September 1806
Alderney Races, among other things, featuring Mackenzie's brown mare, called Snowball!
October 1836: Duncan Allez of the Anglo-Spanish Legion
A letter from the Star, October 31, 1836, describing a skirmish at Emetza. The Adjutant-General of this Legion at this time was Gaspard Le Marchant, son of Major General John Gaspard Le Marchant, and it is presumably he who had his horse killed under him, as the letter describes. The Priaulx Library recently acquired an Order Book of this regiment which covers the period during which the Legion was at San Sebastian, a town on the north coast of Spain; Le Marchant signs all the orders. The Anglo-Spanish Legion was a voluntary force put together by the British army at the request of the Spanish to help them in a civil war which arose because of a contested succession to the Spanish throne. The Orders in our book are dated 4 Jun 1836, until 30 March 1837 and are all issued from San Sebastian.
Daniel De Lisle Brock praises Guernsey
A speech of thanks by the Bailiff upon receiving a gift from the Country Parishes, presented to him as a mark of their esteem for his help in mitigating the effects of an injurious Corn Bill, proposed by the British Government. May 22 1823.
October 1822: the hapless Monsieur Mugnier, aeronaut
Fortunately, judging by his other attempts, Monsieur Mugnier did not actually send himself a kilometre up in his balloon, as he threatened to do.
November 1758: Thomas Saumarez captures the Belliqueux
Captain Thomas Saumarez, RN, uncle of Admiral James Saumarez, had a surprisingly easy time when taking possession of the French ship Belliqueux. As a reward he was made commander of the ship and took her on a campaign to the West Indies, but was forced to retire through ill-health. From Sir John Ross' Memoirs and correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez, 1838.
December 1890
Snow, how our girls can escape degradation, and soup-kitchens, Guille-Alles Library and beginnings of the Societe Guernesiaise, Theatre Royal, Herm overseer, Mr Roger's new premises (SPP), and Sark French, from the local newspapers.
My little brothers: Christmas with Victor Hugo, 1862
From the Gazette de Guernesey, Saturday 27 December, a report on Hugo's Christmas party for deprived children; a letter from Hugo to his wife, whose idea it all was in the first place; and another to the French publisher Castel, in which he plans to donate the proceeds of a new book of drawings to his poor Guernsey protégés. The editor of the Gazette at this time was Hugo's friend and disciple, Guernseyman Henri Marquand. The photograph accompanying this article is dated 1868. It was taken in March by Arsène Garnier. (Another very similar set of photographs was taken by a Jerseyman with a studio in London, named Henry Frankland, in February 1868; the Library has a photographic plate of one of these iconic images.) This particular photograph was popular with the public at the time; they could buy it in the local shops.Article by Dinah Bott.
Shock and awe: Thomas Phillips and the Hellburner Infernal, 1693
Thomas Phillips illustrated the famous Legge Report, a survey of the Channel islands completed in 1680. His return to the island he had so carefully studied was to prove fatal to him.
October 1822
Extracts from the French language local newspaper L'Indépendance, and the English-language Star.
25 December, 1955: the Christmas Pudding Dive
From the Guernsey Star of 28 December, 1955.
Storytellers of wonder
A plea by J. Linwood Pitts, Secretary of the Folk Lore section of the Societe Guernesiaise, then the Guernsey Society for Natural History and Local Research) in their Report and Transactions of 1904, p. 313
Guernsey in the olden times, by Curio-Antique
From The Star 29 and 31 January 1878. With this fascinating document should be compared the Library's manuscript Notebook of Pierre Henry. Henry, whose ancient house in Berthelot Street is now a tourist attraction, was a wealthy merchant shipowner and ancestor of the Tupper family, through whom the notebook came to the Library.