The island at the time of the Battle of Jersey
Jersey at the time of
the Battle of Jersey
A view of the town of St Helier about the time of the Battle of Jersey
Much was written about the Battle of Jersey when the bicentenary of the event was celebrated in 1981, but among all these articles was one written for the Annual Bulletin of La Société Jersiaise by historian Joan Stevens on what life in general was like in the island at the time the battle was fought. This is an abridged version of that article which is also reproduced in full in the Annual Bulletin section of the site
Mills
Over thirty water mills and three windmills were in use for grinding corn, sugar and barley for beer, and for fulling cloth and making paper.
The parish churches were not as well cared for as they are today, but most had been enlarged with parallel naves, and some had spires. The first additional church, at St Aubin was completed in 1749, to serve the growing community around what was then the island's main harbour. It stood for nearly 140 years before it was found to be unsafe and replaced by the present building. No illustrations of the original survive.
Saint Aubin did not have an enclosed harbour at the time. A pier had been built out from St Aubin's Fort and in 1790 merchants constructe the pier which runs along the Bulwarks, behind which they built their fine houses. St Helier only had the small English and French harbours which could only be accessed from the town across the beach when the tide went out.
Expanding town
The town of St Helier was starting to expand, but the major development would come in the 19th century as the population of the island exploded. In the 18th century the expansion was largely in the Hue Street, Old Street and Dumaresq Street area. Many fine houses were built in the middle of the century but none survive in this area, although the 1750 Journeaux house in New Street remains and has been recently restored. Other properties of similar age can be found in Hill Street.
In the countryside building styles were starting to change and farms began to combine traditional design with Georgian symmetry. The typical farmhouse was of two stories and had a slate roof, tiles being used on outbuildings. Thatch was also still in common use. Fireplaces continued to be of similar design over a long period, although the small changes in detail allow them to be dated with considerable precision. The standard of accommodation was improving, with wooden floors replacing beaten earth, interior staircases, larger windows and pine panelling interior walls.
Unlike in nearby Brittany and Normandy it was not the custom in Jersey to construct long houses, with sections devoted to the animals, although they certainly existed in earlier centuries. Jersey farmhouses had separate outbuildings, although ground floor rooms in the house would certainly have been used for dry, relatively warm storage. Visitors were often received in a first-floor room which doubled as the main bedroom.
Datestones
Although they are found in Guernsey, France and England, datestones are a much stronger Jersey tradition and help with the identification of property owners and the dates when they built, extended or occupied properties.
The island had no real roads; these would not be built until early in the 19th century during the time when Sir George Don was Lieut-Governor and was concerned about the difficulty of moving troops about the island. Before then there was a network of narrow tracks, now wide enough to allow two carriages to pass. Town streets were unsurfaced and unlit. Joan Stevens relies on an account of his visit to the island in 1798 by W T Money for a detailed description of late-18th century Jersey. He found the island largely verdant and beautiful, although he remarked that St Brelade's Bay was "bleak and forlorn".
- "No scene in Nature can be more charming than the face of this insular paradise, when the trees lining many of the roads, and the orchards along the banks and in the Vales are in blossom. It appears like one continued Garden with flowery avenues, recreating the Eye and perfuming the air with the sweetest fragrance", wrote Money.
Another view of the island was given in a letter from James Playfair, chaplain to the 83rd Regiment, to his parents shortly after the Battle.
Furniture
Joan Stevens writes that household furnishings were simple:
- "The bed was the most important item. With it went its hangings, bolster (traversin), pillows (anties) and covers. The hangings could be in strong wool material or serge, in indienne or camelot, both cotton materials. They could be blue, green, yellow or red. The bed with all its parts was a major item appearing in wills, and was frequently willed to daughters. Then there were cupboards, chests, chairs and tables. There were no carpets and few curtains, and these were usually bed, not window, curtains. Inventories included many kitchen utensils, much pewter and earthenware, but as yet not very much china. By 1780 mahogany had become, if not universal, fairly common."
Mrs Stevens noted that oak and pine furniture began to be relegated to the kitchen and inferior bedrooms. Inventories included a surprisingly large amount of linen, possibly accounted for by the custom of washing infrequently, in fine weather.
More affluent households would have silver items in use and these were frequently made by the silversmiths who flourished in the Channel Islands.
Very few homes had a collection of books, although virtually all would have had a Bible and prayer book.
Mrs Stevens remarks that she believes that she would have preferred Jersey life in 1781 than a hundred years later:
- "The life of a moderately well-off Jersey merchant or farmer of the 1780 period probably approximated more closely to conditions in 1980 than those in 1880. Gone are the rigidities of the late Victorian era, with set conventions of behaviour in dress, customs, language and even distinct usages of many different rooms; gone is the availability of domestic servants. Around 1800 well-to-do landlords could combine the functions of Seigneur, Jurat, militia officer, attentive husband and father and gay socialite, at the same time as being a working farmer."
