local worker, and punished for his deceit. The legend’s popularity and longevity suggest its sentiment of mistrust of officials struck a chord, and the evidence seems to bear this out.
In his petition against Gautier de la Salle, for example, Gerard Philippe asks for specific justices to be used in the trial, because those used in previous cases had been more concerned in preserving Otto's rule than in administering the law. He also asks for protection from his nephew’s murderers – who are government officials – because they are now after him.
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