Index 1999

Members' Contributions  

January 19th: The Imperial Contribution & The Association Of Jerseymen by Gavin Booth  

February 16th: Firemarks and Fire Insurance in Jersey by David Le Maistre & Alex Glendinning  

March 16th : Major Thomas Fyers R.E. in the Channel Islands (1811-1829) by Alex Glendinning  

April 20th: (1) Gaye Britton: an interesting Militia manuscript of 1795 | (2) Martine Schenk: The 150th Anniversary of the L.D.S. Church in Jersey | (3) Alex Glendinning: The first photograph of an eclipse in Jersey ?  

May 18th: (1) Alex Glendinning reported on his research into the West Park Pavilion, to be published in the autumn of 1999. He summarised the history of the Pavilion from its origins as the "Tin House" used by circuses in the 1880s to the present building built by Horn Brothers, which opened in 1931. The West Park Pavilion Ltd Shareholders' Books from 1931-1969 were circulated | (2) As a follow up to Gaye Britton's April item , Roger de Carteret reported that he posted the query to the Channel Islands Mailing List and a subscriber spent the day in the Nova Scotia Archives and reported other Jersey names, but nothing conclusive about John Janvrin or his Regiment has been found.  

June 15th: Helen Evans of Cambridge University spoke about her studies regarding the religious history of Jersey from 1540-1640, using the early Ecclesiastical Court Records and other sources. She is particulary interested in discovering if the Catholic Church was as strong during this period as it was in Guernsey.  

July 20th: Charlotte Hotton (Historic Building Section - States of Jersey Planning and Enviroment Department) brought a selection of the Section's Historic Buildings pictures and a photographic survey of some of the interesting dilapidated buildings in the Island | Alex Glendinning circulated a photograph of a recently discovered datestone asking members of the section to identify the symbol carved on it. Theories ranged from a fleur de lys, a crown, a man, scales to an early masonic symbol but there was no definitive answer. See Datestone No. 1046 at the Jersey Datestones Project .  

August 17th: Gavin Booth reported on the total eclipse of the sun on August 11 1999 in Cornwall and Aldemey; Jersey experienced 98% totality | David Le Maistre is looking for information on the identity of an escapee from Jersey after D-Day 1944. A 'Mr A. Le Gastelois' smuggled out a detailed report on Jersey's defences written by a military expert who says that he has a sister in Cheltenham who can provide verification. Was the report written by Major Rybot and smuggled out by Alphonse Le Gastelois? David also said that a Mr Le Louan left Jersey in 1942 and reached England via Scandinavia. Neither exploit is in Roy Thomas' book 'Lest We Forget' (1992).  

September 21st: Marie-Louise Backhurst reported on the French émigrés in Europe (1789-1814 ) Conference at the French Institute, London in July, at which she gave a paper: The émigrés in Jersey | Nicolas Joualt has deposited an informative chronological history of the building of the harbours by Thomas Le Gros (bap. St Martin 1797) and his son Tom Charles Le Gros (bap. St Mt. 1824). It can be found in the Library Harbours Box - item 49.  

October 19th: The Section met at the Jersey Library for a viewing of the Falle Collection by kind permission of Mrs Maureen Corrigan, Chief Librarian.  

November 16th: General Meeting. Pauline Taylor asked if the location of any of the other premises rented, found in the Barrack Master's Return (1796-1800) Société Library Collection , have been identified. For example: Invalid Regiments at St Brelade's Parsonage rented from the Rector at £40.00 per annum and Pont Marquet Hospital was rented from William Brine at £30.00 per annum. Dunell's Stores (Beaumont) provided bedding and utensils. Plus link to items from the Lunchtime Lecture of November 17th: Iconography of the Jersey Leopards - by Geraint Jennings.  

December 21st : Attention was drawn to Roland de Caen's Index of the Godfray Map of 1849 (http://members.aol.com/johnf14246/ci/1849map/intro.html) which will form part of a project to map out all of Jersey's old houses.