Statue of Harry Vardon
That Was Jersey |
Local history for everyone |
CHANNEL ISLANDS |
Grouville is home to the Royal Jersey Golf Club and it was the birthplace of Harry Vardon (1870-1937). He became a professional golfer after doing well in amateur competitions in his late teens. He went on to win major golf tournaments in the UK and in America. The newspapers referred to him as the Golf King. Following a period of ill health, he turned to coaching and writing instruction and inspirational books.
This statue of him now stands at the entrance to the Golf Club.
Peter Larbalestier (1912-1946) left school at the age of 14, and went to train in mechanical engineering. He applied for a post of Lighthouse keeper at La Corbière and he stayed in the Island during the Occupation years. After the Liberation tourists again started to visit.
In 1946 a young couple on holiday got stranded on the causeway with a rising tide. The husband managed to escape to safety, but his wife panicked. Peter Larbalestier was involved in a daring rescue attempt, but sadly both he and the visitor were swept away by the waves.
A plaque now stands as a warning by the causeway.
Victor Hugo came to Jersey (as other French exiles did) to escape the French government. He had disagreed publicly with them on various matters, so had to go into exile. He came to Jersey with his wife and family in 1852 where they rented a house near Le Dicq.
Hugo stayed in Jersey until his writings in the newspaper L'Homme brought him into sharp dispute with Jersey's government. He was expelled from the Island and sailed to Guernsey in November 1855, where he made his home until circumstances in France allowed him to return to his homeland.
Hugo took inspiration from the Island for some of his famous work, some prose, some poetry and some drawings.
This plaque is on Le Rocher des Postcrits, at Le Dicq, where he and his fellow exiles used to meet. It commemmorates his exile.
The story is told of St Helier, living in the 6th century in a cave as a hermit. Various miracles are recorded, although it is difficult to know which of the stories actually relate to St Helier, and which to other saints like St Marculf, a contemporary of his.
Helier was killed, according to legend, by marauding pirates wielding axes; crossed axes now feature on the parish emblem. Helier's cave became the site of a chapel at the Hermitage near Elizabeth Castle, and an annual pilgrimage is made across the causeway to commemorate the island's local saint.
The twopence coins shows the Hermitage.
Major Peirson was not a Jerseyman, yet the Island owes much to him. He led the victorious English forces in the Battle of Jersey in 1781 and rescued the Island from being overrun by the French.
A memorial marks the Battle in the Royal Square.
Following the Battle, the States wrote a letter of appreciation to the Major's father, part of which is quoted here.
Sir Billy Butlin (1899-1980) was famous for his Holiday Camps, giving many families an entertaining alternative to rainy seaside holidays. He was very interested in various charities, and generous with his time and money.
He and his wife moved to Jersey, where his generosity provided (amongst other things) a brain-scanner for the hospital and the sport and recreation facilities in St John. He is buried in the New Cemetery in St John's parish. The impressive memorial records many of his activities.
Florence Boot (1863-1952) was born in St Helier, where her parents owned a bookshop. Jesse Boot came to Jersey to convalesce and they met and were soon married. Jesse Boot had built up a growing business specialising in homemade remedies in Nottingham. His wife took up the "fancy goods" side of the shops, and this may have been her first contact with the work of Lalique through his perfume bottles. Jesse and Florence worked hard to build up Boots the Chemist into a nationwide company.
When arthritis disabled Lord Trent (as he had become) he and his wife moved to Villa Millbrook in 1928. He created the FB Fields, named for his wife, and paid for various building projects, including La Motte Street School and various housing developments. Lord Trent died in 1931.
In his memory, Lady Trent commissioned the skilled glass designer Lalique to transform the local church of St Matthews. It became known as the Glass Church. She also created the Coronation Park, as a valuable recreational space for both residents and visitors to the Island.
Edmund Blampied (1886-1966) was a prolific artist and examples of his work can be seen in many Jersey homes. He was born to a farming family in St Martin, but spent much of his time drawing. He went to London to study art. His etching created a lot of interest, and he was in demand for book illustrations.
He returned to Jersey in 1938 and contributed his expertise during the Occupation with some designs for postage stamps, and also for paper money.
His design for the Sixpence note cleverly showed a V (for Victory) when it was folded - a much appreciated small morale-booster for the oppressed Islanders.
At his own request, his ashes were scattered in St Aubin's Bay.
Joan Stevens is known for her writings and research into Jersey's local history. Although she had travelled widely with her army family, she was glad to return to her roots in Jersey.
When her husband retired in 1949, they bought a farm, La Grange, in St Mary, and restored the house. Her earlier work at the Société Jersiaise gave her a love of the Island's history. Her books include detailed histories of some old Jersey houses. She was also fascinated by place names and recorded her findings in Jersey place names.
The de Carteret family has long associations with St Ouen. There were many notables in the large family tree. Helier (1532-1581) and George (died 1680) were both outward looking, while retaining strong links at home.
Helier de Carteret was the Seigneur of St Ouen and also the Colonizer of Sark. Sark had been a prosperous and well-ordered island until raided by pirates and the French. Helier was authorised by Queen Elizabeth in 1565 to colonize Sark, on condition that at least 40 men were living there permanently. Before long de Carteret and his men had built homes, established farms and organised community life in Sark.
Sir George Carteret was Helier's great grandson. His parents were married in Sark. George had little formal education but he understood the sea.
His life was eventful, whether serving the English King during the Civil War, or colonizing distant parts of the world. His shrewd business sense acquired him great wealth.
The King granted him land on the eastern coast of America, and in 1664 he succeeded in establishing New Jersey. He appointed a young cousin, Philippe de Carteret, as Governor.
The first motor car came to Jersey in 1899, and in 1914 George Noel de Gruchy opened St Peter's Cycle and Motor Works. The garage was opposite the old forge just south of St Peter's village. In 1922 came their first taxi, and in 1928 petrol pumps were installed.
George Noel died just before the Occupation, and his son, Alexandre Noel de Gruchy, inherited the business. In due course, he retired and in turn passed on the business to one of his sons. The family sold the business in 1998 and The Pines (the family's home for over 80 years and originally part of the garage) has since been demolished.
Lillie Langtry (1853-1929) was born at St Saviour's rectory where her father, the Dean, was in residence. As a child she got up to all sorts of pranks, but as she grew older, it was her beauty which was more remarked on.
She married Edward Langtry and went with him to London where she thoroughly enjoyed the attention she received. The Prince of Wales was among other notable people in her social circle. Lillie later took up acting, and she also renewed her teenage interest in horse racing. She visited the United States where she was much admired. She was buried in St Saviour's churchyard.
Gerald Durrell had an interest in animals from childhood. His first job was at Whipsnade Zoo, and he then made several expeditions in search of animals. To finance his trips abroad, he started to write up his experiences. His books were very successful, and this gave him the opportunity to pursue his dream of building up his own zoo.
He found Les Augrès Manor in Jersey, set in parkland, and in 1959 started to create an unusual zoo. He was concerned to promote captive breeding programmes for animals facing extinction in the wild. In 1979 Durrell was able to acquire more land, and he used it to open a training programme for people from across the world, who would then be able to work for wildlife preservation in their home countries.