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As the Charter has never been revoked, St Brelade is legally part of Bouffon, and the States of Jersey have no legal jurisdiction over the Parish.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.