Jean Poingdestre (1609–1691) was a native of

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 ...

and a supporter of the

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. He was born in the parish of St Saviour, at the Poingdestre fief of Grainville. He graduated from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, and was made a fellow of

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

in 1636, after studying Classics, specialising in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. Poingdestre was offered the job of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

's Latin Secretary (foreign translator) during the war, but seems to have declined. In 1648 he was forced to take refuge in Jersey, where he participated in the defence of

Elizabeth Castle Elizabeth Castle () is a castle and tourist attraction, on a tidal island within the parish of Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th century when the power of the cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil wa ...

in 1651. After the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, Poingdestre returned to England before becoming Lieutenant Bailiff of Jersey, resigning in 1676. During this time, he wrote ''Cæsarea or A Discourse of the Island of Jersey'', a comprehensive survey of Jersey

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, customs, law,

governance Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society over a social system ( family, tribe, formal or informal organization, a territory or across territories). It is done by the gove ...

, folklore and trade. An English lawyer,

William Trumbull Sir William Trumbull (8 September 163914 December 1716) was an English statesman who held high office as a member of the First Whig Junto. Early life Trumbull was born at Easthampstead Park in Berkshire and baptised on 11 September 1639. He ...

, visited Jersey and met Jean Poingdestre in 1676. He described him thus: "Jean Pointdextre, Esquire is the next in Place, & was the late Lieut.Bailiff: He was admitted Jurate upon a Recomendatory Letter from above & putt into the place of Lieutenant ... He is a person of Experience & Capacity, as well in the businesse of the Publiq (having a good knowledge of the Court of England) as in that of the laws of that Country, which he has studdyed beyond any other, & digested the laws of Normandy into a Method sutable to the Practise of the Island. His great fault is His very passionate temper, ... He is undoubtedly the fittest person to help to Compile a Body of Law & is acquainted with all the Abuses in the Practise" '' ic throughout' The Poindexter family of America is descended from Jean's half nephew, George Poindexter.

References

Sources

Biographical portrait from the Jersey Legal Information Board
*''Cæsarea or A Discourse of the Island of Jersey'', Preface to the 1889 Société Jersiaise edition.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poingdestre Bailiffs of Jersey History of Jersey Judiciary of Jersey Cavaliers 1609 births 1691 deaths