Category Archives: Research

April 4, 2011 · 10:06 am

Legends and Folk Tales – The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter

Many folktales gave me inspiration as I was researching for Riduna.

The most famous is the story of the daughter of the lighthouse keeper who lived with her family at Les Casquets Lighthouse  just west of the coast of Alderney.

According to legend and the poem of the same name by A C Swinburne;  A sailor who happened to be shipwrecked on Les Casquets fell in love with the daughter of the only family living on this little island rock.  (I have recently been called that she was called Rosebud) He persuaded her to marry him and to live on Alderney, but apparently she found it just too busy living in the little town of St Anne and fled back to the lighthouse, where she remained, living with her parents.

The population of Alderney today is not much more than 2,000 rose but it rose to its peak of 5,000 in the mid nineteenth century when the fortresses and Breakwater were being built, with many migrants from England, Ireland and even from as far as Italy. Les Casquets is now of course unmanned.

The island is at present encouraging new people, not only to visit for a holiday, but to take residence. I know i’m a great believer in real shops including book shops, but if you have an online business it would be a great place to base an off shore enterprise, with all the benefits living of on an island away from the rat race. Bliss!

Other people can explain better than I, so if you’re interested here’s a link:

This is Money

By the way, if you don’t know Alderney, Les Casquets is not the Mannez Island lighthouse you see in the article, from which the views are truly wonderful, but they stand on mainland Alderney.

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February 21, 2011 · 3:19 pm

The Alderney Society

If you would like a full list of books which I used for my research then there’s one on my blog ‘Researching for Riduna’ https://dianamj.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/researching-for-riduna/ but I would just like to mention The Alderney Society here. When I began to research for Riduna, resources for research on the island were scarce, but in the last fifteen years generous members of The Alderney Society have donated books related to Alderney and the Channel Islands to the museum. There is now quite a comprehensive variety of books which I enjoyed browsing through on my last visit. To access these resources you need to join The Alderney Society which only costs £10. Very reasonable I think. The only catch is that you must do so at the museum, which is an excellent reason to pop over to visit the island again, join the Alderney Society and have a refreshing, relaxing break.

This was the write up in the last newsletter which I’m sure they will not mind me quoting

‘Society Reference Library

Over the past year Kate Russell and Su Stewart have been diligently referencing all our library books and pamphlets under the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Our Reference Library is housed in the Society Office, on the first floor of the museum, and contains a huge range of books on subjects relating to Alderney. Many of these books have been donated to the Society since its formation, some are rare and others are now out of print. All members are welcome to use the library, but it is a reference library not a lending library. Please call 01481-823222 if you wish to use the library as the office is not always open. Many thanks to Kate and Su, for what proved to be a time consuming task.’

January Newsletter 2011

I went to a society meeting during my last visit. It was a really interesting talk about the archives, but it was also obvious to me that so many local people care passionately about Alderney and its history and are willing to be involved in the work of the museum in a very practical way. Thanks to them all, the rest of us can enjoy the experience.

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February 13, 2011 · 10:30 am

More book reviews on Alderney

Alderney Annuls by Roger Venne & Geoffrey Allez

What I love about this book is the quotes from historians and travellers back as far as the 16th Century. These bring the island’s history to life with humour giving fascinating facts, detailed lists- for example businesses in 1851, folklore and vivid descriptions of important events, places and people. Its pictures add to the book’s appeal. It is well researched and put together in a readable fashion.

Alderney Annuls by Venne & Allez

 

Alderney in Old Photographs  By Brian Bonnard

There are several editions of these wonderful books and what a snapshot of past times they are. Brian Bonnard has collected or been given permission to print postcards, copies of watercolour and oil paintings dating back to 17th Century and photos from 19th and 20th Century. Whether it is to observe the way in which areas of the island have changed, new developments, industry over the years, fashion and fun; each picture tells a story of its own.

It is far more than a book of photos, because Brian has also included snapshots of items from the archives and displays in Alderney Museum dating back to the Bronze Age.

I have two of his editions:

Alderney- A Second Collection and the more recent

Alderney in Old Photographs by Brian Bonnard

I love the picture of the lady with the tall black bonnet sitting above Braye Beach on the Butes!

Also available now – Alderney From Old Photographs ISBN 976-1-84868-360-0

When I was over on Alderney in October last year it was certainly still available for sale in the new bookshop. It can also be bought from The Guernsey Society Website (link on the blog roll) too for those of you who are unable to visit the island, although I would encourage you to do so if you can!

 I gather some of the earlier books are collector’s items!

Next blog -Books on Guernsey

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