Gazette de l'Île de Jersey, August 1786
That Was Jersey |
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Early newspapers in Jersey appeared in the latter part of the 18th century, but it was in Victorian times that the combination of technology, curiosity and changing communities brought a surprising number of papers into being.
In 1784 Mathieu Alexandre, a Jerseyman, returned from England with a hand operated platen press and his newly acquired printing skills. He set up his press in his house in St Aubin, and produced the monthly journal Le Magazin de l’île de Jersey. He had become the first newspaper printer in the Island.
The first newspaper was the Gazette de l’Île de Jersey, started in 1786 and published weekly.It was published by supporters of one of the main political groups in the States; the Magots later became the Rose Party. It cost three sous (about 1½ old pence). However it wasn’t long before the rival party (the Charlots, later to be the Laurel party) published a paper called the Soleil de l’Île de Jersey, in 1792, but it didn’t survive very long. The Gazette introduced "announcements" which included advertisements for dentists and hairdressers, for example, in addition to personal notices.
By the 1830s there were eleven papers being published in St Helier. Some were in French, some in English; some supported one political party, some another. These were mostly political newspapers, and each projected their own party views. Although many early newspapers were written in French, there were none in jerriais; the patois was predominantly a spoken language rather than a written one.
Victor Hugo came to Jersey in 1852, and was expelled three years later. He wrote in a newspaper called L'Homme, and it was these writings that caused his expulsion. A re-enactment of part of Hugo's time in Jersey, included this scene with one of the actors holding a copy of L'Homme.
The first newspaper written in the English language was the British Press, first published in 1822. During the 19th century several newspapers were published in the Island, although they were primarily intended for the UK market. They were avoiding English taxes (on paper, on publication, and according to the changes in the English taxation system). In this way Jersey was seen as a tax haven even in those days. The British Press joined with the Jersey Times in 1860, and as the British Press and Jersey Times survived into the 20th century. Most of the news was international and UK news, but there was always a column of local news, presumably to justify the title!
Between 1820 and 1870 there were 65 different magazines and newspapers published in Jersey. Some were very short-lived, but there were some notable successes.
Published weekly in French from 1820 to 1876, it is available on microfilm at the Library. The issue shown here mourns the death of King George III.
Publication started in 1814 and continued through until 1917. It was a French language paper, but as time went by, there were those who disliked its approach. So it was in 1855 that La Nouvelle Chronique was launched. Eventually the two papers amalgamated into Les Chroniques, and the masthead (the swirly heading at the top of a newspaper) shows two hands clasped, to show that any differences had been made up. As the Nouvelle Chronique the French language paper ran from 1917 to 1950.
In 1890 the first edition was published, as a daily paper, giving priority to Jersey news in the English language. It is now well past its centenary and continues to serve the Island.
During the Occupation, the Evening Post faced a dilemma. Should it continue to publish, and risk German censorship, or should it close down, leaving a fully functional newspaper office and printing department to the occupying forces? The decision was made to continue publishing. In July 1940, soon after the arrival of the occupying forces, the newspaper printed photos of some of the Island's natural beauty - "Jersey, die schoene kanalinsel".
The German censor brought in items of propaganda to be included, although the staff of the paper allowed errors in English and in style in these items so that readers could know which items were from the Jersey authorities and which from the Germans. The paper was known to the occupying forces as the Inselzeitung. There was even a German edition of the paper, providing news for the German soldiers in the Island.
This provided the news each morning, starting in 1909 and going right through until 1950. The staff worked through the night to produce a paper which was in the newsagents in town by 8.00 a.m.
Larger copies of the newspapers featured on this page are available, allowing for more detailed study.
La Gazette de l'Île de Jersey
Le Constitutionnel
Deutsche Inselzeitung and Evening Post, July 1940
Inselzeitung, 6th June 1944
Inselzeitung, 8th May 1945
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