17th century

30 December 1672: Castle Cornet explodes

Richard Godfrey 1779 print of Castle Cornet before 1672

Reminiscences, from The Star, Tuesday December 9, 1890. The reaction of the population to the shocking event: a translation of an Ordinance of the Royal Court of 11 January, 1673; and an account from Roger North's Life of Dr John North, a 17th century Cambridge academic who was related to the Hattons. The illustration of the Castle before the explosion is a print published by Richard Godfrey in 1779, taken from a painting then in the possession of a [Mr] Carey.

Christmas 1607: what fun!

From the Acts of the Guernsey Colloquy, a document of exceptional local importance in the Library Collection. The Gathering of Ministers and Elders gives its judgment.

23 October 1660: Lightning destroys the Moulin des Monts

From the notebook of Pierre Le Roy, as printed in The Guernsey Magazine of 1874. With notes from the Library MS Peter Mollet's Notebook; and an eyewitness account from the Reverend Thomas Le Marchant. The illustration is from an engraving by Baillie based on a watercolour by Joshua Gosselin of five companies of the 83rd Royal Glasgow Volunteers encamped on the Moulin des Monts. Gosselin also painted another view of the Moulin des Monts, which is in the Guernsey Museum collection.

19 August 1634: a terrible fire

Ruette Marie Gibault, 1936, from the Library Collection

Mr Havilland's house is consumed by fire: two accounts, one from Jean de la Marche's diary, the other from George Fashion's notebook. The photograph is of the Ruette Marie Gibaut (colloquially Fuzzey's Lane), in St Peter Port, in 1936, from the Library Collection.

Nonsensical sheep-grassing, August 1636

According to Jean de la Marche, on Sunday, August 5, 1636, the Earl of Danby was 'out hunting in his Island of Herm, whither he had taken the greater part of the Gentlefolks of the Town (although by so doing they profaned the Day) and he having given his Horse the Spur, it ceased not to rear and turn round and round until it had thrown him to the Ground.'

What's for hunting in 1610?

In 1610 Lord George Carew replaced the late Sir Thomas Leighton as Governor of Guernsey. Upon being called almost immediately back to England he left instructions for Amias De Carteret, his Lieutenant-Governor. This is an extract from a letter he wrote to De Carteret, dated 9th August 1610, at Castle Cornet, taken from Tupper's Chronicles of Castle Cornet, 1849.

From Guernsey to Norwich, 1682-style

Another interesting letter from the physician Sir Thomas Browne to his son, describing his beloved daughter Elizabeth's voyage from Guernsey in May 1682 to visit him in Norwich, in the King's yacht Monmouth. Browne died later that year.

It's 1681: what's on the menu in Guernsey?

Three letters from Sir Thomas Browne, polymath and oyster expert. He wrote often to his children, of whom he seems very fond. His favourite daughter Elizabeth married his friend, Captain George Lyttleton, who was appointed Guernsey's Lieutenant-Governor in 1681. There is a copy in the Library of one of Browne's works, Pseudodoxia epidemica, published in 1686, which can be viewed upon request.

May 1661: Cromwell is erased from memory

An order of the Royal Court, May, 1661.

A February selection: desperate people

Governor Ling thinks poor children are too much of a nuisance; Anne Le Page's remedies don't work and she ends up in the Cage; an interesting proposal from France; Mrs Thomas and Mrs Langworthy have a fight.

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