4SOCIÉTÉ JERSIAISE

 

HISTORY SECTION

www.societe-jersiaise.org/history

 

      Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday February 21st 2006 at 5.15pm, Members’ Room

 

             Members present:

             Frank Falle (Chairman), Jean Arthur, Don & Jean Bell, Mary Billot, Mervyn Billot, Bertram Bree, Francis Corbet, Mike & Jill Cotter, Caroline Easterbrook, Mary Gibb, Nicolas Jouault, Peter King (new member), Sally Knight, George Langlois, Suzanne Le Feuvre, Georgia Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur, Mike Lees, Elinor McFadden, Rose Millow, Will Millow, Paul Nicolle (new member), Alec Podger, Wendy Tipping, Bill Tower, David Woodall.

 

 

Members will be sorry to learn that Caroline Easterbrook died suddenly late on the evening of February 21st 2006, aged 65. She will be much missed. The Section was well represented at her funeral on March 2nd 2006.

 

 

1.            Apologies for absence

            Yvonne Aston, Marie-Louise Backhurst, Ann Corbet, Sue Groves, Sue Hardy, Andy Harris, Tertius Hutt, David Le Maistre, David Levitt, Ian Machin.

 

 

2.            Minutes of the meeting of January 17th 2006 and amendments

6.16      Bob Le Sueur said … Egypt was poor land and its inhabitants were referred to as ‘gypsies’ … The minutes were approved as a correct record.

 

 

3.          Matters arising from the minutes not covered by the agenda

4.3        Sue Groves (by e-mail) said that conservation statements are on the JHT website. Reference copies are available at the Archive and in the SJ Library. The section has been provided with two bound copies and one unbound copy (for photocopying).

6.3            (Minutes of November 15th 2005) Bob Le Sueur consulted Arthur McGuigan who was unable to help. The significance of one stone with an engraved ‘G’ remains unclear.

6.16      Frank Falle said that Croad’s A Jersey Album mentions a canning factory at Grève d’Azette. (Kaffirland). There is no connection with the house Transvaal at Fauvic. House names redolent of Empire were fashionable at the time of the Boer War.

6.17      Sue Groves (by e-mail) said that the JHT Collections Committee is addressing the ongoing problem of a lack of a JHT acquisitions fund. The chairman is Philip Le Brocq, and the SJ President is a member. It wishes to establish a patrons’ fund to be called on when items such as the Lauzun medal (with the Trafalgar clasp) come up for sale and if necessary for the patrons to lead any fundraising campaigns. The SJ and the Trust are already in discussion on making it a joint fund.

Frank Falle has received a letter from David Le Maistre, which said that negotiations to purchase this medal have been successful and that the purchaser intends to donate it to the JHT. David emphasised that he was not the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous.

6.18      Sue Groves (by e-mail) said that she is in contact with Ned Malet de Carteret and his world-wide contacts about VCs with Jersey connections. She hopes to disseminate the information as widely as possible.

 

 

4.            Chairman’s communications

             Frank Falle welcomed two new members to the Section – Peter King and Paul Nicolle.

4.1        Frank said that the Millennium standing stones walk takes place on Saturday March 25th, starting at Les Platons car park. Details and forms available from the Office.

4.2        He said that the Section’s budget for 2006 was £200.00.

4.3        Frank said that Mr de La Haye wanted further information on the source of images of the camera obscura at Grève de Lecq (minutes of November 16th 2004). Mr Alan Allix (CIOS) owns the images; Roy Dobin is his contact.

4.4        Marie-Louise Backhurst is running a workshop on the maps of St Helieir on Thursday March 30th at 7.30pm. 

            Please let the Office know if you wish to attend.

4.5                Frank is preparing the Section report for the next Newsletter. It will include the speakers for the Autumn lunchtime lectures and members’ ongoing research. He will also emphasise community help provided by the Section as many SJ members act as speakers for the University of the Third Age (U3A) at Highlands College.

4.6                The JHT requires a new trustee drawn from the SJ. The Office will send out a letter about the appointment, which should be filled by someone active in the SJ.

4.7        Mike Lees is convenor of the Section’s Forts and Towers Working Party, which will be added to the agenda.

4.8        The dates and titles for the Autumn lunchtime lectures were clarified; Antony Gibb will have first pick of the dates.

 

 

5.            Members’ contributions

5.1        Bertram Brée gave details of the 2006 weekend in Normandy for 30 people. It will be for 3 nights (Friday September 1st – Monday September 4th) with visits to the Jacques Cartier Museum near Cancale, Coutances Cathedral, Balleroy Castle near Bayeux, L’Abbaye du Voeu in Cherbourg.

            Bertram said that Philippe d’Auvergne had a closer entitlement to the title of Duc de Bouillon through his Jersey ancestry than through the d’Auvergne family in France.

5.2        Mike Lees (Convenor Forts and Towers Working Party) said that comments on Elizabeth Castle have gone to Roger Hills. The draft report on La Crête Fort has been received. Mike is doing further research based on maps and on the minutes of States meetings. Comments must be in by March 30th 2006. The draft reports on Archirondel Tower and La Tour Carré (St Ouen) will arrive soon. 

5.3        Sally Knight said that there was a report in the JEP of 1911 on the flooding of St Helier on December 24th 1788.

5.4                Bob Le Sueur said that Mrs Elizabeth Horne has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries (FSA). She was a member of the Carnac group.

5.5                Wendy Tipping wishes to know the location of Brook Street; her grandfather’s sister, Miss Janvrin, lived there in 1906.  It joins King St with Vine St, by Hamons.

5.6        David Woodall said that a copy of his work on Sir George de Carteret and privateers was now in the SJ Library. He submitted it to the Cromwell Association for a prize but was not successful.

            He said that Le Pinacle was a signal station in Gallo-Roman times (Jacquetta Hawkes, 1937, and David E. Johnston, 1981).

5.7        Francis Corbet is giving a Members’ talk on Wednesday March 22nd on St Helier

5.8        George Langlois said that the States has granted £160,000 to Transport & Technical Services to examine underground water. The hot springs and volcano at Rozel go down 1,000 feet; there is also one at Les Ecréhos.

5.9        Alec Podger said that drownings at sea are difficult to establish especially if the ship sinks with its logbook. A widow would have to wait for seven years for a pension from the Jersey Merchant Seamens’ Benefit Society. The almanacs give facts about ships’ names and fate if the JMSBS records cannot help.

5.10            Suzanne Le Feuvre said that a label has replaced the original plaque on the refurbished prison grille at the Town Church. She will pursue the matter.

            She gave a report on the National Trust for Jersey meeting on water meadows, which took place on January 26th 2006. She wants to know if there are any others apart from the one at The Elms, St Mary. The meadow in Rozel Woods might be another example.                                     [Copy of report with official minutes]

5.11      Nicolas Jouault circulated a picture of the Franz Joseph Bridge in Prague; William Henry Le Feuvre was its engineer, cf. the Albert Bridge in London.                                     [Copy of photo with official minutes]

            He has researched Jersey connections in New Zealand including John Alexander Wilson (Calvados 1809?-St Helier 1887); William Henry Valpy (1793-1852), son of Richard Valpy (St John 1754-1836); John Alexander Gilfillan (Elizabeth Castle 1793-Melbourne, Australia 1864).            [Details with official minutes]

            Nick is chairing an Executive sub-committee, which is examining members’ meetings. Deirdre Shute wishes to retire as organiser of these meetings so a successor is needed. Frank Falle asked for the item to be put on the March agenda.

5.12      Mike Lees asked whether the wharf under the extension to the Royal Yacht Hotel has been recorded. Frank said that the Archaeology Section photographed the early masonry, which is similar to the south pier at St Aubin. The cannon found was very small and was probably signal cannon or from a ship.

5.13      Sue Groves reported (by e-mail) that the Archive holds its first Open Day on Saturday March 25th 2006. It is taking part in the Public Services Quality Group survey of archive users in the last two weeks of March. There has been an influx of records from the Public Services Dept, which are being cleaned, sorted and catalogued.

 

 

6.          Date of next meeting

            Tuesday 21st March 2006 at 5.15 p.m. in the Members’ Room if available, otherwise in the Arthur Mourant Room.