St Ouen (

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 ...

and ) is one of the twelve

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

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 Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

in the

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, ...

. It is around north-west of St

Helier Saint Helier (died 555) was a 6th-century ascetic hermit. He is the patron saint of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in particular of the town and parish of Saint Helier, the island's capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases ...

. It has a population of 4,097. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

is the largest parish by surface area, covering 8,525

vergée A vergée (, alternative spellings vergie, vrégie) is a unit of land area, a quarter of the old French ''arpent''. The term derives from Latin ''virga'' (rod). Compare French ''verge'' (yard). In the Channel Islands, it is a standard measur ...

s (15 km²), and is located in part on a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

. The parish is largely agricultural. There is no single centre as the church, parish hall and school are separated, however St Ouen's Village is the most significant settlement in the parish. The parish hosts the northernmost section of its namesake bay, which sweeps from the north to the south of the island. It is a distinct parish culturally. Being the farthest from St Helier, there are many differences between it and the rest of the island, for example having its own dialect of

. Its manor, St Ouen's Manor — the seat of the

de Carteret family The de Carteret family was perhaps the greatest of the patrician families of the Channel Islands. Their influence on the Island would last from the 10th century until the present time. Origins The family originated from Normandy where their ance ...

for over eight centuries — is the senior fief in the island, and the influence of that family has also been a factor in the parish's independent-minded approach to its affairs.

History

The Jersey parish system has been in place for centuries. By Norman times, the parish boundaries were firmly fixed and remain largely unchanged since.Syvret, Marguerite (2011). ''Balleine's History of Jersey''. The History Press. . St Ouen is named after St Ouen de Rouen (Audaenus). In 1180 Jersey was divided by the Normans into three ministeria for administrative purposes. St Ouen was part of ''Crapoudoit''. ''Crapoudoit'' likely refers to the stream running through St Peter's Valley. The original parish school was St Ouen's Parochial School, next to the parish hall in the village and was originally opened in 1862 and closed in 1922. It became the St Ouen Youth and Community Centre in 1978. The parish hall was built in 1882 by architects Hayward and Son, of Exeter. The parish memorial is located in front of the hall, which includes the names of those involved in many interesting and tragic stories. For example, Sapper Philip Luce and Edward Luce were killed in action during the First World War. The parish church is located outside of the village in Ville de l'Eglise.

Governance

The parish is a first-level

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

of the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown dependency. The highest official in the parish is the of St Ouen. The incumbent office holder is Richard Buchannan, who has held the office since 2018. The parish administration is headquartered at the Parish Hall in the village centre.https://statesassembly.gov.je/assemblypropositions/2020/p.139-2020.pdf At present, the parish forms one electoral district for

States Assembly The States Assembly (french: Assemblée des États; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system o ...

elections and elects one Deputy, as well as eight Senators in an islandwide constituency. The current Deputy for St Ouen is Richard Renouf, who is the Minister for Health. Under the proposed electoral reform, it will form part of the North West electoral district consisting of St Mary, St Ouen and St Peter, which will collectively elect 4 representatives alongside the parishes' . Unlike the other parishes of Jersey, the subdivisions of this parish are not named ''

vingtaine A vingtaine (literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divided ...

s'', but ''cueillettes'' (Jèrriais: ''tchilliettes''). Vingteniers are still elected, however, in the cueillettes. *La

Petite Cueillette Vincent Aycocho, or better known as Petite is a Filipino actor, comedian, singer and TV show host. He is known for as a Filipino comedian in ''Comedy Bar (Philippine TV series), Comedy Bar'', Punch line and Clowns, together with their other cele ...

*La

Grande Cueillette Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places * Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany * Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas * Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) * Ar ...

*La

Cueillette de Grantez A vingtaine (literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divided ...

*La

Cueillette de Millais A vingtaine (literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divided ...

*La

Cueillette de Vinchelez A vingtaine (literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divided ...

*La

Cueillette de Léoville A vingtaine (literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divided ...

Geography

St Ouen is in the north-west of the island of Jersey, part of the Channel Islands archipelago. It borders St

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and St

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and is located 8.5 km (5 miles) from St Helier. Part of the parish forms a peninsula known as Grosnez. The northern and western boundaries of the island are entirely coastal, with notable bays including Grève de Lecq, Plémont and St Ouen's Bay. The Val de la Mare Valley and Reservoir are located in the south of the parish, along its border with St Peter. Grève de Lecq is shared with St Ouen. ''Grève'' is the Jèrriais word for beach. ''Lecq'' originates from the Norse ''La Wik'', which may have meant 'ship-loading creek' or referred to witches, should the bay have been a centre of sorcery. Plémont is a headland on the parish's north coaSt While ''mont'' undoubtedly refers to the hill, ''plé'' could originate from a number of sources, the most likely being the French ''plié'' (folded). The name has been extended in popular speak to the neighbouring beach Grève au Lançon. ''Lançon'' (or ''Lanchon'') is the French word for a

sand-eel Sand eel or sandeel is the common name used for a considerable number of species of fish. While they are not true eels, they are eel-like in their appearance and can grow up to in length. Many species are found off the western coasts of Europe ...

, due to the popularity of the bay as a site for sand-eeling at the turn of the 20th century. The parish is mostly rural, with only 14% being built-up. The primary settlement is St Ouen's Village, located in the east of the parish, which has the parish hall, a community centre, a pub, a number of shops and a village green. The rest of the population is dispersed in small developed pockets around the rural areas of the parish. The A12 road links the parish to the airport and St Helier, and part of the Five Mile Road is also located in the parish. The parish is served by three bus routes, the number 8, 9 and 22/x22.

Demography

Culture

Saint Ouen, Jersey, twinned with Coutances

A number of the most influential writers of Jersey have been St Ouennais.

George F. Le Feuvre George Francis Le Feuvre, who wrote under the pen-names of ''George d'La Forge'' and ''Bouanhomme George'', was a Jèrriais prose author born at La Forge, Millais, Saint Ouen, Jersey, on 29 September 1891 and died in San Antonio, Texas, on 27 Octob ...

(1891–1984), who wrote under the pseudonym "George d'la Forge", was one of the most prolific authors of

Jèrriais literature Jèrriais literature is literature in Jèrriais, the Norman dialect of Jersey in the Channel Islands. The literary tradition in Jersey is traced back to Wace, the 12th century Jersey-born poet, although there is little surviving literature in ...

of the 20th century. Frank Le Maistre (1910–2002), compiler of the ''Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français'' (1966), did much to standardise the St Ouennais

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...

of Jèrriais as a

literary language A literary language is the form (register) of a language used in written literature, which can be either a nonstandard dialect or a standardized variety of the language. Literary language sometimes is noticeably different from the spoken langu ...

. Edward Le Brocq (1877–1964) wrote a weekly newspaper column from 1946 to 1964 recounting the lives and opinions of two St Ouennais characters, Ph'lip and Merrienne. The traditional nickname for St Ouennais is ''Gris Ventres'' (grey bellies) - a

reference Reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''name'' ...

to the custom of men from the parish to wear

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 Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

s of undyed

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

, which distinguished them from men from other parishes who generally wore blue.

Twin towns

St Ouen is twinned with: *

Coutances Coutances () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. History Capital of the Unelli, a Gauls, Gaulish tribe, the town was given the n ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

Language

Ouennais influence can be seen in nearby

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of l ...

. Sark was recolonised by St Ouennais.

Helier de Carteret Hellier de Carteret (floruit, fl. 1563 – 1578) was the first List of seigneurs of Sark, Seigneur of Sark, reigning from 1563 to 1578. He was the son of Édouard de Carteret, Seigneur of Saint Ouen (d. 1533), and grandson of Philip de Carteret, ...

, the seigneur of the parish, received a charter from

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

to colonise Sark with 40 families from the parish on condition that he maintain the island free of pirates.

Sercquiais , also known as , Sarkese or Sark-French, is the Norman dialect of the Channel Island of Sark (Bailiwick of Guernsey). Sercquiais is a descendant of the 16th century Jèrriais used by the original colonists, 40 families mostly from Saint Ouen, ...

is therefore a very old offshoot of St Ouennais

. The St Ouennais origins of Sercquiais can be seen in the 2nd and 3rd person plural forms of the

preterite The preterite or preterit (; abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense or verb form serving to denote events that took place or were completed in the past; in some languages, such as Spanish, French, and English, it is equivalent to the simple pas ...

. Sercquiais uses an ending ''-dr'' which is typical of the St Ouennais dialect of Jèrriais, but generally not used elsewhere in Jersey (nor nowadays by younger speakers in St Ouen).

Landmarks

A number of prehistoric sites are located in St Ouen, including the

Dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...

des Monts Grantez, located at Le Chemin des Monts; the Dolmen des Geonnais; and the prehistoric site at Le Pinacle, which also contains one of the very few identifiable

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

sites to be seen in Jersey, the foundations of a ''fanum'' (small temple). Le Cotte à la Chèvre lies to the east of Grosnez and is a palaeolithic site, possibly 120,000 years old. In the north west, the

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

Grosnez Castle Grosnez Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle in Saint Ouen, situated in Grosnez in the north-west corner of the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands. Philippe de Carteret held it against the French when they held half of Jersey between 1461 ...

are a landmark which also features on the Jersey 50 pence coin (see ''

coins of the Jersey pound The pound (french: Livre de Jersey, Jèrriais: Louis de Jersey; abbreviation: JEP; sign: £) is the currency of Jersey. Jersey is in currency union with the United Kingdom, and the Jersey pound is not a separate currency but is an issue of ban ...

''). The Island's racecourse is also to be found at Les Landes. The Val de la Mare reservoir is shared with St Peter and was created by Jersey Water in 1962. There is a walking path around the reservoir. The parish is home to a number of manors, including: St Ouen's Manor, Vinchelez de Bas and Vinchelez de Haut. Vinchelez was originally one fief, but was split in 1606 after years of family wrangling. The Vinchelez de Bas was rebuilt in 1818.

Places of worship

The parish church, dedicated to the Bishop

Audoin Alduin (Langobardic: ''Aldwin'' or ''Hildwin'', ; also called Auduin or Audoin) was king of the Lombards from 547 to 560. Life Audoin was of the Gausi, a prominent Lombard ruling clan, and according to the ''Historia Langobardorum'', the son ...

(whose name has over time been corrupted to St Ouen), is located some distance from the parish hall, unlike in most of the parishes, and away from any centre of population. The church's patronage was given to the abbey of Mont St Michel by Philippe de Carteret. The church's oldest parts are the nave, tower and chancel, dating to the 12th or 13th century. The font, lectern and pulpit are of Caen stone and marble and date to the 1865 restoration. The bell dates to 1971. There is a custom of ringing the church bell from noon on Christmas Eve and throughout Christmas Day. The church's origins date back to before 1066. A major restoration was instigated by Canon George Clement in 1865. The coffin of Sir Philippe de Cateret, who died in the English Civil War in 1643, was found in the church in 1869. St George's Church is located at La Ville Vautier in the north-west of the parish. It was originally sited in a chapel at Vinchelez (shared between both manors), but a dedicated church was built in 1880. In Jersey, there is an old custom of the Perquage paths. Although the real usage of these paths is unclear, some locations have been determined. St Ouen's perquage led from the church down the hillside to St Ouen's Bay, along a stream called . St Ouen may have had two perquages, with another possible perquage leading north from the church out to Grève de Lecq via Léoville.

Education

St Ouen is split into two primary school catchments, Les Landes School and St Mary's School, and one secondary school, Les Quennevais. Students can also attend islandwide schools such as Hautlieu and Victoria College. Les Landes is a Government-run

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, located on La Rue des Cosnets.

Sport

St Ouen's local football team is St Ouen F.C.

Gallery

File:La Nethe Rue road sign Jersey.jpg, Road sign in La Néthe Rue (''the black road'' in Jèrriais) File:German World War II tower Jersey.jpg,

German Occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

observation tower situated at Les Landes File:Field entrance in St Ouen Jersey.jpg, A field entrance in St. Ouen File:Saint Ouen, Jersey, twinned with Coutances.jpg, Saint Ouen

bilingual sign A bilingual sign (or, by extension, a multilingual sign) is the representation on a panel (sign, usually a traffic sign, a safety sign, an informational sign) of texts in more than one language. The use of bilingual signs is usually reserved for ...