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.
L'Inconnu, 1814
Admiralty-office, Feb. 5. A Letter from Captain Shepheard, of the Fylla, announces his having captured the French lugger privateer L'Inconnu, of St. Maloes, of 180 tons; pierced for 20 guns, mounted 15, and had 109 men. Her second Captain and four men were killed, and four wounded. Lieut. W. H. Pearson, and W. Read, corporal of marines,were wounded on board the Fylla. [Gentleman's Magazine, No. 84.]
The loss of the Hibernia, April 1833
From a letter in the Star, May 2, 1833. The Hibernia, Captain Brend, left Liverpool 6 December 1832, and sank on February 4, NW of Acension island, 1100 miles from Brazil. There were 79 males, 80 females, and 50 children as passengers; 4 of the crew were boy apprentices. 150 died. There were insufficient lifeboats, and they were very poorly maintained. The survivors were rescued by the Guernsey vessel, Isabella.
Jordan de la Chapelle, 1235
A petition from the time of Henry III. Robert de la Rosière, Jordan and his wife are wrongly accused. The King gets angry with Dreux de Barentin, who had recently been appointed Warden of the Isles, and who became notorious through his subsequent oppressive behaviour.
Mr Trengrouse's Rocket Apparatus, June 1836
As reported in the Comet of July 4th, 1836. Henry Trengrouse (1772-1854), from Cornwall, was the inventor in 1808 of an early form of the Breeches buoy. As he first presented his invention, however, in 1818, versions of it had long been in use by the time he demonstrated it in Guernsey, despite the Comet's misgivings.
St Barnabas and the Plateau, June 1932
The philanthropic Reverend Mignot and his Plateau, from the Guernsey Evening Press of June 13, 1932.
Captain Grinnell's testimony, October 1778
An extremely interesting account from the enemy—at this point the Americans—of their view of Guernsey and its defences in 1778.
British conscripts: where compulsory service flourishes under the Union Jack, 1900
From The Star, July 5th, 1900. Reprinted from the Daily Mail of June 29th, 1900. Training the militia and their expertise at rifle-shooting.
June letters from Havilland Le Mesurier
Two letters by merchant and functionary Havilland Le Mesurier, one to his wife Elizabeth Dobree and the other to daughter Harriet Le Mesurier, from nearly 200 written while he was away working for the Army's Commissariat, in the Library collection.
John Banister to Elisha Tupper, July 11, 1775
John Banister of Virginia describes the Boston Tea Party and the growing disaffection between Britain and New England, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, to update his business associate, shipping magnate Elisha Tupper. The illustration, from the Priaulx Library collection, is of a miniature of Elisha (1720-1802), in the background of which a date, possibly 1785, is just discernible. The photograph was taken by or on behalf of Edith Carey, c. 1920.
Maybugs
A cruel pastime is banned.
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.