The life of islanders

The life of islanders

Among everything that has been written about the history of Jersey, information on the life of ordinary islanders is sadly lacking. We know something of the life of the better-off islanders because their wills and inventories of their homes survive in large numbers, but our history books are mainly about the ruling classes and events such as wars and invasions, relations with the United Kingdom and other political issues.

This page provides links to articles to be found throughout Jerripedia which provide something of an insight into the lives of the whole community over the years. It is being expanded as more information is unearthed and new articles are created.

'Afternoon tea in Jersey in 1910': Two ladies enjoying the quintessentially English activity of taking afternoon tea in a seaside tearoom. There is nothing to indicate that the photograph was taken in Jersey other than the caption written on the back of the print, and the fact that the lady on the left is wearing a traditional Jersey bonnet. It's impossible to identify the location from the view out of the windows, but if we had to hazard a guess it would be one of the hotels on the coast at La Corbière

• Life in Jersey in the 17th century - 1
• Life in Jersey in the 17th century - 2
• Fashion, what well-dressed islanders were wearing at various times in history, a gallery of pictures
• Jersey bonnets
• Jersey in the 1830s
• Social life at the time of the Battle of Jersey, a 1981 article which is more about buildings and possessions, but still a valuable insight into late 18th century life
• Picnics, traditional seaside outings
• Picture gallery of islanders at home and at leisure
• Clubs and associations, the organisations formed by islanders
• Baptismal names, the names Jersey families gave their children
• Daniel Messervy, 18th century life recorded in a gentleman's journal
• 17th Century social life, a picture of life in the early 17th century by the 20th century's pre-eminent historian, George Balleine
• Some aspects of Education in Jersey 100 years ago Education in the 19th century
• The Theatre in Jersey 1778-1801 and in 1802-1806
• The part played by immigrants in Jersey's economic development over the centuries
• The 1960s

Cholera outbreaks

• Cholera hits the island in 1832
• The cholera plague of 1832: Another article on the 1832 outbreak
• 1848 cholera epidemic
• Plague outbreaks

• Joseph Farley's diary a 19th century record of murders, accidents and other bad news
• Christmas shopping in 1888
• Language changes
• Sport
• Entertainment
• Cider
• Crime and punishment
• Lotteries

Jersey Looks Forward

After the German Occupation Norman Le Brocq published a book called Jersey Looks Forward, in an attempt to influence the restructuring of the States. As well as looking forward, his booklet also took a backward glance at industrial problems and struggles of working people in the island. Here are some links to extracts from the book.

• Bread riots
• 19th century
• World War 1
• Industrial struggles
• Agriculture
• 1919