History Section
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The History Section
Minutes of the Meeting held Tuesday February 19th 2002 at 5.15pm
Members' Room
1. Members present :
Jean Arthur, Mary Billot (Secretary), Don & Jean Bell, Gavin Booth, Bertram Brée, Roy Dobin, Frank Falle (Chairman), Sue Hardy, Nicolas Jouault, Sally Knight, Georgia Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur, David Levitt, Winston Pinel (new member).
Apologies :
Yvonne Aston, Marie-Louise Backhurst, Joy Bell, Mervyn Billot, Pat Caine, Roger de Carteret, Mary Gibb, Derek Gray, Douglas Hooke, Suzanne Le Feuvre, David Le Maistre, Alec Podger.
2.Minutes of the meeting of January 15th 2002, and amendments
5.3Guy Dison = Dixon. The minutes were then approved as a correct record.
3. Matters arising from the minutes not covered by the agenda
3Roy Dobin clarified the minute subsequent to a meeting of the CIOS on January 30th 2002. The two roll bombs belong to Eric Walker and are in the keeping of the CIOS; the Command Post was demolished because of its deterioration; the location of the flamethrower was a temporary wartime measure; the King Charles Battery machine gun positions should be preserved. CIOS has not made a separate submission to the MOC draft plan.
Chairman's announcements
1Frank sent best wishes to Mervyn Billot, Douglas Hooke and Alec Podger, who are all out of hospital. He welcomed Winston Pinel to his first meeting. The Section sent its congratulations to Alec for his fascinating paper on Jersey harbours in the 2001 Bulletin.
4.2The Spring Newsletter deadline is March 4th 2002. Sectional topics will include -
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Autumn lunch time lectures (Marie-Louise Backhurst on St Helier drains; Frank Falle on Fara in St Catherine's Bay or the 1769 revolt in Trinity or the fief of St Germain in St Lawrence; Georgia Le Maistre on Lilian Grandin; Bob Le Sueur on the three offshore towers; Geraint Jennings on a St Helier cycle ride; Jean Arthur on colombiers?; Gavin Booth on his father's wartime experiences?)
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Prof. Goldstein (UCL) hopes to come to talk about Viking DNA at the end of this year
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Trip to France (Pirou, D'Hauteville, Hambie), two days in September. John Denize and Bertram Brée offered to help. Problem with reliable Gorey-Carteret service (spring tides at weekends). Priority will be given to Section members
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The horse's tooth at La Hougue Boëte is being tested at Oxford; results within the next month
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Viking DNA reports.
4.3The 2002 Bulletin deadline is imminent. The annual report will include -
·Report on the Dinan Study Tour (written by Francis Corbet)
·Lunch time lecture series 2001
·Mont Orgueil submission to Prof. Dixon and Jane Kennedy
·Viking DNA study (UCL)
·David Levitt on Jersey sundials
4.4The Section's 2002 budget has been received; the annual amount of £250 has been increased to £300.
4.5The next meeting of Chairmen and Secretaries is on Tuesday March 5th 2002.
- 6Frank circulated the general Viking DNA reports; the personal details are confidential at present. UCL is preparing a press release for Frank to issue.
- 7 Mont Orgueil Castle
The Section has submitted its comments on the Draft Conservation Plan with a covering letter, which included the following points -
§Not enough time for an unhurried response
§A very interesting exercise
§Provides an opportunity for investigative work
§Wishes the JHT well in the implementation of the plan.
Copies of the submission were circulated to those members present; Frank said that the SJ Executive had seen the paper before it was sent off. The SJ Archaeology Section has a copy and FOMO can have one too.
Bob Le Sueur said that the Jersey Library has a file of the submissions to Prof. Dixon and Jane Kennedy (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Friends of MO, SJ Archaeology Section, etc.) Should the Section lodge a copy of our submission? Frank said that a corrected version of the plan is being prepared. Bob hoped that there would be a three-month consultation period as is UK practice. It was decided that any objections to a copy of the submission being lodged at the Jersey Library should be made to Frank as soon as possible.
- Members' contributions
- 1David Levitt has recorded 22 sundials so far including one at Les Peupliers, St Ouen, with thanks to Guy Dixon. The maker also made the examples at Le Bel Royal and Mont à L'Abbé. David's article on three local sundials has been published in the Bulletin of the British Sundial Society, 13 (iv), p.166-169 (2001). [For copy see minutes].
- David asked about the scaffolding at present around St Aubin's Fort (tenanted by the Sport, Leisure & Recreation Dept). Jean Arthur said that the Built Heritage Sub-Committee of the Planning Services (Chairman Deputy Layzell) is the forum in which to raise such issues. Chris Aubin is also a member. Is the system of notification working?
- 2Jean Arthur asked whether there was a chapel at Ste Marguerite, near Grouville Church.
Gavin Booth gave details on James Boielle's son Arthur, a member of the D'Oyly Carte chorus with Carte's touring 'D' company (1898-1903).
He also asked about the location of the powder magazines at Mont Orgueil, which seems to be obscure. The castle was adapted for cannon.
Any other business
1Bob Le Sueur made the following points -
§The Archaeology Section is holding a meeting in the Members Room on Thursday February 28th to which the History Section and FOMO are invited. The dating of various areas of Mont Orgueil Castle will be discussed. It will include Dr Rodwell's archaeological evidence; John McCormack's vernacular architecture evidence and Prof. Platt's historical documentation
§Prof. Gwyn Meirion-Jones and Prof. Michael Jones have offered to organise another study tour in 2003 based at Morlaix and to visit sites in North Finistère
§He hoped that the CIOS would make its own submission to the MOC draft conservation plan, even though the deadline has passed.
- Date of next meeting
- Tuesday March 19th 2002, 5.15pm, Members Room if available, otherwise Arthur Mourant Room.
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