840 ST. i'i:ri<:i{-iM)irr i.\ r.vcjoxK times. 



named it Rosemary Lane and the old historic name was 

 gradually lost. I cannot discover exactly when the Tower was 

 demolished, but apparently in the reign of one of the later 

 Tudors. The site continued to be called La Tour Beauregard 

 and La Tour long after the tower had disappeared. It is 

 marked on a map of the island drawn in Henry VIIL's reign. 

 Long after every trace of the old stronghold had vanished, 

 the remorseful spirit of some poor criminal continued to hover 

 about the spot which had witnessed its violent separation from 

 its tenement of clay. Fully recognising the fact that Christmas 

 comes but once a year, the ghost always selected this season, 

 wiien the nights were longest and darkest, for a little dissipa- 

 tion. Then it vvas that, assuming the form of a dog-like 

 monster, it would start from its haunt, and after rushing with 

 flaming eyes down Cornet Street, dragging a loudly-clanking 

 chain behind it, it would return through Fountain Street and 

 over the hill to its lair at the Tower. Many there are who still 

 remember the Bete d'la Touar, this Guernse}" cousin of the old 

 Avehr-wolf. It continued its excursions into the present 

 century ; but when the citizens of St. Peter-Port began to light 

 up their streets with gas, the Bete bid farewell to the haunts of 

 flesh and blood for ever, and retired to Hades in disgust. 



Soon after the building of the town wall — as insisted upon 

 by King ICdward III., in the order of 1351 — another public 

 benefit was conferred upon St. Peter-Port. This was the 

 re-founding and re-endowment of a Hospital at the Bosq a 

 short distance to the north of the Tour Gand. On the 28th of 

 June, 13G2, the King granted permission to Peter de S. Pierre, 

 of Guernsey, to bestow upon the Master or Superior of the 

 Establishment, and upon the brethren and sisters under him, 

 and their successors for ever, twenty vergees of ground in the 

 town of St. Peter-Port, along with eighty quarters of annual 

 w^heat-rent arising from certain lands and tenements within 

 the said town ; it having appeared upon enquiry, that the gift 

 would cause no damage to the King or to any of his subjects. 

 The credit of this munificent gift has been erroneously given 

 to Mautravers, the then late Governor, perhaps because the 

 License states that the enquiry just mentioned had been made 

 by him. The Hospital, like all such institutions of that day, 

 was evidently a religious establishment. It was still " Thopital 

 de la ville " at the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but I 

 cannot say how long after that. 



And a jjtojjos of hospitals, this will be a good place to 

 speak of a terrible enemy whom no walls could hold in check, 

 and who was a frequent visitor in St. Peter-Port in days of old; 

 I mean the dreaded Plague. No less than four visitations are 

 on record within one hundred years. In January and February, 

 1599, the Plague was so rife in the Town, that, for fear of 



