Guernsey2005
- Year of the SeaAdmiral Lord de Saumarez
Lighthouses around Guernsey
Wrecks
Castles
Towers
Sea Themes on Stamps
Maps of Old Guernsey
Victor Hugo - sea novels
Sailing Trust of Guernsey
National Curriculum Links
Children Only - activities,quizzes.
The year 1987 saw the bicentenary of the appearance of the first accurate map of Guernsey. The mid 1780's were a period of increasing concern on the part of the british Government over her security, given that events in France during the revolution were getting out of hand. The Channel Islands, the most vulnerable portion of British territory in these circumstances, were threatened with invasion: as Britain mustered her defences, however, existing maps of the islands proved to be totally inadequate, reliance having been placed mainly on Legge's survey of 1680, over one hundred years earlier. His Grace, the Duke of Richmond, Master general of His Majesty's Ordnance, ordered William Gardner to survey and measure the islands.The surveying party, newly created under the Duke's order, assisted by soldiers and labourers, began work in Jersey at the six inch scale and carried on to complete the survey of Guernsey. No expense was spared and Gardner's work proved to be exact and brilliant. No detail was omitted: when hand printed and hand coloured the maps showed the harbours, castles, settlements, parishes and meadows of the time. Problems and confusion arise from the scarcity of place names. Certain places bear curiously mis-spelt designations which suggest that Gardner and his British surveying party had considerable difficulty in deciphering the native patios of the islanders. Particularly notable are two mixtures of English and French in parish names: La Forest and St. Peter du Bois. A further noteworthy feature of the 1787 map is the diminutive size of St. Peter Port and its harbour, as yet unswollen by the demands of international trade or tourism, but already an important and flourishing water- front capital.
The maps below have all been accessed from a very interesting website. Clicking on each will reveal a larger image.
Garnsey 1635 - Mercator/Hondius
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Garnsey 1646 - Jan Jansson
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Garnsey 1673 - Richard Blome
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Garnsey 1673,detail - Richard Blome
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Mallet
- Channel Islands 1683
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Sellar - Guernsey 1694
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Large map of Guernsey - 1695
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Emanuel Bowen - The Smaller Islands
1720
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Bellin - 1757
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Hooper - 1777
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Conder map of Channel Islands -1794
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Creighton - 1835
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The
Creighton Map of 1835 is much more detailed than the previous maps. This
looks more like the Guernsey of today. Below are four more up to date maps.
Baedek - Guernsey 1897
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Johnston, Channel Islands - 1897
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George Phillip - 1890
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George Phillip - 1890
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