254 JERBOURG AND ITS FORTIFICATIONS. 



could not be pulled up into safe quarters during the frequent 

 gales, and Petit Port though a splendid sand for beaching 

 their vessels, affords no beach above high water mark, 

 and the path from it does not lead within the trenches ; 

 so that Jerbourg does not at all conform to the necessary 

 requirements for a fixed settlement, for which purpose M. 

 Dupont considers that it was used, viz. : "A camp into which 

 no army of this period, no matter how powerful or how 

 well organised, could have penetrated or could have threatened 

 them ;" one of the spots " consecrated exclusively by these 

 pirates as their only permanent settlement, which favoured 



their method of attack and their system of defence, 



in which they prepared their excursions, deposited their 

 spoil, and took refuge in case of necessity." M. Dupont 

 considers that these Norsemen (circiter 850) had numerous 

 camps in Guernsey, but I think he takes a wrong view of 

 the situation, being in many cases misled by local names, 

 and by want of detailed personal knowledge of the island. 

 For example, a Houque* is not necessarily a fortified hill ; 

 as far as I know, none of them shows signs of entrenchments ; 

 Ivy Castle is Norman or Mediaeval, not Scandinavian, in 

 construction. He finds the name Knet on Cochrane's map 

 very significant, but unfortunately the name is Cuet. 



I quite agree with M. Dupont that the Norsemen had 

 a much greater influence on these islands than Guernsey 

 historians have acknowledged, but I am inclined to put 

 their occupation of Guernsey to a later date, i.e., to the 

 tenth century. In this way we can account for the numerous 

 Scandinavian elements in our local topography. For example : 

 As the name Jerbourg was given to this spot at this period, 

 the term Bourg is an indirect proof that Teutonic, Saxon 

 or Scandinavian people occupied the district long enough 

 to make the name they gave it become the recognised and 

 permanent name of the place. Jer-bourg corresponds with 

 Jer-sey rather than with Cherbourg. Again : Hou is a 

 common termination in these parts ; Ou or Hou, Dupont 

 gives as a Scandinavian word, and Hericher in his dictionary! 

 says: "Hon or Ou (Scandinavian) Suffix commun dans la 

 topographie avec le sens d'habitation, ex. : Lihou, pres de 

 Granville," Brechou, Burhou, &c, connected with the word 

 house. % 



* Hericher, Vol. L, page 151. Hogue, hague, heu (Scandinavian) =une hauteur 

 du bord des eaxix .... d'autres caps sont des Hogues. 



t Vol. III., page 48. 



I Toutes les locations precit6es dans les lies ou des presqu'iles : Jethou, 

 Burhou, etc. 



