St Martin, Jersey
St Martin
Saint Martîn(Norman) | |
|---|---|
| Parish of St Martin | |
 St Martin's Village, including (from left to right) the la Vielle École (village shopping centre), Public Hall and Parish Church. In the foreground is the village green. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of St Martin in Jersey | |
| Crown Dependency | Jersey,Channel Islands |
| Headquarters | Public Hall, St Martin's Village |
| Government | |
| •Connétable | Karen Shenton-Stone |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.3 km2(4.0 sq mi) |
| • Rank | Ranked 6th |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 3,948 |
| • Density | 380/km2(990/sq mi) |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01 |
| Postcode district | |
| Postcode sector | 6 |
| Website | parish |
St Martin(Jèrriais:Saint Martîn) is one of the twelveparishes of Jerseyin theChannel Islands.It is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) north-east of St Helier. It has a population of 3,948.[2]The parish covers 10.3 km2(4.0 sq mi).[3]
The parish is a mixed rural-urban community and forms the north-east corner of the Jersey rectangle. It has he easternmost point of the Bailiwick. Most of the population is concentrated in the villages of the parish and along La Grande Route de Faldouet and the coast towards St Catherine's.
The village ofGoreyis partly located in the parish, with the remainder of the village inGrouville.In Gorey, the parish hosts one of the three principal English military fortifications located in Jersey: Mont Orgeuil (Gorey) Castle. The village of Maufant is also partly located in St Martin, along the boundary with St Saviour.
History[edit]
Historically it was calledSaint-Martin-le-Vieux(Saint Martin the Old) to distinguish it fromSaint-Martin-de-Grouville(known today as Grouille). This explains why the parish coat of arms are so similar.
Thedolmensat Le Couperon and Faldouet are among the prehistoric remains in the parish. La Pouquelaye de Faldouet features on the reverse of the Jersey ten pence coin and was the inspiration for the poemNomen, numen, lumenwritten byVictor Hugoin 1855 during his exile in Jersey.
In 1689,William of Orangebecame the King of England; and England, as a Dutch ally, went to war against the French. Although due to the scale of the war, the island did not come into much focus, it was at this time that the Privilege of Neutrality, which had long been enjoyed by the islands, was lost. William banned all trade with France, a proclamation which applied to Jersey as well. However, due to corruption in the higher levels of Jersey's government, namely the Lieutenant-Governor himself Edward Harris, a large smuggling trade thrived, operating from the bailiwick. Smugglers would be alerted by a fire set by French merchants on theÉcrehousreef, a part of Jersey's bailiwick, to which Jersey boats, under the approval of the Lieutenant-Governor, would travel to conduct illegal trade. Despite attempts from parish authorities to stop the boats, the fact that the reef was part of Jersey and that these boats had permission from the government to travel to the islets, no action could be taken.[4]: 164–5
There is a significantoyster bedoff the coast ofGorey.In the early 19th century, at least 2,000 men were employed in the industry at Gorey, and a number of cottages were built in the village to accommodate the new English residents. This also led to the construction of Gouray Church to provide English services for the residents (most of the Anglican services on the island at the time were delivered in French).[4]:236
The rock known asLe Saut Geffroy,orGeoffroy's Leap,is reputed to be an ancient place ofexecutionwhere criminals were thrown into the sea. According tofolklore,a man named Geffroy was condemned to be thrown into the sea. Remarkably, he survived and climbed back up the cliff face where an argument broke out among the mob of spectators. Some said that sentence had been duly carried out and that Geffroy should go free; others said that sentence had not been properly carried out. To settle the argument, and demonstrate his prowess, Geffroy dived off the rock, but perished on this occasion. Le Saut Geffroy is now preserved by theNational Trust for Jersey.
Governance[edit]
The parish is a first-leveladministrative divisionof the Bailiwick of Jersey, a BritishCrown dependency.The highest official in the parish is theConnétableof St Martin. The incumbent office holder is Karen Shenton-Stone, who has held the office since 2018.[5]The parish administration is headquartered at the Public Hall next to the village green. St Martin is the only parish in Jersey other than St Helier not to conduct its municipal business from a Parish Hall. It has a Public Hall instead, having accepted money from theStates of Jerseyto provide an assembly room.[citation needed]
At present, the parish forms one electoral district forStates Assemblyelections and elects one Deputy, as well as eight Senators in an islandwide constituency. The current Deputy for St Martin is Steve Luce, who ousted the long term incumbentBob Hillin the2011 election.[6][7]Under the proposed electoral reform, it will form part of the North East electoral district consisting of St Martin and Grouville, which will collectively elect three representatives (the least of any constituency) alongside the parishes'Connétables.[8]
St Martin is divided into fivevingtainesas follows:
- LaVingtaine de Rozel
- LaVingtaine de Faldouet
- LaVingtaine de la Quéruée
- LaVingtaine de l'Église
- LaVingtaine du Fief de la Reine
Geography[edit]
The 600m breakwater at St Catherine is all that remains of a grandiose harbour project started, but then abandoned, by the British government in the 19th century. It is now a popular site for sea anglers.
This is one of the most agricultural parishes, and one of the most sought after places to live in the island. It has the best herd of Jersey cattle, some of the largest potato growers and a number of small farmers now cultivating the new “Genuine Jersey”, mainly organic, brand.
The main settlements in the parish are the villages of St Martin, Maufant and Gorey. Gorey is split with Grouville. The southern half of Maufant is located within St Martin, however the main road through the village is in St Saviour.
TheÉcréhous,small group of rocky islands, are also part of the parish.
Demography[edit]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3,528 | — |
| 1996 | 3,423 | −3.0% |
| 2001 | 3,628 | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 3,763 | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 3,948 | +4.9% |
Culture[edit]
St Martin is one of the remaining strongholds ofJèrriaiswith a distinctive accent. The area around Faldouet formerly possessed a dialect of its own, known as Faldouais, of which the distinctive feature was the realisation of intervocalic /r/ as /z/. Although the Faldouais dialect is extinct, it has left notable amounts of writings inJèrriais literature.
Twin towns[edit]
St Martin is twinned with:
Landmarks[edit]
Mont Orgeuil is one of the two maincastlesin Jersey. First known as Gorey Castle and located nearGoreyPier, it has existed for 800 years. The castle was subject to raids by the French in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.[9]The castle served as the island's prison until a prison was constructed inSt Helierin the 17th century. Among agitators imprisoned there by the British government wereWilliam PrynneandJohn Lilburne.Until the construction ofElizabeth Castleoff St Helier at the beginning of the 17th century, Mont Orgueil was generally the residence of theGovernor of Jersey.
Transport[edit]
GoreyPier is the eastern terminus of theA3 La Rue à Don,which is the main road linking the village to Grouville Church and toSt Helier.It was formerly the terminus for theJersey Eastern Railway.[10]
As part of the Eastern Cycle Network plans, Gorey Village will be connected to St Helier with a direct off-main road cycle route. A cycle path was constructed along the side of La Rue à Don in the Grouville part of Gorey in 2011.[11]Later on, the cycle lane was extended south along the Royal Golf Course (at a cost of £190,000)[12]and north to connect to Gorey Pier along the coast.
St Martin has a very comprehensivegreen lane[broken anchor]network, which are roads that have a 15 mph speed limit and priority is afforded to pedestrians, cyclists and horseriders. Most of the parish-owned by-roads are designated as green lanes.[13]This compares to its neighbouring parishes St Saviour and Trinity, which have no green lanes, and Grouville, which has very few. In 2020, the Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone said St Martin had seen a huge increase in cycling during theCOVID-19 lockdown.[14]
Notable people[edit]
- The artistEdmund Blampiedwas born at Ville Brée on 30 March 1886.
- The artistFrank Cadogan Cowperlived at The Studio, Les Blanches, St Martin from 1940–1944.
- The Jèrriais-language writerAmélia Perchardwas born in Saint-Martin in 1921.
- Alphonse Le Gastelois- after being wrongfully accused of a crime, he lived in St Martin for 14 years.
Gallery[edit]
-
The main road through the village. The village has a large number of calming chicanes. -
A pre-Worboys "SLOW MAJOR ROAD AHEAD" sign at Rozel bay -
The road sign design in use in the parish. This is the longest road name in Jersey. -
St Martin's school serves the parish, as well as the north of St Saviour. A new school was constructed in the 2010s. -
Le Saut Geffroy,orGeoffroy's Leap,can be seen here at right, and in the background stretches St. Catherine's breakwater
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Election results 2011".Gov.je.Retrieved5 October2012.
- ^Portrait of the Channel Islands,Raoul Lemprière, 1970ISBN978-0-7091-1541-0
- ^"Size and land cover of Jersey".Government of Jersey.Retrieved13 December2020.
- ^abSyvret, Marguerite (2011).Balleine's History of Jersey.The History Press.ISBN978-1860776502.
- ^"Members".statesassembly.gov.je.Retrieved13 March2021.
- ^"Jersey election 2011: St Martin".Bbc.co.uk. 17 October 2011.Retrieved5 October2012.
- ^"Results 2018".Vote.je - States of Jersey Elections.Retrieved13 March2021.
- ^https://statesassembly.gov.je/assemblypropositions/2020/p.139-2020.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^Heritage, Jersey."Mont Orgueil Castle".JerseyHeritage.org.Retrieved24 December2020.
- ^"Jersey Eastern Railway - theislandwiki".theislandwiki.org.Retrieved24 February2018.
- ^"New cycle path in the east".jerseyeveningpost.Retrieved24 January2021.
- ^"Plans unveiled to extend a popular cycle track: Do we need more routes?".jerseyeveningpost.Retrieved24 January2021.
- ^"Road Traffic (Speed Limits) (Jersey) Order 2003".jerseylaw.je.Retrieved24 January2021.
- ^"All parishes 'need to join the Island's green lane network'".jerseyeveningpost.Retrieved24 January2021.
- Jersey Folk Lore,John H. L'Amy, Jersey 1927
External links[edit]
