Augustus Asplet Le Gros
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Augustus Asplet Le Gros or Augustus Aspley Le Gros (14 April 1840,
Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...
– 3 December 1877) was a
Norman language Norman or Norman French (, french: Normand, Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a Romance language which can be classified as one of the Oïl languages along with French, Picard and Walloon. The name "Norman French" is sometimes used to descri ...
poet from
Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...
and a
Jurat The ''jurats'' () are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law, though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney, however, the jurats are judges of both fact and law (assisted by the ...
of the Royal Court of Jersey.


Biography

A.A. Le Gros was raised in the parish of
Saint Peter, Jersey St Peter (; Jèrriais: ) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is around north-west of St Helier. The parish has a population of 5,003. It has a surface area of . It is the only parish with two separate coastlines, st ...
. One of the first pupils at Victoria College founded in 1851, he entered a solicitor's office, but abandoned his study of the law to work on the farm of his grandfather in Saint Peter. In 1865, he was elected secretary of the
Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society The Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society (RJA&HS) is an agricultural association in Jersey. It has been instrumental in the development of the Jersey cow and its success throughout the world, and today is responsible for management ...
. In 1873, the parishioners of Saint Peter elected him
constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
, the head of the municipality. In the same year he was one of the founders of the Société Jersiaise, of which he became the first secretary. He began work on a dictionary, which remained unfinished, of
Jèrriais (french: Jersiais, also known as the Jersey Language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an island i ...
, which served as the basis for the ''Glossaire du Patois Jersiais'' edited by the Société Jersiaise in 1924. His poems, in a rather lyrical style, signed ''A.A.L.G.'', in
Jèrriais (french: Jersiais, also known as the Jersey Language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an island i ...
, in
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, appeared in the papers and almanacs of Jersey and
Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
. For eight years Le Gros published a small annual review of poetry in Jèrriais and
Guernésiais Guernésiais, also known as ''Dgèrnésiais'', Guernsey French, and Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of the Norman language spoken in Guernsey. It is sometimes known on the island simply as "patois". As one of the langues d'oïl, it has it ...
. He also published two small volumes of poetry in English, ''Poems for Home and Fireside'' (London, 1863) and ''Poems'' (London, 1868), besides a history of
Mont Orgueil Mont Orgueil (French for 'Mount Pride') is a castle in Jersey that overlooks the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and ''lé Vièr Châté'' (the Old Castle) by Jèrriais-speakers.The castle is first called 'M ...
in Jersey : ''Mont Orgueil Castle: Its History and Ruins''. In 1875, the electors of the island made him a ''
Jurat The ''jurats'' () are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law, though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney, however, the jurats are judges of both fact and law (assisted by the ...
''. He died at the age of 37 in 1877. Some of his texts have been set to music in the 20th and 21st centuries.


Bibliography

* ''La Grève de Lecq'', Roger Jean Lebarbenchon, 1988 * ''Bulletîn d’Quart d’An'', L'Assembliée d'Jèrriais, Jersey (in Jèrriais) * ''Original Songs in the Jersey Language'', Jersey, 1988


External links


Textes d’A.A. Le Gros
(in Jèrriais) {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Gros, Augustus Asplet Norman-language poets Jersey writers 1840 births 1877 deaths People educated at Victoria College, Jersey People from Saint Peter, Jersey Members of the States of Jersey Constables of Jersey 19th-century poets