New books 2013

Southampton Port Books; Festung Guernsey; Les Dicqs and the Rousse headland: an overview; Canadian biography; Livres de Perchage; Pugin and Guernsey; Maritime Normandy 1500-1650; Victor Hugo in Guernsey; Militia buttons; Basement hydrogeology and fortifications of the Channel Islands; German Tunnels in the Bailiwick.

The Local Port Book of Southampton, 1435-36, Southampton Records Series, Vol. VII, ed. Brian Foster, Southampton University: 1963; and ed. H. S. Cobb, 1439-40, Southampton records Series, Southampton University: 1961.

The port book of 1435-6 was written in Norman French (the other books are in Latin) by a Channel Islander, Robert Florys, who was the water-bailiff at Southampton and whose brother Thomas was master of a merchant vessel. Southampton and the Channel Islands had a special mercantile relationship, and both books feature Channel Island ships and masters in their lists.


Les Dicqs and the Rousse headland: an overview.

By Bryan Vandertang. An interesting study, focused on a smale area in the Vale parish, illustrated with maps and photographs. Self-published in Guernsey 2013. 'The area known as les Dicqs, or formerly more correctly presented as 'le Dic' is an area of some interest because it is largely a reclamation area and was created at about the same time as the major reclamation of the Braye du Valle. However, there is no mention of this area in the invitation to tender for the 'Bray du Valle' project.'


A cyclopaedia of Canadian biography: being chiefly men of the time; edited by George Maclean Rose.

A collection of persons distinguished in professional and political life; leaders in the commerce and industry of Canada, and successful pioneers. A facsimile of the first 1886 edition.


The Hugh Lenfestey collection of Livres de Perchage.

Electronic resource consisting of images of Guernsey Livres de Perchage, and an accompanying handbook guide to the Livres, by Gillian Lenfestey. Images may not be reproduced without permission.


  • Pugin and Guernsey, a study by G. Stevens Cox
  • Cartes marines, constructions navales, voyages de découverte chez les Normands 1500-1650, by Abbé Albert Anthiaume, facsimile, two volumes with maps originally published in 1916.
  • Scottish, Welsh & Channel Islands infantry militia buttons 1757-1881, by Howard Ripley, with drawings by Denis Darmanin. Published Epsom: Howard Ripley 2013. Includes Guernsey and Alderney militias
  • Victor Hugo à Guernesey: exil et asile; published 2013. By Chantal Brière, with photographs.

Occupation interest:

Festung Guernsey in part work; a significant amount of the original Festung material is held in the Library. This publication from Clear Vue Publishing comprises chapters 3.6, 4.1 and 4.2 of volume 2 of the complete Festung Guernsey, covering the West Caost to Perelle, and retains the page numbering of the original Clear Vue deluxe edition, a copy of which is also in the Library collection. It details the fortifications from Le Houmet running south around the west coast of the island to Grandes Rocques, Vazon, Cobo and Perelle bays as far as Fort Sausmarez.
Basement hydrogeology and fortification of the Channel Islands: legacies of British and German miitary engineering, by Robins, N. S; Cheney, C. S; Rose, Edward P. F. Published London: Geological Society of London 2012. Note: Downloaded from http://sp.lycellcollection.org/ 29 February 2012.
German tunnels in Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, by Ernie Gavey, illustrated with photographs by Steve Powell. Published by Festung Guernsey, 2012. Super and informative book with many illustrations, the interest of which to all historians of the Occupation goes without saying.