“KING OF LUNDY. ”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18823, 11 March 1931, Page 7

“KING OF LUNDY. ”

FINED FOR COINING. What the Lord Chief Justice described as a very entertaining case came before a King’s Bench Divisional Court, when Mr Martin Coles Harman, the owner of Lundy Island, conducted in person an appeal against his conviction at Bideford (Devon) Petty Sessions in April. 1930. He was then fined £5 for wilfully issuing a piece of metal, contrary to the Coinage Act. The Attorney-General (Sir William Jowitt, K.C.), and Mr Wilfrid Lewis (instructed by the Treasury Solicitor) appeared in support of the conviction. Lord Hewart, Mr Justice Avory, and Mr Justice Mackinnon comprised the court. Mr Harman said that the conviction referred to the issue by him of certain coins called puffins and half-puffins, to which objection had been taken by the authorities on the mainland. Some of the coins were produced by Mr Harman, who told the court that puffin birds were very numerous on Lundy Island. “Lundy” was Icelandic for puffin. Lundy, although quite small, was of importance, and the services it had rendered the shipping fraternity had been valuable. Whenever there had been a murder of the entire population of the island the mainland Government had disclaimed responsibility. The Lord Chief Justice: “Does the murder of the entire population often happen?” (Laughter.) Mr Harman: “Yes, pirates often used to.” Mr Justice Avory: “Perhaps the entire population of rabbits was murdered.” Mr Harman added that Lundy paid no rates, duties, or titles to the mainland, and rightly so, because Lundy received nothing from the mainland. There was no old age pension, and no allowance for sewerage or lighting. Lundy received nothing from the mainland and paid nothing, and he maintained that Lundy Island was a “vest pocket size self-governing dominion.” Mr Harman, who said that he had his own postage stamps, caused laughter by remarking: “I dismissed my G.P.0.” “I contend that the court below and also this court is not able to deal with my right to issue coins on Lundy Island. The mere fact that Lundy is small and near England does not alter its status,” said Mr Harman, who added that he had offered to refer the matter to King George, and accept loyally his decis'on on the matter, but the offer had been refused. Mr Justice Avory: “Who i* the Sovereign of Lundy?” Mr Harman: “I am.” The Lord Chief Justice: “You say this was an excess of jurisdiction on the part of the Bideford Justices, but not an act of war.” Mr Justice Avory: “Does it ever happen that anvone assaults anyone else on Lundy Island?” Mr Harman: “Yes, and it is put down with a heavy hand.” “Whose heavy hand?” —“The hand of my agent, who is 6ft 4in in height, and weighs 18st.” (Laughter.) The Attorney-General said that Lundy seemed to be Utopia, but he thought that the people would be just as happy if they had pennies with King George’s head on them instead of puffins with Mr Harman’s head on them.

Mr Justice Avory: “The question is whether Lundy is part of Devon.” The Lord Chief Justice said that the case had been ably argued by Mr Harman. The question for the court was whether the Justices came to a correct conclusion. There was evidence that entitled them to convict Mr Harmftn. Mr Justice Avory and Mr Justice MacKinnon agreed, and the appeal was dismissed.