The culture of Guernsey in the Bailiwick of
Guernsey is a culture which has been shaped by its indigenous
Norman language and traditions as well as
French (especially
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
) and
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
(especially
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 ide ...
) cultural influences. Cultural trends from immigrant communities such as the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
have also been added.
Symbols
The national animals of the island of Guernsey are the
donkey and the
Guernsey cow. The traditional explanation for the donkey (''âne'' in French and Guernésiais) is the steepness of
St Peter Port
St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958.
St. P ...
streets that necessitated beasts of burden for transport (in contrast to the flat terrain of the rival capital of
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 – ...
in
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 l ...
), although it is also used in reference to Guernsey inhabitants' stubbornness who boast that they are "stubborn as a mule, with a kick like a horse!"
The Guernsey cow is a more internationally famous icon of the island. As well as being prized for its rich creamy milk, which is claimed by some to hold health benefits over milk from other breeds, Guernsey cattle are increasingly being raised for their beef, which has a distinctive flavour and rich yellow fat. Although the number of individual islanders raising these cattle for private supply has diminished significantly since the 1960s, Guernsey steers can still be occasionally seen grazing on L'Ancresse common.
There is also a breed of goat known as the Golden Guernsey, which is distinguished by its golden-coloured coat At the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the Golden Guernsey was almost extinct, due to
interbreeding
In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as in ...
with other varieties on the island. The resurrection of this breed is largely credited to the work of a single woman, Miss Miriam Milbourne. Although no longer considered in a 'critical' status, the breed remains on the "Watch List" of the
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to pres ...
.
Guernsey people are traditionally nicknamed ''donkeys'' or ''ânes'', especially by Jersey people (who in turn are nicknamed ''
crapaud
Crapaud is a French word meaning "toad".
Etymology
The word ultimately is rooted from Frankish ''*krappō'', ''*krappa'', meaning "hook", likely in reference to the toad's hooked feet.
Heraldry
Crapaud is sometimes used as an incorrect referen ...
s'' - toads). Inhabitants of each of the
parishes of Guernsey
The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes the island of Guernsey and other islands such as Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, and Lihou. Each parish was established, probably in the 11th century, as a religious area, each having its parish church. ...
also have traditional nicknames, although these have generally dropped out of use among the English-speaking population.
The so-called
Guernsey lily, ''Nerine sarniensis'' (''Sarnia'' is the traditional name of the island of Guernsey in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
), is also used as a symbol of the island.
"''
Sarnia Cherie
"Sarnia Cherie" () is used as the unofficial anthem of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. ''Sarnia'' is a traditional Latin name for the island. George Deighton wrote "Sarnia Cherie" in 1911, with Domenico Santangelo composing the tune lat ...
''" is used as the anthem of Guernsey when a distinguishing anthem is required.
Liberation Day
Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day. Liberation marks the date of either a revolution, as in Cuba, the fall of a dictatorship, as in Portugal, or the end of an oc ...
on 9 May is the occasion of large celebrations every year to mark the end of the German occupation in 1945.
Gastronomy
Dishes traditional in Guernsey cuisine are the Guernsey ''gâche'', a rich fruit bread; ''gâche mêlaïe'', apple pudding;
"bean jar", a type of
cassoulet
Cassoulet (, also , ; ; from Occitan and cognates with Spanish: ''cazoleta'' and Catalan: ''cassolet'') is a rich, slow-cooked stew containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin () and white beans () ...
of pork and beans; and
conger
''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during t ...
soup.
A local delicacy is the
ormer
Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae. Other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and, rarely, muttonfish or mutto ...
(''Haliotis tuberculata''), à ce variety of abalone harvested from the beach at low spring tides. Other seafood such as
spider crab
The Majoidea are a superfamily of crabs which includes the various spider crabs.
Taxonomy
In "''A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans''" De Grave and colleagues divided Majoidea into six families:
* Family Epialti ...
s, mussels, and lobster are popular.
Language
![Fête d'la Maïr Guernesy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/F%C3%AAte_d%27la_Ma%C3%AFr_Guernesy.jpg)
English is the only language spoken by a majority of the population, while
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 ...
, the Norman language of the island, is currently spoken fluently by 2% of the population (according to 2001 census). However, 14% of the population claim some understanding of the language and it is taught in a few Island schools. Until the early twentieth century French was the only official language. Family and place names reflect this linguistic heritage such as the word "hougue" from the Norse meaning hill and "vraic" being a type of seaweed. The island's loss of the language reflects a significant anglicisation of its culture and mindset, partly brought on by a large number of
tax exile
A tax exile is a person who leaves a country to avoid the payment of income tax or other taxes. The term refers to an individual who already owes money to the tax authorities or wishes to avoid being liable in the future for taxation at what they ...
s from England. Portuguese is taught in a few schools and is spoken by around 2% of the population.
Literature
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
wrote some of his best-known works while in exile in Guernsey, including ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...
''. His home in St Peter Port, Hauteville House, is now a museum administered by the city of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. In 1866, he published a novel set in the island, ''Travailleurs de la Mer'' (''
Toilers of the Sea''), which he dedicated to the island of Guernsey.
The best-known novel by a Guernseyman is ''
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
''The Book of Ebenezer Le Page'' is a novel by English writer Gerald Basil Edwards first published in the United Kingdom by Hamish Hamilton in 1981, and in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf in the same year. It has since been published by Pe ...
,'' by
GB Edwards which, in addition to being a critically acclaimed work of literature, containa insights into life in Guernsey during the twentieth century.
George Métivier
George Métivier (29 January 1790 – 23 March 1881) was a Guernsey poet dubbed the "Guernsey Burns", and sometimes considered the island's national poet. He wrote in Guernésiais, which is the indigenous language of the island. Among his poetic ...
, often considered the island's national poet, wrote in Guernésiais. Other important Guernésiais writers are
Denys Corbet,
Tam Lenfestey,
T. H. Mahy and
Marjorie Ozanne.
Local measurements
* Land area
** In Guernsey is a vergée (Guernésiais: vergie) is 17,640 square feet (1,639 m
2). It is 40 (square) Guernsey perches.
** A Guernsey perch (also spelt perque) is 21 feet by 21 feet.
* Money
** Between 1830 and 1956, Guernsey's four coin denominations, 1, 2, 4 and 8 doubles. The double was worth 1/80 of a
French franc
The franc (, ; sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as the (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money. It w ...
. 8 double was a Guernsey penny.
** 12 Guernsey Pennies made a Guernsey shilling (not the same as an English shilling)
** 20 Guernsey Shillings made a
Guernsey Pound (not the same as an English pound)
** In 1848, an ordinance was passed that the
pound sterling
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
should be legal tender at a value of Guernsey £1 1s 3d (2040 doubles).
** In 1870, British coins were made legal tender, with the British shilling circulating at 12½ Guernsey pence.
** In 1914, new banknotes appeared, some of which carried denominations in Guernsey shillings and francs.
** After 1921 it was decided to adopt 8 doubles=1 penny, 1 penny being the same as an English
penny.
* Weights
** The Guernsey Pound was 2 ounces heavier than an English Pound
Media
![Guernésiais BBC sticker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Guern%C3%A9siais_BBC_sticker.jpg)
Two radio stations,
BBC Guernsey and
Island FM
Island FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting across the Bailiwick of Guernsey on 104.7FM and 93.7FM in Alderney.
Launched in 1992, Island FM remains the sole commercial station in the island and continues to be extremely succes ...
, serve Guernsey.
Guernsey together with the other
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
has
ITV Channel Television
ITV Channel Television, previously Channel Television, is a British television station which has served as the ITV contractor for the Channel Islands since 1962. It is based in Jersey and broadcasts regional programme for insertion into the ...
, an
ITV regional franchise. A lot of the content of ITV Channel TV is from/based on Jersey. It produces a daily news programme ''
ITV News Channel TV
''ITV News Channel TV'' (referred to as ''ITV News on Channel'' on air) is a British television news service for the Channel Islands broadcast and produced by ITV Channel.
Overview
ITV News has its main Channel Islands newsroom in Jersey as we ...
''. From the point of view of television coverage, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
to the islands. (The BBC does now broadcast an opt-out of the regional news bulletin, ''
did not apply to the islands, so the ITA's ability to operate there had to be permitted by means of extending the Act to the islands by means of an
. Due to a technicality that prevented the Channel Islands from receiving colour television, Channel could only broadcast in black and white until 1976. Due to the proximity to France, French television is fairly easily received as well.
The ''
'' is the daily newspaper.
suppressed dancing and secular music. A number of traditional songs and dances have been recorded, and some gentrified dances were collected in the 19th century in Guernsey. "La Bébée" ("the Baby Polka" or "Klatschtanz") is a 19th-century novelty dance which also remains popular with costumed
. Some traditional folk songs such as ''Jean, Gros Jean'' and ''J'ai perdu ma faumme'' have survived. Groups such as ''La Guaine du Vouêt'' and ''Les Dànsaeurs dé L'Assembllaïe D'Guernésiais'' perform at events such as ''Lé Viaer Marchi''.
According to Edith Carey (1903), the traditional ''
settled for a time in Guernsey.
Recently, Guernsey has hosted a live music event called Guernsey Live. This music festival has been one of the biggest events in the Channel Islands and sister festival of
.
The Music Service in Guernsey is renowned for its high quality of teaching and the effects of this can be seen in the standard of performance of many young people in the island.
, which it hosted in 2003. In sporting events in which Guernsey does not have international representation, when the British
are competing separately, islanders that do have high athletic skill may choose to compete for any of the Home Nations - there are, however, restrictions on subsequent transfers to represent another Home Nation. The football player
.
The island's traditional colour (e.g. for sporting events) is
.
Wilfred Corbet OBE in 1932 has fostered the sport greatly over the years. The annual
match, inaugurated in 1905, between the Channel Islands gives an airing to the traditional rivalry between the
and Jersey. Similarly the
compete in England leagues. Women's rugby and football also compete in English leagues.
The
(ICC). and the
competes in world cricket.
*''Customs, Ceremonies & Traditions of the Channel Islands'', Lemprière, 1976,
{{Culture of Europe