History Section

 
La Société Jersiaise
SOCIÉTÉ JERSIAISE

HISTORY SECTION

Minutes of the meeting held Tuesday October 16th 2001 at 5.15pm
Arthur Mourant Room

        
1.         Members present :


Apologies :


2.        Minutes of the meeting of September 18th 2001 and amendments
These were approved as a correct record. There were no amendments.

3.         Matters arising from the minutes
  1. Groznez information board : a summary in Jerriais has been provided.
  2. Gavin Booth has sent his research and photographs of St Brelade's Parish Hall to Enid Quenault for the Parish Book.

4.        Chairman's announcements
  1. Frank Falle said that the news about Roger de Carteret's health was received with great regret; the Section's best wishes go with him as he undertakes more treatment in Southampton.
  2. Frank welcomed Roy Dobin as a new member; he is a former Secretary of the National Trust for Jersey, a Tourism Blue Badge guide and has wide interests including Teutonic history and Jerriais. Roy has given Frank details about Pirou Castle, to which there is a planned visit in September 2002.
  3. Frank said that that his typescript for the Autumn 2001 Newsletter was with the Office. He drew attention to the Variety Club Down your way walks and circulated photographs of the 12 parish plates commissioned from Jersey Pottery.
  4. Blood of the Vikings : the five BBC2 programmes start on Tuesday November 6th and the series is being promoted vigorously; there is also an accompanying BBC book. Prof. Goldstein (UCL) said in a letter to Frank that the Channel Islands are of interest and worthy of separate study. The importance of place names is still being pursued and comparisons made with Danish names. Prof. René Lepelley (Caen University) has also published relevant research.
  5. Frank wishes to initiate short induction courses for new researchers to cover the SJ Library, provision of mentors, local walks etc. The annual new members' meeting in the Members' Room is a useful way of promoting the Section.
  6. Mary Billot said that details of the Autumn lunchtime lectures have been given to the JEP and will be mentioned on BBC Radio Jersey. Room bookings have been made for the 2002 Section meetings and the Autumn lunchtime lectures. [See attached list]. The December meeting will feature the Dinan study trip with invitations going out to those non-members of the Section.



        
5.        Members' contributions
  1. Francis Corbet said that the Dinan study tour was a great success though hard on the feet. The local hospitality was most generous, particularly from the Mayor of Dinan and SHAB. Thanks were sent to Prof. Meirion-Jones, Prof. Michael Jones, Mme Catherine Laurent and Mary Billot. SHAB (Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Bretagne) sent fraternal greetings to the SJ, together with a commemorative medal and books. SHAB's next conference is on commerce in and out of Brittany, which Marie-Louise Backhurst hopes to pursue. John Denize added his thanks.
  2. Mervyn Billot spoke to his paper on the SJ's expenditure on the Members' Room, Library and third floor alterations and the fourth floor extension. [For copy see Minutes file].
  3. There was a departure from the old ways of managing the SJ's finances (keep capital and use income for current expenditure) to using capital for major projects and living on membership and other income. The JHT annual disbursement shrinks with inflation. Further investments will need to be sold in this financial year (2001). There was a healthy surplus of income over expenditure in the General Fund for the year 2000. The architects' fees were 27% of the whole, which seemed very high. More detail is needed in the annual accounts, with notes on the management of capital projects.
Frank Falle - the membership needs to be in support with such expenditure; no safety net was in place.
Suzanne Le Feuvre - there was a parallel with the RJAHS and its new building; three options were presented to all members.
John Denize - the increase in subscriptions could lead to loss of members. A similar situation should be avoided in future; good governance is needed.
Bob Le Sueur - a new information structure is needed. The Chairman/Secretaries meeting is only twice a year, (one of which is in the lunch hour) and is for Section business, rather than wider SJ matters.
Francis Corbet - the architects' fees can be queried. He feels that the History Section should not discuss finance. Members should attend AGMs and ask questions about Executive members' responsibilities for their decisions on finance.
  1. Frank Falle will talk directly with the President about the issues raised.
  2. Jean Arthur has had a lukewarm response from the General Hospital about the old Prison arches.
  3. Mervyn Billot will report at the November meeting on his visit to Le Billot, near Lisieux (Calvados) and the derivation of the surname Billot.
  4. Bob Le Sueur asked for volunteers for fill envelopes on Wed. October 17th at 9.30am for the Autumn mailing.
  5. David Levitt has 15 registered sundials, with five in hand. The Eulah House (Mont Cochon, St Helier) example of 1906 is the best in Jersey.
  6. Gavin Booth said that James Boielle's son Arthur was a member of the D'Oyly Carte 'B' Opera Company, 1895-1904. He is searching for the family in the 1881 Jersey census; some are missing in Jersey and England. It was suggested that he try under phonetic spellings of the surname.
  7. Marie-Louise Backhurst said that Victor Hugo celebrations would take place in August 2002. The next meeting of Les Amitiés Franco-Britanniques de Jersey is on November 28th, 8pm in the Members' Room (M. Saint-James on La Ville de Caen, with slides), followed by an exhibition on Caen at La Maison de Normandie until December 21st. A guided tour of Caen in planned for May 2002.
  8. Sue Hardy said that the New St School archway was never incorporated in the St Paul's Gate development.
  9. Georgia Le Maistre has had a reply from Mr Ayton on Capt. Ayton. She gives a talk on Lilian Grandin to the CIFHS on November 26th at 8.00 pm, Members' Room.
  10. Frank Falle is researching Tancrède d'Hauteville and the kings of Sicily, ca 1036.

Any other business
There was no other business.
Date of next meeting
Tuesday November 20th 2001, 5.15pm, Arthur Mourant Room.