'More of Peter Girard's Guernsey'

29th November 2023

A second miscellany of Guernsey's history and its people. Published in 1990 by the Guernsey Press Company Ltd. A list of contents and photographs for reference.

Contents

1. Changes through the ages in the system of land holding in Guernsey

2. A hill that captured the imagination of the people (Castel Church) (menhir) (butts) (archery) (militia) (Fair Field)

3. Sand along our coasts

4. La Mare de Carteret

5. Farmers and cattle (préciput) (dairy)

6. 'The Song of the Landsman' 'La Chanson du Terrien' (Le Chant de Fontaines) (poem in Guernsey French translated in to English, written by T Lenfestey)

7. Le Moulin de Haut: one of three mills for grinding corn (Le Moulin Susain) (King's Mills) (smuggling) (ghosts)

8. Lihou island

9. The Magic Well (Holy Well of St George)

10. Mysterious wrecking led to free drink! - the wreck of the Briseis

11. Le Grand Havre - Le Braye du Valle: fishing boats, wrecks and a whale (the Ravensdale, the Emperor's Queen, the Channel Queen) (Hedley Bewey) (Gaudion)

12. The privateering era (Dennis Le Pelley)

13. A close shave (adapted from an old story) (customs men) (coastguard) (Creux des Faies) (smuggling)

14. The Vazon storyteller (les diseux de rislaie) (Helier Le Noury) (Occupation) (peat)

15. Horsey tales

16. My Aunt (portions of poems written in Guernsey French by Georges Metivier)

17. For pions a kiss for every girl they meet

18. More reminiscences of R O Falla, OBE (Occupation)

19. Admiral the Rt Hon James Lord de Saumarez GCB, KS, General of Marines 1757-1836

20. Lieutenant-General Sir John Doyle, Baronet, CGB, KC

21. Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, KB

22. Lieutenant George Edward Nurse, VC. A valiant resident of the Castel parish

23. Lavoirs still used by French women

24. Castle Cornet at war. Escape in the nick of time

25. The Church in Guernsey at the Reformation

26. The Castel School

27. Guernsey families take refuge in America (Cambridge, Guernsey County) (Sarchet)

28. St Germain Quarry (golden gravel as used by the gentry) (Ernest Falla) (Le Mont Plaisant) (Chapel and spring of St Germain)

29. Stories of the little people told around the terpi

30. Cobo Soup Kitchen

31. The fate of our old batteries

32. Problems of a couple in the autumn of their lives (Le Carrefour) (delaissance) (Le Bourg Hospice)

33. National Trust Property at Talbot Valley

34. A place for marvelling at Cobo sunsets (Le Guet)

35. Christmas festivities during the Occupation

36. We will go no more to sea (poem written in Guernsey French  by Georges Metivier, tranlstated into English)

37. Local terminology involving land and local administration

Photographs

Strip Farming at Pleinmont

Castel from the air showing small fields often of irregular shapes

Ploughing contest at Vimeira. Two shires pulling a modern plough

Old-fashioned churn

Fair Field (Castel), bought by the States in mid-18th century. In the centre is a memorial to Nicolas Le Beir for devoted service to the Royal Guernsey Agricultural and Horticultural Society

Clearing sand from the coast road

Excavating sand at Albecq during the preparation for house building

Sand excavated at Albecq during preparation for house building

Portrait of Gladys Saumarez by Hon. Marion Saumarez

Bridge across Carteret road (Saumarez)

A painting showing black-and-white cows among those of normal colour

Maple Leaf Cora's Connie, property of Mr H F Gaudion

Pedro May Rose of La Masse - champion at a Royal Show

Le Moulin de Haut: wheels were fitted on a gable, and ponds were at the rear of the mill

Arms of the LeFebvres over the front door at La Maison du Moulin de Haut (pebble decoration)

Some of the beautiful trees on the Castel side of the valley

Map of Lihou Island

Venus Pool (Lihou)

Holy Well

The wreck of the Briseis

Fishermen row around the remians of the Briseis, hoping that more barrels of wine will float back to the surface

Mr Ted Foster, pictured with the salvaged bell of the Briseis

Mr Basil Gaudion abd his father in a boat built by Mr James de Garis some hundred years ago

Basil H Gaudion

The Ravensdale

Channel Queen wrecked, not at Port Soif but outside

Whale ready to be buried in the sand

Map of the Braye du Valle in 1800 (S Carey Curtis)

L'Invention

A letter of marque (George III)

Seal at bottom of letter of marque. Great Seal of the High Court of Admiralty of England

Helier Le Noury, once the well-known 'storyteller' of Vazon

Daughter (Girard) on pony

P J Girard on a horse

La Table de Pions

P J Girard at Chevauchée

Pion circa 1768 (modern drawing)

Members of Chevauchée at La Table de Pions

Raymond Ogier Falla, OBE

Portrait of Admiral James Saumarez

HMS St Vincent at Portsmouth

Action off the west coast of Guernsey 8 June 1794. HMS Crescent, Druid and Eurydice, Jean Breton, pilot.

Route of Saumarez's action off the west coast of Guernsey.

Lord Saumarez's monument at Delacey Park.

Lieutenant-General Sir John Doyle, Baronet.

Original monument to Sir John Doyle, erected at Jerbourg.

Memorial to Sir Isaac Brock at Queenston Heights.

Plaque on Queenston Heights memorial.

Memorial at Brockville.

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, KB.

Lieutenant Nurse wearing VC.

Guns at Colenso.

Cobo Inn.

Washerwomen at lavoir.

Washerwoman with clothes on a barrow.

Washerwoman at Pont Renier.

The escape from Castle Cornet (1643) (drawing)

The Church of Ste Marie du Castel.

Southern end of building of Castel School once used for boys and girls.

Southern side of new building.

Southern side of Castel School, built in 1910 to accommodate boys only.

Western side of building showing boys' school and three temporary classrooms used when school was overcrowded, with part of swimming pool visible. 

Thomas Ferbrache, born in Guernsey 1796, arrived in Guernsey County 1879.

Pool of water at end of St Germain quarry before dumping commenced.

St Germain quarry west.

Illustration of crasset in use, from the Folk Museum.

A crasset, photographed at the Folk Museum.

Creux des Fées - Fairies Cave at Vazon.

Inlet from sea to Le Creux des Fées.

'Copper' as used at soup kitchen.

Coppers built and used when gas supplies were no longer available.

A real heroine -Miss Doris Le Tissier.

Committee and helpers of the Cobo Soup Kitchen 1943-1945.

'Martello Tower' at Houmet, Vazon.

Additions to fortifications at Vazon.

Fort Le Crocq.

Le Carrefour Farm.

Le Carrefour transformed into 'Le Bourg'.

Castel schoolchildren planting trees at the Ron Short Walk.

Castel schoolchildren planting trees on National Trust land at Talbot Valley.

View of Talbot Valley from National Trust property.

Le Guet without trees, Cobo Hotel.

Old photograph showing path of Cobo coast road following the sea wall.

Footpath contructed through Guet property in 1782.

Disused quarry 'The Chimney' at base of watch-house.

Cooking a meal in a furze oven.

Hautgard with pilotins.

Menhir at Le Crocq, St Saviour's.

Seal of the Fief of St Michel.

Officals of Fief Beuval.