Portelet Tower,

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 ...

, is a

Martello tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

that the British built in 1808 on the

tidal island A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands, many of them have been sites of ...

''L'Île au Guerdain'' in Portelet Bay in the parish of

Saint Brélade St. Brelade (French: ''Saint Brélade'') is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is around west of St Helier. Its population was 10,568 as of 2011. The parish is the second-largest parish by surface area, covering 7 ...

. The site is often referred to as ''Janvrin's tower'' or ''Janvrin's Tomb''. The site is accessible at low tide.

Janvrin's tomb

Philippe Janvrin, a local seafarer, died of the plague in 1721, while on the way back to Jersey. Fear of contagion led the authorities to insist that he be buried on the tidal island, which became known as ''Janvrin's Tomb'', though his body was later re-interred at St Brelade's.

Design

The tower consists of only one room and was more of a guardhouse than a Martello. It has a doorway at ground level and one window about seven feet above the ground level. It is built of rubble stone and measures in height and in diameter. After its completion in March 1808, Lieutenant Governor

George Don George Don (29 April 1798 – 25 February 1856) was a Scottish botanist and plant collector. Life and career George Don was born at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland on 29 April 1798 to Caroline Clementina Stuart and George Don (b.1756), p ...

ordered that coal be brought that a fire might be burned in it day and night for two weeks to dry it out.Sutcliffe (1978), p.131. A garrison consisting of a sergeant and 12 men then occupied the fort, which was armed with an 18-pounder carronade.Clements (1999), p. 88.

Citations and references

Citations References *Clements, William H. (1998) ''Towers of Strength: Story of Martello Towers''. (London: Pen & Sword). . *Grimsley, E.J. (1988) ''The Historical Development of the Martello Tower in the Channel Islands''. (Sarnian Publications). . *Sutcliffe, Sheila (1973) ''Martello Towers''. (Cranbury, NJ: Associated Universities Press). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Portelet Tower, Jersey Buildings and structures in Saint Brélade Coastal artillery Fortifications in Jersey History of Jersey

Towers in Jersey Towers completed in 1808 Martello towers