Edward Le Quesne: Parish Elections

Edward Le Quesne (1882-1957) was elected a Deputy for St Helier No 2 district in 1925 and held the seat until he stood successfully for the new office of Senator in 1948. This is an extract from a journal he wrote entitled “50 Years of Memories”, written sometime around 1949. 

Note that at the time he is describing, around the start of the 20th century, the Jurats were elected for life and on an Island wide mandate, the Rectors sat in the States, and the Connetables and Deputies are the only members still forming part of the States, although the Dean of Jersey sits in the States, can speak, but has no vote. 

There were twelve Jurats, replaced in the 1948 reform by 12 Senators, also elected on an Island wide basis but with 6 being elected every 6 years, while Deputies were elected every 3 years, and Constables every 3 years, but from the vacancy of the office holder, which meant all over the place, as some had died in office, and over the centuries it became very random. 

Now there is one election day, a four year term of office, and the Senators will no longer sit in the States, while the Deputies will no longer represent a parish but a "superconstituency", leaving the Parish representation to the Constables, who will now be the sole voice of their Parish in the States. As I am  politically a Distributist, and therefore a confirmed believer in the importance of the principle of subsidiarity, I'm pleased that remains.

Despite the prevalence of obvious bribery, it was an offense. Against bribery involved in elections, the UK passed the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, but there was no Jersey equivalent except for the customary law offence of bribery, even though it clearly wasn't enforced well in Le Quesne's account. Only recently, bribery was placed on the statute books as a general offense, not just a political one, with Corruption (Jersey) Law 2006, replacing custom law. 

As Bedell and Cristin remarked:

The aim of the Corruption Law was to introduce comprehensive measures to combat bribery and corruption both domestically and internationally. A "start from scratch" approach was adopted, abolishing the customary law offence of bribery and certain existing statutory offences so that all such offences are dealt with by one statute.

The new law also put into perspective what did exist until 2006. There were a number of specific antibribery offences in various Laws (such as the States of Jersey Law 1966 and the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991) and there was a customary law offence of bribery, just about the only recorded incidence of which, since the Second World War, was Attorney General -v- Langtry.

In October 1945. Mrs. Langtry was convicted and fined £25 for offering a bribe, in the form of a £5 note, to the Chief Aliens officer in return for a permit to travel to England. (The Chief Aliens Officer, incidentally, declined both to accept the bribe and to issue the permit, and instead, reported Mrs. Langtry to the police.)

Parish Elections.
by Edward Le Quesne

Island and parochial elections were great events, and some of the things that happened at those elections hardly appear credible to-day. In most of the country parishes two parties existed, The Rose and The Laurel. Neither part had any political creed, in fact it is questionable as to whether two per cent of the electorate knew the difference between one party’s politics and the other’s.

But you had to be either a “ Laurel ” or a “ Rose ”, and whether your candidate was good, bad or indifferent, you were expected to loyally support him with all the resources at your disposal. Whether it was for the office of Connétable, Centenier, Vingtenier, Officier du Connétable or even Roads’ Inspector, no man who was not of your party must be permitted to obtain election without a contest. Elections were expensive, and if a close contest was expected large sums of money were expended to buy the votes of waverers, or of those suspected of being amenable to a “ pourboire ”, to induce them for once to forget their loyalty.

One man might be offered £20 for a heifer or cow worth £10; the opposite party, hearing of this, would probably increase the offer to £30, and having accepted the larger amount the elector would probably vote for the first. In some cases, when there was great doubt as to how a man would vote, he had to be kept away from the polling booth by some means, and a favourite method was to get him so drunk on election day that he could not possibly attend to record his vote. Another method was to get him intoxicated, placed in a boat and taken for a trip to Sark whilst the polling took place. I have known of families almost facing ruin due to the monies spent on getting their particular party candidates elected, often to posts for which they were entirely unfitted.

In a long political life I can recall many humorous incidents connected with Elections, some connected with Island elections for the juratship, some connected with election for municipal offices in the Parish of St. Helier.

There was a vacancy for the position of Jurat, and no candidate was forthcoming. Three of us were seated chatting in a local office. “ We must find a candidate ”, said one of my friends. “ I know a little fellow who would take if asked. Let us ring him up ”, the other friend replied.

We telephoned the gentleman concerned.

“ A large and influential deputation would like to call on you in order to seek your willingness to accept nomination for the vacancy on the Bench of Jurats ”.

 “ I would be delighted to receive you ”, came the reply. '

We were in a fix, but one on the phone and the two others running around, we eventually secured some twenty people willing to accompany us to the home of our candidate.

We were well received, refreshments provided, and the candidate, with tears in his eyes, thanked the deputation for the great honour and placed himself entirely at our disposal. Unfortunately another candidate appeared on the scene. The whole Island had to be canvassed. Free drinks at the Inns in each parish had to be arranged for on election day and cars provided to bring electors from outlying districts to the poll.

The election cost our candidate over £1,000, and unfortunately he was unsuccessful. But, trying again at a later date, he had better luck and an expense bill that did not, on the second occasion, exceed £800. To our sorrow he turned out to be one of the most useless members that ever donned the Red Robe. “ Sic transit gloria mundi ”..

Another case was that of a Centenier who had given many years of valuable service to his Parish. His time for re-election was approaching but no one had apparently appealed to him to again come forward. Sitting in an ofiice at the Parish Hall with a colleague he entered and complained of the lack of appreciation of his services. My colleague and I felt that something had to be done, so again by means of the phone and personal interviews we arranged for a deputation to meet at a local hotel in the afternoon, with the object of asking the gentleman to again come forward as a candidate for election.

The meeting took place, and much to our astonishment another gentleman, whose term of office had also expired, graced the meeting with his presence. The two gentlemen were called in ; and the appointed chairman having explained the object of the meeting, both gentlemen expressed their willingness to again accept office. One of them, in accepting, expressed his particular pleasure at the “ spontaneity ” of the request of ‘ his fellow-citizens. Refreshments were provided, but when the time came to pay, one of the candidates had disappeared, leaving the man for whom the meeting had originally been called to “foot the bill ”!

 

Dogs on a Lead from 1 May: A Shaggy Dog Story

Beach restrictions apply to dogs and horses from 1 May 2021. If you want to let your dog off the lead, this is only permitted before 10.30 a.m. or after 6 p.m. from this Saturday.

An old gardener I knew who lived in St Clement near the Parish Hall. His dogs were running loose at Le Hocq on the beach... and it was after 1st May. He was duly summoned to a Parish Hall enquiry. Did you know your dogs were running loose? Yes, but the law said they had to be on a lead. If you looked, you would have seen their leads dangling from them as they ran! They were on a lead. I just wasn’t holding it!

He was let off with a caution, and it was suggested, tongue in cheek, that he might like to join theb honorary police, as they could do with his legal expertise.

Grumbles from the Pulpit: One Law on Pay for Politicians

 The proposition, put forward by the Privileges and Procedures Committee, outlines how:  

• Though States members can still set the framework for how their pay is decided – i.e. the independent body – they will have no say on the actual decision of what their pay is.
• Members’ pay should be linked to an index.
• An independent body or person should be commissioned to review the system each Assembly term.
• That the law that keeps all States Members' pay equal should be repealed, so the independent reviewer can consider different options for different States Members

One law on pay for politicians... another for the public sector.

So why can't public sector pay be also linked to that index. That way politicians will not have any say in that either!

At the moment, politicians pay is recommended by an "independent" panel - all of whom are chosen to sit on the panel by the States.

As far as I am aware, Unions, teachers, nurses, etc are not involved in that panel, but only those people whose status, both economic and political, could be described as privileged. That's what happens when the States choose the panel!

Any independent body should be widely representative of all sectors of society, not narrowly confined to "the great and the good", who are insulated from experience at the coal face, working long hours for relatively little pay.

It seems to me that if politicians pay goes up, the public sector should go up likewise. As it stands, the SEB has in recent years ignored any calls for independent arbitration, simply laying down the law.

Different Pay Grades: Empowering Patronage and Privilege

There has also been angling for different rates of pay for some time, so that Ministers could receive more, and the Chief Minister more, as well as heads of Scrutiny.

In a small island, where the Chief Minister has powers of dismissal, this would be a charter which would enable patronage and privilege in a way that simply does not exist in (for instance), the UK, where there are far more backbenchers than members of the government.

If we are not careful, this could lead to a more presidential approach to leadership, with powers of patronage to sack and demote any critics and promote their supporters, backed up by the fact that demotion means loss of pay. It will be a step closer to an "elective dictatorship".

We have seen a lot of contempt for the electorate in the past year, and this I fear would only make matters worse.

Readers might like to consider Anthony King's remarks in ‘The British Prime Ministership in the Age of the Career Politician’, and consider how better pay and privilege given by a Chief Minister would affect the States:

The great majority of British politicians [nowadays] are career politicians. They eat, breathe and sleep politics. Most of them passionately want to be ministers; or, if they are already ministers, they want to be promoted in the ministerial hierarchy, and they certainly do not want to be demoted, shunted sideways or dismissed. It follows that the prime minister of the day is in an exceedingly powerful position. He or she is the monopoly supplier of a good, ministerial office, which is in … short supply and for which there is an enormous demand. He or she can exploit this monopoly position to influence the behaviour of backbenchers who want to be ministers and of ministers who want to be promoted and not to be dismissed … The career politician’s ambition is the ambitious prime minister’s opportunity.

Time and Tide

I've always liked Frank Sinatra's song "It was a very good year", and looking back at my life, and the locality I have lived for most of my life, I thought I'd try to do something retrospective, but involving the sea.

Time and Tide

The waves lap softly on my feet
Sandcastle, bucket and spade
Time for childhood to greet
Long holidays and lemonade

The waves lap softly on my feet
Stormy weather, spray flies high
Mid-Winter coming, falling sleet
Dusk approaches, seagulls cry

The waves lap softly on my feet
They will be here, long after me
Much older now, but it’s still sweet
Still I enjoy sky, sand and sea

The tide is high, and I’m moving on
And it will endure, when I am gone

Edward Le Quesne: Market Day

Edward Le Quesne (1882-1957) was elected a Deputy for St Helier No 2 district in 1925 and held the seat until he stood successfully for the new office of Senator in 1948. This is an extract from a journal he wrote entitled “50 Years of Memories”, written sometime around 1949

Market Day

Saturday was the great day of the week for St. Helier, for that was Market day, and from early morning, farmers and their wives could be seen coming to town in their horse vans or box-carts. The vans and carts were parked all along Minden Place, Cattle Street, Beresford Street and Halkett Place; the horses were taken out and stalled for the day at the various Livery stables such as the Paragon in Upper Halkett Place, Gregory’s in La Motte Street, Down’s in Bath Street and Pearce’s (now Barnes) and F auvel’s (now A. de Gruchy) in New Street. Laurens also had a large stable in Seaton Place (‘now the property of Messrs. Huelin Ltd.).

The farmers brought in their produce, eggs, butter, cream and vegetables, and these were sold by their wives at stalls rented by the day, in the Public Markets. The Cattle Market in Minden Place was reserved for the sale of young pigs and poultry and on occasions young heifers and sheep.

There was little tinned food in those days, and people lived on the fresh products of the soil. In the Old Toy Market, now replaced by the Telephone Exchange, Breton women had stalls on which were displayed, and from which were sold, plums, cherries and chestnuts in season, and French butter and eggs also formed their ‘stock in trade’.

During the Winter months these Breton women had a charcoal stove on which they roasted fine chestnuts, which they sold at one penny a dozen. They did a roaring trade on a Saturday, especially with the farmers. Another stall in the same market sold sabots, otherwise wooden shoes, which at that time were almost the exclusive footwear on the farms. Strange that almost forty years had elapsed when during the 1939-45 War we again had to depend on local made sabots for our footwear.

The butchers’ stalls in the Markets had brave shows of local killed meat, for chilled and frozen meat was almost unknown. Large numbers of sheep could be seen grazing on Gouray Common, at the Quennevais, on the slopes of Fort Regent, and in a field now occupied by the Maternity Hospital. For many years this was known as Mutton’s Field, “ Mutton ” being the appropriate name for a local butcher, who owned or rented the field. The beef was principally Spanish beef, the bullocks being brought to Jersey by schooner, and slaughtered at the local abattoir.

At Christmas-time the butchers (now meat purveyors) vied with their competitors in securing prize carcases from the annual Smithfield show, and the displays in the Markets and various shops outside, were something to have seen to be believed. Apart from the huge quantities of beef and pork displayed, turkeys, geese, ducks and fowls by the hundreds covered the front of the shops and stalls, the whole-pigs carcases adorned with holly and an orange in the mouth.

Grumbles from the Pulpit: A Case of Deju Vue - Civil Servants and Private Pay

A Case of Deja Vue

BBC news reported on the following UK scandal:

A top civil servant joined financial firm Greensill Capital as an adviser while still working for the government, a lobbying watchdog has revealed. Bill Crothers's part-time position had been "agreed" to by the Cabinet Office, the Office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments added.(1)

Of course that is very much like the Charlie Parker Affair - known and given the nod by the Chief Minister - until it became public knowledge. And likewise, the Daily Mail asked of Mr Crother how he found the time for the extra job when he was supposed to be busy working for the government in a very demanding post. 

City AM had this report:

Former Home Office permanent secretary Sir David Normington said that he was “absolutely amazed” that a top civil servant was permitted to work as a part-time adviser at Greensill Capital while still in Whitehall. Asked about the Bill Crothers case, Sir David told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme today: “Well actually, when I heard it, I thought it was absolutely baffling. I’ve never come across anything like it in my over 40 years in Whitehall.” “I’m absolutely amazed that Bill Crothers should be allowed to work for Greensill while he was still in the civil service,” he added.

Over here, we had a backhand attempt led by the Chief for SEB to retrospectively approve the post, while one of those soulless minions of orthodoxy, a "Government spokesperson", came up with a bland, unsatisfying declaration:

A Government spokesperson said there were “no contractual restrictions on the Chief Executive accepting such a role."

Meanwhile, over there, Government departments have been ordered to find out by the end of the week whether senior officials have rule-breaking second jobs. The BBC reports that:

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has asked colleagues to declare paid roles or outside interests that "might conflict" with Civil Service rules. He said the need to give civil servants the chance to gain experience life outside Whitehall has been "recognised for many decades by successive governments".  "But this must only be done in a way which can maintain the integrity and impartiality of the Civil Service," he wrote. 
He added: "In particular, there needs to be transparency and full and proper management of any outside interests."

Transparency was singularly lacking over in Jersey!

Political Scandals and Skeletons in the Cupboard

The latest page filler in the JEP regarding Deputy Kevin Pamplin (36 at the time) and a 16 year old girl (at the time, now around 20 years old) does not reflect well on the Deputy. I noticed that his manifesto stated that he was a "father of two" in 2018, but not that he was still married.

This raises the question of how much a private life should be public for a politician, and what effect, if any, it has on their political career. The woman in question asks for his resignation, and yet while unseemly, and she was not under age at the time, as is clear from the printed exchanges. 

Legally it is not chargeable or a resigning offense under Jersey election law, but next year obviously the public can decide for themselves.How much is flirting, and how much is rather more predatory is something voters will have to decide for themselves.

I remember two Deputies who had an affair, and one resigned as President of Education - before the affair become public knowledge, as he probably felt this would not set a good example, especially where sex education was concerned. 

Times are also changing, and even over four years, it hass become clear that more people are trying to carefully navigate the line between flirting and harassment, or sexual predation. The #MeToo movement has forced society to become more aware and sensitive to sexual ethics in our everyday interactions.

This is a recent shift, but it has correctly placed a greater emphasis on understanding the differences between things like consent and coercion.

Our Great British Empire

And finally, Sir Stephen Dalton, Lt-Governor of Jersey, clearly channelling the wit of the late Duke of Edinburgh in his tribute on Channel Television:

"The Duke paid keen attention to Jersey and the Crown Dependencies, and of course to the rest of our Great British Empire"

I like to think that the Duke would have been quietly amused!

References:

(1) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56733465

(2) https://www.cityam.com/greensill-job-allowed-bill-crothers-to-evade-scrutiny-says-former-home-office-official/

(3) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56751997

Ian Gorst's Case for Retaining the Senators

For today I thought it would be useful to publish a letter from Ian Gorst to the JEP on the subject of retaining the Senators. One of the significant arguments he makes is that the general public are in favour of retaining the Senators, as shown by the MORI poll. Is that still the case today? 

If it is, we will never find out, as Russell Labey had ruled out a referendum on the subject of reform. A yes / no question on the Senators, unlike the Constables (a resounding "Yes") has never been asked. Instead Deputy Labey argued that it is up to the States to decide, not the electorate, which quite frankly I find patronising - it smacks of "We know best".

Deputy Labey has also been loath to move to an all Island vote - as Guernsey has done - until recently stating it would be impossible. Guernsey cleverly employed technology to help count votes, and showed its sister Island, as so often it has done, that it was possible. 

So the argument shifted to being that it might be possible with the smaller number of Deputies in Guernsey, but it would never work here. It's what the philosopher-mathematician Imre Lakatos called "monster barring", making exceptions to sustain your case after it has been falsified. Scientific theories which do that are rightly consigned to the scrap heap of history, but unfortunately politicians are immune from factual realities.

Letter from Senator Ian Gorst to the JEP: 19 April 2021

I AM pleased that my proposal to retain the Senators has generated a greater level of political engagement — one of the key objectives of the Privileges and Procedures Committee in proposing electoral reform. Islanders are usually not scared of communicating their views to me, and I appreciate the positive responses I have received from many Islanders over the past ten days.

Inevitably, my proposals are not agreeable to everyone and I have been subject to the predictable charge of having lodged a ‘wrecking’ amendment. I have even been accused of being worried about potentially having to contest a Deputorial election. This, despite my having previously served two terms as a Deputy. My preference is for this debate to focus on the issue at hand, and not on personalities or individual at- tacks. I ask simply — what is the case for the removal of the Senators?

It is argued that having three types of States Member is too complicated for voters to understand, despite us having had these arrangements in place since 1948. It is said that the Senatorial ballot paper is too long, and that hustings meetings are unmanageable, even though Guernsey has just elected 38 Deputies in an election which was efficiently managed and where turnout was up compared to their previous election and substantially higher than in our most recent election.

We’re also told that the single election day has devalued the office of Senator, ‘and that too many first-time candidates are standing for Senator. These arguments focus on perceived points of process, and none of them make a reasoned case against the office of Senator itself.

The case for retaining the Senators is much clearer. The election of Senators is the fairest and most equal way of electing Members of the States - the office is simply unchallengeable in that respect. The Senators hold the most substantial democratic mandate of any political office in Jersey. They give every voter a greater say over the make-up of the States Assembly, and of the government and Scrutiny, than they would otherwise have.

If we lose the Senators, we will all have the number of votes that we can cast reduced. This weakens the public’s influence over our democratic structures, and it diminishes democracy.

The current proposals for electoral reform are aimed at boosting public engagement, increasing turnout and achieving greater equity. If these are our objectives, then they all point to keeping the Senators.

Before the first single election day in 2011, turnout at Senatorial elections was usually higher than at those for Deputies. Turnout since has, understandably, been broadly equal. lmportantly, though, who can recall the last uncontested election for Senator?

In 2006, an IPSOS MORI poll found that 78% thought that either all or some States Members should be elected on an Island wide wide basis. The Electoral Commission report in 2013 stated ‘we accept that at present the public strongly supports the concept of the Islandwide mandate’.

In the 2013 referendum, the only option for retaining Senators was the status quo. Islanders have never been presented with an option that includes both electoral reform and keeping the Senators. I cannot accept, therefore, that people in Jersey have consented to the removal of the Senators, and I believe that a majority of the public today still favour their retention.

Grumbles from the Pulpit

 

Fisheries Stocks: Too Extended a Deadline

You know things are bad when they make the national press. The Times reported that:

"French fishermen have been accused of “decimating” the Jersey coastline as they increase dredging before the post-Brexit amnesty ends at the end of this month. French boats spotted off the island’s coast this week are destroying the seabed with unsustainable 'industrial fishing methods', according to Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association."

We have been here before, albeit in different circumstances. When a deadline was given for hospitality before the Christmas lockdown, the pups were heaving with people to take advantage of the time they had. When a deadline was given for non-essential shops to close at 6 pm on Christmas Eve, the town was thronged with shoppers, regardless of the risks of Covid. 

The general rule is this: give a group of people enough of a deadline, and they will make maximum advantage of it for themselves. And this is what we can now see played out with the fishing by French trawlers. If it is not stopped effectively and quickly enough, fish stocks will be so depleted they will take a decade to recover.

Much of this comes down to the way the External Relations Minister has tried to negotiate with the French, to smooth access to French ports for Jersey boats. There's an old saying "he who sups with the devil needs a long spoon", and it looks as if Senator Gorst has been using a tea-spoon in this instance.

Gorst's Last Stand

Senator Gorst aided by Senator Farnham have made a last minute bid to keep the Senators. Now an Island wide mandate is a good thing, and of course they have that in plenty in Guernsey, which somehow managed to make it work, something Deputy Russell Labey seems to have thought impossible. But this isn't that - it's retaining the Senators. 

There's something to be said for it, if the Chief Minister is drawn from the ranks of Senators, it means everyone has the chance to vote on the past record of a Chief Minister. Of all those so far, only Senator Gorst has faced the ballot box - and survived. 

We may move to troubled times if we end up with a Deputy in a district over which we have no sway, elected as Chief Minister, when on an Island wide mandate, they might fall.  This means that asking the question of candidates on whom might be suitable for Chief Minister will become ever more important, but of course, expect a lot of fudging going on. 

The only good point is that thanks to Deputy Trevor Pitman's proposition, we can at least see if someone said something, and changed their mind once elected. Barefaced lying is now exposed. But they may just be non-committal and say "wait and see".

Obviously party politics of some kind may make that easier - if we know beforehand who is likely to be the next Chief Minister from amongst the party. So the two new parties need to decide beforehand who will be their "leader" should the opportunity arise for a party to have a significant impact on the next Chief Minister.

Historically, parties in the UK took ages to grow, and broke apart and reformed on several occasions, and I think it would be extraordinary if Jersey's suddenly sprung into being over a short period of time. That may not even happen. Despite there being 4 active political parties in the Isle of Man, as at March 2020, all members of both branches of Tynwald were independents. When parties have existed, they have been in the minority, and government is more by consent that adversarial party politics.

Housing Market and the Limits to Growth

There's a need for new housing, the housing market is stagnating - just a few of the headlines hitting the news recently. But the need for new housing is driven in part by an ever increasing population. Back in the days when Paul Routier was a Senator in the States, I remember him telling me that we needed to increase the population to increase the support for an aging population. That's like a Ponzi scheme, applied to population, but it seems to resurface, even if implicitly.

Increases in population need to be tied to the demands on infrastructure. Our water supply is perilously close to failing and requiring rationing, because the population has grown so much, and the changing climate pattern means longer periods of drought. So far, we have been lucky, but don't expect that to last. The water company has already suggested that another valley may be needed as a reservoir, and if the population goes up, it certainly will be (2). 

Dr Mark Boleat, an ardent devotee of expansion, saw no reason why Jersey should not increase as much as Hong Kong, blissfully (or deliberately) ignoring the fact that 70-80% of Hong Kong's water supply is from Guangdong, from a large river of that province. No such river or pipe supply would be possible from nearby France (3).

References:

(1) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/french-trawlers-decimating-stock-of-jersey-scallops-d7383cxdg

(2) https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2019-10-14/jersey-water-identifies-site-for-new-reservoir

(3) https://www.chinawaterrisk.org/resources/analysis-reviews/8-things-you-should-know-about-hong-kong-water/

The Piper’s Call

This poem is drawing heavily on "The Wind in the Willows" and I wanted to do a rondelle to capture something of the mystic atmosphere of the chapter in the book with the title I reference in the first line. This poem came to me in images and music, and I hope I've done that vision justice.

The Piper’s Call

I hear the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows, soft flute call
Magic in the air, I rise and my eyes fall
On fairy ring of mushrooms on the lawn

The mist is slowly rising, and I am drawn
At strange enchantment, I feel so small
I hear the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows, soft flute call

Glimpse, shadows, fairy folk, a faun
The music plays on, behind a wall
And I am entranced, and in its thrall
With fear and joy, I cross the lawn
I hear the piper at the gates of dawn

Edward Le Quesne: Funerals and Bustles

Edward Le Quesne (1882-1957) was elected a Deputy for St Helier No 2 district in 1925 and held the seat until he stood successfully for the new office of Senator in 1948. This is an extract from a journal he wrote entitled “50 Years of Memories”, written sometime around 1949

Funerals and Bustles

When I see men of 40 or so to-day I think back on the appearance of men of a similar age when I was a boy. At that time most men had a beard or at least what were then termed “ mutton-chop whiskers ” and even young men in the twenties did not consider themselves in the fashion did they not display a moustache and sideboards.

Of a Sunday most men, especially if attending church or chapel, wore a frock-coat and top hat or alternatively a bowler hat, but to be really well dressed the top-hat was considered necessary. When attending funerals the top hat was the only headgear possible, and the undertaker always provided crepe bands to place around the hat, with a sufficiency of the material to allow two fairly long ends to overlap the brim.

Some top hats were handed down from generation to generation, and often was to be seen a top-hat whose age could be told by the fact that, once black, it had developed into a dark green. The undertaker also provided black gloves, which at the termination of the funeral ceremony, he collected for further use on another occasion. A funeral in those days was a much more important function than it is to-day. Relatives down to the third and fourth cousins were warned to attend the ceremony, and woe to him who, having been warned, failed to attend, except for a substantial reason.

At the termination of the funeral a substantial meal was provided for all attending, and in many cases mourners could be seen proceeding homewards with top-hats more so at an angle than in the normal perpendicular position. Ladies of course never made an appearance, for their part was to remain at home consoling one another.

The dresses of ladies and young girls were somewhat different from those now seen. Long skirts reaching to the ground were “ de rigueur ”, and it was considered indecent to even allow the ankle to be exposed. Bustles were also worn, for a reason I have never understood, and even enquiries from my mother failed to elicit a reason, except that it was “ the fashion ”. Several petticoats were worn under these skirts, and unlike to-day, the more of the female form that could be hidden the more respectable was it considered. Married women wore bonnets with long ribbons attached, in order to secure them by tying them under the chin.

The Grand Old Duke

The Grand Old Duke

The Duke of Edinburgh died, ninety-nine
Born 1921, and became a refugee
His family fleeing across the salty brine
Always thereafter, linked to sea

Many know him only as an old man
Beside his beloved aging Queen
And not the Naval hero of Cape Matapan
Searchlight shining on that scene

Content to be in the Monarch’s shade
Wildlife, long before a fashion became
Humour: the knowing gaffes he made
The Award Scheme, a brightest flame

Remember him, as the cannons fire
A life well lived, one to inspire

Edward Le Quesne: Pandemonium

Edward Le Quesne (1882-1957) was elected a Deputy for St Helier No 2 district in 1925 and held the seat until he stood successfully for the new office of Senator in 1948. This is an extract from a journal he wrote entitled “50 Years of Memories”, written sometime around 1949

Pandemonium

Two incidents that have always remained in my mind occurred during holidays I had in Jersey whilst at College or at work in England. The first was the relief of Mafeking [1900]. At that time the feeling of friendship that now exists between England and France was, to say the least, non-existent. In fact, practically all the continental nations hated us, for what even many Britons considered an act of aggression.

The news of the relief came on the 24th of May, the Queen’s Birthday, and the Grand Review was held on St. Aubin’s sands in the morning. In the evening pandemonium broke out. The town gradually filled with demonstrators, including many militiamen still in uniform; processions formed, and a move made to the French Lane, the inhabitants of which at that time were principally French or of French descent.

These people had, during the course of the South African War openly expressed their sympathy for the Boers, and in, some instances, shown their feelings by openly rejoicing at the news of any British reverse. Entering the French Lane a Mdme. Cousinard emptied a bucket of slops over the leaders of the procession, and this from a shop now forming the premises of Messrs. G. D. Laurens.

That started the “ Concert ”, and infuriated the crowd. Within minutes the Windows of the shops in the “ Lane ” were smashed, and, determined to seek revenge for the insults to not only the British Army but to the beloved Queen Victoria tht haad occurred during the War, the crowd sought out further French properties, and the Pomme D’Or Hotel and the Palais de Cristal Hotel in King Street were subjected to the same fate as those in the Lane. The Devonshire Regiment Militia, then in garrison at Fort Regent, were called out by the Lieut.-Governor and posted outside many of the houses of the French resident: but it was soon apparent where their sympathies lay, and it was long after midnight before a semblance of order returned.

Unfortunately, the cost of the destruction had to be met by the Parish of St. Helier, and amounted to what in those days, was a considerable sum. It was quite a few years after before good relations existed between the Jersey natives and the French residents

The Death of Victoria  

The second incident was the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. In 1897 she had celebrated the sixtieth year of her reign and few to-day can understand the reverence and esteem in which she was held by every section of the community.

The last years of her life were saddened by the South African War and her sympathy for both the fighting troops, and for their relatives enhanced the respect in which she was held. In Jersey I witnessed many a man and many a woman in tears on hearing of the death of their beloved Queen, and immediately all business establishments closed down and blinds were drawn in private: houses. Women quickly brought but their mourning dresses and most men wore a black armlet for many days.

I returned to London the day after the receipt of the news of her death, and in the company of several other Jerseymen, witnessed the funeral procession as it passed down The Mall.

I have witnessed many great processions since that day, but none that have made such an impression on my mind for its solemnity and for the evident grief of the spectators. A great Queen had gone, and with it, it may be said, gone also was the time when Great Britain stood supreme as the dominant World Power.

Holiday Fun  

On holidays sports were generally held in the afternoon on the People’s Park, and among the attractions I remember was the Greasy Pole. At the top of a strong pole some twenty feet high was tied a leg of ham or mutton. The smooth pole, well greased, had to be climbed to reach the prize and the condition of the clothes of the competitors can better be imagined than described.

Other attractions were the Punch and Judy Show and Aunt Sally. The latter consisted of a board with a hole at the top large enough for a man to pass through his head. For a penny spectators were provided with half a dozen rotten apples or potatoes, with which, from a distance of fifteen to twenty feet, they attempted to hit the head protruding from the hole. The man possessing the head naturally attempted to duck in time to prevent the missile hitting the mark. When it did hit, the crowd, not the target, enjoyed the fun.

Notes:

The siege of Mafeking was a 217-day siege battle for the town of Mafeking (now called Mahikeng) in South Africa during the Second Boer War from October 1899 to May 1900. The siege received considerable attention as Lord Edward Cecil, the son of the British prime minister, was in the besieged town, as also was Lady Sarah Wilson, a daughter of the Duke of Marlborough and aunt of Winston Churchill.

The siege turned the British commander, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell (often, and below, referred to as "B-P"), into a national hero. The Relief of Mafeking (the lifting of the siege), while of little military significance, was a morale boost for the struggling British.

Easter Poems

Man of Sorrows

Alone in the night, a man of sorrow
His friends: this vigil they did not keep
In the garden, waiting for the morrow
Praying while his friends are fast asleep

Remember: jubilation as in he rode
The donkey, the crowds’ hosanna cry
Now Judas is coming to this abode
And crowds will soon cry crucify

Where is God? A darkness of the soul
He prays, he weeps, and he fears
The emptiness, the dark, the hole
Nails to come, the pain and tears

He is ready now, calm, still, at peace
To drink the cup, his life to cease

Woman of Sorrows

Alone in the dawn, a woman of sorrow
Anointing the body: a tradition to keep
In the garden, the third day, this morrow
Silence while the world is still asleep

Remember: her Lord, dead, and broken
The crowds depart, as comes the night
It is finished, the last word was spoken
And she is lost, here, dawn’s early light

An empty tomb: they have taken her Lord
She stumbles, and a stranger she spies
Through tears, her heart pieced by a sword
Where have they taken him? She cries

Mary, he says softly, and her pains cease
Rabboni, she says, looking up, and at peace

Edward Le Quesne: Characters

Edward Le Quesne (1882-1957) was elected a Deputy for St Helier No 2 district in 1925 and held the seat until he stood successfully for the new office of Senator in 1948. This is an extract from a journal he wrote entitled “50 Years of Memories”, written sometime around 1949.

Characters

Of a Saturday evening an almost regular sight was the police truck being wheeled down King Street, with some drunken man or woman strapped down on it, and accompanied by a number of youngsters who considered this a good evening’s amusement. Drink was cheap at that time, and drunkenness was a great deal more in evidence than at the present time. There were many more public houses than there are today and quite a number of houses where drink could be obtained by those in the know, almost at any time in the day or night.

Some of the well-known “characters” of those days have no counterpart to-day. Jimmy Flynn, a popular ragman, who went from door to door collecting rags and bones, and who on special occasions could be seen about town gloriously arrayed in military uniform with a row of medals loaned to him for the day.

Fatty Thorne,. Andrew Airth, Blind George and Mr. Winkle were- notabilities, often the butt of the boys, and frequently one or the other could be witnessed chasing a gang of boys through the streets. Bill Bailey was another favourite who, for some unknown reason, became violently upset when some butcher boy passing would call out at the top of his voice. “Who sneaked the dog’s dinner ? ” Bill. Bailey’s retort was such as cannot be put into print.

Andrew Airth was a gentleman who morning after morning visited the town taverns to clean up the “bar”, and was rewarded by the remains of what had been left in the glasses, i.e. small quantities of beer and spirits all gathered together in a jug or pot (swipes). By ten o’clock in the morning Andrew was ready for asleep in the Park or in the shelters along the Quays.

Blind George and Mr. Winkle were concertina players who, standing at street corners, regaled passers-by with the latest popular tunes 'and picked up a living from the pennies and halfpennies they collected.

Local events such as Auction Sales, Entertainments and Business notices were announced by Town Criers. The most popular were Messrs. Honeycombe and Landick. A bell was carried by these gentlemen, and, after loud ringing to attract attention, the various items of news were announced in a stentorian voice, accompanied very often by an amount of patter and cross-chatter. Of an evening these gentlemen added to their income by selling the local newspapers, and I have often heard Landick ringing his bell and calling out,—-

“Jersey Times and Evening Post
Buy the one you like the most.”

A German band annually paid a visit to Jersey. Usually it consisted of six musicians, a violin, cello, big bass, comet and oboe or clarinet. They stopped at street corners, played a few- tunes and then made a collection. One can hardly envisage them in King Street to-day, but in those days traffic was less and visitors few and far between. We boys used to annoy the musicians by standing near them sucking a lemon, which for some reason or another prevented the comet and clarinet players from carrying on with their programme. All who can remember these “Bands” will admit that although “‘itinerary”they were real and efficient musical combinations.

Long-lost documents reveal St. Brelade may not be part of the Bailiwick

Long-lost documents reveal St. Brelade may not be part of the Bailiwick 

by Cristal Ireland & Connor Keefe

RECENTLY discovered ancient documents found last year in an old safe at the Parish Hall shed new light on Parish History. 

At the same time in 1565 that Helier de Carteret, Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey, received Letters Patent from Queen Elizabeth I granting him Sark in fief in perpetuity, the Constable of St Brelade, Guillaume Bisson, received a Charter from the Queen transferring the Vingtaines of Noirmont, Coin, Quennevais and La Moye to the Grand Duchy of Bouffon, “esto perpetua, cum grano salis”, as the Latin puts it.

As the Charter has never been revoked, St Brelade is legally part of Bouffon, and the States of Jersey have no legal jurisdiction over the Parish. To this end, secret work behind the scenes has been taking place.

A few years ago, the harbour was dredged so that it would be sufficiently deep to receive vessels carrying freight, and this April, a new crane will be installed. This will ensure St Brelade has an independent supply chain for essential commodities. Local accountants Murdstone and Grinby have also drawn up a budget to ensure that the Parish books are balanced.

A Parish Hall meeting has been called for tonight, 1 April 2021, at which it is proposed that St Brelade becomes a GST exempt zone, and Parish revenues raised by the sale of duty free goods. 

Various roads in and out of the Parish will have Toll gates erected at the Parish frontiers, so that other Islanders wishing to take advantage of the benefits of duty free shopping pay a modest fee to do so. This will go towards upkeep of the roads. 

The recent roadworks at La Haule have prepared the ground for the Toll gates. Another Toll gate will be placed just after Braye cafe, and on the Airport road, just past the garage.

A special Bouffon Passport will also be issued for residents with the Parish Crest on its cover. Negotiations have also taken place with the JEC to arrange an undersea cable to transfer power directly to the Parish, with the cable laid along the sea bed of St Aubin’s Bay to La Collette. 

New stationary is being printed, with the title of Connetable being replaced by the designation of "Compte de Bouffon". 

It has also transpired from the Charter that any seafaring vessels passing within half a league of Corbière, if berthing at St Aubin, must pay a levy. Rocco Tower will be equipped with the latest radar and smart technology to identify any ships passing through.

On April 1, the Parish officially became the Independent Duchy of Bouffon, and a Vin d’Honneur will be held tonight at the newly opened Café Pesce d'Aprile on St Aubin’s Bulwarks.