19th century

Table des Monnaies, Poids et Mesures en usage a Guernesey, published by Frederick Clarke

In the mid-19th century Frederick Clarke produced in his establishment in the States Arcade this little booklet, attempting to distil in four pages the labyrinthine system of weights and measures at that time employed in the island. Its difficulty was compounded by the sheer number of currencies that island merchants and traders had to deal with. The information is taken literally from schoolmaster Thomas du Frocq's Nouveau Precepteur of 1818, which is a (mainly) applied mathematics primer of tortuous complexity and much greater length.

Cachemaille's Descriptive sketch of the island of Sark: The School for Girls

The Seigneurie, Sark, from the Priaulx Library Collection

The generosity of the Seigneur of Sark, Peter Le Pelley, from one of the two books about the island written by his great friend, the Reverend J L V Cachemaille, for many years the vicar of Sark. In 1860, the diary of the former 17th-century Sark minister, Elie Brėvint, was found in a loft in Sark. Cachemaille was inspired by this to investigate the archives of the Seigneurie and to write a series of articles based upon what he found, which were translated by Louisa Harvey and published in the Guernsey Magazine. From this was published the Descriptive Sketch, published by Frederick Clarke, and then republished in 1928. See Ewen & De Carteret, The Fief of Sark, The Guernsey Press, 1969. The illustrations are from the Library Collection, the drawing showing the Seigneurie in Sark in Le Pelley's time.

A French view of the Channel Islands, 1849: more allies than subjects

An excerpt from the Magasin Pittoresque, 17, of 1849: 'Les Iles Anglaises de la Manche.'

Vraicing

From Redstone's Royal Guide to Guernsey, written by Louisa Lane Clarke, who produced a new edition in 1856 following Queen Victoria's visit to Guernsey. A rather rosy description of vraicing—the gathering of wrack seaweed—which was in fact a highly competitive scramble for a valuable and free commodity, much prized by the islanders.

Guernsey French

Written by Louisa Lane Clarke for Redstone's Guide to Guernsey, first published in 1841. A copy of this Guide was given to Queen Victoria when she visited the island, and it was retitled Redstones' Royal Guide. This extract is from the fifth edition, published in 1856.

La vielle rue d'la Fontaine, et les Nouviaux Marchis: par Un Catelain

A poem in Guernsey French, author unknown, about the demolition of Fountain Street and the building of the Markets, quoted by Louisa Lane Clarke in The Folk Lore of Guernsey and Sark, 1880. The linguistic notes are hers.

The Letters of Margaret Mann, ed. Danielle Delon

A fascinating collection of letters from Trinidad with strong Guernsey connections, that complement an important set of letters held in the Priaulx Library. The main families mentioned in the letters of local interest are: Baynes; Brock; Carey; Dalgairns; Darby; Davis; De Havilland; De Jersey; Dobree; Douglas; Durand; Edwards; Fitton; Freeman; Hardy; Hawtrey; Hayes; Hewer; Hutchesson; Kennedy; Lacy: Le Mesurier; Lenfestey; Le Maitre; Le Page; Le Sueur; Maingay; Mann; Mansell; McCrea; O'Brien; Powell; Powys; Priaulx; Routh; Saumarez; Selwyn; Tupper; Valpy; Wheeler (Anna Doyle); Whitchurch.'My dear Fanny, if you contemplate the bare possibility of marrying a soldier, take my advice and count the cost.'

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Articles

Table des Monnaies, Poids et Mesures en usage a Guernesey, published by Frederick Clarke

Cachemaille's Descriptive sketch of the island of Sark: The School for Girls

A French view of the Channel Islands, 1849: more allies than subjects

Vraicing

Guernsey French

La vielle rue d'la Fontaine, et les Nouviaux Marchis: par Un Catelain

The Letters of Margaret Mann, ed. Danielle Delon

Captain White's Logbook

Letters acquired: Sebastopol, Topliss, McCrea

Register of the French Church of New York, 1688-1804

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