Minquiers
Encyclopedia
The Minquiers are a group of island
s and rocks situated 9 miles south of Jersey
forming part of the Bailiwick
of Jersey.
They are administratively part of the Parish of Grouville
.
The islands have no permanent inhabitants, though fishermen, vraic collectors, yachtsmen, radio amateurs and even sometimes kayakers make summer landfall.
The most significant islands in the group are:
Others include:
minihi meaning a sanctuary, others such as Victor Coysh, maintain it comes from minkier meaning a seller of fish.
were high ground forming part of a plain connecting the European Continent, and southern England, due to lower sea levels.
The islets, along with the other Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula
, were annexed to the Duchy of Normandy
in 933
. After William, Duke of Normandy
conquered England in 1066 the islands remained united to the Duchy until the conquest of mainland Normandy
in 1204 by Philip Augustus. In 1259 Henry III
did homage to the French king for the Channel Islands. While Edward III
in the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny
waived his claims to the crown of France and to Normandy, he reserved various territories to England.
The 1911 Britannica says that Maîtresse Île "affords a landing and shelter for fishermen."
In 1950 Britain
and France
went to the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) for friendly discussions to decide to which country the Minquiers and Écréhous
belonged.
The French fished in the waters, but Jersey
exercised various administrative rights. The ICJ considered the historical evidence, and in its Judgment of 17 November 1953 awarded the islands to Jersey (as represented by the United Kingdom).
In 1998 there was an 'invasion' of the Minquiers by some French on behalf of the 'King of Patagonia
' in 'retaliation' for the British occupation of the Falkland Islands
.
The Union Jack was restored the next day.
in his novel Ninety-Three
, about the French Revolution
. He mentions how treacherous they are, and says that their combined area is bigger than mainland Jersey itself. Hugo lived in both Guernsey
and Jersey at various points in his life, and so was familiar with local lore.
The British/French dispute over Les Minquiers is a plot element in Nancy Mitford
's novel Don't Tell Alfred
, as an occasional cause for dispute between the 'two old ladies' - France and Britain.
The Minquiers, often referred to as Minkies, an anglicised diminutive, feature in the seafaring adventure novel The Wreck of the Mary Deare
, by Hammond Innes
, and its 1959 film adaptation
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s and rocks situated 9 miles south 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...
forming part of the Bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Jersey.
They are administratively part of the Parish of Grouville
Grouville
-Vingtaines:Grouville is divided for administrative purposes into vingtaines as follows:*La Vingtaine des Marais*La Vingtaine de la Rue*La Vingtaine de Longueville*La Vingtaine de la RocqueThe Minquiers are part of the parish of Grouville....
.
The islands have no permanent inhabitants, though fishermen, vraic collectors, yachtsmen, radio amateurs and even sometimes kayakers make summer landfall.
The most significant islands in the group are:
- Maîtresse Île / Maîtr' Île
- Les Maisons;
Others include:
- Le Niêsant
- Les Faucheurs
- La Haute Grune.
Name
The etymology of the name is disputed. While some say that the name comes from the Breton languageBreton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
minihi meaning a sanctuary, others such as Victor Coysh, maintain it comes from minkier meaning a seller of fish.
History
Thousands of years ago, around the time of the Ice Age, the Channel IslandsChannel 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...
were high ground forming part of a plain connecting the European Continent, and southern England, due to lower sea levels.
The islets, along with the other Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula
Cotentin Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula, also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy, forming part of the north-western coast of France. It juts out north-westwards into the English Channel, towards Great Britain...
, were annexed to the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
in 933
933
Year 933 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Failed attempt by the Fatimid dynasty to seize the Maghreb al-Aqsa from the local rulers allied to the Spain-based Umayyad Caliphate.- Europe :* Cotentin and Jersey are seized by William Longsword, Duke of Normandy.*...
. After William, Duke of Normandy
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
conquered England in 1066 the islands remained united to the Duchy until the conquest of mainland Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in 1204 by Philip Augustus. In 1259 Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
did homage to the French king for the Channel Islands. While Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
in the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny
Treaty of Brétigny
The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty signed on May 9, 1360, between King Edward III of England and King John II of France. In retrospect it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War —as well as the height of English hegemony on the Continent.It was signed...
waived his claims to the crown of France and to Normandy, he reserved various territories to England.
The 1911 Britannica says that Maîtresse Île "affords a landing and shelter for fishermen."
In 1950 Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
went to the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
(ICJ) for friendly discussions to decide to which country the Minquiers and Écréhous
Écréhous
The Écréhous are a group of islands and rocks situated six miles north-east of Jersey . They form part of the Bailiwick of Jersey and are administratively part of the Parish of St...
belonged.
The French fished in the waters, but 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...
exercised various administrative rights. The ICJ considered the historical evidence, and in its Judgment of 17 November 1953 awarded the islands to Jersey (as represented by the United Kingdom).
In 1998 there was an 'invasion' of the Minquiers by some French on behalf of the 'King of Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
' in 'retaliation' for the British occupation of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
The Union Jack was restored the next day.
Les Minquiers in literature
Notably, Les Minquiers are mentioned at length by Victor HugoVictor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
in his novel Ninety-Three
Ninety-Three
Ninety-Three is the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo. Published in 1874, shortly after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune, the novel concerns the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie – the counter-revolutionary revolts in 1793 during the French Revolution...
, about the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. He mentions how treacherous they are, and says that their combined area is bigger than mainland Jersey itself. Hugo lived in both Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
and Jersey at various points in his life, and so was familiar with local lore.
The British/French dispute over Les Minquiers is a plot element in Nancy Mitford
Nancy Mitford
Nancy Freeman-Mitford, CBE , styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years...
's novel Don't Tell Alfred
Don't Tell Alfred
Don't Tell Alfred is a novel by Nancy Mitford, first published in 1960 by Hamish Hamilton. It is the third in a trilogy centered around an upper-class English family, and takes place twenty years after the events of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate.-Plot:As in the previous novels,...
, as an occasional cause for dispute between the 'two old ladies' - France and Britain.
The Minquiers, often referred to as Minkies, an anglicised diminutive, feature in the seafaring adventure novel The Wreck of the Mary Deare
The Wreck of the Mary Deare
The Wreck of the Mary Deare is a novel written by British author Hammond Innes and later a movie starring Gary Cooper. It tells the story of the titular ship, which is found adrift at sea by John Sands. Sands boards it hoping to claim it for salvage, but finds the first officer, Gideon Patch, still...
, by Hammond Innes
Hammond Innes
Ralph Hammond Innes was a British novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as children's and travel books....
, and its 1959 film adaptation
The Wreck of the Mary Deare (film)
The Wreck of the Mary Deare is a 1959 Metrocolor British-American thriller film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave, Cecil Parker, Richard Harris and John Le Mesurier, based upon the novel by Hammond Innes.-Synopsis:A merchant marine captain,...
.