by Blanche B. Elliott
(published 1923)
* UNDER CONSTRUCTION*
THE history of the ages as recorded in the rocks and sands of Jersey has only just begun to be read with any clearness. Her unknown past is now being slowly deciphered by those who have studied the geology of the island, and what is thus being disclosed is of the most intense interest. Science with an unerring hand has rolled back the curtain of ignorance and superstition and has thrown the light of understanding on to the darkness of prehistoric days, and Jersey and her sister-islands stand revealed as holding stores of treasure for antiquarian research.
It has been largely owing to the energies of some of her most devoted sons that such research has been instituted, but it is only very recently that any systematic explorations have been made.
Mr. J. Sinel, Curator of the Museum of the Societe "Jersiaise, tells us that " these islands have been alternately continental and insular many times, and that where now is sea, sub-tropical and sub-arctic forests have alternated, either passing by imperceptible change from the one to the other, or appearing in turn at different periods of land elevation. In mid-Tertiary times the Channel Islands were an integral portion of the higher plains of Normandy; Jersey and Alderney have been reconnected with the continent no fewer than three times; Guernsey, Sark, and Herm no fewer than twice."
Mr. Sinel also contends that when the islands were a part of the continent, " the Seine, with innumerable tributaries, coursed where now is the English Channel, reaching the sea some eighty miles west of Guernsey, where the limit of the 100-fathom sounding-line marks the border of the old continental plateau, its course being well marked by the depression known as " Hurd Deep." Gradually Guernsey, Sark, and Alderney appeared as islands, whilst Jersey, deeper inland, remained continental for long ages after the insulation of her sister-isles.
Then the sea encroached until it reached a higher level than it does to-day, as the numerous raised beaches, that are continually being discovered, testify, and land elevation took place, while the islands were smaller than they are at the present time.
Later on the submerged land again emerged and was clothed in vegetation, and the islands joined the Continent. A great forest spread over the restored land area, and this immense growth, Mr. Sinel tells us, " is the lower submerged post-glacial forest."
Once more the sea returned and the forest trees decayed and sank beneath the sea. Then for a third time appeared evidences of land elevation, though it could not have been very considerable, for there are no tree remains in the upper peat bed, but it was sufficient to render Jersey again continental, at least as a peninsula.
Further, the submerged peat and forest bed and vast tree-trunks which are often exposed at St. Ouen's and St. Clement's Bays " is not this upper peat bed, but the ' great forest bed ' " of a far more remote age, "for the materials constituting the upper peat bed and the marine gravel, which intervenes between it and the ' great forest bed,' are of loose texture," while the " great forest bed " layer is firm and elastic.
There are some buildings of which there is historical record, among them being that of a manor house in St. Ouen's Bay, known as Le Manoir ie la Briquette, now Covered at high tide by 6 or 7 feet of water.
This forest bed around the coast consists of many oak-trees which measure as much as 4 or even 5 feet in diameter, proving incontestably that they grew at a great distance from the seashore. In September 1902 an exceptional exposure of this long-buried forest bed was recorded, when the. firm, white sand which usually lies in this bay had disappeared, and as far as the eye could see lay an expanse of brownish-black, peaty soil which was studded with innumerable tree-stumps, closely set. In one spot over 400 large ones were counted within the space of one acre, some of great size, giving proof of the density of the forest which must atone time have existed.
In comparison with this the legend of La Planche, dated about 565, that Jersey was separated from France only by a small stream which was bridged by a plank, seems but of yesterday.
It has been suggested that these tree-stumps were remains of the lost " Forest of Scissy," which l'Abbe Manet mentions as having been inundated by a great storm in 700. It is surmised, however, that these were simply such portions of the great forest as grew round the shores of the Chausey Islands , " Chausey " being the modern rendering of " Scissy-."~
Interspersed among the various layers of the submerged forest bed are relics of early man, and when excavations for building are made in the soil of St. Helier and the peaty surfaces of the thick old forest are reached, polished stone implements and fragments of pottery are found, bearing the ornamentation of lines and dots, such as are seen in the pottery of the dolmens, so that it is possible for geologists to estimate approximately the antiquity of the relics of Man and Nature.
Of special interest, in the Palaeolithic period, are the two cave-dwellings which have been discovered whose last inhabitant was Mousterian man, and in one cave there is clear evidence of this one occupation only. His habitation has come down to us through the ages, untouched save for the accumulation of dust and rubble which, when removed, shows the hearth-stone beside which our ancestors lived and cooked their meals; remnants of wood or bone ashes and portions of the bones of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, a large species of reindeer, and horse—his animal contemporaries which presumably formed his meals—were found, and in addition, thirteen human teeth of unusual proportions, which were identified as those of Neanderthal man.
The caves in which these remains were found are known as La Cotte at St. Brelade and La Cotte a la Chevre or the Goat's Hut (aptly named) at St. Ouen.
The cave at St. Ouen is near Grosnez Point, and its opening faces the sea with a northerly aspect. The floor from the entrance to the extreme end is 33 feet and varies in width from 15 to 9 feet ; the roof is irregular and ranges from 10 to 15 feet high, being lowest near the cave-opening. From the sea it looks — as in reality it is — a dark, mysterious cavern hewn or worn out of the rugged face of the rock by the forces of nature. The specimens of flint instruments discovered here belong to the earliest Mousterian type and indicate that La Cotte a la Chevre was occupied by man at a period prior to that of the occupation of La Cotte de St. Brelade.
Professor Huxley describes Mousterian men thus:
" They were short in stature and powerfully built, their low, depressed skulls had curiously projecting low ridges, and their jaws, of brutal strength and ferocity, sloped downwards and backwards, without the characteristic of all modern man—the chin prominence; whilst their thigh bones, by their form, suggest that they must have walked with a bend at the knee."
Such was our cave-dweller, and looking at these his primitive abodes, one can well picture his shaggy- head peering from out his lair, alert, half-crouched, and ferocious, his hand against all and sundry; ready to .attack and fearing attack, or lying in wait for his prey with the cunning of a dawning intelligence over the brute creation. His history is carved in the stone cliffs and caves, old as Time itself, when he roamed dense forests which are now no more.
There are many caves to be found in all the Channel Islands. On the coast of Jersey alone there are said to be 400, some possibly also the habitat of Cave-man, but the sea has invaded them and his traces, if any, have been scattered. The Channel Islands thus "retain in a fair degree the geological features they must have presented during the whole of the human period."(Sinel)
Then came Neolithic man, and through the succeeding generations we can roughly trace the evolution of these people by their relics, many of which are found at various levels in the forest bed, until we come to the places of burial which were probably made for the most important amongst them.
These stone monuments that we call dolmens, planted by early man, in obedience, perhaps, to some rude instinct of perpetuating something in solid rock of himself and his unlettered and barbaric age, seem to have existed in enormous numbers in the islands. Mr. Poingdestre, writing in 1682, counted about fifty in Jersey alone, while originally there were probably many more.
There are traces of dolmens at low tide which the high tide now covers, and others beneath the roots of the old forest bed have the remains of generations of forest trees above them. In Jersey about nine now remain in good preservation, and recently several previously unexplored dolmens have been opened up in the islands. They often held one or several skeletons, which were sometimes in a crouching and sometimes in a sitting position. Beside them would be found limpet shells or parts of deer or horse which were apparently meant for food during the journey of the spirit to another world.
The most remarkable of the dolmens was discovered on the Mont de la Ville in 1785, when some soldiers were clearing the place for a parade-ground. It had been hidden under a tumulus, and, judging from the measurements taken, it was unique of its kind. It was presented by the Vingtaine de la Ville to Marshal Conway, the Governor, who unfortunately saw fit to remove this archaeological treasure in a lugger to England and thence to his seat in Berkshire. It was in a wonderful state of preservation; the measurements taken at the time of its removal are given: the diameter of the circle was 24. feet and the interior held six chambers or cells, five of which were perfect, each with its capstone covering and averaging some 3 to 4 feet high. The avenue of approach, crowned with capstones, measured 15 feet, while the capstone of the main chamber rested on props placed between the side chambers and reached 7 feet in height. The whole circumference of the magnificent relic was 66 feet. A model is to be seen in the Public Library and the Museum of the Societe Jersiaise. It was a loss to the island that it should ever have been allowed to leave it, but its ultimate removal would probably have been inevitable in the building of Fort Regent and the fortification of this hill.
The dolmen in best preservation now existing in the island is to be found at Faldouet, above Anne Port.The capstone is 15 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 3 feet thick, and the extreme length of the monument is 44 feet. It has been granted by the Crown to the Societe Jersiaise in trust for the public.
No one with any imagination can see these stone monuments without emotion. They stand in rugged grandeur, bearing a silent testimony to the frailty of man who faised them. These remains are locally known as pouquelayesf and very often the name occurs in a lane or by-way when the monument itself has disappeared. The fact that so few are left may be attributed to the ignorant vandalism of the agriculturists, to whom they were just a heap of stones in a field and an incumbrance to be cleared away, spoiling good ground. Parts of them may be traced here and there in the tall stone gate-posts to a farm or field, while others, prized by builders for their size, have been built in as a porch or some part of the masonry of a house or farm. Les Pouquelayes now stand only in places not required for agriculture, and are often found near the sea in some lofty spot.
In 1911 a discovery was made by the slipping of a mass of clay caused by the encroachment of the sea at La Motte or Green Island, St. Clement, revealing thereby the existence of fifteen stone graves. These were similar in type to some found in Brittany and Cornwall. Judging from the pottery and other relics found, they probably belong to the early Bronze Age.
This period has further bequeathed some treasures. Besides a bronze dagger, found at La Petite Cesaree, Rozel, and some palstaves and spearheads at St. Lawrence, a beautiful specimen of a gold torque was discovered in 1889, when some excavations were being made on the western side of St. Helier. It lay in the sandy soil some 3 feet below the surface, and was intact save that the two cylinders had become detached. It is made in one piece of pure, twisted gold and measures about 4 feet 7 1/2 inches. It was claimed by the Receiver-General for the Crown as discovered treasure; but the Lords of the Treasury, recognising that the Jersey Society wished to retain it as a rare object of historical interest, the claim of the Crown was waived and it is now carefully prederved by that Society, where it may be seen.
(It is a matter of conjectare how the torque was worn, but it is surmised that it either hung round the neck, waist, or chest, or may iave been used to attach the hilt of a sword. In ancient times the torque was worn by Egyptians and Persians, and by the Gauls in the Roman Conquest. It was not a sign of leadership or special distinction, but decorated mamy warriors, and seems to have been intended merely for masculine adornment. Among the Celtic people the torque is a national emblem. It is stated that after a battle between the Romans and Gauls over 1,470 were taken from the Gaul prisoners. It was usually made in iron or copper, the gold torques probablt being reserved for someone of high rank.)
Lurid details of Jersey's remote history are described by Ansted & Latham ("Channel Islands"), who give the following quotation, which tells of an island in the Channel as the scene of Bacchic orgies :
" They say there is a little island, not far out of the ocean, over against the mouth of the Ligeris, inhabited by Samnite women, inspired by Bacchus, whom they worship by ceremonies and sacrifices. No man ever comes thither; but the women come off in boats to enjoy their husbands' embraces, and then return to the isle again. It is also the custom to take off the roof of the temple every year, and put on a new one the same day before the sun sets, every woman bringing her load, and she who lets fall her load is torn to pieces by the rest, who, heaping up the mangled limbs with shouts at the temple, do not leave off till their furious transports subside : and it always happens that one of them does let fall her load, and is thus torn to pieces. These things savour somewhat of the fabulous; but he (Artemidorus) states with regard to Ceres and Prosperine, what is more worthy of credit. For he says that there is an island near Britain, wherein are celebrated sacred rites,similar to such as were celebrated in Sallothrace to these goddesses."
Another reference is made from a classical quotation by Miss Murray ("The Witch Cult of Western Europe").
"1st Cent. Strabo, 63 BC - AD 23. In an island close to Britain, Demeter and Persephone are venerated with rites similar to the orgies of Samothrace." " 4th Cent. . Dionysius says that in islands near Jersey and Guernsey the rites of Bacchus were performed by the women, crowned with leaves ; they danced and made even greater shouting than the Thracians."
Direct proofs of the Roman occupation of the island are lacking, though Roman and Gaulish coins have frequently been found. Many of these coins must have been lost and destroyed, for, as Falle ("Ac Account of the Island of Jersey", 1734) remarks, " our people, unhappily wanting a taste for these things, have neglected to preserve them."
The high earthen rampart which runs down towards the sea at Rozel, known as La Petite Cesaree, was credited with being of Roman origin, and the fact that Roman coins were discovered here added to this belief, which has since been dissipated. Mont Orgueil is said to have been built on what was a Roman fortification, a small part of which is still called Le Fort de Cesar, but later authorities have dated this about the fifteenth century. It is also stated by historrians that the island was known to the Romans as Caesarea, of which the word " Jersey " is a corruption, but this cannot be authenticated. The island has apparently been alluded to under many other names, that of Augia occurring frequently,while in the eleventh and twelfth-century charters it is called Gerse or Gersey.
In the fourth and fifth centuries the warlike Franks issued out of Germany and conquered and overran Gaul, giving their name to that country, and later made themselves kings of the conquered territory.
Then the Norsemen arose and gave great trouble pillaging and burning, and carrying on a piratical war against all and sundry. They became a terror in France, and the kings of the Franks had to make constant war upon them. In the train of these Vikings, who used boldly to sail up rivers and sack towns, came traders, who gradually settled where they conquered, that part of the West Frankish kingdom which was Neustria and afterwards became Normandy. Rouen was sacked by them in 841 and Paris in 847. The islands probably felt the full force of these invasions, for the legend of St. Helierius tells how the hermit monk was murdered by the Northmen. It has been stated that many Norse names remain in the island (cf. "The Settlement of Normandy" GFB de Gruchy).
A new chief was chosen by the Northmen or Normans who had settled on the Seine. This was Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy, and he appears to have been a mighty warrior, a leader of men, a founder of laws, and a great ruler. He was as bold as he was brave, and demanded the Province of Neustria from Charles the Simple, which, in order to end his raids and piratical warfare, Charles ceded to him, granting him and his heirs after him the title and dignity of Duke. The meeting between Charles and Rollo took place in 911, when the famous Treaty of Saint-Clair-Sur-Epte was drawn up which was to dismember a kingdom and settle the marauding Normans on the ground they had won.
It is not clear whether the Channel Islands were included in this cession of land to Rollo, nor what were the limits of territory granted. It is possible that the Bretons were in occupation of the islands, which always proved formidable fortresses to attack. It was therefore unlikely that they came under the Norman feudal control until the time of Rollo's son Richard, during whose long reign of 53 years the task of reducing the fierce Breton chiefs of the Cotentin was partly completed. This places their nominal inclusion into Normandy, roughly, about 933 and not completely until the reign of the 3rd Duke.
To the poet Wace we owe the following description of this momentous meeting :
When Rollo became the King's man he had to render him homage, and there took place the curious custom then in use between a newly created feudal subject and his chief, which was to kiss the foot of the King. The proud Rollo hesitated to do this ; but in the end, not deigning to stoop far, he raised the King's foot so high that he threw him backwards and everyone burst out laughing.
Other versions are that Rollo flatly refused to conform to this humiliating custom.
The reign of terror inspired by the Normans was such that in the Litany after the words " from plague,pestilence, and famine," was added " and from the fury of the Normans, good Lord, deliver us."
Charles made Rollo and his followers embrace Christianity, even giving the hand of his daughter in marriage to placate Rollo, the power of whose name is still shown in an ancient custom that prevails in Jersey to this day, known as Le Clameur de Haro. This may be invoked by anyone who suffers an act of trespass or injury to his property by addressing the offender, in the presence of witnesses, calling:
"Haro ! Haro ! a l' aide, mon Prince ! On me fait tort !"
is appeal must be respected and the alleged wrong cease until the Royal Court has adjudicated thereon. The name of Rollo the Prince is called upon to see that justice is done, and there is always a fine payable to the Crown by the loser of the case. If a person has raised a frivolous clameur, he is fined. Le Clameur de Haro was invoked in the town of St. Helier within the last few years by a man whose trees were being cut down without his permission, when he came on the scene and stopped the trespass in the above picturesque and time-honoured manner. Now it is only used for trespass on real property, but in early times it was used in criminal as well as civil matters.
There are many such cases to be found in the Assize Rolls of 1309. The following two are taken at random:
" And it was found that Simon Le Mesurer by night
assaulted in the King's highway William ie Rey unto
flowing of blood, and Clameur de Haro was raised.
Therefore let them make amends thereof to the lord
the King of 18 sols."
" And it was found also that Gillot son of William Blaunche was convicted for that by night he assaulted Richard ie Mouner in the mill of the lord the King, whereupon Clameur de Haro [was] raised. . . . Therefore let them make amends."
Rollo, Duke of Normandy, founded a long line of descendants all more or less famous, and it is chiefly of the prowess, glory, and magnificence of these first Dukes of Normandy that the poet Wace sings. Robert Wace, one of the earliest poets, was born in Jersey about l
loo, and his poem of Rollo entitled " Roman
de Rou " is claimed as the first national epic of modern Europe, and is at least one of the works that helped to form the literary language of northern France.
Little is known of the life of Wace, except what he tells us in a short poem—that he was born in Jersey, went as a child to Caen to be educated, and was granted the prebendary of Bayeux by Henry II of England, then Duke of Normandy. His verses and music were sung alike in cottage and castle and their cadence attracted to him royal favour. He describes the great effect of the huge English axes used in the Battle of Hastings, how that in using them the English were obliged to raise both arms, thus posing their bodies to the Normans, who ran them though with their swords.
The poet was also known as Vace, Vaice, Gace, Gasse, and even Eustace. His renown reached England, and he was invited by Henry II to be present at the crowning of his son Richard, Coeur de Lion. Wace died in
England in 118q and left about ten poems, one of
which contains no fewer than ten thousand verses.'
It was William, the sixth Duke of Normandy, who, seeking other worlds to subdue, came over and conquered Britain and became William I of England or William the Conqueror. The historian Falle naively states the Jerseyman's view, and explains on what are based the privileges the islanders so successfully claim.
" Our subjection,* therefore, to England may with
very little error . . . be reckoned to have commenced
at the Norman Conquest, an. 1067 [Siil) from which
time to this (1731) are 66q years, and if we go so far
back as the treaty betwixt Charles the Simple and
RoUo, an. 912, it is not less than 819 years since France
yielded us up, and that we have been under the more
happy dominion of other Powers.
" This gives the inhabitants of these islands the precedency as to priority of time, before all their Majesties' subjects, saving only the purely English; Ireland not being subdued till the reign of Henry II, nor Wales reduced to that of Edward I, and neither the one nor the other, perfectly even then. Thus also the Accession of Scotland happened not till the beginning of the last century, to say nothing of the Plantations abroad, which, in comparison, are but of yesterday.
I speak not thus to derogate from the honour of Kingdoms and Principalities which do vastly exceed us in expansion of Country, and have brought a far greater addition of Power to the English Empire; but to
GEOLOGY AND EARLY HISTORY
demonstrate their Majesties ancient and indisputable
right over us, and show at the same time how strong
our attachment is to England, which has stood the
long test of so many Ages.
" By the Conquest no small change was introduced
into the Laws, Customs, Manners, and the very
Language of England; as it usually comes to pass
on the like great events. In the Islands we were not
subject to this inconvenience, for a very plain reason,
if I may presume to speak it, viz. our being, not on the
conquered but on the conquering side.
" Our Constitution being in all things like that of Normandy, could not be affected, or any way suffer by a Duke of Normandy bringing another nation under his power; therefore it remained as it was, and so (for the most part) subsists to this day."
There we have the position in a nutshell. Jersey conquered England, and the King of England is to her the Duke of Normandy. When Normandy again became a part of France, Jersey was only once partly reconquered by the French, though several attempts were made. Thus is Jersey proud of her independence and heritage of special privileges conferred on her at various times, of which she has certainly taken full advantage.
And there is reason for stating that the islanders are not French but Normans (and earlier, Bretons), which is a distinctly different race.
Yet in such a bad odour did the Norman name remain on account of early pillaging and ravages that the very name of " Norman " was an opprobrious term.
As late as 1539 the Jersey Court Rolls tell of a man being fined for calling another " Normand et fils de Normand! " '
After the reign of John, the history of the islands
* " Norman and son of a Norman ! "
THE CONSTITUTIONS OF JOHN
is stormy and troubled, for with the loss of Normandy to the French it was thought that the Channel Islands should accompany it. However, John, who saw Normandy conquered by Philip of France unmoved, and failed to send assistance to Rouen, which was the last stronghold bravely fighting his cause, was yet apparently roused by the resistance put up by the islanders, who enlisted his sympathies, for he strengthened their forti fications and military positions.
At the same time he set them free from all foreign dependencies and transferred matters that used to be carried to the Supreme Court of Normandy to his own Council in England. From this period the Channel Islanders have dealt with the King through his Privy Council, and have not come before the Houses of Parliament at all. John gave them a Body of Constitutions which they are fond of referring to as their Magna Carta, and from which they are supposed to trace many of their privileges and immunities.