Saint Clement, Jersey
Encyclopedia
Saint Clement is one of the twelve parish
es of Jersey
in the Channel Islands
. It is in the south east of the Island, and contains some of the suburbs of Saint Helier
. It is the smallest parish by surface area, but the second most densely populated. St. Clement stretches west to east from Le Dicq to within a quarter mile of La Rocque harbour (at the end of Rue de la Lourderie). Its surface area is around 1044 acres (4.2 km²).
Much of the parish lies below equinoctial high-tide level and was frequently flooded before Le Dicq was built to try to hold back the sea somewhat. There are remains of a submerged forest
underneath the sand at Grève d'Azette that show how the parish has reduced in size as the sea has advanced. Large floods in 1688, 1796 and 1812 led to the coast road at Le Hocq being swept away by the sea and necessitated the coast road being rebuilt further inland.
In pre-Norman times, the area now known as St. Clement was known as Petravilla or Pierreville. In 1172 it was recorded that a chapel existed in the parish, and there was a priory
on the site of the old Priory Inn (now houses).
In the 16th and 17th centuries the parish was believed to be the centre of a witch movement. According to beliefs, the rock at Rocque Berg (known as the Witches' Rock) was the focus for witchcraft
in Jersey and witches would assemble there for their sabbats on Friday nights.
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, many French Protestants settled in the parish – as recorded on the church register.
In the mid 19th century, the town began to spread east from St. Helier into the west of the parish. Today there is relatively little open green space (with the exception of the golf and football fields) west of Samarès Lane into St. Helier.
The famous French writer Victor Hugo
lived in Marina Terrace, St. Clement for some time, and it was here that he wrote his collection of poems entitled Les Châtiments
. It was the Connétable of St. Clement at the time who escorted Hugo onto a steamer bound for Guernsey when he had insulted the British Royal Family in some of his letters.
s for administrative purposes as follows:
The parish forms one electoral district and elects two Deputies.
and represent the parish, St. Clement also has its own local administration. This, like each of the other eleven parishes, is made up of a Connétable
(often referred to as the 'father' of the parish), who is elected for a three year term and has a seat in the States Chamber, and on the Comité des Connétables; two Procureurs du Bien Public
, who are also elected and oversee the finances of the parish; a Recteur (or Rector), responsible for the parish church; members of the parish Honorary Police
(made up of Centeniers, Vingteniers and Constable's Officers); and other officers such as churchwardens, roads inspectors
, rates assessors and a registrar. The current Connétable of St. Clement is Mr. Len Norman.
The seat of the parish administration is the Salle Paroissiale, or Parish Hall, which is pictured above and located at Le Hocq
. This is the newest parish hall in the island; the previous parish hall in St. Clement was located at Caldwell Hall, on La Grande Route de St Clément (St. Clement's Inner Road).
St. Clement is unique in being the only parish in Jersey not to be twinned with a town in Normandy, France.
St. Clement has two primary schools and one secondary school within its borders. The parish school of St. Clement is located in Rue de la Chapelle, and dates back to 1901. It has been replaced in 2006 with a brand new building on the opposite side of the road.
Samarès School (formerly Le Squez School) is another primary school located further east in School Road, Le Squez.
Le Rocquier secondary school is located next to St. Clement's parish school, and was also replaced with a new building in 2006.
The parish church of St. Clement is an ancient place of Anglican worship located on La Grande Route de St Clément (St. Clement's inner road). St. Nicholas is a smaller, sister church, located on La Grande Route de la Côte (the coast road). It was opened in 1927 after being planned, financed and largely built by the Reverend L.B. Lee.
The St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is located on La Grande Route de St Clément at Samarès.
The Samarès Methodist Church is located on La Grande Route de la Côte.
Religious services are also carried out at Communicare, Le Squez.
The dolmen
at Mont Ubé (off La Blinerie) is believed to have been left there by a pre-Celtic race called the Iberians, in around 3,000 B.C. Remains of a cemetery on La Motte
(Green Island) are believed to be from later settlers. A Neolithic cairn
and midden
s on La Motte have also been investigated.
Le Hocq Tower was built in 1778 as a coastal defence against the French when they sided with the American colonies against the British.
The whole rocky inter-tidal zone that stretches along St. Clement's coast from St. Saviour to Grouville is part of a UN RAMSAR site of special significance.
Seymour Tower sits two miles offshore on one of the largest inter-tidal reefs in the world. Built as part of Jersey’s costal defences, this square tower dates from the 18th century.
The isolated location means access is dependent on tidal conditions and all guests must be accompanied by an accredited Seymour Tower guide. Seymour Tower is only available to rent when the tide allows safe and manageable access on foot
Parishes of Jersey
The Channel Island of Jersey is divided into twelve administrative districts or parishes. All have access to the sea and are named after the saints to whom their ancient parish churches are dedicated.:* Saint Helier...
es of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. It is in the south east of the Island, and contains some of the suburbs of Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
. It is the smallest parish by surface area, but the second most densely populated. St. Clement stretches west to east from Le Dicq to within a quarter mile of La Rocque harbour (at the end of Rue de la Lourderie). Its surface area is around 1044 acres (4.2 km²).
History
Submerged forest
Submerged forest is a term used to describe the remains of trees which have been submerged by marine transgression, i.e. sea level rise and petrified. Examples can be found at low tide on the fringes of the submerged landmass known as Doggerland, around the coast of England and Wales, the Channel...
underneath the sand at Grève d'Azette that show how the parish has reduced in size as the sea has advanced. Large floods in 1688, 1796 and 1812 led to the coast road at Le Hocq being swept away by the sea and necessitated the coast road being rebuilt further inland.
In pre-Norman times, the area now known as St. Clement was known as Petravilla or Pierreville. In 1172 it was recorded that a chapel existed in the parish, and there was a priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
on the site of the old Priory Inn (now houses).
In the 16th and 17th centuries the parish was believed to be the centre of a witch movement. According to beliefs, the rock at Rocque Berg (known as the Witches' Rock) was the focus for witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
in Jersey and witches would assemble there for their sabbats on Friday nights.
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, many French Protestants settled in the parish – as recorded on the church register.
In the mid 19th century, the town began to spread east from St. Helier into the west of the parish. Today there is relatively little open green space (with the exception of the golf and football fields) west of Samarès Lane into St. Helier.
The famous French writer Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
lived in Marina Terrace, St. Clement for some time, and it was here that he wrote his collection of poems entitled Les Châtiments
Les Châtiments
Les Châtiments is a collection of poems by Victor Hugo that fiercely attack the grandeur of Napoléon III's Second Empire.- Historical background :...
. It was the Connétable of St. Clement at the time who escorted Hugo onto a steamer bound for Guernsey when he had insulted the British Royal Family in some of his letters.
Vingtaines
The parish is divided into vingtaineVingtaine
A vingtaine is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville , in Saint Helier is further divided into two cantons.St...
s for administrative purposes as follows:
- La Grande Vingtaine
- La Vingtaine du RocquierVingtaine du RocquierVingtaine du Rocquier is one of the three vingtaines of St. Clement Parish on the Channel Island of Jersey....
- La Vingtaine de SamarèsVingtaine de SamarèsVingtaine de Samarès is one of the three vingtaines of the Parish of St. Clement in Jersey, Channel Islands.It takes its name from the salt marsh that formerly occupied much of the area of this low-lying coastal vingtaine.-Places in the vingtaine:...
The parish forms one electoral district and elects two Deputies.
Politics
Aside from the two deputies who sit in the States of JerseyStates of Jersey
The States of Jersey is the parliament and government of Jersey.The Assembly of the States of Jersey has exercised legislative powers since 1771, when law-making power was transferred from the Royal Court of Jersey....
and represent the parish, St. Clement also has its own local administration. This, like each of the other eleven parishes, is made up of a Connétable
Connétable
Connétables in Jersey and Guernsey are the elected heads of the Parishes. They are often called 'constables' in English. The constables are entitled each to carry a silver-tipped baton of office.- Jersey :...
(often referred to as the 'father' of the parish), who is elected for a three year term and has a seat in the States Chamber, and on the Comité des Connétables; two Procureurs du Bien Public
Procureur du Bien Public
A Procureur du Bien Public is the legal and financial representative of a parish in Jersey. Procureurs are elected for a term of three years....
, who are also elected and oversee the finances of the parish; a Recteur (or Rector), responsible for the parish church; members of the parish Honorary Police
Honorary Police
There is an Honorary Police force in each of the 12 parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid....
(made up of Centeniers, Vingteniers and Constable's Officers); and other officers such as churchwardens, roads inspectors
Roads Inspector
A Roads Inspector is a statutory office in Jersey responsible for the maintenance of public highways.The Parish Assembly elects two Roads Inspectors for each Vingtaine [or Cueillette in St Ouen] for a three-year term of office in accordance with the Loi sur la Voirie...
, rates assessors and a registrar. The current Connétable of St. Clement is Mr. Len Norman.
The seat of the parish administration is the Salle Paroissiale, or Parish Hall, which is pictured above and located at Le Hocq
Le Hocq
Le Hocq is an area found in the parish of St. Clement, in the south-east of Jersey, Channel Islands.Le Hocq is a Jèrriais name, and means 'the headland' or 'the cape' in English. It is in fact the area surrounding a small headland...
. This is the newest parish hall in the island; the previous parish hall in St. Clement was located at Caldwell Hall, on La Grande Route de St Clément (St. Clement's Inner Road).
St. Clement is unique in being the only parish in Jersey not to be twinned with a town in Normandy, France.
Education
Samarès School (formerly Le Squez School) is another primary school located further east in School Road, Le Squez.
Le Rocquier secondary school is located next to St. Clement's parish school, and was also replaced with a new building in 2006.
Churches
The St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is located on La Grande Route de St Clément at Samarès.
The Samarès Methodist Church is located on La Grande Route de la Côte.
Religious services are also carried out at Communicare, Le Squez.
Significant Sites
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
at Mont Ubé (off La Blinerie) is believed to have been left there by a pre-Celtic race called the Iberians, in around 3,000 B.C. Remains of a cemetery on La Motte
Green Island, Jersey
Green Island or La Motte is a tidal island in the parish of St Clement on the south-east coast of Jersey It is situated near the sea shore and is accessible at low tide but visitors to the Island need to be careful not to be cut off by the incoming tide. The island has a grassy surface and is...
(Green Island) are believed to be from later settlers. A Neolithic cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
and midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
s on La Motte have also been investigated.
Le Hocq Tower was built in 1778 as a coastal defence against the French when they sided with the American colonies against the British.
The whole rocky inter-tidal zone that stretches along St. Clement's coast from St. Saviour to Grouville is part of a UN RAMSAR site of special significance.
Seymour Tower sits two miles offshore on one of the largest inter-tidal reefs in the world. Built as part of Jersey’s costal defences, this square tower dates from the 18th century.
The isolated location means access is dependent on tidal conditions and all guests must be accompanied by an accredited Seymour Tower guide. Seymour Tower is only available to rent when the tide allows safe and manageable access on foot