Saint Brélade, Jersey

Infobox Channel Island parish
native_name=Saint Brélade




island=Jersey
area=12.8 km²
population=10134
population_density=791.7/km²

Saint Brélade is one of the twelve parishes of the bailiwick of Jersey. Its population is around 9,560, and it occupies the southwestern part of the Island. It is the only parish to border only one other parish, St. Peter. The parish is the second-largest parish by surface area, covering 7,103 vergées (3,157 acres or 12.78 km²), being 11% of the total land surface of the Island.

Its name is derived from a 6th century Celtic or Welsh "wandering saint" named Saint Branwalader or Saint Brelade (also "Branwallder", "Broladre", "Brelodre", "Brélade"), who is said to have been the son of the Cornish king, Kenen. He is also said to have been a disciple of Samson of Dol, and worked with this churchman in Cornwall and the Channel Islands.

St. Brelade's Church is situated at the end of St. Brélade's Bay, an unusual situation being comparatively distant from historic centres of population. The small Fisherman's Chapel alongside contains mediaeval frescoes which survived the iconoclasm of the Reformation. According to folklore, the reason for the siting of the parish church is that originally the St. Bréladais intended to build the church inland, much nearer to the homes of the congregation. However "les p'tits faîtchieaux" (the little people) who had their temple in a nearby dolmen were disturbed by the construction of the foundations and, every night, would undo the construction work and magically transport all the tools and materials down to the shoreline. Eventually the humans gave up and built the church where the fairies had indicated.

St. Brélade possesses some of the most popular bays in Jersey, St. Brélade's Bay, Ouaisné and Portelet, with part of both St. Ouen's Bay and St. Aubin's Bay falling within the parish boundaries. The village (or town) of Saint Aubin, a fishing port in origin facing St. Helier at the opposite end of St. Aubin's Bay, was historically the main centre of population, but residential development at Les Quennevais has shifted the centre of population.

Jersey's prison is situated at La Moye, and the Island's desalination plant is also sited in the parish.

The lighthouse at La Corbière features on the Jersey £5 note (see "Jersey pound") and the Jersey 20 pence piece (see "coins of the Jersey pound")

The traditional nickname for St. Bréladais (inhabitants of St. Brelade) is "carpéleuses" (caterpillars).

ubdivisions

The parish is divided into vingtaines for administrative purposes as follows:
* La Vingtaine de Noirmont
* La Vingtaine du Coin
* La Vingtaine des Quennevais
* La Vingtaine de la Moye St. Brélade is divided into two electoral districts:
*St.Brélade No. 1 district (Vingtaines de Noirmont and du Coin) elects one Deputy
*St. Brélade No. 2 district (Vingtaines des Quennevais and de la Moye) elects two Deputies.

Demographics

References

*"Jersey Folk Lore", John H. L'Amy, Jersey 1927

External links

* [http://www.societe-jersiaise.org/geraint/jerriais/paraisse.html Les Pâraîsses d'Jèrri en Jèrriais] "(map of parishes, coat-of-arms, and history) "
* [http://www.stbreladeschurch.com/MainHistory.html Saint Brélade’s Church]
* [http://lqrfc.ath.cx/ Les Quennevais Rugby Club]