Sybil Hathaway

DAME SIBYL HATHAWAY DBE d1974. Dame of Sark from 1927 until her death in 1974. Her 47-year rule over Sark (in the Channel Islands) spanned the reigns of four Monarchs : George V / Edward VIII / George VI and Elizabeth II. She was the daughter of the eccentric Seigneur of Sark, William Frederick Collings. She married Dudley Beaumont in 1901 and they had seven children. She succeeded her father in 1927 and immediately set about reinforcing her feudal rights and promoting tourism on the island, which she affectionately called "the last bastion of feudalism". When she remarried in 1929, her second husband, Robert Hathaway, legally became her senior co-ruler, but she kept control of the government. Her tenure saw the German occupation of the Channel Islands in WW2, during which she refused to evacuate and convinced the islanders to stay as well. She remains best known for her indomitable conduct during the occupation. After the war, she continued her publicity campaign, strengthening the island's tourism industry. She was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1965. She was described by a British government official as a "lady of unusual personality" and is often referred to as a benevolent dictator. She died on Sark on July 14th 1974 at the age of 90