X]C) ST. PEri-:ij-i»()irr i\ r.vcioxi-: times. 



inhabitants of our Town of St. Peter-l^ort, in the said island of 

 Guernsey, have shewn us that the said Town has been burnt 

 and destroj^ed by certain rebels and late enemies of ours, 

 subjects of the King of France ; and also that a certain Quay 

 built upon the sea-shore of the said town for its j^rotection lias 

 been by the said enemies battered and broken down, to the 

 great loss and damage as well of the town and its inhabitants, 

 as of merchants bringing their ships into the Harbour. And 

 because the Town cannot be rebuilt, nor the Quay restored, 

 without great expense, we of our special grace do grant unto 

 the said Townsmen, that from every ship of the aforesaid 

 nation running into their harbour during a term of five years, 

 they may exact twelve deniers tournois, and from every small 

 craft likewise coming thither, thej- may exact six deniers 

 tourjiois for the same term : that therewith their Town may be 

 rebuilt as you shall direct, and the Quay be repaired and kept 

 as aforesaid, 



"Witness the King. At Westminster, November 1." 



It is unaccountable that such an important chapter of the 

 Town's history should have been left almost unnoticed by our 

 local historians hitherto ; let us note, however, that St. Peter- 

 Port must have been rebuilt in the years immediately succeed- 

 ing 1305. It was a good idea to make the people who had done 

 the damage pay for the repairs. 



Various documents might be quoted to show that French 

 merchants did make extensive use of the pier at this period, 

 e.g., "Un arret du Parlement " of 1310 states that Bertrand 

 Duval, Guillemette sa hlle, et Helie Colombel, merchants of 

 Caen, stored their Gascon wines in Guernsey and transhipped 

 them thence to England as required. In 1312, Bailiff Henri 

 de Saint Martin was fined because he had neglected to report 

 that certain Bayonne sailors forming the crew of a Spanish 

 vessel, then lying in the harbour of St. Peter-Port, laden with 

 wine, had killed one of their comrades and had not been 

 imprisoned. Agricultural produce was the chief export at this 

 period : horses, bullocks, cows, bulls, lambs, sheep, pigs sa//, 

 laine, i.e., linen of flax, sheep-skins and rabbit-skins are 

 mentioned. From this list we judge that the inhabitants were 

 not numerous ; cereals also were exported. In 1444 St. Peter- 

 Port was declared a free port, i.e., its ships were exempt from 

 the payment of Petit Coutume. It traded specially with 

 Plymouth, Dartmouth, Poole and Southampton. 



With the accession of Edward III. commenced a very 

 Heign of Terror for the town of St. Peter-Port. In the course 

 of the half-century during which this King occupied the 

 English throne, the island was invaded at least three times ; 

 and the time not actually occupied in struggling with an 

 invader was passed in constant apprehension of his coming. 



