September 1814: More Prisoners-of-War
Another list of local Guernsey and Alderney Prisoners-of-War held in various detention camps in France during the Napoleonic Wars, from the Gazette de Guernesey, September 3, 1814. The prisoners should officially have been freed in May.
For more information see Guernsey Prisoners-of-War, 1813; Guernsey POWs 1812.
NOTICE
Several local men who were Prisoners-of-War in France during the period in which charitable distributions were made from the poor prisoners’ relief fund collected in this Island, were unable to receive their entitlement from the fund because they were being held in locations away from the official distributions. As the French agent has remitted the balance of the fund to Harry Dobrée, Esq., these men have applied to him for the same sum that was paid out to the other POWs, but which they were at the time unable to receive for the reasons above specified. Anyone who made donations to the fund who objects to the abovementioned Prisoners receiving the sum for which they have applied, are requested to attend the Royal Court at midday on Thursday the 8th September next, a States assembly day, fixed by the Court, to hear any objections.
Le Miroir Politique, 23rd April 1814
It gives us great pleasure to announce the arrival in Guernsey of some of our fellow islanders after such a long period of detention in France. They report that all the prisons are open. In addition, three French cartel ships reached Jersey yesterday bringing prisoners, most of whom are natives of Guernsey or Jersey.
Gazette de Guernesey, 30 July 1814
GUERNSEY
Extract from a letter from Mallet Frères & Co., Paris, to Harry Dobrée, Guernsey. Paris, 23rd July 1814.
You have asked us to cease payments to Prisoners-of-War from your islands and to discontinue the account. We are remitting to you herewith the balance after deductions, which amounts to a sum of 4310 francs owing to you; we have converted it to sterling at a rate of 21 francs 25 centimes to the pound sterling, giving a total of £202 16s 5d on London.
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The sum of money that Mr Harry Dobrée of Guernsey directed us to distribute amongst the Guernsey Prisoners-of-War, held in France, from the islands of Guernsey and Alderney:
£545 1s 5d, which, at the exchange rate of last March 24th, of 19 francs 45 centimes to the pound sterling, gave 10601 francs 62 centimes; Deductions for Commission, Brokerage, Couriering of money and Postage, 201 francs 62 centimes.
*******
Location of Prisoners included in this distribution:
ANGERS
Jean Le Brun, Abraham Simon, John Pardy, James Davidson, R. Bredbrook, David Dorey, John Llewellyn, Philip Martin, John Gray, Thomas White, Yenh Wehete, Daniel Maillard, John Martin, Thomas Pardy, John Tostvin, Richard Brown, John Marrett, Peter Roberge, John Mark, George Johnson, E. Le Lacheur, Ch. Le Quesne, Joseph Gibson, Samuel Wright, John Domaille, P. Vidamour, Thomas Grumley, David Marrett, George Lobb, John Rogers, Nicolas Langlois.
AURAY
William Lewis [and one illegible]
CHATELLERAULT
Samuel Campbell, Elias Le Retilley, Robert Chiles, William Willcock, Henry Brewer, John Lenfestey, Joseph Ollivier, James Le Maitre.
GUERET
Nicolas Moullin,1 H. Marquand, Francois Giffard, J. de Lisle, N. Le Cheminant, Peter Marche, John Marquand, Thomas Prios [Priaulx], Peter de Garis, Pierre Priaulx, Thomas Pickane, James Woolcock.
PARIS
Daniel Mahy, John Sterling, Thomas Noall, John Hargrave, Francis R. Cobb.
RENNES
Edward Mesny, Jean Scott, Thomas Devonshire, Patrick Hore, John Miller, Philip Le Maitre, William Allez, John White, Abraham Pritchard, Pierre Collenette, Jean Bazin, John Crosby, John Le Page, William Henna, Pierre Martin, W. Travelle, James Sauel, Stephen Tape, Jean Vieil, Peter Jehan, Robert James, John Robinson, John Drew, Thomas Baker, Jean Simon, Jean Juffaye.
SAUMUR
Jean Martin
VALOGNES
Jean Christian
VALENCIENNES
Jean Effard
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SUMMARY
All prisoners receiving 70 francs each:
Angers : 31 Prisoners, 2170 F ; Auray, 2 Prisoners, 140 F ; Chatellerault, 8 Prisoners, 560 F ; Gueret, 12 Prisoners, 840 F ; Paris, 5 Prisoners, 350 F ; Rennes, 26 Prisoners, 1820 F ; Saumur, 1 Prisoner, 70 F ; Valognes, 1 Prisoner, 70 F ; Valenciennes, 1 Prisoner, 70 F. In Total: 87 Prisoners, 6090 F.
We now remit the balance of 4310 F to Monsieur Harry Dobrée, making the sum total of the monies we have handled 10400 F.
Signed Mallet, Frères, & Compagnie.
*******
The original of the aforementioned letter, as well as other papers and receipts concerning all the POWs, are available for public inspection at my office.
The balance of £202 16s 6d is also in my keeping, to be used in whatever way the people of this island see fit.
I have also the receipts of Mr Peter Jehan and Mr Thomas Devonshire, for the £5 I have been instructed to add to their accounts.
T D Utermarck, for Harry Dobrée.
Guernsey, 30th July 1814
Edith Carey, Folklore [stories collected from the country people 1896,] Vol I. pp. 88-9
Old Miss Fallaize of St Sampson's Terrace ... her mother had told her ...her reminiscences were clearly what they had told her of the times of the war, of how every man had to take his turn of going as watchman to the different posts as Icart, Jerbourg &c, to see if the French were coming. In houses tenanted by women, spinsters or widows, the inhabitants were taxed 2/6 to pay for a man to act as watchman. In those days corn was so dear that the constables used to be deputed to look inside all the different ovens to see whether or no cakes (which were forbidden) were being baked, as all the flour was brought over from England by 'the Hamptonnes' and was, of course, liable to interception. She also said, how when the peace was proclaimed men came back, who had been shut up for years in French prisons, and considered dead by their wives, who in some cases had married again, and what awkward results ensued!
1 For Nicolas Moullin (1779-1851), see 'A Mariner's Petition,' by E B Moullin, in Quarterly Review of the Guernsey Society, Winter, 1957, pp. 63 ff,and Fig. 15.