16 The Guernsey Breed 



Fish of many varieties are plentiful, and one of the most 

 interesting places on the island to visit is the fish market. 

 Here on any morning of the week, but especially Saturday 

 morning, one may see what is apparently a large part of the 

 population of the island dickering and bargaining with the 

 fishwives for the fish on display. 



On entering the market one finds himself in a spacious 

 arcade nearly 200 feet long with double rows of marble slabs 

 covered with fish, and each market woman having a space 

 allowance of from four to six feet in length on these tables. 

 The fish generally found in the Guernsey market are the 

 turbot, cod, red and gray mullet, bass, shrimp, plaice, dole, 

 pollock, silver whiting, mackerel, lobster and the conger eel, 

 the latter when stretched out on the marble slabs resembling 

 a young sea serpent. Also crabs of an immense size are on 

 sale. Lobsters are very plentiful and low in price, and several 

 hotels, situated on the western side of the island, make a 

 specialty of serving lobster luncheons. 



The ormer is a shellfish peculiar to the Channel Islands, 

 and at extreme low tides the islanders gather large quantities 

 of them. When properly cooked they are a great delicacy. 

 Mackerel are so plentiful that they are peddled around the 

 streets at three for 10c. In spite of this fact it is hard to get 

 mackerel served on hotel tables, and the only reason I can 

 think of is that they are so cheap as to be common, while 

 almost every day the hotels ser\'e salmon that comes from 

 Scotland or Norway, costing 50c a pound. 



Not only are there many local fishermen, but oftentimes 

 many French fishing boats may be seen outside the harbor 

 or tied up at the beach while the fishermen trade. 



Quite authentic history of the island dates back to the 

 11th century, and it is certain that the Romans landed here 

 in the days when they first came to conquer Britain. Old 

 ruins are shown the visitor of buildings said to have been 

 made by Robert Duke of Normandv, 1029, in return for the 

 kindness the inhabitants showed him during a storm when 

 his fleet, on its way to England, sought refuge in the Guern- 

 sey port. 



As will appear in Chapter II, the French monks seem to 

 have become established on the island in the 11th century, 

 and the 10 parish churches were built between 1111 and 1117 

 It gives one a feeling of awe to enter one of these churches, 

 to think that for 800 years people have been christened and 

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