The 19th century in newspaper cuttings 1810

19th century Jersey
From the newspapers in 1810

The Gazette de Cesaree, one of our sources for this page

Our history of 19th century Jersey from newspaper cuttings started with the Jersey Loyalist, an English-language newspaper published from 1825 to 1831. We then moved back to the start of the century, with Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey, the first newspaper to be published in the island in the 1800s, and to appear intermittently in the following years, as well as other titles with similar names, published by different individuals

This was the dawn of an age of great growth and diversification in Jersey, fuelled by an influx of English immigrants over the following 25 years.

This page is part of a project launched by Jerripedia in 2024 to chronicle the history of Jersey through the 19th century using news cuttings from most of the newspapers published during those 100 years.
The 19th century in newspaper cuttings - Main index page

This page links to separate pages giving year by year coverage from 1800 onwards in the publications active at the time

The life of the earliest 19th century newspapers in Jersey is difficult to follow. At one time, at least, there were two active publications named Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey. There are also periods when either the publication of the title was suspended, or it continued but editions are missing from the collection of La Société Jersiaise, which was digitised and placed in their website in 2024.

Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey was published from 5 July 1800, printed by G Angot and Philippe Mourant. But it soon vanished. Quite what happened after 1800 is uncertain, but the Societe collection has a very erratic set of editions. From 1810 onwards we have used John Stead's publication Gazette de Jersey and Weekly Advertiser and Philip Mourant's title, when available, plus the new Gazette de Cesaree to build as comprehensive a picture of local news as possible.

January

St Helier to St Aubin road

Within days of General Don's arrival as the new Lieut-Governor in July 1807he accepted his advisers' view that the biggest threat to the island's security was the lack of roads which would allow troops and artillery to move quickly around the island. There was particular concern that with Britain and France again at war, an invasion was possible.

Work started within days on widening internal routes, but the major problem was the absence of any roadway between the capital town of St Helier, and St Aubin, the second largest town at the other end of St Aubin's Bay. The only route between the two was across the beach at low tide.

Having decided to go ahead with the building of a road along the coast, the States lost no time and assembled a large construction team by requiring farmers and other land owners to provide a horse and cart for one or more days to move material for the road. The Militia regiments and the Garrison Regiment also joined in.

Long lists of participants, with the numbers of carts and horses provided and the number of days worked were published in Gazette de Cesaree and Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey.

• Lists of participants in road construction

Hospital land

On the 15th all the vacant land to the south of the Hospital, with the exception of the plot identified for building a new prison in what would become Newgate Street, was sold by public auction.

Murder

On Sunday 28th at about 5 pm, Jeanne Le Sueur, nee Deslouche, 63-year-old wife of Philippe, was returning home in St Lawrence when she was attacked at the bottom of Mont Failar (Felard).

The poor woman was found unconscious on the road, bathed in her own blood, having received about 12 bayonet strikes on the head. It is widely believed that her assailants were soldiers, two having been seen in the area a short time afterwards.

The doctors did their best to save her, but to no effect. She survived for only two days without regaining consciousness. Every effort was being made to find her killers, but without success over the following week.

February

Lottery

On the 10th a public lottery was announced to complete the Grand Route Militaire from St Helier to St Aubin. The top prize was 2,400 livres and 1,200 tickets at 36 livres each would leave a profit of 6,000 livres towards the road's construction.

There was no more local news in either of the Gazettes in February, and none in March or April

May

Arrivals

HMS Albacore, Capt Corbet d'Auvergne, arrived in St Aubin's Bay on the 1st.

The sloop HMS Muros captained by Clement Sneyd arrived on the 2nd with Violet and the cutters Queen Charlotte and Duke of York. Port Mahon also arrived with two transports loaded with munitions.

A detachment of 300 men of the 62nd Regiment embarked on two transports for England on the 3rd.

Engagement

D T Carpenter, of the 10th Regiment, is engaged to Miss Stanley, step-sister of General Leighton, deputy Commander in Chief.

New school

Most of the small private schools established in the island and gradually increasing in numbers were in the town of St Helier. J Clarke announced another, but to serve the parishes of Grouville, St Martin and St Clement, at Mr Hooper's house near the Gorey dunes. The school offered English only, writing and arithmetic.

Arrest

On the 10th a soldier of the 96th Regiment was arrested after information was given by one of his comrades, accusing him of the murder of Jeanne Delouche on 28 January (see above). He was brought before the Royal Court and remanded in prison.

General Don's return

It is not known where he had been and for how long, but the return to the island of the Lieut-Governor and Commander in Chief, General George Don, was a significant event. He disembarked from HMS Albacore near Mont Orgueil Castle and was received by the Navy commander the Duke of Bouillon, Lieut-General Leighton, and a gathering of 'the most respectful gentlemen'.

The accompanied him to town, where the route was lined with garrison soldiers and the St Helier militia battalion, and cheering residents showing their respect. The members of the Royal Court welcomed him on his arrival.

Newfoundland convoy

HMS Hazard left the Newfoundland convoy on the second day, headed to Gibraltar. It was reported that the convoy continued with fair winds and 'had not met with the least interruption or casualty since they left Jersey'.

Advocate

Thomas Le Breton jnr was sworn in as an Advocate on the 28th.

Murder trial

Also on the 28th the grande enquete found Andrew Tommey, a soldier in the 96th Regiment, guilty of the murder of Jeanne Delouche (see above). His accomplice William Condon, turned King's Evidence and told the Court that Tommey obtained an axe from an inn where they had been drinking, determined on their return to barracks to kill and rob the first person they met.

The deceased, a woman of advanced years, had the misfortune to be the victim of his barbarity. Having overcome her he gave her many blows with the axe on her head, which killed her, before robbing her.

This evidence was corroborated by several other witnesses and he was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Departure

On the 29th Lieut-General Leighton, latterly deputy Commander in Chief, departed for England. The streets from his home to the Harbour were lined with garrison troops. He received their salutes and on embarking, a salute by the Royal Artillery battery at Elizabeth Castle

June

Hanging

On the 2nd Andrew Tommey was put to death by the executioner for the murder of Jeanne Delouche. He was accompanied to the scaffold by two Roman Catholic priests.

Before being hanged he asked for his accomplice, William Condon, to be brought before him, and declared in the most solemn manner that although he had witnessed the murder, he played no part, and it was he who had identified him as having committed the fatal blows.

He was 'thrown into eternity' at half past three.

Inspections

The South-West and North-West Militia Regiments were inspected by the Commander in Chief on the 12th and the East Regiment on the 14th. They were presented with new regimental banners.

Garrison regiment

On the 2nd the 26th Regiment disembarked at St Aubin and passed through the town to Grouville.

Barracks

Plans were announced for the building of small barracks at Greve de Lecq,Bonne Nuit and Rozel, and local businesses were invited to tender for the work.

Coal fraud

The States were made aware that there had been much fraud involving measures for coal sold to the public, with considerable differences between one delivery and another. The Viscount was ordered to examine without delay all coal measures used in both St Helier and St Aubin and to report back to the States.

The Deputy Viscount, Jean Winter, then required all coal measures to be brought to his house on the morning of the 27th, to be examined for size.

July

Castle fall

On the 3rd a soldier of the Invalids, belonging to the Artillery, fell from the ramparts at Elizabeth Castle and injured his head so badly that he died the following day.

English banknotes

The officers of the garrison, with the support of their Commander in Chief, General Don, gave notice that they were unhappy with the rates of exchange on offer by suppliers and in future English banknotes would be made available for the payment of all goods and services for the garrison.

They would not do business with any merchant or tradesman unwilling to accept Bank of England notes at par, and would not receive the private notes of any banker unwilling to take English notes at par.

A long advertisement to this effect in both Gazettes contained the signatures of all garrison officers and those of the Royal Navy squadron.

Storm

On the 27th a strong south-west gale did considerable damage, many houses losing their roofs, large trees blown to the ground and many gardens losing all their fruit.

The brig HMS Muros commanded by Capt Sneyd, was grounded in St Aubin's Bay, losing her masts and appearing to be in a very bad condition. Fortunately nobody was lost.

August

Canada

On the 9th about 100 soldiers of the Royal Veteran Battalion embarked for Canada, having volunteered to serve in that country.

New roads

The Defence Committee reported to the States on their proposals for compensating the parishes for constructing new military roads. Parishes were requested to provide roads from their parish church to the town and also to establish a network of roads to serve the whole island from St Aubin to St Peter; St Peter to St Mary; St Ouen to St Mary; St Mary to St John; St John to Trinity; Trinity to St Martin,; St Martin to Grouville, via Gorey; and Grouville to St Clement via Marais a La Cocque, with links to the coast.

The parishes would be reimbursed by the States for labour provided by the garrison and tools required.

The direction, width and construction of each road was determined by the Lieut-Governor, with the assistance of a committee nominated by the States.

It was noted that work had already commenced on roads in St Lawrence and Trinity.

Shipwreck

On the 19th the brig Providence, owned by the Janvrins, departing for Newfoundland, had the misfortune to strike the Sillette Rock and sank within a few minutes. Fortunately no lives were lost. The loss has been estimated at 2,000 Louis.

Prisoner exchange

The Gazette de Cesaree announced that confirmation was expected soon of an exchange of prisoners with the French and that the detention of islanders who had been incarcerated for so long would not be further extended.

New road

The parishes of St Martin and St Saviour have been authorised by the States to construct a new road from the town to Rozel.

Cannoneer injured

On the 27th during the review of the North-West Regiment, one of the cannons at a St Ouen's Bay battery moved just as Capt Malzard, the cannoneer of the battery, was rearming it, crushing his foot in a manner which caused fears of amputation. But in the following days the foot's condition improved and there is no longer any danger that it will be lost.

On the 28th a French corsair captured a merchant vessel between Guernsey and Jersey and, despite the activity of our cruisers, it seems certain that it has been taken to France.

On the 30th the eight-gun Queen Charlotte was attacked near Sark by a 16-gun French cutter. Despite the enemy ship's superiority, having more than 100 men on board, she returned to Guernsey after being attacked for an hour. One man was killed and fourteen injured.

September

Despite carrying virtually no local news since its launch in January, the Gazette de Cesaree announced in its edition of 1 September that it would carry a section of local items in its columns of each future edition. The Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey saw no need to compete on this front, perhaps because Gazette de Cesaree's local news content was very limited, and sometimes consisted only of a pseudonymous letter to the editor. After several editions the Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey did respond to its competitor's initiative and start increasing its local news content.

Cart accident

On Tuesday 4th a loaded cart arriving in Rue de Derriere hit a child of two, its wheel passing over the child's body. The child did not recover from its injuries. Doctor Hardy, who was called, stated that this was the third child in three months to have suffered a similar accident.

Elections

Following an appeal to the Privy Council, the election of Philippe Nicolle as Jurat has been confirmed and he took his place on the bench and was sworn in on the 8th. The son of Philippe and Elizabeth Mauger, he was elected in August 1809, but the Court refused to swear him in until ordered to do so by the Privy Council.

On the 9th there was an election for Centenier in St Martin, following a keen campaign. Mr Gallichan beat Mr Baudains by 12 votes but there is likely to be a dispute over 16 of his votes, which would give his opponent victory by 12.

There was also an election for Centenier in Grouville the same day and the parish was equally divided between Mr Mallet and Mr Touzel, who won by three votes.

Drowning

On the 15th a boat was returning from a vessel anchored near Noirmont Point when George Vincent had the foolishness to climb the mast, causing the boat to overturn. He was drowned but fortunately five other men on board were saved by a boat which came to their rescue just as they were becoming too tired to swim.

Review injuries

During a review of the west division of garrison troops Mr Vautier, aged 22, lost four fingers of his right hand when a cannon fired early and an artilleryman was seriously injured when a wheel came off a cannon.

Window fall

On the 27th a child aged three fell out of a third floor window of a house in Seale Street and appears to have suffered no injury.

October

Insurance

The Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey reported a steady increase in the number of people insuring their properties against the risk of fire.

Parade promenade

Plans were announced for a public promenade around the Parade on the west of the town, and a request was made for young trees which could be planted there over the winter.

Corsair sinks

The corsair Success was wrecked off the coast of Guernsey in La Landelle Bay on the night of the 21st and only four members of the crew of 19 were saved. They were washed ashore by a large wave. Mr Journeaux, Capt Sbire, E Sheridan and Mr Bradford were saved. J Le Gros, J Le Roig, J Godfray, E Whatton, F Marrett, Capt Vautier, W Prince, F Perouet, P Langlais, J Picot, J Chamberry, J Mauger and T Touzel drowned.

Royal Court

On the 20th soldier Robert Thornton and Marie Le Gros Bisson appeared in the Royal Court. The former was convicted of theft and was whipped by the executioner from the Court to the prison, where he was left until somebody came to take him away.

Bisson was convicted of forging the signature of a respectable member of the community to obtain various merchandise by false pretenses. She was sentenced to spend an hour in the pillory in the Royal Square, before being returned to prison for six weeks, the last two on bread and water.

Soldier drowned

On the 22nd a soldier of the 57th Regiment was found drowned close to the town. It is presumed that he slipped during the night when returning to his barracks, and fell down a rapidly flowing brook.

Storms

On the 1st one of the battalions of the 60th regiment anchored in the St Aubin roads. It is fortunate for this regiment of some 1,000 men that they were sheltered from the terrible storm of that night. The most experienced mariners believe that if their transports had arrived an hour later they would probably have been wrecked on the coast of St Ouen or would have had to run ashore on the coast of France.

It was further reported the following week that one of the transports, holding about 300 men, was still missing. With a 'hurricane' blowing all week it was feared that they had encountered an accident, but it was later reported that the vessel had arrived at Falmouth.

The following week another severe storm wrought considerable damage on land, tearing roofs of houses and pulling fruit trees out of the ground. The storm blew throughout the day at hurricane strength and roads were impassable. In the evening about 200 feet of the old pier was washed away by the waves, leaving a gap through which waves could batter the houses behind.

The parapet whose construction was started in the summer was completely demolished and it is estimated that the cost of repairing the storm will be considerable.

Fortunately the anchors of those vessels in the roads held, and there has been no news of any wrecks on the island's coasts. However, on the Saturday night a boat coming from Alderney with four men and four women on board, was forced to take shelter at Sark. The women were put ashore and the men remained on board. By morning their boat had disappeared and it is feared that they have all perished, items from the boat having been washed ashore.

The women have been named as Marie Le Quesne, Elizabeth Le Quesne, Esther Lempriere and Anne Aubert. The men were Clement Le Quesne, father and son Richard Mauger and brother-in-law Richard Queree.

Foundling

On the 28th a newborn baby boy was found in an oak box near the new market, having been there for several hours. No trace of the parents has been found. The same day the body of a newborn baby was discovered but doctors were unable to establish whether it was born dead

December

Child's death

A little girl called Guilliaume, aged four and a half, was left with another in a cradle and in the absence of her parents her clothes caught fire. She was severely burnt and died that evening.

Prisoners

With no apparent chance of the British and French Governments agreeing an exchange of prisoners, the States considered the deplorable situation of Jerseymen in French prisons, the Rectors were asked to preach sermons the following Sunday and the Constables requested to produce a list of subscribers in all their parish homes for the support of their fellow islanders.

The States promised to add to whatever was collected from public funds.

The year ended with an absence of local news in the final four December editions of both newspapers.