Chausey was for a long time an object of rivalry between England and France. Although the UK government has contended that, until about 1764, Chausey belonged to England, Chausey, unlike its Channel Islands neighbours, has, in fact, been French for centuries. It was administered from Jersey until 1499, when the Jerseymen abandoned it to the French for reasons unknown. The Jersey historian Alec Podger has suggested that it was too costly in terms of money and manpower to control and, as the islands were not on the sea-lanes, it was decided that the benefits did not justify this cost. Seafarers engaged in illegal business long valued this maze of islands as a den of piracy and smuggling. The Sound, the natural channel running along the Grande île, or the Passe Beauchamp, were ideally secluded anchorages.