History Section

 

La Société Jersiaise

The History Section

 

Minutes of the meeting held Tuesday September 19th 2000 at 5.15pm

Members' Room

1. Members present :

Jean Arthur, Bertram Bree (new member), Mervyn Billot (new member), Mary Billot (Secretary), Frank Falle, Sally Knight, David Le Maistre (Chairman), Georgia Le Maistre, Bob Le Sueur (rejoined member), Alec Podger, John & Rosemary Speller.

Apologies : Marie-Louise Backhurst, Francis & Anne Corbet, Roger de Carteret, Tertius Hutt, Geraint Jennings, Reg Jeune, Sandra Routier (new member).

2. Minutes of the meeting of August 18th 2000 and amendments

These were signed as a correct record. There were no amendments.

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

3.5.1 The Channel 4 producer of 'Black history on the map' would be interested in Jersey's black history if something was put up on the Internet.

5 David Le Maistre drew members' attention to the proposed visit to Dinan with Prof. Meirion-Jones in September 2001. Please let Mary Billot know if you want your name put on the list of those interested (currently twelve names).

4. Chairman's announcements

David Le Maistre said that our best wishes have been sent to Roger de Carteret, who is in the sixth week of eight weeks of hospital treatment in Bournemouth.

He reiterated that he would step down as Chairman at the end of 2000 after two years; he hoped that a volunteer would come forward. He said that the Dinan visit and the Section's Autumn 2000 lunchtime lecture programme would appear in the Autumn newsletter.

The Textile History Section has asked this Section to come and talk to it at one of its evening meetings in 2001. Members' suggestions : Mme Coffin (Sally Coffin's grandmother, a society dressmaker), Frank Falle's collection of antique clothes, knitwear, export of boots (to Canada) and stockings, sunbonnets, samplers, spinning, weaving, dyeing. Other ideas welcome.

SJ meetings :

Friday October 6th, 1.00-2.00pm, Members' Room : Jersey in print (book launch of three newly published books, two by the SJ, one by Seaflower Books)

Wednesday October 18th, 8pm, Members' Room : introduction to the Photographic Archive (Julia Coutanche and Gareth Syvret).

Other meetings of interest :

Wednesday September 20 and 27 th , 5.30pm, meet at La Frégate Café : Waterfront walk (John Scally)

Tuesday September 26th , 2.30pm : Mont Orgueil Castle (Michael Day, JHT)

Saturday October 7th, 3pm, meet at Jersey Arts Centre : St Helier Talk-About (Philip Le Brocq)

5 Members' contributions

5.1 David Le Maistre commented on two newspaper reports :

- Northampton mercury, vol.51, no.52, Monday March 11th, 1771, reported on planned barracks in the C.I. for 2,500 recruits to the India Company regiments. The regiment was to consist of three battalions drawn from Irish Catholics and German & Swiss Protestants. No barracks were ever built.

- The Times, no.12,789 of Thursday October 20th 1825, reported a Jersey custom which purported to happen every thirty years. On the designated day for marking boundaries and checking infringements, every man regardless of his status could kiss any woman he encountered; English ladies were so shocked at the prospect that they remained safely at home. [Copies with minutes].

5.2 Bertram Bree (of the La Rocque family) reported his interests : the Archaeology, Marine Biology and Natural History sections.

5.3 Frank Falle reported that Charles de Gruchy of the Canadian Black Watch, died aged 104 in Canada recently.

5.4 Mervyn Billot said that he was researching farm machinery and tools. Any information to him please.

5.5 Alec Podger said that there was a Jersey sampler in the Poole Quayside Museum stitched by Mary Durell.

5.6 Georgia Le Maistre reported on her Lilian Grandin research. She has been lent manuscript material and photographs by two surviving Grandin nieces, which she passed round. Georgia is transcribing the manuscript, a journal of Lilian's voyage up the River Yangtze in 1906. The photographs include images of Edwin Dingle, Lilian's husband, and her grave. She asked about The messenger (1908), a Jersey Methodist newspaper. [None in SJ Library]

5.7 Jean Arthur has house information on Midland, La Grande Route de St Jean, Trinity.

5.8 Bob Le Sueur reminded members of the visitors from the C.I. Gaspesian Society from October 2nd 2000. He also reported concern about certain building works at Mont Orgueil Castle (Tudor Great Hall).

6. Date of next meeting

Tuesday November 21st 2000 at 5.15 pm, Members' Room