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Neolithic people moved across seas in basic boats like coracles and took knowledge and objects with them to share with other communities

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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Evidence of trade and people moving comes from Jadeite Axes found in Britain. In Jersey, we have found 28 axes as well as a Jadeite ring. Only around 200 have ever been found in the world.

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This polished stone axe was made in the Austrian Alps about 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic period. The beauty of the green stone (Jadeite) meant that it was highly valued as a trade object. It was found in Jersey about 1,000 miles from where it was made. Although stone axes were produced locally, about one in three axes found in the island from this period had been brought over and some island made axes have been found in England, indicating the extent of these Neolithic trade routes. Obviously it was not only tools that were carried by traders, ideas were also spread this way.

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This polished stone axe was made in the Austrian Alps about 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic period. The beauty of the green stone (Jadeite) meant that it was highly valued as a trade object. It was found in Jersey about 1,000 miles from where it was made.

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Bronze Age people moved in larger boats

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We have evidence of people moving to Jersey and bringing objects from other places

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In 2002, archaeologists at Amesbury, in Wiltshire made an amazing find. They discovered the grave of a Bronze Age man , just two miles from Stonehenge .

He was buried with around 100 objects ! The people who buried him must have believed that he would use the objects in the next world .

When the man was found, he was nicknamed 'the Amesbury Archer'. This was because he was buried with arrowheads and wrist-guards used by archers .

In fact, the Amesbury Archer probably spent most of his time working with metal. One of the objects in his grave was a cushion stone - a tool used by metalworkers.

Tests on the Archer's skeleton show that he lived around 2300BC , grew up in the mountains of mainland Europe then travelled to England as an adult.

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In 2002, archaeologists at Amesbury, in Wiltshire made an amazing find. They discovered the grave of a Bronze Age man , just two miles from Stonehenge . He was buried with around 100 objects ! The people who buried him must have believed that he would use the objects in the next world .

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This gold torque is one of the longest and largest Bronze Age torques ever found. It comes from Ireland and was found in St Helier. There are also arrows and beakers which were brought to the Island by people from Iberia and with Armorica as nearest trade route.

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BBC - A History of the World - Object : St Helier Gold Torque

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A History of the World is a partnership between the BBC and the British Museum that focuses on world history, involving collaborations between teams across the BBC, and schools, museums and audiences across the UK. The project focuses on the things we have made, from flint to mobile phone.

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Jersey has the most Celtic coin hoards that have ever been found in the world. This different coins from different tribes proves there was trade between the Gaul tribes and that Jersey and the Channel Islands was part of that trade route.

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Jersey’s Celtic Coin Hoard | Jersey Heritage

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Two thousand years ago the Celtic people of the Channel Islands and northern France were in great danger. Roman legions had invaded Gaul and were advancing into what we now call northern France, through a region they called Armorica, attacking and colonising the area.

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Celtic Age boats were starting to get bigger and use sails. This is a replica boat that has been made and is sailed in England.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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Guernsey has remarkable evidence of a large ship called the Asterix which contained amphorae with wine or oil in and other trading items.

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Guernsey was the final resting place of a Roman ship which caught fire and sank in the late third century AD (around AD 280). Remains of the ship have been excavated and preserved. The main timbers are in a store at Rocquaine (opposite Fort Grey, next to Guernsey Pearl) and can be seen via a viewing window. It is an ambition of the Museum to ultimately re-assemble the ship and put it on display.

The ship was famously found by local diver Richard Keen on 1982. Its timbers lay half way between the pierheads of St Peter Port harbour. It was raised and recorded between 1984-87 by the Guernsey Maritime Trust when it faced imminent destruction from the propellers of car ferries and dredging. The project was led by Dr Margaret Rule who also led the excavation of the Mary Rose. She published the excavation results together with Dr Jason Monaghan, who became Director of Guernsey Museums two decades later.

Following an offhand comment by a schoolboy, the ship was nick-named "Asterix". This name is still used colloquially but we do not actually know the name of the ship or anyone who sailed on her. By coincidence, a Roman waterfront site at La Plaiderie was excavated by Bob Burns of Guernsey Museum during the same period. Until this double find, there was very little to indicate that the Romans even came to Guernsey.

The ship dates to the late third century, which was a turbulent time in this corner of the Empire. Some 18m of the bottom of the ship survives, of an original 22m+. It has a maximum beam of 6m and the remains stand around a metre high from the keel.

It was constructed in a Gallic or Celtic manner using heavy oak timbers fastened by massive iron nails as thick as a man's thumb and as long as an arm. The timbers were butted together without jointing and were assembled frame first, unlike many Mediterranean ships of the time which were built skin first. Gallic vessels which sound remarkably similar were described by Julius Caesar almost four centuries earlier when he was fighting the Veneti off the coast of Brittany. It is therefore more accurate to call this a 'Romano-Celtic' ship.

This is the largest and most intact example of this class of vessel known, the others being Blackfriars I found in London in the sixties and the more recent Barlands Farm boat. As it was found in Guernsey, ours was undoubtedly a sea-going vessel, whereas the smaller examples may have been limited to river or estuarine work.

In the Roman era there were probably few developed harbours in the region and ships would have had to beach to unload cargoes or shelter from the weather. The ship was clearly designed for waters such as these, which have a high tidal range and strong currents.

The ship caught fire and sank around AD 280. It was carrying a cargo of pitch in its aft hold, which must have made a merry blaze. This would have been a major incident in third century Guernsey and we can only imagine the crowds on shore watching the spectacle. Fortunately for the archaeologists, the pitch melted and trapped objects including tile from what appeared to be its galley plus pottery and coins. The pitch set hard when the ship sank and helped to keep the wreck together and preserve its detail. So good is the preservation that we can still see the marks of tools, including the scratches made on the keel when the shipwright was first laying out the boat. Deep in the bilge we even found trapped food remains. Pottery from as far apart as Algeria and Germany was on board. All this suggests that our ship may have been a coaster, engaged on what the French call cabotage, carrying cargoes of opportunity from port to port.

Two intriguing finds were a pair of cast bronze bearings which are thought to have been from the bilge pump. They show the hybrid nature of our vessel - a thoroughly Roman piece of engineering fitted into a Celtic style craft.

Margaret Rule described the ship as "the most important and unique piece of maritime history" for Guernsey. This is Guernsey's largest ancient object, and possibly the largest surviving object from Roman Britain. It demonstrates that St Peter Port played a role in the trade networks one thousand six hundred years ago. Guernsey played a part in the Iron Age Atlantic wine trade and as far back as the Neolithic objects from France were coming here by boat. This ship is part of Guernsey's long history as a waystation, entrepot and harbour of refuge.

Our ship is the largest and most intact example of its type and one of the oldest European sea-going ships found outside the Mediterranean. Gallic in origin, both its sinking and its survival in Guernsey's harbour are twists of providence. It is not just of local interest but is part of the history of maritime Europe.

BBC2 screened a documentary "Operation Asterix" in 1985 and in 2010 it featured on "Digging for Britain". Plans to conserve the ship in Guernsey stalled, so in 1999 the States of Guernsey sent the ship timbers to the Mary Rose Trust in Portsmouth to be soaked in water-soluble wax (PEG) and freeze-dried. This process came to an end in 2011 and the timbers were returned to Guernsey in 2015.

Guernsey's Roman ship now has a temporary home in the building next to Guernsey Pearl, near to Fort Grey Shipwreck Museum. The main timbers can be seen through a viewing window and a small display explains more about the ship, how it was built and how it came to sink off Guernsey. The ship store is open the same hours as Fort Grey and it is hoped Guernsey Museums will be able to create a full exhibition of the ship in the future. Updated February 2018.

The Guernsey ship is included in the NAVIS database of ancient shipwrecks

A Gallo-Roman Trading Vessel From Guernsey, by Margaret Rule and Jason Monaghan is available for purchase from the Museum shop.

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Guernsey was the final resting place of a Roman ship which caught fire and sank in the late third century AD (around AD 280). Remains of the ship have been excavated and preserved. The main timbers are in a store at Rocquaine (opposite Fort Grey, next to Guernsey Pearl) and can be seen via a viewing window.

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Early medieval boats had sails and oars

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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Saint Helier (died 555) was a 6th-century ascetic hermit. He is the patron saint of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in particular of the town and parish of Saint Helier, the island's capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases of the skin and eyes.

Hellerius or Helier was born to pagan parents in Tongeren (now in Belgium). His father was Sigebert, a nobleman from Tongres and his mother was Lusigard. Having had difficulties conceiving a child, they turned to a Christian teacher named Cunibert, who advised them to pray to God and that when they had a child they must hand him over to God, and that he, Cunibert, would bring him up in the Christian faith. Their prayers having been answered, Helier was born, but Helier's father, the Frankish governor of that place, eventually grew angry at the influence Cunibert exerted over his precocious son, who was already causing consternation with his youthful miracles. Helier's father had Cunibert killed, whereupon Helier fled.

Helier's wanderings led him to the Cotentin where he sought retreat from the distractions of the world in the monastic community of Saint Marculf at Nantus (Nanteuil, now St.-Marcouf-de-l'Isle in Manche).

Helier, however, found the monastic community did not provide the quiet he required to devote himself fully to a life of contemplation. Marculf had received pleas from the few inhabitants of the island called Gersut, or Agna, now called Jersey, which was all but depopulated due to repeated attacks by Vikings. The inhabitants requested someone to help them, and bring the gospel to them as they had no shepherd to guide them.

Marculf sent Helier, and a companion Saint Romard, to Jersey where he found a small community of fishermen on the sand dunes where the modern town of St Helier was to develop. Helier settled on a tidal islet, nowadays known as the Hermitage Rock, next to L'Islet, the tidal island now occupied by the 16th century Elizabeth Castle. Romard would travel back and forth between the hermitage on this rock and the fishing village.

From his vantage point on his rock, Helier could see the sails of approaching attackers and would signal to the shore, whereupon the inhabitants would scatter into the surrounding marshes, thereby frustrating the attackers' bloodlust. Small dark clouds on the horizon are still known in Jèrriais as les vailes dé St. Hélyi (the sails of St. Helier).

Helier remained at his hermitage in fasting and prayer for about fifteen years. The story is that around 555 he was martyred by marauding pirates who beheaded him with an axe - hence the crossed axes on the parish crest.

Helier is recorded as performing one healing miracle in Jersey, curing a lame man named Anquetil.

Once while Marculf was visiting, a band of raiders arrived. They prayed and made the sign of the cross and a great storm arose that destroyed the raiders ships.

Though Helier starved himself to ascetic weakness, legend holds that he had the strength, when he was beheaded by attackers, to pick up his head and walk to shore. According to the hagiography, Romard discovered Helier's body on the beach still clutching his head in his hands, placed it in a boat and set off for the mainland. The boat, guided by the hand of God, arrived at Bréville-sur-Mer where a reputedly miraculous healing spring arose on the spot where Helier's body rested overnight. A church was founded next to the spring, which is now topped by a statue and still attracts those seeking a cure.

Marculf founded an abbey on L'Islet not far from Helier's hermitage and named it for his pupil. It was later visited by Samson of Dol.

Churches dedicated to Helier can be found in Rennes, St. Helier, Beuzeville ( Eure), Amécourt (Eure), Barentin (Seine-Maritime), Monhoudou ( Sarthe). Evidence of veneration of the saint can be found in La Hague in the Cotentin at Querqueville and also at Omonville-la-Rogue where a 13th-century mural in the church of St. John the Baptist links Helier with Thomas Becket.

Helier is remembered in Jersey for having brought Christianity to the island, but is better known in Normandy and Brittany as a healing saint. Besides the healing springs at St. Hellier and Bréville, there is also a healing spring at Saint-Jouan-des-Guérets ( Ille-et-Vilaine), where Helier's name has been deformed by folk etymology to St. Délier ( délier meaning to untie in French, which may refer to the power to loosen the bonds of illness). There is also a chapel of St. Helier in the cathedral of Trenton, New Jersey.

The traditional year of his martyrdom is AD 555. His feast day, marked in Jersey by an annual municipal and ecumenical pilgrimage to the Hermitage, is on July 16. The Hermitage is depicted on the Jersey 2 pence coin and on the 2010 issue Jersey £10 note.

In 1870 Hermitage Rock was joined to L'Islet (Elizabeth Castle) by a breakwater.

Helier's relics were sent to the abbey of Bellus-Beccus at Beaubec-la-Rosière (Seine-Maritime)) where they remained until the destruction of the abbey during the French Revolution.

The Life of Saint Helier was written in, or after the 10th century.

G.R. Balleine was critical of the Passion of St. Helier, noting that "its chronology is absurd. St. Helier was born, we are told, 'after the death of wicked Queen Brunehild, when Childebert governed the Francs'. This must be Childebert III, who came to the throne in 693. But Helier became a disciple of St. Marculf, who died in 558; and 'according to one account he was buried by the famous eighth century Bishop Willebrod.' In other words he was baptised 150 years before he was born, and buried, while still a young man, two hundred years later."

Charles Grosset notes that the Passion of St. Helier, written in the 10th or 11th century, draws upon two very much earlier lives of St. Marculf (A and B), and amends them to suit the narrative. Grosset's conclusion is that the life of St. Helier is extremely poorly documented, and like Balleine, he considers it largely fictional. He sees the writer as having "been given the task of writing a life of the hermit Helier, who lived in Jersey and has a few bare facts known about him: the cave where he lived, healing of the sick, and death at the hands of pirates. He discovered a similar sounding name to Helier in the district of Tongres, and also a hermit called Eletus in the Life of St. Marcouf. He did not hesitate to identify Helier with the near namesake in Tongres, or to make an identification with Eletus, taking the story of a miracle set on an island whose place-name was not to be found on the map."

According to A.M. Bellows, the oldest Life of St. Marculf mentions an island called Agna with only thirty inhabitants and a hermit called Eletus. This has been identified with Jersey and St. Helier, but this is largely a reading back into the story the identifications made in the Passion of St. Helier, a much later work. In Bellows's opinion that Jersey could have so few inhabitants (thirty) at the time compared to Guernsey, in the much better documented visits of St. Sampson, stretches credulity too far. If a Channel Island is chosen, one the size of Herm would be more suitable.

That there was a town given the name "St. Helier" is not by itself proof that Helier existed, or, if he did exist, visited Jersey. The original attribution might have been to St. Hilary of Poitiers, and became corrupted over time, particularly during the Dark Ages, when the Diocese of Dol was laid waste by invasions of pagans. However, the hermitage rock and linked Priory on the Islet of Elizabeth Castle have a long history. There would certainly seem to be enough evidence to support the idea of a hermit, and later, an eremitic community which gradually evolved.

Further, the Passion of St. Helier was written at a much later date, when the original attributions had been masked by time; it is clearly a work which draws upon any available sources of other Saints for stories, and it is this Life that makes the identification of Marculf's Eletus with Helier.

1. ^ "How saintly was St. Helier?", Jersey Evening Post, January 29, 2000

2. ^ Butler, Alban. "St. Elier or Helier, Hermit and Martyr", The Lives of the Saints vol. VII, 1866 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

3. ^ "St Helier - The fabled life of St Helier", BBC - Local Legends

4. ^ Falle, Samuel. "Saint Helier the Martyr", Société Jersiaise

5. ^ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Saint Helier". Encyclopedia Britannica

6. ^ "Saint Helier", Societe Jersiaise

7. ^ Bellows, A.M., "St. Helier: The Man and the Myth", Societe Jersiaise

A Biographical Dictionary of Jersey, G. R. Balleine

A Theory on the Evangelisation of the Cotentin (Normandy Peninsula): St Marculf, M. Charles Grosset

Elizabeth Castle by Major N. V. L. Rybot

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Saint Helier (died 555) was a 6th-century ascetic hermit. He is the patron saint of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in particular of the town and parish of Saint Helier, the island's capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases of the skin and eyes.

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This is a typical Viking boat housed in the Oslo Museum. The people from Scandanavia built boats that were lighter with had flatter hulls meaning they could travel inland further and quicker even using rivers which meant they could land quicker and helped them launch surprise attacks faster.

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No Viking artefacts have been found in Jersey (yet!) and only one Viking gaming piece has been found in Guernsey. The Viking visits to the islands have been found in place names:
L'Etacq = Stakkr = haystack
Grosnez = Gris Nes = Grey Headland
La Hougue Bie = Haugr Byr = Mound of earth place
Jersey = Gers Ey = Spear Island

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Medieval boats were larger and able to move more items across the seas. There were different kinds of boats to move people, goods and trade around the world.

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Sir Hugh Calverly - Warden of the Channel Islands

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Sir Hugh Calverly - Warden of the Channel Islands

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The story of the Warden of the Channel Islands who was responsible for bringing over timber and weapons for the building of Mont Orgueil.  He also talks of his adventures around Europe and the trade in wine and herbs.
Jersey traded in goods such as coins, religious items and conger eels.

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Replica Tudor boat -

Tudor ships were powered by the wind, and were extremely slow moving. When cannons were added, the ships became even slower because of the extra weight of the guns.

There was not much room for sailors to sleep in the ships, and most of the time they were cramped or slept on the deck. Most sailors also wore the same clothes every day.

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Tudor trade routes

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The most valuable item of trade during the reign of Henry VII was wool. The woollen trade was essentially supporting the English economy at the time. During the reign of Henry VII more than 90% of the goods exported out of England were wool. Wool from England was regarded as being the best quality in the Europe at the time. The crown charged high duties for it to be exported in it's raw form to make full use of the high demand for the product.

Tudor King Henry VII Overseas Trade

To Henry VII the wider he could trade the wider he was extending his power. He knew that the more trade agreements that could be set in place the wealthier both the country, and the king would become as a result. Henry was however, something of an opportunist, and rather than having a plan for trade expansion he exploited whatever opportunities he could find. A treaty was negotiated with France in 1486 which saw to the removal of all trade restrictions between England and France.

It took several years before the treaty would run smoothly and the benefits of increased trading with France were noticed. Henry was also eager to develop new trade routes throughout the Mediterranean, especially with Italy. It was the city of Florence that Henry was eager to build trade relations with, the main trading port being located at Pisa. A trade agreement was signed to allow the importing of English wool into Italy through the port at Pisa.

Tudor Times Trade with the New World

Spain was leading the way in exploring the New World, and as such their traders and explorers would bring back all kinds of new foods, spices and goods. It was important for Henry to set up a trade agreement with Spain so that England could also benefit from these wonderful new discoveries.

Henry used the opportunity of arranging the marriage between his eldest son Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess, as a route to trade negotiations with the king of Spain. The treaty turned out very successfully for Henry, though England were not permitted to trade with the New World at the same level that Spain did.

What Items Did the Tudors Trade?

Hull was a major trading port during the 1500's, with up to one hundred foreign vessels arriving there every day. The port had links with Russia, the Baltic, Norway and Sweden, as well as the traditional key trading areas of the Low Countries which included Belgium, France and Germany.

At least one in every three ships that entered the port were from the Low Countries. The main goods that were exported were wool, though lead and grain was also exported. Goods that entered the port and were imported into the country included bricks, wine and food items.

Transporting Goods for Trade

Goods were not only traded with other countries, goods were also traded within the country. The easiest way to move goods around the country was by following a coastal route. Trying to transport goods overland would have been incredibly difficult as the roads at the time were not more than dirt tracks, pitted and rutted by the wheels of many horses and carts. Transport by sea was quicker, more efficient and more goods could be carried in a single trip.

More Info On- Tudor Ships, King Henry VIII Accomplishments

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Tudor Trade Items | Tudor King Henry VII Overseas Trade

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The most valuable item of trade during the reign of Henry VII was wool. The woollen trade was essentially supporting the English economy at the time. During the reign of Henry VII more than 90% of the goods exported out of England were wool.

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During the 1600s there was difficulty to transport within Jersey, with many staying local to their parish. Trade and travel with England was met with some barriers, importantly language (for French speaking Jersey) and the Channel itself. Boats and ships were still not easy to use for short journeys.

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Fishing of cod had started in late 1500s with Jersey men sailig to Canada and fishing for cod. However, in 1763, the land of Gaspe in Canada was given to the British and soon after Charles Robin set up his fisheries there creating a huge trading industry. The cod fishery trade had ceased by the early 1900s but leaves a legacy of Jerseymen in Canada.

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Oysters were eaten by islanders 6,000 years ago, and were fished off Gorey throughout the Middle Ages.

During the 19th century the industry became a huge money-spinner for the island and Jersey became one of north-west Europe's main oyster producers. An estimated 2 billion were exported to English markets between 1810 and 1871, when various circumstances saw the industry die out. Shallow waters between Jersey and Normandy made for ideal conditions for the flat, horses-hoof-shaped oysters. They were not regarded as a luxury but as a staple part of the common diet of the population of cities such as London.

The nature of the islands oyster fisheries changed after the arrival of English oyster-men in 1810; before this, fishing was for local consumption, not export. In Gorey hundreds of shore-workers were employed as basket fillers, carriers, lifters and washers. The shore was a hive of activity during the second half of the oyster season, which lasted from February to April. In 1839 a canning factory was set up in a house on the Pier.

When the fleet returned with their catches, the oysters were dumped in a park, marked by a stake, and sorted into those fit for English markets and those to be retained for local tables. The export catch were then sent by fast vessel to English beds, where they were fattened before going on to London. With both British and French fishermen realizing that oysters offered a good living, clashes over who could operate where were inevitable, and violence often flared between rival vessels. Long periods of diplomatic negotiation resulted and strict exclusion zones were set.

The industry went into a terminal decline in the 1860s when production fell from 76,000 tubs in 1860 to only 6,000 six years later (a tub was about 1,000 oysters). Authorities blamed over-fishing while the oyster-men blamed the enforced closed season that allowed oyster beds to become choked with weed and a drop in oysters reproductive capacity. By 1871 only six oyster boats were recorded as employed in Jersey. It is only in the last 30 years that the harvesting of oysters from Jersey waters has resumed in Grouville Bay. The rows of oysters on their tables can be seen across the bay when the tide is low, with Mont Orgueil Castle still making an impressive backdrop.

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Oysters were eaten by islanders 6,000 years ago, and were fished off Gorey throughout the Middle Ages. During the 19th century the industry became a huge money-spinner for the island and Jersey became one of north-west Europe's main oyster producers. An estimated 2 billion were exported to English markets between 1810 and 1871, when various...

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Country of origin

British Isles

Distribution

world-wide

Use

Traits

Weight

Male:

540-820 kg (1,200-1,800 lb)

Female:

400-500 kg (900-1,100 lb)

Coat

variable

Cattle

Bos (primigenius) taurus

The Jersey is a British breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney - now extinct - and the Guernsey. It is highly productive - cows may give over 10 times their own weight in milk per lactation; the milk is high in butterfat and has a characteristic yellowish tinge.

The Jersey adapts well to various climates and environments, and unlike many breeds originating in temperate climates, it tolerates heat well. It has been exported to many countries of the world; in some of them, including Denmark, France, New Zealand, and the United States, it has developed into an independent breed. In Nepal, it is used as a draught animal.

As its name implies, the Jersey was bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey. It apparently descended from cattle stock brought over from the nearby Norman mainland, and was first recorded as a separate breed around 1700.

The breed was isolated from outside influence for over 200 years, from 1789 to 2008.

Before 1789, cows would be given as dowry for interisland marriages between Jersey and Guernsey. This was, however, not widespread.

In 1789, imports of foreign cattle into Jersey were forbidden by law to maintain the purity of the breed, although exports of cattle and semen have been important economic resources for the island. The restriction on the import of cattle was initially introduced to prevent a collapse in the export price. The United Kingdom levied no import duty on cattle imported from Jersey. Cattle were being shipped from France to Jersey and then shipped onward to England to circumvent the tariff on French cattle. The increase in the supply of cattle, sometimes of inferior quality, was bringing the price down and damaging the reputation of Jersey cattle. The import ban stabilised the price and enabled a more scientifically controlled programme of breeding to be undertaken.[citation needed ]

Sir John Le Couteur studied selective breeding and became a Fellow of the Royal Society; his work led to the establishment of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1833. At that time, the breed displayed greater variation than it does today, with white, dark brown, and mulberry beasts. However, since the honey-brown cows sold best, the breed was developed accordingly. In 1860, 1,138 cows were exported via England, the average price being £16 per head. By 1910, over 1000 head were exported annually to the United States alone. It is now the fastest-growing dairy breed in the world.[citation needed ]

On 1866, at the annual general meeting of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, H.G. Shepard noted in his history that "it was resolved - on the motion of Col. Le Couteur, that the Hon. Secretary be hereby invited to open and to carry on a "herd book" in which the pedigree of bulls, cows, and heifers shall be entered for reference to all the members of the Society." In 1869 for the first time, prizes were awarded at the society's shows for herd book stock cattle.

The States of Jersey took a census of stock in 1866, and Jersey then supported 12,037 head of cattle, of which 611 were bulls.

In July 2008, the States of Jersey took the historic step of ending the ban on imports, and allowing the import of bull semen from any breed of cattle, although only semen that is genetically pure enables the resultant progeny to be entered in the Jersey Herd Book. For many decades, each of the 12 parishes in Jersey would hold cattle shows in the spring, summer, and autumn, followed in turn by the main shows held by the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, where the best of the parish shows would compete. The colour of the rosette secured by a prize-winning cow was said to determine its export value. Today, the RJAHS holds two shows a year, where usually five or six of the remaining 23 herds compete against each other for the top prizes. A Jersey cattle show is also held in Jersey, by the West Show Association.

In February 2010, semen from an impure breed Jersey bull had been imported into the island despite strict laws and checks, and 100 cows had been impregnated with the semen. Their offspring will not be recorded in the Jersey herd book.

Jersey cattle were exported to the United States from about 1850. A breed society, the American Jersey Cattle Club, was formed in 1868. In the USA, a distinction is sometimes made between the "American Jersey", which is comparatively coarse and large and has been selectively bred mainly for milk yield, and the original or "Island" type; the latter may also be called "Miniature Jersey".

The Jersey cow ranges from only 400 to 500 kilograms (880 to 1,100 lb). Factors contributing to the popularity of the breed has been their greater economy of production, due to:

The ability to carry a larger number of effective milking cows per unit area due to lower body weight, hence lower maintenance requirements, and superior grazing ability

Calving ease and a relatively lower rate of dystocia, leading to their popularity in crossbreeding with other dairy and even beef breeds to reduce calving related injuries

High fertility

High butterfat (4.84%) and protein (3.95%), and the ability to thrive on locally produced feed

Jerseys occur in all shades of brown, from light tan to almost black. They are frequently fawn in colour. All purebred Jerseys have a lighter band around their muzzles, a dark switch (long hair on the end of the tail), and black hooves, although in recent years, colour regulations have been relaxed to allow a broadening of the gene pool.[citation needed ]

The cows are calm and docile; bulls may be unpredictable or aggressive.

Jersey cattle have a greater tendency towards postparturient hypocalcaemia (or " milk fever") in dams, and tend to have frail calves that require more attentive management in cold weather than other dairy breeds due to their smaller body size (which results in an increased surface area-to-mass ratio, increasing heat loss).[citation needed ]

Brown Bessie, the famous champion butter cow of the Chicago World's Fair dairy test, averaged over 18 kg (40 lb) of milk a day for five months, and made 1.3 kg (3 lb) of butter a day.

Huronia Centurion Veronica 20J EX-97% is a well-known show cow of the Jersey breed. In 2003, she was sold for $85,000 at public auction.[citation needed ] She was the 2006 World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion. She has also been named the All-American Grand Champion Jersey.

Mainstream Barkley Jubilee holds the top two records for milk production for a Jersey cow. She produced 49,250 lb of milk after calving at 3 years and 6 months of age, and 55,590 lb after calving at 4 years and 8 months old.

Lily Flagg, raised in Northeast Huntsville, Alabama, champion butterfat and milk producer of 1892. She produced a record 1047 lb, 3/4 oz of butter, as well as 11,339 lb of milk. Her owner threw a locally famous high-class party in her honour, going so far as to paint his house "butter yellow" for the occasion. She was a "Cow worth Kissing", her value to the community was so high.

Duncan Belle, sired by Highland Magic Duncan, was named the winner of the 2000 Great Cow Contest. This came after she was named the Reserve Grand Champion of the All-American show in 1993. She was also named All-Canadian cow between 1991 and 1993.

1. ^ Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.

2. ^ One Hundred Years of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society 1833-1933. Compiled from the Society's Records, by H.G. Shepard, Secretary (extract). Archived from the original on 12 July 2002.

3. ^ "Miniature Jersey Breed History". American Miniature Jersey Registry & Association. Accessed January 2018.

4. ^ "History of the magnificent Jersey breed". Miniature Jersey Herd Book. Accessed January 2018.

5. ^ Rex Paterson in Jersey Cattle, ed. Boston, 1954, pp81-95

6. ^ "Top 30 Records In History: Cheese Yield, Protein, Fat and Milk (spreadsheet)". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.

7. ^ The Historic Huntsville Quarterly of Local Architecture and Preservation: "Monte Sano Dairy " (PDF). Vol. XV, No. 3, Spring 1989. Historic Huntsville Foundation Inc. p. 16-18.

8. ^ Sydney L. Spahr, George E. Opperman (1995). The Dairy Cow Today: U.S. Trends, Breeding, and Progress Since 1980. USA: Hoard's Dairyman. p. 74.

Balleine's History of Jersey, Marguerite Syvret and Joan Stevens (1998) ISBN 1-86077-065-7

Butterfat in Relation to the Jersey Breed, Boston, E. J. and H. L. Webb, WJCB, 1954.

A Short History on the Origins of Jersey Cattle, Boston Eric, WJCB, 1965

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Country of origin British Isles Distribution world-wide Use Traits Weight Male: 540-820 kg (1,200-1,800 lb) Female: 400-500 kg (900-1,100 lb) Coat variable Cattle Bos (primigenius) taurus The Jersey is a British breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the Channel Islands.

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Discover the harbours around St Helier

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This walk explores the harbours and South Hill area of St Helier and involves hard surfaces and grassy footpaths, with some steep steps. Approximately one hour.

Start at the 'Docker' statue outside Jersey Museum and Art Gallery and walk across to Liberation Square with the large sculpture at its centre. Using the pedestrian crossing, cross over the main road towards the harbour and head towards the Steam Clock.

Steam Clock

The impressive granite warehouses opposite the Steam Clock, which now house Jersey's Maritime Museum, were built in 1899 as part of improvements to the New North Quay. The replacement of sailing vessels with steam-powered shipping led to increased passenger numbers and more cargo being shipped to the Island, and the harbour was expanded to cope with the demand.

From the Steam Clock, walk across to the harbour railings.

Here, the benches are decorated with the names of wooden sailing boats that were built by Jersey's many 19th century ship-building yards, located along the shoreline from Gorey to St Aubin.

Follow the shared walking/cycle route along the edge of the harbour.

On the opposite side of the road stands Commercial Buildings. This row of merchants' houses and warehouses, known originally as Le Quai des Marchands, was built in the early 19th century. It was constructed by a group of merchants who lost patience with delays in constructing working piers within reasonable reach of the St Helier seafront and decided to do the work themselves.

They reclaimed a wide stretch of land below the foot of Le Mont de La Ville, on top of which Fort Regent had recently been built. The height of the buildings was restricted so that they did not obstruct the line of fire for the Fort Regent guns.

Follow the route along the length of Commercial Buildings and round the corner towards the old La Folie Inn between the old French Harbour and the English Harbour.

La Folie Inn was one of the oldest inns in St Helier. It was built between 1700-1737 for workers employed in building the new harbour and for seafarers returning from long voyages. The stone-fronted quay was open to the south-westerly gales and provided little protection for the inn, so many people regarded it as a foolish project - hence a folly.

As the harbour developed, the berths on the Town side of La Folie were referred to as the English Harbour. Those on the south were known, in 1765, as the New Harbour and later the French Harbour. In the 18th century, cannon barrels were set into the quayside for ships to tie up to, and two of these can still be seen.

Les Runs à Calfaîtage

Opposite La Folie Inn, the high retaining wall was extended along from Commercial Buildings by William Hinchcliffe. He designed it with 27 openings known as 'les runs à calfaîtage'. These were used by caulkers to store the tools and oakum (twisted jute fibre), which they used in the nearby shipyards to make the vessels watertight. Four of these storage openings remain, but the others have been filled in.

Continue walking past La Folie and pause by the row of storage huts by South Pier.

This row of single-storey fishermen's stores, known as Les Barraques, was built by the famous yachtsman T B Davis in 1930. Davis was a wealthy man and a great benefactor. His gifts to the Island included Howard Davis Park in memory of his son, who was killed in the First World War.

In the 19th century, a number of shipbuilders operated in this area, including George Hamptonne, George Deslandes and Thomas Gavey. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, T B Davis over-wintered his racing schooner, Westward, here on South Pier.

Continue walking to view the two monuments on the grassed area opposite where the Rowing Club's boats are stored.

On the right, the Harvey Memorial was unveiled in 1871 in memory of Captain Henry Beckford Harvey and the crew of the Normandy, which collided with the Mary in dense fog off the Needles on 17 March 1870 and sank with the loss of the captain, 14 crew members and 16 passengers.

Westaway Monument

Standing next to it, the Westaway Monument was unveiled in 1875 and commemorates the gallantry and courage of John Nathaniel Westaway, a passenger on the Normandy steamship. Westaway was drowned after giving up his seat on the lifeboat to Miss Albina Falle, also giving her his coat as protection against the elements.

Re-trace your steps for a short distance and pass by the granite boat house on the left.

This was built in 1895 and converted in the 1930s to house the Howard D, Jersey's first motorised lifeboat. This was another gift to the Island by T B Davis in memory of his son, Howard. The Howard D has been restored and is usually moored opposite the entrance to the Maritime Museum. The boat house is now home to the Jersey Rowing Club.

Cross the road opposite South Pier and climb the granite steps to reach Pier Road.

At the top of the steps is a signal lamp mounted on an old cast iron post, originally a street lamp. The post has the Royal Cipher 'GRIIII' on the base, dating it to the 1820s.

Turn left and walk along the pavement. Cross over to view the granite memorial on the other side of the road next to another short flight of steps.

POW Camp Memorial

This is the site of the French North African Prisoner of War Camp during the Occupation. These prisoners of war were forced to work on various projects, including the construction a railway bridge that ran over the English Harbour and work in ammunition tunnels.

Climb the granite steps to the right of the memorial and then follow the steps through the play area to reach the entrance to South Hill Gardens.

This early-20th century seaside park incorporates historic military features with stunning panoramic views across the southern coast of the Island. Follow the path around the perimeter of the park for cliff-top views of Elizabeth Castle and the harbours. The uppermost plateau, on which the battery stands, provides 360 degree views of St Aubin's Bay and Grève d'Azette, Fort Regent and St Helier.

Leave the park and turn right onto the main road, then take the lane directly to the right of the red postbox. This lane is used regularly by walkers.

This quiet, leafy lane runs along the base of the outer defensive wall of Fort Regent. At the bottom of the hill, it crosses over the Snow Hill railway bridge that was built to carry Regent Road across the Jersey Eastern Railway line. The Snow Hill terminus opened in May 1874, and the line was extended to Gorey Pier in 1891.

Cross the railway bridge and walk up Regent Road.

Beau Regard Entrance & Poor Box

You will pass the neo-classical gateway to a house called Beau Regard, now demolished, that once had commanding views over Grève d'Azette. Further on, 17 Regent Road is a late 18th century townhouse with a cast iron poor box to the left of the front door, with a message to encourage passersby to donate for the benefit of the poor in society. Number 16 was the home of Lilian Grandin, Jersey's first female doctor. Her remarkable story features in the Jersey Peace Trail, available at www.jerseyheritage.org

At the end of Regent Road, a fine set of granite steps leads down to Hill Street.

To the side of the steps, Regency House is a Modern Movement apartment block dating from 1947. Unusually, it was constructed to be earthquake-resistant and was designed in response to a series of earth tremors in the 1930s.

At the bottom of the steps, note the road sign for Ruette de la Comédie.

This reminds us that Regent Road was originally the site of Jersey's first purpose-built theatre, the Theatre Royal, which opened in 1802.

Turn left and walk down Hill Street to return to Jersey Museum and Art Gallery. There is a wide choice of cafés and bars nearby where you can enjoy refreshments after your walk.

To explore more Heritage self-guided walks visit walkingtours.jerseyheritage.org

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The impressive granite warehouses opposite the Steam Clock, which now house Jersey's Maritime Museum, were built in 1899 as part of improvements to the New North Quay. The replacement of sailing vessels with steam-powered shipping led to increased passenger numbers and more cargo being shipped to the Island, and the harbour was expanded to cope with the demand.

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In 1878 the discovery of a new variety of potato, christened the Jersey Royal Fluke, changed the Jersey Royal potato industry from that point on.

Until the discovery of the Royal, a selection of potatoes had been grown on the island. Then one day a Jersey farmer, Hugh de la Haye, spotted two enormous potatoes displayed on the counter in a local store. Hugh de la Haye purchased them and took them home. That evening, he invited some friends over for dinner. After the meal he showed them the two huge potatoes, one of which had 15 'eyes' (from which new plants sprout).

The friends cut this particular potato into sixteen pieces which they took and planted on a 'côtil' above Bellozanne valley (a côtil in Jersey is a steeply sloping field, often overlooking the sea.).

The following spring, they produced a large and early crop. Strangely, though the parent potatoes and most of the new crop were round one plant produced nothing but uniquely kidney-shaped potatoes. And with this, the Jersey Royal was born! It was carefully nurtured and developed to produce the later varieties of Jersey Royals which now account for almost half of Jersey's income from all agricultural products.

So what became of Hugh de La Haye? He was later honoured by islanders at a formal gathering with a testimonial and a purse of gold sovereigns.

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Jersey Royals
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History - Jersey Royals - Genuine New Potatoes

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In 1878 the discovery of a new variety of potato, christened the Jersey Royal Fluke, changed the Jersey Royal potato industry from that point on. Until the discovery of the Royal, a selection of potatoes had been grown on the island.

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Boats were able to move faster using steam power. They brought tourists to Jersey as well as importing and exporting food and goods.

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Tomato exports at the harbour waiting to be loaded onto ships to be sent to the UK market