1. Members present :

Jean Arthur, Yvonne Aston, Don & Jean Bell, Suzanne Bidel (new member) Mary Billot (Secretary), Mervyn Billot, Gavin Booth, Bertram Bre, Francis & Anne Corbet, Roy Dobin, Frank Falle (Chairman), Gerry France, Mary Gibb, Nicolas Jouault, George Langlois, Frank Le Blancq, Suzanne Le Feuvre, David Le Maistre, Georgia Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur, Ian Machin, Bill Tower.

Apologies :

Marie-Louise Backhurst, Guy Dixon, Sue Groves, Sue Hardy, Sarah Jordan, Sally Knight, David Levitt, Alec Podger, Graham Stone.

2. Minutes of the meeting of February 18th 2003 and amendments

The minutes were approved as a correct record.

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

4.2 Geraint Jennings will be asked to link the Section minutes to the search engine for the SJ website.

4.5 Bob Le Sueur asked whether his letter dated February 8th 2003 about interpretation at Mont Orgueil Castle had been discussed at Executive. Frank Falle said that Executive had received his letter and it will be included in the Sections response to the Planning Department, which has Executives support.

6.6 Nick Jouault will send his information on William Le Fevre (Le Feuvre on the Web) to Yvonne Aston. Guy Dixon gave more information by phone about his relative, William Henry Le Fevre, He was a civil engineer in the 1890s and was involved in the Building of St Pancras Station. His brother was the Vice Dean, Philip Alfred Le Fevre of La Hougue, St Peter. More information is in Jersey : my reminiscences, by W.L. de Gruchy (Jersey Society in London, 1923). See also Francis Corbets information under Members contributions.

4. Chairmans communications

4.1 Frank welcomed a new member to the Section Suzanne Bidel, who is interested in family history, Fort Regent and Hill Street.

4.2 He said that Chairmen and Secretaries of sections meet the next day (March 19th). The section budget is 200 for 2003. Some economies will be made in the Bulletin; there will be no colour section. The rise in the cost of postage is causing concern and there is a proposed increase in subscriptions.

4.3 The sections annual report for 2002 will include Mont Orgueil Castle, the horses tooth, Mervyn Billots research on agricultural machinery, Prof. Machins research on General Don, 1806-1814, the lunch time lectures, the late Roger de Carteret, the visit of the Icelandic Ambassador.

4.3 The millennium standing stones walk is on Saturday March 29th (ca 24 miles).

4.4 The Bonhams & Langlois C.I. sale is on March 26th. On March 25th Frank Falle and Alex Glendinning will give a lunchtime talk on the Falle and the du Heaume families as many of the lots belonged to them.

5. Members contributions

5.1 Bertram Bre has amassed a large amount of information on the leopards of Normandy, Jersey and England, downloaded from the Web. Le lopard can signify both a leopard and a lion in heraldry; the emblem of the Plantagenet kings was three leopards. It was incorporated into the English coat of arms at the time of Henry II or Richard I. Therefore Jerseys three leopards were inherited from England.

Jerseys two leopards came from Normandy. In 1204 Philip Augustus absorbed mainland Normandy into France. In 1304 Jersey and Guernsey became two separate bailiwicks each with its own seal (3 leopards). In 1426 John, Duke of Bedford and brother of Henry V, founded Caen University and introduced its emblem of the two leopards of Normandy.

He also said that William I introduced the cross of St George into England as it was his flag.

Bertram can supply further information to anyone interested.

5.2 He has also found information about Louis Hue Girardin, a pseudonum of Louis-Franois Picot, born about 1771 near Dreux in Normandy, died 1825 in Baltimore, Maryland. He fled to England in about 1793/4 at the time of the second Terror and went to Virginia in about 1798. [Details in minutes file].

5.3 Bertram said that Prof. Ren Lepelley of Caen University addresses the Amitis Franco-Britanniques de Jersey on April 2nd, 8pm, Members Room.

5.4 David Le Maistre said that the SJ meeting on postcards was very valuable. The project of listing by publisher is nearly complete after 2 years work.

5.5 Gavin Booth circulated a silver plated bowl, which Wests Pictures presented to Mr and Mrs E.C. Boielle on their silver wedding anniversary on August 23rd 1925.

5.6 Mary Gibb said that she wished to research the history of the German Occupation from an economic stance and asked if others would be interested. The local currency was the Reichmark. John Wadsworth of the Midland Bank in London wrote a history of wartime banking, which included a chapter on the C.I. branches.

5.7 Frank Falle said that a model of the Mont de La Ville dolmen is needed.

He circulated copies of the Sections submission about Mont Orgueil Castle, which covers the use and nomenclature of the chapels, the mediaeval hall, Tudor Hall/St Georges Hall, the mediaeval battlements. It will go to Jon Carter (JHT) with a copy to Stuart Fell (Planning Dept). [Copy in minutes file].

5.8 Anne Corbet will give her information on the mailboats at the next meeting; her puzzling query is now solved.

5.9 Francis Corbet is documenting the memorials in the Town Church. He confirmed that Vice Dean Philip Le Fevre spelt his name thus from the evidence of his will and his memorial. He collapsed at the altar on March 31st 1889. He was Vice Dean during Dean Le Bretons disgrace and sojourn in England (1880-88).

Francis offered to show people around the Church; this offer was greeted with enthusiasm perhaps on a Saturday afternoon?

5.10 Bob Le Sueur said that there would be two vacancies on Executive with elections at the AGM on April 26th; Chris Aubin has completed his maximum term of office and Colin Perchard was co-opted, not elected.

5.11 Roy Dobin said that the CIOS had its AGM last week. Michael Ginns is still both President and Secretary; Roy is a Vice President. The next meeting on March 25th (Members Room, 8pm) is on German newsreels; the meeting on April 9th will cover the D-Day landings.

5.12 Mervyn Billot has come across an interesting description by C.P. Le Cornu of ploughing without a skimmer in the 1840s-1860s.

5.13 Frank Le Blancq wants information on John Fisher who was recorded in the 1881 census, living at Signal House, Noirmont, aged 46, a Greenwich pensioner. By 1891 he was a railway stationmaster in St Aubin. He kept weather reports as an official observer. Does anyone know when he became a stationmaster?

5.14 Georgia Le Maistre thanked everyone for signing her birthday card.

6. Date of next meeting

Tuesday April 15th 2003, 5.15pm. In the Members Room if available; otherwise in the Arthur Mourant Room