Torteval, Guernsey
Encyclopedia
Torteval is the smallest of the ten Guernsey
parish
es. Its name comes from the Guernésiais words for 'twisting valley'. The full title being Ste Phillipe du Torteval. It is the westernmost parish of Guernsey and is part of the Guernsey Western Parishes. The parish is split in two by the parish of St. Pierre du Bois, the main part known as Torteval and the detached part as Pleinmont-Torteval
.
In Guernésiais, people from Torteval were nicknamed "ânes à pid dé ch'fa".
The southern coast of the parish is composed entirely of rugged cliff
s. To the northwest there is a small fishing harbour called Portelet and the southern end of Rocquaine Bay.
In the centre of the parish is a church built in 1818 with one of the oldest bells in the Channel Islands
. The church is built on the site of an earlier church that had fallen into disrepair. The current church has the tallest steeple
in Guernsey, and is intended to be used as a sea-mark.
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...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es. Its name comes from the Guernésiais words for 'twisting valley'. The full title being Ste Phillipe du Torteval. It is the westernmost parish of Guernsey and is part of the Guernsey Western Parishes. The parish is split in two by the parish of St. Pierre du Bois, the main part known as Torteval and the detached part as Pleinmont-Torteval
Pleinmont-Torteval
Pleinmont-Torteval is an area in Guernsey. It is part of the parish of Torteval, which is split into two, by St. Pierre du Bois. The other part is often called just "Torteval" to distinguish it from "Pleinmont-Torteval"....
.
In Guernésiais, people from Torteval were nicknamed "ânes à pid dé ch'fa".
The southern coast of the parish is composed entirely of rugged cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s. To the northwest there is a small fishing harbour called Portelet and the southern end of Rocquaine Bay.
In the centre of the parish is a church built in 1818 with one of the oldest bells 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...
. The church is built on the site of an earlier church that had fallen into disrepair. The current church has the tallest steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
in Guernsey, and is intended to be used as a sea-mark.