Richard de St. Croix, Kars, Ontario, K0A 2E0, Canada, October 30, 1995

 Bayview Cottage, Le Hurel, Jersey

This is a brief history of Bayview Cottage, the birthplace of my father Nicolas Francois de Ste. Croix, Bayview Cottage is located on La Grande Route de Sablons at Le Hurel, Jersey.

When helping my sister Blanche with the history of our father and his Jersey ancestry I began to wonder when Bayview cottage was built and when my father’s ancestors came to Jersey. In June 1995 my wife Pat and I planned a trip to Sweden to visit our son Nicholas (Nick) so we decided that it would be appropriate to visit Jersey once again and to see the new Bayview Cottage. Before we left I wrote to Janet Ferbrache in Jersey, who had researched the de Ste. Croix family tree in 1986, and requested her to do some research on the Bayview Cottage as well as the question of when the de Ste Croix ancestors came to Jersey.

When we met with Janet Ferbrache she gave us a report on the research that she had done. It included the following:

1. Almanacs- the earliest were in the 1840’s but no house names were included until much later.

2. Rates- these record books only go back to the late 1850’s except for the couple of earlier records

that I have found. 1739 no de Ste Croix in Grouville. 1811- Nicolas paid one quarter.

3. Joan Stevens- Two books on old Jersey houses- Bayview was not listed.

4. Wills of Realty- Those dealing with land and houses did not come into existence until 1851.

5. Land Registry- Did four hours research reading old contracts.

6. Census Returns- I have researched the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, and the 1891 census and listed 	all the Grouville de Ste Croix and the neighbours of Bayview Cottage.

The 1841 census for Grouville includes the following de Ste. Croix listing but no house is named.

Nicholas de Ste Croix 60 Farmer

Jane (nee Amy) 55 Ann (Nancy) 15

Nicholas Charles) 25 Philip 15

Esther (nee Le Templier) 25 Nicholas 1

Elizabeth (Betsey) 25 Mary Amy 12

The immediate neighbours were Richard Bertram aged 45 a Schoolmaster and John Leclerq aged 40 a fisherman.

The 1851 census for Grouville includes the same de Ste. Croix listing and describes Nicholas, now aged 73 as a Freehold Farmer on 6 acres of land.

The Grouville Rates were researched by Janet Ferbrache and they provided some information on when Bayview Cottage was built. The Rates were the name given to what we now call property taxes.

The records of 1739 show no rates were paid by any de Ste Croix. The next Rates records that were found were those of 1811. These records for the Vingtaine de la Rocque showed that Nicolas de Ste Croix paid some rates or taxes. This is the first evidence of a building owned by a de Ste Croix being in existence.

A Godfray Map dated 1849 shows a Nicolas de Ste Croix property between Martello Tower No. 3 and No. 4 near the LeHurel Slipway.

The information from these old records indicates that the de Ste Croix family built Bayview Cottage on land acquired through the Amy family when Nicolas de Ste Croix married Jeanne Amy in 1807 .

The Cottage was owned and occupied by three generations of the de Ste Croix as shown on this section of the family record of ancestry.

Nicolas bap. June 21, 1770 Grouville m. Jeanne AMY Aug. 29,1807 Grouville

Nicolas Charles bap. July 13, 1817 Grouville m. Esther Le TEMPLIER April 27, 1839 St. Clement

Nicolas Francois bap. Feb. 2, 1840 Grouville m. Mary Ann GODFRAY

Nicolas Francois b. June 3, 1872 Grouville m. Mabel Helen BLACKHALL Nov. 27, 1906

Nicolas Francois, my grandfather lived in Bayview Cottage until he died on the beach out from the cottage in 1906. Like some Jerseymen he was an alcoholic and this had a profound effect on my father. When my father married Mabel Blackhall, whose father was also an alcoholic, they vowed to abstain from alcohol completely during their married life. They asked their children to abstain also at least until they were twenty one years old.

Nicolas Francois , my father , left home at the age of 15 in 1888 to come to Canada.

Bayview Cottage remained in the de Ste Croix family until it was sold by my father in 1910 after his father died in 1906. The original Bayview Cottage was visited by members of the de St. Croix family from Canada a number of times. This picture was taken by Ross de St. Croix on his visit to Jersey a few years ago.

It can be seen from the picture how close the left corner is to the road and the right corner of the building is being protected by a large stone. This stone in Jersey is known as an Emeurteur, designed to protect corners or walls from the heavy wheels of horse-drawn wagons.

Sometime in 1991, the Bayview Cottage and the surrounding properties were purchased by a developer. Because of the age and condition of the building and the fact that it was too close to the road, the developer requested permission to demolish the building. This permission was granted provided that the new Bayview Cottage would be built close to the original site and that the appearance and the character of the original building would be maintained.

Soon the new building was completed and Blanche received a newspaper clipping from Jersey which advertised the new Bayview Cottage at an asking price of £235,000. Sometime after this I wrote a letter to Jersey addressed to the then unknown new owners of Bayview Cottage. A few weeks later a letter was received from the new owners. In October 1992, Deborah and Nicholas Herman purchased the new Bayview Cottage and began living there in June 1993 after their marriage on May 31,1993. It is possible that Nicolas de Ste Croix and Jeanne Amy also may have built the original Bayview Cottage before they were married on August 29, 1807.

In June 1995, Pat and Dick de St. Croix visited Jersey to follow up on the requested research on the original Bayview Cottage and to see the new Bayview Cottage and to meet Deborah and Nicholas Herman. When the first letter arrived from them we were of course amazed at the coincidence of the name Nicholas.

We made the visit on June 18, 1995 accompanied by Florence Buesnel, Dolly and Gerald Amy. Gerald Amy was interested because of his connection to the Amy families that owned this land from before the time that the original Bayview Cottage was built. We all had a wonderful visit. Flo was in her wheel chair of course. Gerald was able to get her through the front door alright but the door to the front room was too narrow for the wheel chair. Nicholas came to the rescue by lifting her through the door with a big bear hug. We saw all through the lovely new house and the outside grounds all with a wonderful view. This is a picture of the new Bayview Cottage. We liked the house and Deborah and Nicholas very much. When we left there were warm hugs all around. Bayview Cottage is in very good hands.