Elizabeth Castle, Jersey, The Channel...

Approximate Overall Size: 5 x 8 inches

Elizabeth Castle is a castle in Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th century when the power of cannons meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil was insufficient to defend the Island and the port of St. Helier was vulnerable to attack by ships armed with cannon. The tidal island called L'Islet lying in St. Aubin's Bay became the site of the Abbey (later Priory) of Saint Helier. The monastic buildings were finally taken over by the Crown at the Reformation. Surviving buildings were used for military purposes. Construction of the castle began in 1594, and continued in the first years of the 17th century under the then governor of Jersey, Sir Walter Raleigh, who named it "Fort Isabella Bellissima" (the most beautiful Elizabeth) after Queen Elizabeth the First. Governors of Jersey moved their official residence from Mont Orgueil to Elizabeth Castle. Elizabeth Castle was first used in a military context during the English Civil War in the 17th century. Charles II visited the castle in 1646 and 1649, staying in the Governor's House, and was proclaimed King by governor Sir George Carteret despite the abolition of the monarchy in England. In 1651, Parliamentary forces landed in Jersey and bombarded the castle with mortars. The destruction of the mediaeval Abbey church in the heart of the castle complex which had been used as the storehouse for ammunition and provisions forced Carteret to surrender, and Jersey was held by Parliamentarians for nine years. The current parade ground and surrounding buildings were constructed on the site of the destroyed Abbey church. The castle was next involved in conflict in the late 18th century, this time it was with the French. French troops under Baron Phillipe de Rullecourt landed in St Helier on 6 January 1781, and the castle garrison was marooned. The governor Moise Corbet was tricked into surrendering to the French, but the castle garrison under Captain Mulcaster refused to surrender. The French were eventually defeated by troops under Major Francis Peirson at the Battle of Jersey. Both Peirson and de Rullecourt were killed during the battle. The perceived vulnerability of the Island led to the construction of Fort Regent on Le Mont de la Ville, purchased by the British government from the Vingtaine de la Ville overlooking the Town. Fort Regent became the site of the main British garrison. A project to link the castle to the mainland as part of an ambitious harbour project in the 19th century was abandoned. A breakwater linking L'Islet to the Hermitage Rock on which the Hermitage of Saint Helier is built remains, and is used by anglers.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Henry B Wimbush was one of Raphael Tuck's most prolific artists, but despite his very high postcard output, he remains a shadowy figure, only briefly chronicled in art dictionaries and reference works. Although he first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1888, he was not famous as a painter, and his work was not very well known.

CHANNEL ISLANDS: A group of islands, on the S. side of the English Channel, 10 m. W. of coast of France and 80 m. S. of coast of England. The principal members of the group are Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark. Geographically connected with France, they have been politically attached to England since the Conquest, and are now all that remain to it of the dukedom of Normandy. The land is parcelled out among a great number of small proprietors, and is carefully cultivated. The language is nearly the same as the old Norman French, but English is taught in all the parochial schools.