December 1843
From the Guernsey newspapers.
Victorian
Mrs William Sharshaw
A brief obituary of a pioneering woman, from The Monthly Illustrated Journal (the Guernsey Magazine), February 1889. Mary Esther Sharshaw, born in October 1821, daughter of Henry Cumber and Mary Gallienne, was a pharmacist. The obituary does not mention that she came from two families of prominent Quakers. The two photographs of Mary, which are reproduced courtesy of their owner, both show her with a book. In the lower picture she is sporting a fine calabash, a typical Guernsey ladies' hat; the photograph is by her sister, the Guernsey photographer Sarah Louise Cumber.
High Street East; more reminiscences of the 1860s
From the Evening Press, Monday, December 9, 1940. Part Two. 'In the first article the shops from Smith Street to Church Square on the right hand side were dealt with; today we take the return journey, examining those premises which then occupied the east side of the street.'
A peep into the past: the East Coast, 1926
By D De La Rue, from the Guernsey Free Churchman, December, 1926, pp. 82-3. 'A few months ago the Editor was conversing with one of the octogenarians of our town and island, on the White Rock. The conversation revolved around the many changes that had taken place in the Harbour and its surroundings.' The illustration is taken from a local novel in the Library's collection, Mrs Carey Brock's moral but entertaining tale, Clear shining after rain, published in 1871.
Old High Street from the 1860s onwards
Recollections of a Guernsey lady, Evening Press, December 2nd, 1940. Part One.
Daniel Dobree's swallows
From Report and Transactions of the Guernsey Society of Natural Science, 1882, p. 12.
Pollet Fountain, 1861
Drinking fountains. From The Star of July 16. The Pollet fountain was moved farther North to make way for the new States Offices, now used as an Information Centre.
United All England Eleven versus the Twenty-two of the Channel Islands: May 1866
Double your cricket numbers with England's finest (or second finest) at the Fort Ground. The newspaper notes: 'Although the Twenty-two are said to be of the Channel Islands, three only are natives, the remainder being officers of the garrison or other temporary English residents.' From the Star, March 31st, 1866.
Bicycle and Tricycle Club, February 1889
From the Star of February 2nd, 1889; the history of the Club. The cyclist in the photograph is the great champion, Jack Le Tocq, from the Library collection.
February 1841
Bellamy's Guernsey Pictorial Directory and Strangers' Guide, pp. 40-1. An extract from the book, published in 1843, with an accompanying note.