September 6 1826: The loss of the Sir Francis Freeling packet
Gazette de Guernesey, 30 September 1826. From the French.
February 1885: Prison returns
From the Guernsey Magazine of February 1885, p. 552.
Peter Bougourd and Henry Cumber, 1837
From The Star of April 10, 1837. Proceedings in the Royal Court, Thurday, April 6th, 1837.
April 1891: The Candie Library
A series of letters to the Star, beginning April 16, 1891. Percy Groves, the first Librarian and relative of Osmond Priaulx, was notorious for running the Priaulx Library—then known as the Candie Library—as a private fiefdom. He was taken to task for this by Osmond Priaulx's old friend and collaborator in the creation of the Library, Amias C Andros. Those days are long gone, we are proud to say; we use the front door now (although admittedly, it was originally the back door!) and have excellent drains, and our visitors can enjoy all the wonderful views from the House!
Pierre Carey is under pressure at a States meeting, 1649
A report from The Guernsey and Jersey Magazine of 1837. Historical Notices of the Channel Islands, 8, taken from Pierre Carey's private papers. This Pierre [Peter] Carey is the Parliamentary Commissioner who later made a daring escape from imprisonment in Castle Cornet. A transcription of his letter book is in the Library.
1833: The Manor and Les Gravees are sold
From the Star, December 13th 1833.
Le Marchant memorial, 1834
From The Star, April 28 1834.
14 February 1814: A Guernseyman's golden Valentine
Dug from Lima's golden mine, We hail it as our Valentine. HMS Menelaus recaptured a very valuable French prize, the Spanish treasure-ship the St Juan Baptista. The master was a Guernseyman, and Guernsey people are often very careful with money. This one certainly was. The account is from The Life of a Sailor by Frederick Chamier (1796-1870), some of whose tales are probably rather tall.
The end of the Submarine Diving Society, 24 October 1836
From the Star of Monday, 24th October, 1836. A report of the death of Peter Gallienne, a 'sober, steady, enterprising and well-informed young man,' which is thought to be the first ever death while diving of a helmeted diver.
20 January, 1766: against Cockfighting
Cock-fighting in the churchyard after morning service on Easter Day had once been acceptable, because, according to folk-lore expert J. Linwood Pitts, in 1891, it had a religious origin, 'but became in time to be a scandal, and an Act of Court was passed, forbidding any but gentlemen paying tax on fifty quarters of wheat rent to indulge in the same.'
Disorder in the Court, 1790
From the Gazette de l'Isle de Jersey, January 8, 1791. The autocratic Le Marchants—the Bailiff and his two sons—and their provocative behaviour. The original is in French. The illustration is from Augustin Grisier's Les Armes et le duel, 1865, from the Library collection.
Sark, 1890: A photographer's holiday
This description of a holiday in Sark was written by a well known Methodist minister, Reverend Nehemiah Curnock, for the Methodist Recorder, of which he was the editor. It was reprinted in the Star in December, 1890. Curnock was taking photographs with a 'Kodak instantaneous' camera; he was in the forefront of technology, for Eastman had only patented it in September, 1889. The box camera took a 100-exposure film; the whole camera could be returned to the company for the photographs to be developed, or equipment could be bought to develop the pictures at home without a darkroom. The photograph is from the Library Collection and shows La Collinette in 1936.