History Section

 
La Société Jersiaise

The History Section

 

Minutes of the meeting held Tuesday April 17th 2001 at 5.15pm
Arthur Mourant Room

        
1.         Members present :
Marie-Louise Backhurst, Mary Billot (Secretary), Mervyn Billot, Gaye Britton, Roger de Carteret, Frank Falle (Chairman), Douglas Hooke, Geraint Jennings, Nicolas Jouault, Sally Knight, Frank Le Blancq, David Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur, David Levitt, Alec Podger.

Apologies :
Yvonne Aston, Georgia Le Maistre, Martine Schenk

2.        Minutes of the meeting of March 20th 2001 and amendments.
  1. 2Roger de Carteret (not Bob Le Sueur) suggested that Grosnez was a suitable site for an explanatory panoramic notice about the other islands and rocks. The minutes were then approved as a correct record.

3.         Matters arising from the minutes, not covered by the agenda
  1. 3Mary Billot said that the Dinan programme and request for payment of the deposit will be sent out in the next mailing.
  2. 2Bob Le Sueur said that the SJ could seek to help the JHT on the text for the four new signs. He reported that the Mont Orgueil Castle monitoring group has been set up to monitor the plans and the planning application. David Levitt said that Frank Falle now has a copy of his guide notes on the Castle and that Cassie Horton will bear the Section in mind in the future. Frank Falle emphasised that it is important for the Section to respond to requests of assistance. Marie-Louise Backhurst said that requests should go to the Section Chairman.
  3. 3David Le Maistre has contacted the daughter of the last caretaker of the Oddfellows Hall, before it was demolished to make way for the new apartments.
5.4        Frank Falle has passed details of a St Martin sundial to David Levitt.
  1. 8Marie-Louise Backhurst gave details on the manufacture of 'Roman cement' and its possible first use in Jersey. James Parker patented it in 1796. The Coade family made Coadestone in Lambeth to a secret recipe (1769-1840). Prince's Tower was an example of the early Gothic revival. David Le Maistre said that there was no evidence of lime (an ingredient for 'Roman cement') being burnt locally before the early 19th century. [Notes with minutes]
  2. 9Frank Falle reported that the La Hougue Boëte horse burial found in 1911 was genuine; Mrs Rayworth's horse was buried at La Hougue Boëte Manor in the 1930s.


4.        Chairman's announcements
  1. 1.1Frank Falle asked members to sign a get-well card for Georgia Le Maistre who is now convalescing at home after her operation. He said that the Section has received the Jersey Archives Newsletter. He has had a letter from the President about the Mont Orgueil Castle conservation plan; contributions should be sent to Jane Kennedy by the end of April. Bob Le Sueur was told that Olga Finch has all references to the Castle found in the SJ Library database and in the subject card catalogue. Marie-Louise Backhurst has a list of material held by the Jersey Archive.
  2. 1.2Frank Falle circulated a news cutting about the UCL Viking genetic study and said that he was to attend the Society for Mediaeval Archaeology conference on the Viking period of settlement in England and Wales (Cardiff, July 2001).
  3. 1.3He also said that he wants the section to adopt a higher profile and drew attention to various anniversaries, e.g. 1602 (founding of the Registre Public); July 1751 (George II statue was unveiled 250 years ago); 1802 (many events). He thought that the JEP would welcome articles at the relevant times with a Section by-line.
4.1.4         He noted some dates :
        April 21st : SJ AGM (Bob Le Sueur pointed out that Frank is standing as an ordinary member)
        April 25th : SJ Members meeting. Peter Bisson on the feudal system in Jersey.
  1. 2 Mary Billot said that Sir James Holt (former Master of Fitzwilliam College Cambridge) is researching in the events of 1204 in the SJ Library for a book commissioned by the Policy & Resources Committee (publication date in 2004).

5        Members' contributions
  1. 1Bob Le Sueur gave a substantial paper on 'The German mutiny that never was, May 1st 1945', which recorded his recollections of the period just before the Liberation. His paper will be published in the next Channel Islands Occupation Society journal (Jersey issue) in the Autumn 2001.
  2. 2Alec Podger asked whether these lectures should be more public. It was agreed that these Section slots are a sounding board to test a thesis, which can be later repeated to a wider audience.
  3. 3David Le Maistre circulated a small brass box and asked if it was made out of a shell case.
  4. 4Mervyn Billot said that he was reading an informative guide-book of 1858 by Frank Fether Dally (The Channel Islands. London : Edward Stanford, 1858). [Copy in Library]
  5. 5Marie-Louise Backhurst said that Prof. Bouet will lecture (in French) to the Amitiés Franco-Britanniques on April 23rd 2001 on William the Conqueror. Gerald Pouchin will speak about Victor Hugo in the C.I. on 3/4 June 2001.
  6. 6Geraint Jennings passed on to the Library an e-mail query about the Treaty of Lambeth (1217) to which reply has been made. He said that the Fête Normande is on May 5th in Guernsey; the Fête Coutances is on 8/9 June in Jersey.
  7. 7David Levitt has sent his sundials report to the British Sundials Society. He has also located a sundial at The Mount, Pont Marquet, St Brelade. He said that a silver salver with a Poulett coat of arms appeared recently on the Antiques Road Show (BBC1).
  8. 8Frank Le Blancq has found a newspaper reference to an early exhibition of Daguerréotype in May 1840 (Chronique de Jersey), which he will pass on to any one interested.


6.        There was no other business.

7.         Date of next meeting

Tuesday May 15th 2001 at 5.15 pm, Arthur Mourant Room, 3rd floor