antiquarian, addressed a letter to Mr. Falle, in 1733, in which, while he admitted the fact of England having the dominion of the narrow seas, he proves the incorrectness of that particular argument adduced by Selden, who quotes some ancient documents, and refers to former customs in proof. Mr. Morant examines all the arguments in the Mare Clausum, bearing on this point; and shows, however high the authority of Selden is, and how conclusive generally his arguments are, in this instance he was wrong.* The reader who may wish for more information on this subject, may consult Falle's History, by the Rev. E. Durell, in which Mr. Morant's letter is reprinted at length. For many other ancient privileges, but which are in exercise in the present day, the reader is referred to chapter viii. CHAPTER XVI. BIOGRAPHY. ALTHOUGH Some few particulars have reached the present time, of the general history of the Islands, yet nothing is known of those persons who flourished in them before the Conquest, and comparatively very little from that period till the 17th century. At the time that they were taken possession of by the Romans, we are not informed that the Islanders were marshalled on the shore, like their now fellow subjects, the Britons, to repel the assailants; and we may trace the page of history in vain for a patriot Carteret, prepared to oppose a landing, or a brave Pierson, who sacrificed his life in repelling an insolent invader: every thing anteriour to the Conquest, which respects individual history, must be left to imagination. But it may not be unduly exercised, in picturing to itself the Islanders of ancient days engaged in heroic deeds, which only wanted a chronicler to transmit to posterity, and to give them an interest equal to the most famous of later times. Even the story of De Hambie, whatever of truth the credulous may attach to it, is nothing more than an ingenious, and, as given by Mr. Bulkeley, a beautiful fiction, although it may have had some truth for its origin. In comparing the names of those who accompanied William the Conqueror, in his expedition to England, with those who are at this time natives of the Islands, the ancestry of some of the present generation, could the line be followed, may be traced to that distant period; but the renowned families must be satisfied with having a right to the claim, without being able to prove it:-to attempt the proof would be fruitless, and uninteresting to an English reader could it be effected. It is intended, in the present Biographical Sketch of Jersey, to give the Memoirs of Individuals in chronological order, from the earliest period at which any individual history is known, to that of the present time. It is presumed, however unusual this plan may be, that it will be found to combine some advantages which no other can furnish. There have been many characters, who were eminent in their day and generation, and in the sphere in which they acted, sufficiently so to deserve a place in the Biography of the Islands; but the scenes in which they acted were too decidedly of a temporary character, and consequently uninteresting to posterity, to allow a separate memoir; it is therefore intended, in the proposed sketch, to give them a place in the order in which they lived, with such particulars of them as the annals of the Islands will furnish, and which may be deemed interesting at the present time; reserving for those who are better known, a separate sketch of their lives. The proposed plan will also have another advantage. The general history could only narrate the great leading events in which the Islands have been engaged; the limited space allotted for it, would not allow much to be introduced of individual action. In giving the lives of Individuals in chronological order, the characters who took part in public transactions will be introduced, and their separate history given, as connected with those events; not omitting those persons who passed their lives in literary retirement; or those who, although in high stations in the church, took little or no part in the politics of the day. If, in the early period of its history, Jersey furnished any eminently literary characters, their names are, with one exception, lost to posterity. Neither of the Channel Islands can be called classic ground. Jersey had no institutions of a public character, besides the two already mentioned, St. Manliers and St. Athanasius, where little more than the mere elements of learning were taught on the foundation: from thence students were usually transferred to the University of Saumur, where they were instructed in the learning of the age. Even at the present time it has no colleges, or rich endowments for the promo. tion of learning-no scholarships to attract, no fellowships to reward talent and persevering industry. For all these advantages, her sons are indebted to England, and her munificent University of Oxford; they are found in the three colleges of Exeter, Jesus, and Pembroke, in which are fellowships to reward the talent of the more favoured Jersey scholars.* But to encourage learning among his fellow subjects, the celebrated historian of his native Island, Falle, left, at his decease, his large collection of books,-a valuable bequest, as before his time the Island had no public library whatever; and Dr. Dumaresq has since added to the collection a considerable number of volumes. An annual grant has also been voted by the States, for the purchase of more modern books, so that at present it forms a very respectable collection. It has already been observed that nothing is known of * See Ecclesiastical History, page 49, individual history, before the time of William, the Norman, who held the sovereignty of these Islands, previously to his conquest of England. The person who claims the first place in this Biography, flourished in the 12th century; Robert Vaice, or Wace, (1) as his name is now written, the (1) ROBERT WACE. In ROBERT WACE was born in the 12th century, as we learn from his writings, but he does not inform us in what year, neither does he give any account of his parentage, or of his early years, except that he left Jersey, where he was born, while young.* the few extracts that will be given from his writings, those parts will be selected, that furnish particulars, from which the information respecting his life has been taken; and the reader will, at the same time, have a specimen of his poetry : "Ie di et dirai ke je suis, Vaice de lisle de Gersui; En lisle de Gersui, fui nez Puis fui longues en France apres." Thus we learn that he was born in Jersey, that he was sent to Caen while he was young, and where he commenced his studies: from thence he went to France; but as no particular place is mentioned, it is probable that he employed his time in travelling, and in collecting information for his future labours. Although Wace informs us that he was born in Jersey, he does not state precisely the time; it must, however, have been early in the 12th century, and during the reign of our first Henry: "Treis reis Henriz vi et connui, Et clerk lisant en leur tens fui, Et duc furent de Normendie." In an allusion he makes of his parents, he intimates that he lost his father while a youth, and probably before he left his native Island. "Quer je oui dire a mon pere, Bien m'en sovint mez varlet ere." |