- Saint Ouen, Jersey
Infobox Channel Island parish
native_name=Saint Ouen
island=Jersey
area=15 km²
population=3803
population_density=253.5/km²Saint Ouen (
Jèrriais : St Ouën) is one of the twelveparish es ofJersey in theChannel Islands . It is in the north west of the Island. The parish is the largest parish by surface area, covering 8,341vergée s (15 km².)It is reputed to be the most traditional of the parishes, being the furthest from
Saint Helier and with much of the territory of the parish forming apeninsula .Culture
A number of the most influential writers of Jersey have been St. Ouennais. George F. Le Feuvre (1891 - 1984), who wrote under the pseudonym "George d'la Forge", was one of the most prolific authors of
Jèrriais literature of the 20th century.Frank Le Maistre (1910-2002), compiler of the "Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français" (1966), did much to standardise the St. Ouennaisdialect of Jèrriais as aliterary language .Edward Le Brocq (1877-1964) wrote a weekly newspaper column from 1946 to 1964 recounting the lives and opinions of two St. Ouennais characters, Ph'lip and Merrienne.The traditional nickname for St. Ouennais is "Gris Ventres" (grey bellies) - a reference to the custom of men from the parish to wear jerseys of undyed
wool , which distinguished them from men from other parishes who generally wore blue.A number of prehistoric sites are located in St. Ouen, including the
dolmen des Monts Grantez; the dolmen des Geonnais; and the prehistoric site at Le Pinacle, which also contains one of the very few identifiable Gallo-Roman sites to be seen in Jersey, the foundations of a "fanum" (small temple).Sark was recolonised by St Ouenais.
Helier de Carteret , the seigneur of the parish, received a charter from Queen to colonise Sark with 40 families from the parish on condition that he maintain the island free of pirates.Sercquiais is therefore a very old offshoot of St OuennaisJèrriais . The St. Ouennais origins of Sercquiais can be seen in the 2nd and 3rd person plural forms of thepreterite . Sercquiais uses an ending "-dr" which is typical of the St. Ouennais dialect of Jèrriais, but generally not used elsewhere in Jersey (nor nowadays by younger speakers in St. Ouen).In the north west, the
ruins ofGrosnez Castle are a landmark which also features on the Jersey 50 pence coin (see "coins of the Jersey pound ").The Island's racecourse is also to be found at Les Landes.
Twin Towns
Saint Ouen is twinned with:
*
Coutances inFrance Cueillettes
Unlike the other parishes of Jersey, the subdivisions of this parish are not named "
vingtaine s", but "cueillettes" (Jèrriais: "tchilliettes"). Vingteniers are still elected, however, in the cueillettes.*La
Petite Cueillette
*LaGrande Cueillette
*LaCueillette de Grantez
*LaCueillette de Millais
*LaCueillette de Vinchelez
*LaCueillette de Léoville St. Ouen forms one electoral district and elects one Deputy.
Demographics
Gallery
External links
* [http://www.societe-jersiaise.org/geraint/jerriais/st_ouen.html St Ouen]
* [http://www.jerseyinsight.com/webcam/eltico_out.htm View of St. Ouen's Bay from El Tico Restaurant webcam]
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