Pouques & Other Guernsey Folklore
Legends and superstitions thrive in Guernsey and form a large part of its rich folklore heritage. Stories all of witchcraft and fairies, devils and ghosts have been passed through the generations from family to family
Secrets of The Bayeux Tapestry : Hidden Meanings & Gestures
The Bayeux Tapestry is an historical artifact that never fails to impress depicting as it does such a pivotal moment in British and Channel Island history, that of the invasion & conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. But look closely and you will come across oddities that are hard to explain, mysterious characters, some named, some not, appear in the main body and borders. Add to that some of the cuirious rather theatrical gestures they appear to be making and there emerges a sense of mystery.
Guernsey Ways – Vraicing
Few island customs, except perhaps the Clameur de Haro, which survive today can claim as ancient a history as that of ” vraicing.”
Why didn’t Napoleon Ever Invade the Channel Islands?
Given that Britain and France were at war almost permanently between 1792 and 1814, it does seem strange that Napoleon Bonaparte made no effort to occupy what were almost exclusively French-speaking islands just a few miles off the French coast.
The Last Witchcraft Trial in Guernsey
As the 19th century gave way to the new 20th century few could appreciate how much of the old cosy world order was being swept away by industialisation, science and the increasing political enfrachisment of the masses. In Guernsey at this time there was to be one last gasp of the old superstition and occult, ‘The Last Witchcraft Trial in Guernsey’.
The Guernsey Quiz : How Well Do You Know the Bailiwick?
Test your knowledge with these 20 questions we’ve gathered from Lukas Aleksandr’s excellent book “Guernsey Quiz Book : 1000 questions for the whole family”. We’ve assigned our own made up rating system, below, for your score … enjoy ! 🙂 Ratings 20 correct ………… Super Sarnian ! 15-19 correct ………… Splendid Sarnian 11-14 correct...
The Guernsey Tapestry
Visually appealing, technically excellent and educationally valuable, the Guernsey Tapestry and its’ accompanying texts teaches not only our Islands history but also art, craft, and design, whilst illustrating the value of community spirit, dedication and planning.
Recipes of Bygone Days – Stewed Ormers; Pickled Ormers & Dressed Ormers
Ormers are ‘quintessentially Guensey’ and have been eaten by the natives of these islands for centuries. Naturally enough therefore there are many ways to prepare and eat them. In this article we’ve resurrected a few of the more ancient recipes from bygone days.
How to make a living ‘Guernsey Style’ – The Age of Guernsey Privateering
For nearly 150 years making a living, quite a good living actually, in Guernsey took a pecular turn. It was possible to become very rich via the dubiously ‘legal’ practices of Privateering and the less than legal smuggling trade.
The Day King John Commited Murder and the Channel Islands lost a potential Duke
History can often turn on the actions of a single individual. April the 3rd 1203 was such a day when King John committed murder. If he hadn’t committed this heinous crime then the whole history of Guernsey and the Channels Island could have been radically different.
1066 and all that … the day the Channel Islands became part of England
On Sunday the 14th October 1066 ‘William the Bastard’, Duke of Normandy (andthe Channel Islands), invaded and defeated the Anglo Saxon king of England, so that henceforth the Bastard was to be forever known as William the Conqueror. In this article we look how at how he won at Hastings.
The Origins of Guernsey French and Other Channel Island Languages
Guernésiais, Auregnais, Jèrriais and Sercquiais – the local names for the French spoken in the respective islands – are direct descendants from the Norman French spoken at the time of the Conqueror. In this article we look at their ‘family tree’.
The Boreas Disaster
On the night of 28 November 1807 as a terrible storm lashed the west coast of Guernsey the warship H.M.S. Boreas, with one hundred and ninety-five officers and sailors on-board, found herself powerless to change course as she headed for the Hanois reef.
Peter Le Lievre – Unsung Local Artist
Nestled at the bottom of lower Hauteville you wil find a rather unassuming blue plaque dedicated to local artist Peter Le Lievre. He was one of Guernsey’s best artist and probably one of the most unknown outside of his native island of Guernsey.
Hugoids – Some Victor Hugo Factoids
Victor Hugo is well known locally as a world renowned literaty genuis and for his exile from his beloved France spent in his second home, Guernsey. However we’ve gathered together some rather less known factoids – or Hugoids as we like to call them.
