Jersey As It Is - Part 2

This Friday is a blog in which I have transcribed a translation of an essay called "Jersey as It Is", published in 1844, as the result of a winning entry by F. Robious de La Trehonnais which won first prize in the competition of the Jersey Emulation Society.

Although there is no photo of him in the book, I have been in touch with his descendant, Gilbert Engelhardt, who lives in South Brittany, and was able to furnish me with photos and considerable background information, which I will be putting up, with his permission, in the weeks to come.

His father was Jean-François Robiou de la Tréhonnais, of a noble lineage in France, and who Gilbert tells me was "a chouan hero", who fled from Brittany , to Jersey, in 1789, as he wanted to escape the French Revolution. He escaped the guillotine, as he was a royalist. Jean-François married Elizabeth Le Bouteiller in 1806 - she was born at St Aubin in Jersey.

Chouan means "the silent one", or "owl", and was a French surname but was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution.

The Name of Jersey

On the name of Jersey, the text makes the mistake (common until recent times) of assuming that Jersey was called Caesarea; it does however, make the same note that is found in W. Plees on the name of "Augia". Plees wrote (1816):

"Some have conjectured that it was previously called Augia : by this name it was indeed given by Childebert, King of France, the son of Clovis, to Samson, Archbishop of Dol, in Armorica, about A. D. 550 : but this being subsequent to the declension of the Roman power in Gaul, seems rather to corroborate a contrary opinion."

Falle also mentions this (1734):

"a donation of Childebert, king of France, to Samson, bishop of Dol, in Britany, of  four islands, named Vesargia, Augia, Sargia, and Rima which he takes to be Guernsey, Jersey, Sark, and Herm ; Augia being the name of Jersey before the Romans gave it that of Caesarea."

He is citing a translation from D'Argentré, Hist de Bretagne, Liv 1, Ch XXVIII, fo1 114:

"A c'est Archeoesque Childebert donna quelques Isles et Terres en Normandie; Rimoul, Augie, Sargie et Vesargie, qui estoient Isles en la Coste; car je trouve cela aux vielles Lettres."

However, while the legacy of the ancient name may be taken at face value, the document is not! John Henry Newman, in his "Lives of the English Saints" notes that the original documentation has historical weaknesses as to its veracity:

"Baldricus, Archbishop of Dol, asserts that these islands were given to St. Sampson by king Childebert. It may however be asked, whether an Archbishop of Dol in the twelfth century is very good authority for an event of the sixth, especially, it may be added, at the height of the dispute between Dol and Tours."

The donation of Childebert, while probably reflecting early names of the Channel Islands, may well be in the class of the Donation of Constantine, a 9th century ecclesiastical forgery.

Jersey As It Is  - Part 2
by F. Robious de La Trehonnais 

The island was known to the Romans under the name of Caesarea, no doubt because the conqueror of Gaul paid it a visit. However, as people do not always accept denominations imposed on them by their masters, the island continued to bear its ancient name of Augia, as it is seen by an act of cession made by Childebert, the son of Cloris, to St. Sampson, the Archbishop of Dol, towards the middle of the tenth century.

Until the year 912, history is silent as to the events which may have taken place in the island; but towards this time the Normans, weary of carnage and devastations, accepted the province which bears their name to retire in peace and enjoy the fruit of their far and widely-spread plundering excursions.

This province was granted to them by Charles the Simple as a fief; and this prince, wishing to cement an union which the weakness of his reign rendered indispensable, gave his daughter in marriage to Rollo, the chief of these barbarians, having had him first converted and baptized by the bishop of Rouen.

The cession of the Channel Islands was comprised in the treaty, and they became thus dependent on the duchy of Normandy.

From the reign of Rollo to that of William the Conqueror, an interval of a hundred and fifty-four years elapsed. Six dukes reigned successively over the duchy, and the peaceful influence of their just and good government extended itself to the Norman isles and deposited in them seeds of prosperity and importance.

In the time of William the Conqueror, these islands, together with the province to which they belonged, passed over to the English crown; however, in the reign of Robert, son of the Conqueror, and who then governed Normandy, they attempted to proclaim their independence ; but shortly after, Henry the First, having superseded Robert's rights and title which he used so treacherously, bound, in a definitive manner, the islands to British dominion, and this bond has stood firm until our days, notwithstanding the numerous attempts that have been made to break it.

It is worthy of remark that the Channel Islands happen to be the most ancient fief of the English crown; for Ireland, Wales, and Scotland were not subdued until a long time after.

Until the reign of King John, history presents no occurrences worthy of notice; but during the reign of that prince, whose weakness was so disastrous to England, the Norman isles were almost alienated from their rightful owners, in sharing the fate of Normandy, of which Philip of France had just gained possession.

The French monarch, anxious to pursue his advantages, encouraged besides by the state of impotency to which the misgovernment of John had reduced England, fitted out and sent an expedition to capture the islands. The historians of the time have not left any record of the defence of the inhabitants; but, if we judge from the result, there is no doubt but they distinguished themselves by their bravery. The French twice landed on the shores of Jersey, but in these two instances were compelled to retreat, and at last to abandon their enterprise.

John, undoubtedly ashamed at having lost his beautiful French province, sought to expiate his disasters by concentrating quite an extraordinary interest to this last remain of one of the finest fiefs of the British realm :-he came over with a fresh supply of troops and provisions; then actively applied himself to protect the coast against further attempts of invasion, by erecting strongholds and fortified towers ; at the same time, his heart did not remain unmoved by the fidelity of the natives, who in the midst of his disasters had not abandoned him, but rather served his interests in so efficient a manner.

As a reward for their good and loyal services, the English monarch gave the islanders a peculiar constitution, attended by numerous privileges; and, though the Norman laws were still maintained, the isles were entirely sequestered from the fief of Normandy, and all the appeals were made to the English government.

These important dispositions were attended with results of prosperity and aggrandisement, and went on increasing until the reign of Edward the First.

Under this prince the French, pursuing their envious tactics, attempted again to possess themselves of the islands. As on the former occasions, they met with such a determined resistance, that again they were compelled to retreat. Edward was so pleased with the islanders, that he handsomely rewarded those who the most distinguished themselves, and pensions were granted to the families of such as had fallen in the contest.

During the reign of Henry the Second the islands were not visited with any foreign invasion; but they did not less suffer from the arbitrary and unjust acts of a tyrannical government. The privileges and institutions with which king John, in his gratitude, had presented the island, were violated in their most sacred clauses, and the inhabitants were exposed to exactions and tyrannical proceedings, which, exercised on a people less attached to the standard they had adopted as their own, would have caused feelings of irritation and disaffection.

When Edward the Third ascended the throne, the islanders exposed their complaints in an humble petition, and obtained from the new monarch a full and complete reparation for the grievances they had suffered under his predecessor.

However, this reign, which dawned so bright and prosperous for the Jerseymen, did not set without storms and disasters : the bloody wars, which raged between France and England, extended their calamities as far as the Channel Islands. Philip de Valois, then king of France, fitted out a powerful fleet, which he sent against Jersey, but this enterprise was not more successful than the others,-it entirely failed before Mont-Orgueil. Some historians maintain that their attack on Guernsey was attended with more success, for the French succeeded in taking possession of it, and even occupied it for nearly three years ; but, after the naval battle which Edward gained over the French, a fleet was entrusted to the command of admiral de Cobbam to rescue Guernsey from the foe's hands. The Jerseymen generously offered to join their efforts to those of the fleet, and their contribution in hands and money added greatly to the success of the expedition.

After these remarkable occurrences, the islands were again blessed with a profound peace, which unfortunately was not of long duration. Charles the Wise, having mounted the French throne, did not approve of the treaty that his predecessor had ratified with Edward of England, a treaty in which France abandoned all her claims to the possession of the Norman isles, and acknowledged the legitimacy of those of England. Charles renewed hostilities, divested Edward of all the remainder of his French possessions, and turned his victorious arms against the islands.

Guernsey was first attacked; but this expedition having totally failed, Duguesclin, whose warlike exploits had so much contributed to the success of the king of France, placed himself at the head of a new army, and landed without opposition on the shores of Jersey. The French general besieged first the castle of Mont-Orgueil, which was then the most important place in the island. His army amounted to no less than ten thousand men, if we credit the chronicles of that time; but, though Duguesclin's exertions and bravery were worthy of his fame and the glory he had acquired by so many victories, his efforts remained useless in presence of the defenders of the castle : the more vivacity and courage he displayed in his attacks, the more the besieged were heroic in their defence; and, exhausted at last by a struggle that brought no result, the assailing army and the garrison entered into an agreement, and it was decided that if in a stipulated time help did not come to the besieged, they were to capitulate under honourable conditions.

Before the day appointed an English fleet appeared, and the French hero, true to his word as he was to his sword, withdrew with his army as he had agreed. It was in that memorable siege that first dawned the name of Carteret, which enriches with so much splendour the history of the island.

Drago de Barentie, the commander of the castle, having been killed, whilst valiantly fighting on the ramparts, Carteret took his place, and continued that glorious defence, against which the invincible arms of one of the greatest warriors France ever had were of no avail.