GUERNSEY HISTORY. 



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had risen earlier than usual on that morning, descried the 

 enemy landing on the sand dunes, near " la Grande Mare," 

 and gave the alarm to the islanders, who hurried down to 

 oppose them. The Chroniquc des quatre premiers Valois 

 says " The French made full sail towards the island to effect 

 a landing where the people of the country were assembled, 

 armed with such weapons as they had." " Now, you must know 

 that the young women and maidens of those islands had, in 

 the springtide of that year, made garlands of flowers and 

 violets, and had given them to the young men, telling them 

 that those ought to fight well who had them for sweethearts." 

 The Guernsey men thought that there were only sailors on 

 board the French ships, but as they neared the land the 

 French soldiers leapt on shore, armed at all points, and 

 attacked them. There was a fierce fight which, according to 

 our Guernsey ballad, took place near the mill of " La 

 Carriere," not far from " La Houguette," to the west or 

 north-west of the old chapel of St. George. Here, Richard 

 Simon wounded Yvain de Galles on the hand and thigh. The 

 islanders retreated on the town, pursued by Yvain, who had 

 divided his force into two detachments. On the heights 

 above the town, probably on the spot known as " La Bataille," 

 the site of the Grange Club and the houses opposite, then 

 open fields, the battle was renewed. Here, two of the 

 Guernsey force, Thomas Le Lorreur and Ralph Holand, 

 especially distinguished themselves, Holand being killed. 

 Towards evening the Guernseymen were reinforced by the 

 men from St. Sauveur-le- Vicomte (" quatre-vingt bons mar- 

 chands anglais " as they are called in the ballad), but after a 

 fierce fight they were compelled to retire, leaving five hundred 

 dead on the field, according to one account, or eight hundred 

 according to another. We are told in the ballad that the dead 

 lay so thick that one could walk upon them, and that the 

 blood ran down into the valleys, also that bitter were the 

 lamentations of the ladies of St. Peter-Port that night. 

 There is a discrepancy between the two accounts as to the end 

 of this battle. The Chronique des quatre premiers Valois 

 represents the flight of the Guernseymen as a complete rout. 

 Our ballad on the other hand represents the French as 

 retiring by way of the Bordage, and being there routed with 

 great slaughter. The true version is probably midway be- 

 tween the two accounts. It is quite possible that the right 

 wing of the Guernsey force was completely routed, and that 

 the islanders fled for the nearest gate of the town, that 

 of Smith Street, many of them being killed in "La ruette 



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