114 GUERNSEY HISTORY. 



Meurtriere," the old lane that formerly led from Upland 

 Road down the centre of the valley at the back of the College. 

 Tradition states that the greatest slaughter took place at " La 

 Rouge Rue " at St. John's. Sir Edgar MacCulloch was more 

 inclined to seek it at Hauteville, where there was formerly a 

 lane bearing this name. I am rather of the opinion that the 

 tradition points to a third " Rouge Rue " which is mentioned 

 in an old deed of 1608,* recording the sale of a garden 

 bordering Forest Lane and to the north of " La Rouge Rue." 

 Thus it must have either been the upper part of Smith 

 Street, without the gate of the town, or a narrow lane between 

 it and Forest Lane. If the battle took place as stated at 

 " La Bataille," near the Grange Club, this would certainly be 

 the most probable of the three. 



The left wing of the Guernsey force may have retired in 

 good order on La Tour de Beauregard (which stood on the 

 site of St. Barnabas' Church) by way of the Bordage, where 

 they may have repulsed a detachment of their pursuers as 

 related in the ballad. In neither account do we hear of the 

 capture or sack of the town, so probably Yvain was unable to 

 penetrate its walls. He took up a position near Castle Cornet 

 to besiege it. In the night, as a number of young men from 

 Paris were sleeping round their camp fire, in sight of the 

 castle, the garrison made a sortie, unperceived, and attacked 

 and killed them and then returned to the castle. This event 

 is no doubt the skirmish which, according to our Guernsey 

 account, took place somewhere near " La Corbiere " and the 

 " Bee de la Chevre." La Corbiere is identified by Sir Edgar 

 MacCulloch as the point below Clarence Battery and the 

 " Bee de la Chevre " is said to be at Les Terres, near the 

 Bathing Places. According to our Guernsey account the 

 French fleet had sailed round by the south of the island and 

 taken up a position off these points, where a body of their 

 sailors landed and were repulsed by the islanders. If, how- 

 ever, as seems certain, the town was not captured, this was an 

 exceedingly likely spot for a part of Yvain's force to have 

 encamped, as it was in sight both of the castle and of the 

 " Tour de Beauregard," the chief defence of the town. It is 

 incredible that any force would have attempted to besiege 

 Castle Cornet by occupying the small islet on which it stands, 

 as it offered no shelter. Our old ballad goes on to say that 

 after the repulse of his force at the "Bee de la Chevre," 

 Yvain re-embarked his sailors and returned to St. Sampson, 



* MSS. of late Professor Bonamy Price, " Lettre " under seal of Guernsey, 

 25 Oct., 1608. 



