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During our six days on Jersey, we saw many historical and cultural spots. Not in the order we saw them, this map marks many of those spots. Of course, we also saw a lot of Jersey in between these spots, too. Map coutesy of Jersey Tourism, visit them at www.jersey.gov.uk/tourism.

Our blue badge (certified) tour guide, Sue Hardy, really did her homework before we arrived. She planned out the bus trips each day so as to cover much of the island, including Poingdestre landmarks, cultural stops and historical sites. Sue told us that any Poindexter's are coming from America, they should look her up for tour planning!

If you plan to visit Jersey and wish to schedule a tour guide, contact Sue. Her address is The Old Coach House, Oxenford,St. Lawrence, Jersey, JE3 1FJ. Her phone number is 001-44-1534-863676. Sorry, she doesn't have an email address. Sue can organize your walking tours, too. She is a member of the Soci»t» Jersiaise, the island's local and family history society and library.

At the end of our reunion, Sue gave us a road map which she had marked in red all the places we saw and toured. I used her map to mark those spots on this web-based map to share with all.

Additional pictures of countryside, cows and other non-tour stops can be seen by clicking here.

1. Gronez Castle Ruins: believed to have been built in the 14th Century, this cliff fortification now lays in ruin, much of its stone removed and used elsewhere throughout the years.
2. Greve de Lecq: a great place to relax on the beach and have a crab salad sandwich, Jersey ice cream cone or afternoon tea. Yes, they serve tea on the beach in china cups and tea pot! There are also some historical buildings here that can be toured, bunkers for troops protecting Jersey in past wars. Note, if you do decide to have a cone of Jersey ics cream, be sure to keep it close and low or you are likely to loose it to a cunning seagull, like I (Jamie) did.
3. St. Ouen's Bay: full of history, including the landing of the french army during the late 1700's leading to the famous "Battle of Jersey". This is a long bay and beach, with straight roads, making it a good place to practice left handed driving. The remainder of the roads on Jersey are narrow, sunken and ofter walled. Note that the outside rear view mirrors are not insured by the hire company (car rental company).
4. St. Ouen's Manor: the ancestral manor of the DeCarteret family. The lady of the manor invited us to tour the house and grounds. Sir George DeCarteret was bailiff of Jersey when our uncle Jean Poingdestre was Lieutenant Bailiff. The manor has been in the DeCarteret family since it was built circa 1100's A.D.
5. Corbiere Lighthouse: full of history, also a senic point. Walk out to the lighthouse at low tide. The city bus line can take you there from St. Aubin or St. Helier.
6. St. Aubin's Harbor: an old fishing village overlooks the harbor and its bulworks. Quaint and historical guest houses abound providing fine dining and rooms. On my (Jamie) second visit to Jersey, we stayed at the Bob Viveur right on the bulwarks, which is where we parked our hired car overnoght.
7. Le Moulin de Quetivel: An old 18th Century mill that has been restored to working condition. Our tour guide, Sue Hardy was one of the volunteers that worked on this project. Here you can learn about the agricultural history of Jersey.
8. Elizabeth Castle: by the 16th Century, cannon and gunpowder had become so common in warfare that the King's main castle in the Channel Islands, mont Orgueil, was now out of date. A new castle had to be built which was out of the range of these new weapons, so Elizabeth Castle was built in St. Aubin's Bay. Jersey was drawn into the English Civil War in the 1640s and 50s when Royalists were held up in the castle, including Jean Poingdestre (George's uncle) and Sir George de Carteret (bailiff) who kept Jersey government royal, not Parliamentarian (Cromwell). The Prince of Wales (future Charles ll) was protected from the Parliamentarians in the castle before fleeing to France. [ photo of castle coming soon ] [ photo of Fort Charles from top of Elizabeth Castle, St Helier in background ]
9. St. Mathew's Church: built in the 1830's to serve a growing coastal community of Millbrook in St. Lawrence Parrish. In the 1930's, as part of a refurbishing project, RenÀ Lalique filled the church with his unique collection of his own molded white glass. It would be unfair to try to describe the collection here so please check back here in August for photos taken during the tour.
10. German Underground Hospital: The Channel Islands were the only territory of England that was occupied by the Germans during World War 2. Many Jersey men were forced to work (and die) to build this massive underground hospital, carving it out of the granite and shale common in Jersey. The tour of the tunnels includes movie clips, displays, artifacts and wax reinactments of hospital scenes.
11. Morel Farm: [ photo of tour members ] Sid and Dulcie Poingdestre invited our group to visit them on this small family working farm. We were treated to tea and juices and many sweet treats. We also met a Jersey cow up close as well as some Guernsey goats.
12. Hamptonne Country Life Museum: now owned by the Jersey National Trust and restored in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Hamptonne family bought the property in 1633, and it was Laurens Hamptonne in 1649 that proclaimed Charles ll king in the Market Place in St. Helier. The building sand grounds are now open to the public and depicts various forms of architecture from Jersey's past. It is also a working farm where one can begin to better understand how people worked and lived in days past.
13. Fief ès Poingdestre: Sue, our tour guide, looked southward from this north coast spot as she pointed out the general area where the Fief was located in the 1500 and 1600s, according to research that Alex Glendinning had done in preparation of our tour. The Landers book provides more insight and history of the Fief. The fief daughtered out in the eraly 1700's when Marie Poingdestre inherited the estate. She married Phillippe Pinel of Trinity Parish.
14. Trinity Parish Hall: Saturday evening we had dinner with over 80 Jersey folks held in this hall. The advanced reservations by islanders was so great the dinner was moved here from St. Saviour's Parish Hall. We met several Poingdestres living on Jersey, some of them meeting each other for the first time! Also attending were several members of the SociÀt». They led us in song and merriment after the dinner, including "Beautiful Jersey".  [ photo of our group with some Jersey Poingdestres ]
15. Maufant Manor: the manor was pointed out as our tour buss drove by.
16. Rosel Manor: the manor was pointed out as our tour buss drove by.
17. Archirondel, a cafe stop: we made a brief stop here at this secluded and rocky beach for a refreshment break before arriving at Mont Orgueil Castle. Nice little gift room, but the beach was made of pebbles.
18. Mont Orgueil Castle and Village of Gorey:  [ photo of the castle as viewd from town ] [ photo from top of castle looking down on Gorey and harbor with tide out ] Also known as Gorrey Castle, it served as the seat of Jersey's government, military post and as a prison. It has much history and one should plan at least a half day to visit this castle. Take your time, especially while climbing up the stairs, to observe the stone construction. The castle is litterally built on top of and into the stone cliffs. The village below, believed to be the oldest settlemene, has probably been occupied since early pagans worshipped nearby dutring the dark ages.
19. Absolutely Nothing: Five Oaks area, a busy intersection. But as I found out on my visit in 1999, a fine place for filling up the gas tank and buying a bottle of pop. Note that on Jersey, drinking an ice cold Coke means serving it at about 55 degrees.
20. Home parish of the Poingdestre family:
    • St. Saviour's Church: The home church of the main branch of the Poingdestre family. George's uncle, Jean, was buried beneath the floors of the church, an honor held for only the most important families. The South Chancel is the oldest part of the church, built in the 12th Century. The church was restored at the beginning of the 20th Century. Near the altar is a Latin memorial to Jean Poingdestre (George's uncle), chaplain and secretary to Charles l. Jean also served as Lt. Bailiff of Jersey, filling in for the Bailiff, Sir George Carteret when he was in America setting up his new land grant (now known as New Jersey). [ church photo ] [ portrait of Jean ]
    • Grainville Manor: now Grainville Park, was once the site of the Poingdestre home, built around 1700 (after George left for America). It remained in the family until 1875 (reference: 1)
    • Swan Farm: built c.1490 on land owned by the Poingdestre family since the 13th Century (ref: 1). George probably grew up here, and as he was second born, his older brother Philippe inherited the title of the Seigneur of Fief es Poingdestre from their father Thomas. The home is today owned by a Jersey lawyer, Jeremy Johnson. He was very kind to invite the PDA tour group (June 1998) to come in and look around. He has owned the home for several years, during which time he has worked to restore the home.  [ photo ] [ wide photo ]
21. Home of Hastas Hamptonne: I am missing notes on this, Sue, our guide, marked it on the map as a site we either visited, drove pass or talked about in relation to Poingdestre history. If anyone else from the tour has some info, please send it to me.
22. La Maison du Mont au PrÕtre: once lived in by a Poingdestre branch. We were invited to stop by and look around and visit the lovely English flower garden. A stone over the gate has a badly weathered Poingdestre crest.
23. Noirmont Point: a large public area with WW-2 memorials. German bunkers still exist here. This point has an excellent high view of the St. Aubin Bay/St. Helier area, a great place for the German army to keep an eye on Jersey's main harbor.
24. La Hougue Bie: A prehistoric dolmen (mound) built about 5,500 years ago by a farming culture and used as a sacred shrine and burial chamber. On top of the 40 foot mound is a medieval chapel. [ photos coming soon ] [ wide photo of view from top of the green and fertile fields, looking East towards Normandie ]
25. St. Helier (not numbered on map) the capitol of Jersey's government and largest city on the island. The tour included visits to the Royal Court, Parish Church, Societe de Jersais, the Market, Elizabeth Castle, and many museums and other points of interest. Our hotel was on David Place, just a few blocks from the downtown. In the Royal Court room, the ceiling is adorned with the names of the feudal lords. Poingdester is one of those names. Elsewhere in the building is a large wooded sign listing all the baliffs of the island over the centuries. There are several Poingdestre's listed here.
26. Not shown on the map because the group did not visit in 1998. After that tour, Sue Hardy found another Poingdestre crest, this one carved in wood on a front row pew in St. Lawrence Parish Church. There are several other crests colocated with our family crest, including De Carteret. Sue took my companion and me to see it in 1999 during my second visit. So be sure to stop buy and take a look here.

References:

1. Poingdestre-Poindexter, A Norman Family,  John Poindexter Landers, 1977, Library of Congress 77-90527, (publisher: Von Boeckman-Jones, Austin, Texas)
2. All for the King, The Life Story of Sir George Carteret,  G. R. Balleine, 1976, available through La SociÀt» Jersaise
3. The Island of Jersey,  Jarrold Publishing, 1983, 1997, ISBN 0-7117-0088-5
4. Elizabeth Castle Site Guide  Jersey Museums Service (purchased at the Castle)