SOCIÉTÉ JERSIAISE

 

HISTORY SECTION

www.societe-jersiaise.org/history

 

 

Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday August 16th 2005 at 5.15pm, Members’ Room

 

 

            Members present :

Frank Falle (Chairman), Marie-Louise Backhurst, Mary Billot (Secretary), Mervyn Billot, Bertram Brée, Roy Dobin, Mary Gibb, Sue Groves, Douglas Hooke, Nicolas Jouault, George Langlois, Suzanne Le Feuvre, Georgia Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur, Mike Lees, David Levitt, Elinor McFadden, Will Millow, Bill Tower, David Woodall (new member).

 

 

1.         Apologies for absence :

Jean Arthur, Yvonne Aston, Francis & Anne Corbet, John & Pam Denize, Guy Dixon, Gerry France, Sue Hardy, Tertius Hutt, Geraint Jennings, Roger Jones, Sarah Jordan, Frank Le Blancq, Ian Machin, Alec Podger.

 

 

2.         Minutes of the meeting of July 19th 2005 and amendments

There were no amendments. The minutes were approved as a correct record.

 

 

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

There were no matters arising.

 

 

4.         Chairman’s communications

4.1        Frank Falle welcomed David Woodall to his first meeting. David is a graduate of the University of East Anglia and is interested in military history, privateers and Sir George Carteret.

4.2        Frank is preparing the Section’s report for the SJ’s Autumn newsletter and will include members’ ongoing research, the September study tour based at Carnac and the Autumn lunch-time lectures. He has a photograph of the list of archers at Mont Orgueil Castle, which was the subject of an article in the SJ Bulletin. The JHT has mislaid the original board.  Bob Le Sueur said that he saw it in the ‘German Room’ about four years ago; it used to be on display in the uppermost room of the residential block.

4.3        Mary Billot said that she has collected the Carnac tickets and vouchers from Go France. She had a late withdrawal so has a vacancy for a twin bedded room. Elinor McFadden will take up one place so Mary needs another female to share [later filled by Sue Groves].  Frank said that presents for our hosts will include two copies of the Wace Roman de Rou for the Maire of Vannes and the President of the Société Polymathique du Morbihan, plus the French booklet on Jersey history and some Jersey lily bulbs for the house owners. We will show our photos at the Christmas meeting. 

 

5.         Members’ contributions

5.1               Sue Groves said that the Archive had received many new accessions; there is a queue of deposits. They include the 18th century civil parish records of St Saviour and a very big deposit from St Brelade. The latter needs freezing, cleaning and cataloguing and includes the parish assemblies, roads and rates minutes. The records of Trinity Parish Church and the civil parish records of St Peter are due soon.

5.2               Georgia Le Maistre is concluding her research on Helier de Jersey Le Maistre of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company; her bulk of her research was published in the CIFHS journal for July 2005. She has now found his marriage at Edgbaston Old Church, Birmingham, and emphasised that she has used many different sources, including those of the Birmingham Reference Library. Helier’s great grandson, Richard Le Maistre, contacted Georgia via the Section’s website as her research had been recorded in the January 2005 minutes.

 

 

5.3               Will Millow gave a very interesting talk on the practicalities of undertaking research for The British Channel under German Occupation 1940-1945 by Dr Paul Sanders. He highlighted three areas of problems and questions – the evidence, the Jersey context and the historian.  Frank thanked him very much for preparing and giving his talk.    [A copy of Will’s notes are in the official minutes file].

5.4               Bill Tower’s research into the cross-Channel Weymouth ferries to the CI continues.

5.5               Nick Jouault said that Deputy Carolyn Labey has proposed that Icho, Seymour and Archirondel Towers be used as maritime centres, with local guides. He said that it is not advisable to use boats.

5.6               Marie-Louise Backhurst visited L’Hôpital, St Martin, in response to the open viewing arranged by the estate agent in charge of the sale by tender. She emphasised that this was an historic building and commented on the decking, plastic windows, municipal type handrails, insensitive underpinning of the cliff and loss of garden for a carpark. She said that it could have been an interpretation centre for St Catherine’s Bay. Planning restrictions seem to have been ignored. The powder magazine near the barbeque site on the coast road still exists. Mervyn Billot agreed with Marie-Louise. Nick Jouault said that at one time there were memorials for the fatalities at the Breakwater and asked where they were. Marie-Louise said that one to Dixon is in St Martin’s cemetery.

5.7               Marie-Louise said that Simon Crowcroft’s play The last voyage of Philippe Dauvergne will be at St James’ on September 1st-3rd at 8.00pm.  She has found more entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography with Jersey connections – Admiral Sir John Balchen (1670-1744), naval officer; Edmund Armstrong (1841-65), poet; Sir John Oldfield (1789-1863), army officer who commanded the Royal Engineers in Jersey until March 1839; Johann Heinrich Müntz (1727-1798), painter and architect.  She has come across more useful websites for family history - www.irelandoldnews.com/index.html for births, marriages and deaths in Jersey, eg. Cork Examiner 1864; www.churchplansonline.org for several plans of Jersey churches; www.a2a.org.uk for UK archival catalogues, eg. House of Lords re Sir Philip de Carteret, 1641.

5.8               Elinor McFadden said that Saturday’s visit to Samarès Manor was very good.

5.9               Mary Gibb is recording the Rozel Harbour nourrice, which has Copp bricks. Robin Cox wrote an article on local brickfields.

5.10            Bob Le Sueur asked for the Section’s views on historic buildings, as he is concerned about possible holiday letting at L’Etacquerel Fort, Seymour and Icho Towers. Georgia Le Maistre said that the Environment Section vets is involved and vets planning applications. Frank said that the JHT will be looking after them and that Fiona Smith (E&PS Historic Buildings Unit) is writing a paper on Jersey’s towers and forts. She is acting as caretaker for the Unit following Stuart Fell’s departure. If she were asked to speak to us, the Archaeology and Environment Sections would like to join in. Mary Gibb supports improvement to the path to L’Etacquerel and preservation of the roof. Frank said that we are interested and lines of interest need to be defined.

5.11            George Langlois said that Warren Farm at Noirmont was now a Site of Special Interest. A very fine barn has been preserved but the hand pump in the yard has been stolen.

 

 

6.0               Date of next meeting

            Tuesday September 20th 2005 at 5.15pm, in the Members’ Room if available, otherwise in the Arthur Mourant Room.