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17 December 2024
2024 marks five hundred years since the States Assembly began keeping records of its meetings. These minutes give us a fascinating insight into Island life and the historical beginnings of so many things that we now take for granted. This is the first of two short articles which take a look at some of the most important and ‘amusing’ records.
Want a good read?
The minutes of the States Assembly are held in the Jersey Archive for all of us to read, but unless you speak French, and even Latin, you may not want to rush down there to take a look. English only became an acceptable language to speak in the States Assembly in 1900 and it was another 40 years before the minutes caught up. It was also at this time that a typewriter was introduced—prior to this they were hand-written and not all the scribes had neat writing, and they were rather fond of abbreviations too! Nowadays of course, you can read the full typewritten transcript of States meetings on Hansard, along with Scrutiny Hearings, on the States Assembly website.
In the old minutes, the use of language also provides further misunderstanding for us modern readers. For example when translating the word, ‘vache’, those of us with even rudimentary French would assume the States were talking about our famous Jersey cows. In fact, they were referring to coins. Few of us would realise that until around 1550, coins took the names of whatever was depicted on them rather than the Kings or Queens.
Moo-ving minutes
But our Jersey cows were clearly referred to in 1783, when we started to see the ‘Jersey Cow’ being protected. It was then noted that the ‘livestock of France’ could be detrimental to the Island. By 1789 our States Assembly decreed ‘That anyone who introduces into this isle a cow, heifer, calf or bull from France will be subject to a fine of two hundred pounds…’ It didn’t apparently stop the practice however, and so the Assembly ordered that posters displaying the regulations in large letters should be posted at all the churches in Jersey and if you tore these down you would also be fined.
From bounty to burden
One of our modern scourges used to be a blessing and a money maker – seaweed or Vraic which was used as a fertiliser for agriculture and also dried and used as fuel. In the 1600s Islanders couldn’t get enough of it and in the 1691 minutes, regulations detailing who could have a share were very detailed in order to restrict its harvesting. They clearly favoured those who were in service defending the Island which also gives a flavour of what life was like back then.
‘Each man providing musket sword, bandolier or cartridge for the service of their Majesty with a red jacket carrying his musket himself, will have two lots in the sharing of the vraecqs.’
And so it goes on through various sectors of the population. (Vraic had a variety of spellings through the years.) By the 1980s however, the minutes reflect the changes in agricultural practices and our heating methods, therefore severely reducing the importance of vraic to our Island. It is instead referred to in the minutes as a waste product and money has to be put aside in the budget for its disposal.
Our next article will cover some of the more unusual ‘invasions’ suffered by Jersey over the past 500 years…