Tag: normandy
Wordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Mar 5, 2021 | Channel Islands, Guernsey, Quizzes, Trivia |
Monks on Herm
Nov 6, 2020 | Channel Islands, Herm, History, Religion |
Wordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Oct 9, 2020 | Channel Islands, Guernsey, Quizzes, Trivia |
Why Did the Normans have such Odd Haircuts?
Jul 31, 2020 | Alderney, Channel Islands, General Interest, Guernsey, Herm, History, Jersey, Sark |
Wordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Jul 10, 2020 | Channel Islands, Guernsey, Quizzes, Trivia |
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LatestWhat’s in a Name – L’Ancresse Bay
Feb 21, 2020 | Channel Islands, Guernsey, History |
L'Ancresse - The Anchorage. (place name) Corruption of Norman French 'ancre' - anchor So, no surprise then that this flat sandy bay in the north of the island should be named as an "anchorage". What is surprising though is one of the stories associated with how it was given this name. That is the story of when Robert "the devil" Duke of Normandy met the Abbot of St Michel du Valle
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The Normans – A Timeline
Aug 4, 2017 |
Guernsey and the Channel Islands were very much at the heart of the old Duchy of Normandy and then in 1066 we were propelled into the wider world when our Duke, William the Bastard defeated the English King Harold at Hastings. In this artilcle we outline some of the defining moments in the history of the Norman dynasty.
Read MoreWas King John really that bad?
Aug 1, 2017 |
If there’s one English Monarch who’s consistently had a ‘bad wrap’ it’s King John I. He’s the ultimate in abuse of absolute power, an archetypal villan – portrayed as the cruel King oppressing his people with taxes and arbitrary justice. But is this true ? Was his rule really as bad as folklore seems to say ?
Read MoreSecrets of The Bayeux Tapestry : Hidden Meanings & Gestures
Apr 18, 2017 |
The Bayeux Tapestry is an historical artifact that never fails to impress depicting as it does such a pivotal moment in British and Channel Island history, that of the invasion & conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. But look closely and you will come across oddities that are hard to explain, mysterious characters, some named, some not, appear in the main body and borders. Add to that some of the cuirious rather theatrical gestures they appear to be making and there emerges a sense of mystery.
Read MoreRecipes of Bygone Days – Stewed Ormers; Pickled Ormers & Dressed Ormers
Dec 9, 2016 |
Ormers are ‘quintessentially Guensey’ and have been eaten by the natives of these islands for centuries. Naturally enough therefore there are many ways to prepare and eat them. In this article we’ve resurrected a few of the more ancient recipes from bygone days.
Read MoreThe Day King John Commited Murder and the Channel Islands lost a potential Duke
Oct 28, 2016 |
History can often turn on the actions of a single individual. April the 3rd 1203 was such a day when King John committed murder. If he hadn’t committed this heinous crime then the whole history of Guernsey and the Channels Island could have been radically different.
Read More1066 and all that … the day the Channel Islands became part of England
Oct 14, 2016 |
On Sunday the 14th October 1066 ‘William the Bastard’, Duke of Normandy (andthe Channel Islands), invaded and defeated the Anglo Saxon king of England, so that henceforth the Bastard was to be forever known as William the Conqueror. In this article we look how at how he won at Hastings.
Read MoreWordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Sep 12, 2014 |
Guernsey French is theoretically the mother tongue of our island home, Guernsey. However it is dying out rapidly. So how many of these Guernsey French words do you know (or can guess)? Improve and test your Patois wordpower by matching each of the words below to one of the multiple possible definitions.
Read MoreSt Magloire – Patron Saint of Sark
May 30, 2014 |
October 24th is the feast day of a local Saint you may never have heard of, Saint Magloire. He’s credited with introducing Christianity to Sark and as such has been adopted as the patron saint of the island.
Read MoreThe Bayeux Tapestry – The Missing Ending
May 9, 2014 |
The Bayeux Tapestry is a beautiful historical artefact that never fails to impress. However this thousand years old embroidery, has a secret. It’s ending is missing! That is until the residents of Alderney crafted a new ending for this iconic artefact.
Read MoreGuernsey Icons – The Guernsey Milk-Can
Mar 7, 2014 |
Today the Guernsey milk-can has almost disappeared. We still see them of course, but we see little silver ones in jewellers’ shops and bigger ones in copper in old houses and in antique shops. However there are still some people who make them in the old way.
Read MoreGuernsey Patois – A Language Apart
Oct 25, 2013 |
Guernsey Patois is a very ancient tongue indeed. A descecdant of old Norman French and developed in splendid isolation within the island it has become a true ‘language apart’.
Read MoreGuernsey Legends – Duke Richard of Normandy and the Devil
Aug 23, 2013 |
It is said that some of the strange imprints on some of the rocks and granite boulders in Guernsey were made by the Devil’s cloven feet as he has prowled around our island home. This legend is one such tale about how Duke Richard of Normandy actually met and fought the Devil
Read MoreSark – A Potted History
Aug 2, 2013 |
In this article we have a whirlwind look at the history of one of the most enigmatic of the Channel Islands, Sark.
Read MorePower to the People – The Clameur de Haro
Oct 26, 2012 |
The ordinary Guernseyman, and indeed all Channel Islanders, have an extra-ordinary legal power at their fingertips, available no whereelse in the world. The “Clameur de Haro”.
Read MoreThe Queen … “Our Duke”
Jun 8, 2012 |
“The Queen, Our Duke” – an odd thing to say, especially in a loyal toast to the English Sovereign. Nonetheless whenever Channel Islanders raise their glasses to her majesty that’s the toast that will be made.
Read MoreBudloe Night – Guernsey Bonfire Night
Nov 4, 2011 |
Budloe Night in Guernsey is also Bonfire Night. They’re seen as the same now, but were they originally ?
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