Gaol returns 1880
From the Star of January 4, 1881. The following is the list of convicted prisoners from the 1st January to the 31st December 1880:
January 1816: Order-in-Council of February 1660
From the Gazette de Guernesey, January 6, 1816, respecting 'strangers' abusing their position by selling goods retail rather than wholesale and thus undermining the local economy. The 1660 letter from the Privy Council is in its original English: the Gazette provided a translation into French for the benefit of the malefactors, perhaps!
Bouane Debate, February 1819
A poem in Guernsey French, from the Gazette de Guernesey of 19 February, 1819. The title means 'Good riddance!'
Captain Knapp and the Mayflower, February 1762
From The London Chronicle.
Herm is blown up by a mine, 4 January 1952
In view of the recent spectacular controlled detonation of a WWII bomb off Guernsey, here is a rather less controlled episode from 1952, in which the 28 inhabitants of Herm were incredibly lucky to escape injury or worse. 'Will you tell your husband when you go ashore that there is a mine somewhere off the Herm coast. Tell him to try and get a rope round it and pull it in; it will be quite harmless. It's been in the sea since the war and the firing mechanism will be rusted up.' Insurance did not cover damage by rogue mine, but the States stepped in to do the repairs, which were considerable.
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.
Annual examination at the Vauxbelets, July 1911
The annual examinations in Agriculture, Horticulture, Chemistry, Engineering and English took place at the Vauxbelets Schools. Examiners from the Société d'Agriculture de France came to the island especially to conduct some of the examinations, which were all oral. There were fifteen first year pupils and five second year pupils.
More deserters, January 1810
From the Gazette de Guernsey, January 13th 1810.
Smuggling , April 1759
Plymouth, April 18th 1759, from Owen's Weekly Chronicle; and 1763, from the London Chronicle.
Driving a motor car at a reckless pace, August 1916
From The Star, August 31, 1916.
November 5th
Guernsey did not celebrate November 5th until the 19th century, when the 'Guy Fawkes' Night' festival was introduced, probably by British immigrants, and began to replace the traditional burning or burial of the 'budloe' log on New Year's Eve. Late in the century the celebrations were 'officialised'. The photographs are of the procession of 1900; the one above shows the collectors wearing their placards, and the other the budloe paraded on a stretcher.
December 1843
From the Guernsey newspapers.