Bolton St Cemetery

During the last hols, I met up with E from Vancouver for a day in Wellington. We took the Cable Car uphill, then walked back down to the city via the Botanical Gardens, the Bolton St Cemetery, and Parliament Buildings. We never had time to do much exploring in the old cemetery, but I grabbed a brochure intending to get back there. Today I finally did....

The Bolton St Cemetery has graves of many original European pioneers in the city, but some years ago, many were disinterred to make way for the Motorway. There is now a well maintained memorial trail down through what is left of the cemetery, and it seems that many have worked to honour the memory of those interred there. (It was unfortunate though to discover remnants of a Friday night drinking session, near the burial vault where many remains were re-interred.)

The cemetery has graves of many 'famous' early inhabitants, and also sheds light on aspects of life in Wellington in the 1800s.As you approach the memorial park from the Gardens, this large tomb of Richard John Seddon is the first one you see. (I was surprised to learn the the observatory was re-sited to make way for this monument!) Seddon originally lived in Kumara, where my Scettrini, Payn and Lalor ancestors lived, so he is a Prime Minister we feel a link with.

The gates to the park threw this attractive shadow. After the weather of recent days, it was a bonus to have some sunshine for the walk....

There was this poignant reminder of one who died in WW1.

I was surprised to learn that Wellington had a small Jewish community. Some Jews had emigrated from England, as they could freely set up businesses here in NZ.

I presumed this was an early rendition of a NZ fern, now often used as our symbol.

There were several graves that told sad stories where families sometimes lost several children in a short period, of such diseases as diptheria or scarlet fever.

The upper part of the memorial park is separated from the lower section by this great swathe of modern Motorway.

This headstone took my eye, partly for its elaborate carving, but also because it was in honour of someone born in Jersey (as was my Payn great-grandfather.)

And, with that little wander through history over for the day, I joined my young niece and the extended family for a birthday celebration....

Bosdet -stained glass

I was fortunate while in Jersey to notice a one-day tour run through the Tourist Office to look at the "Glass Rainbow." This tour was taken by 'Blue Badge' guide Paul Nicolle and looked at some of the windows in Jersey done by stained glass artist Henry Thomas Bosdet (1856 -1934).

Nicolle was a superb guide, and he covered so much in depth on the day. I was actually the only 'tourist' on the tour - everyone else was 'local'- so the day also provided an insight into island life through the locals I met. (And who made me feel very welcome.)

A lot of the stained glass originally in Jersey churches had been destroyed after the Reformation, but about the turn of the 20th century, ministers began to want to replace it. Bosdet was a Jersey-born artist who filled many commissions in various churches on the island.

Paul Nicolle talked to us about how skilled Bosdet was at life drawing, and through the day we saw figures that seemed very life-like. Bosdet also used very brilliant colours, as can be seen in this window of the "sower".

Another characteristic of Bosdet's work was the brilliance of his angel's wings. The (lack of) sunlight did not really enable me to get a good shot of some of these wings.... but they were worth looking at on their own. You can see one example around this nativity scene.

This Crucifixion scene was beautifully drawn and brought everyone to silent contemplation.

While in Ireland I saw a stained glass window that I feel sure must also have been a Bosdet commission. One day I will get organised and send Paul Nicolle a photo of it to see if he agrees.

Jersey

A major reason for going to Jersey was that Francis Davis Payn, my great-grandfather, was born there. After a few wrong turnings and a lot of help from a friendly meter-reader, I found "Les Ruettes", the house he was born in. This old well still sat in the garden on the property.

Along Rue de Payn, I passed this field of potatoes, something Jersey is famous for. (Though I think perhaps my immediate ancestors were more into the sea-faring side of island life. )

This attractive house was one I passed while walking on one of the island roads. It has the triangular shape up to the chimney that is found in so many of the old houses still there on the island.

Jersey - coastal walks

I was surprised that I ended up spending eleven days on the small island of Jersey, but, as it turned out, I just loved all the variety of the coastal walks.

In the south-west corner of the island lay Corbiere lighthouse. You could walk out to see this at low tide (like when this photo was taken), but the path was all covered with water as the tide came in. There were alarms (that I never heard) to signal to people that the tide was coming in and they needed to get back to shore.

On the north-west corner of Jersey it was more bleak and windswept. I went walking on a day when rain was threatening all the time. This coast was the closest to England and there were many gun emplacements etc that had been built by slave labour for the Germans in WW2.

This last shot is on the east coast above Gorey Harbour. This was a much more heavily touristed part of the island. The bay was beautiful and this castle certainly added some historical interest to the scene.

Jersey - coastal walks

I ended up staying eleven days on Jersey, and it is only a small island, 9 miles by 5. Partly I stayed because the people were so friendly. But also because in the summertime there are extra buses to get to various bays. I ended up walking quite a bit of the coastline by catching a bus to one bay, walking, then catching a bus back again to St Helier. Here is a shot of some coastline north-west of Rozel, and also a sign in "miles" along the coastal footpath.

Jersey - Payn

The reason I went to Jersey was because my great-grandfather, Francis Davis Payn, came from there. This posting has a few family history bits and pieces!
This is St Martin's Church where my great-great grandparents, Thomas Payn and Elizabeth Mourant are buried.

The old family home is still standing though has been much changed from its days as a typical Jersey farmhouse. You can see on this end-shot of the house how walls have been added to add a second storey in more modern times.

But there is still a sign proclaiming the house as "Les Ruettes" as it was when my Payn family lived there in the mid-1800s.

Prehistoric Jersey

For those of you who don't know, this Jersey is off the coast of France. In the days when more water was locked up as ice, you could apparently walk across to France. One of the surprises for me about Jersey was how much evidence there was of prehistoric people.

This mound, La Hogue Bie, contains a passage grave that they believe had ceremonial uses.

You can see that you need to stoop quite low to actually enter the doorway. Hardly any tourists here really, compared to the so, so busy site of Newgrange in Ireland.

This is the neolithic dolmen of Faldouet, la Pouquelaye de Faldouet.

Trip highlights - Europe

Prague: A sculpture remembering the victims of the totalitarian regime - the haunting nature of the series of statues with lessening parts of the bodies present remains in my mind.

Florence: works by Michelangelo etc all over the place!

Assisi: the landscape and the climb up the hill above the church.

Rome: Attending the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday evening.
Attending Mass on Easter Sunday in St Peter's Square.

Naples: Climbing to Vesuvius crater and seeing the ruins at Herculaneum surrounded by the present day town.

Switzerland - my week staying in Locarno and walking in the Verzasca Valley near the village of Corippo where my Scettrini ancestors came from.

FRANCE
My cycling trip !!!! + (see separate cycling post)
Arles: the quality of light on the stone.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer: flamingoes, and horses being ridden in the sea in a traditional ride.
Lourdes: A place that has made a deep impression on me and given me ongoing food for thought
Cahors: the way the town was encircled by the River Lot; meeting so many doing the St Jacques pilgrimage walk; buying new smaller jeans in a nearby village and getting them hemmed up to fit me there and then in the shop!

Orleans was not my favourite place, but here I was picked up by a 'good samaritan' - when I was lost and totally drenched in the rain, she picked me up in her car and took me to my hotel.

Angers: the old and the new Apocalypse tapestries.
Tours: learning more about St Martin, whose 'presence' had been in the French countryside I had cycled through.
Amboise: great view of the Chateau from the camping ground
Blois: realising how fit I actually was when I cycled a long route to the chateau.

JERSEY
-coastal walks
-stained glass tour to see the works of Bosdet
-finding Payn family locations
-friendly helpful rural locals
-neolithic remains

IRELAND
Glendalough: walks/climbs in the fine weather
Kilkenny: - friendly hostel and lots of music pubs you could stroll into in the evenings
Cork:- the activity in the Franciscan church = heaps of people there on weekdays for Masses and confessions.
Cobh:- quite emotional place - knowing so many emigrants left poverty behind and never returned to their families in Ireland
Glengarriff: - walks (on the road) up high into rugged rocky hills, especially in the Kenmare direction
Dingle: archaeological tour on peninsula, finding a harbour walk away from the traffic, a wonderful music concert
Limerick: Knowing I was close to where my ancestors had lived. Finding people who knew how to spell my surname and who told me it was a 'really Irish name"
Westport: climbing Croagh Patrick
Donegal: the 'Hills of Donegal" bus tour ( only runs in summer).
Derry: learning about the tragedy of Bloody Sunday and gaining a little understanding of what had gone on here.

Paris: Going to Notre Dame as my farewell to Europe - seeing audiovisual display in the darkened cathedral Saturday evening; going to Mass with Gregorian singing then hearing the bells pealing out over the square as I left to get my baggage to head off to the airport.

Bonne Nuit to Greve De Lecq

This morning was my last walk in Jersey and I am nearly ready to go back to the campsite, do a bit of laundry and start packing up ready for Ireland in the
morning.

The buses in Jersey are great for getting to isolated bays and that is probably a large part of the reason I have stayed so long! This morning I caught a bus to
Bonne Nuit Bay on the northern coast and walked back along to Greve de Lecq. It was partly cloudy but a good temperature for walking. The rocky cliff scenes
are dramatic without being too scary. This morning I passed what was recently found to be the site of a hermit's kind of monastery, and they found Iron Age
implements there as well. They were more reminders of the long settlement in this island (which used to be joined to France and has not always been so isolated an island.) I don't think I told you that there were a
few volcanoes here millions of years ago!

Yesterday morning started off quite wet but the day fined up well by the afternoon. In the morning I was faced with the choice of whether to sit in my tent and be bored, or head to the Durrell Zoo despite the rain.
I am glad I went to the Zoo, as it never rained much longer anyhow. The Zoo is not a normal zoo really: they focus on animals that they are studying for
conservation purposes. I especially loved watching the orangutans with their babies. I was quite blown away by the size of one of the gorillas. There were
some beautiful pink Chilean flamingoes which all seemed to be standing on one leg with their necks nestled on their backs to sleep. And the poison dart
frogs they had were dramatic.
Next posting will be from Ireland!

Corbiere Lighthouse

Last night a British couple in a nearby tent invited me to join them to go to some youth theatre in a park in St Helier. The young people did really well doing something written by Salman Rushdie. They especially shone in the second half when they had noisy competition from a large group of young people who arrived in the park drinking, many of them already very drunk at 8.30pm. The young actors just lifted their game and poured even more energy into what they were doing, ignoring those nearby, who eventually all left. The young people acting were clearly well rehearsed and showed a lot of team spirit carrying on in difficult circumstances.

This morning I caught a bus into town then another to Corbiere Lighthouse. As it was low tide I was able to walk out across the causeway and sit near the lighthouse. It was a lovely sunny morning with just the slightest of breezes and the views up and down the coast were glorious. Lots of people were out enjoying the peace of the morning.

I then followed the Corbiere walk, or as everyone local seems to name it, the railway walk, as it follows a path that long ago had a railway. I left the track at St Brelade's though and went and had another look at the stained glass we saw in the church yesterday. The extensive (at low tide!) beach at St Brelade's is a glorious golden colour and the view is marvellous, especially on a sunny clear day like today. Then after lunch I caught a bus to the "Glass Church". Luckily the bus driver realised it was closed on Saturday for cleaning so I carried on into town, where all the people are shopping. Time to head back to the campsite and walk to a dolmen I have heard is nearby, then it might nearly be time to see Rozel Bay at a higher tide than I have so far. The tidal range in Jersey is huge.

The Glass Rainbow

Today I went on a tour that was a privilege to be part of. It was called "The Glass Rainbow" and there were only seven of us on it, led by 'Blue Badge Guide' Paul Nicolle. It was a coach tour that took us to some of the places on the island where there is stained glass by Henry Thomas Bosdet. It was a day of discovery.

At the time of the Reformation, all the 'Catholic' things out of Jersey churches, like stained glass, statues etc, were discarded in favour of the more Calvinistic Huguenot approach where the whole focus was on the pulpit. But around the 1900s, rectors were beginning to bring back some elements like stained glass into the churches. Henry Thomas Bosdett, born in Jersey, was an artist
who completed many commissions for new stained glass windows.

Before we began our tour, Paul showed us a picture that Bosdett had done that illustrated his talents with life drawing. His great ability to bring life to
the human form in art was to pervade our day.

We first saw an Annunciation at St Helier church where the life almost
jumped out of the figures. The expression on Mary's face expressed her surprise while the angel had the first of many pairs of beautiful wings we were to see that day. There was great tenderness in the figures, something we were to see again.
At the Jersey Museum they had especially got out four large 'cartoons' for the
wedding at Cana, windows we were later to see completed at St Aubin's -on-the-Hill.

My favourite church was probably St Brelade's, where the stone used in the building looked like beach stones. It was very atmospheric. There was a window
there that showed a sower who looked ready to stride strongly forth out of the window. The sense of life reminded me of some of the power in Michelangelo's
sculptures. There was a Crucifixion that gave everyone pause to think quietly and reflectively. There was a Good Shepherd who had gone for the Lost Sheep, one of several on that theme we saw that day.

The people I was with on the tour were all Jersey locals, and they were all incredibly friendly. Paul Nicolle was very knowledgeable and shared his
knowledge with us so well. It was a joy to be part of this group. (Paul leads a tour to dolmens on Tuesday: - if I was still here I would be going!)

Clifftop walks

Yesterday morning I woke to rain on the tent and decided a bit of a museum-type day was in order. A lady picked me up while I was waiting at the bus-stop and dropped me at the PO. Friendly people these Channel Islanders and nearly all of them seem to know someone living in Kiwiland, mainly in Wellington or Auckland it seems, which explains why I never meet them. Tried to post a parcel home but only sent half of what I intended once I realised the cost - so will need to put up with carrying a few things in my backpack!

I then headed to the Maritime Museum since I now know my ancestors were heavily involved with the sea. They had some interesting info there about tides. Also a facinating model of a woman smuggler. The Channel Islands used to be a great place to get stuff through from France for England to avoid paying duty. In the 1700s a woman suspected of smuggling was strip-searched and a riot ensued so women were never searched again. So these women had HUGE dresses with all manner of gear hidden underneath.

It was time to try and book my passage to Ireland which seemed like it might be horrendously expensive whichever way I did it. But luckily I got a BA flight via Gatwick to Dublin that surprised the travel agent with its cheapness and is certainly heaps cheaper than backtracking to France to get a ferry from Cherbourg.

In the afternoon I went to the Jersey "Living Legend"exhibition- a very well done multi-media presentation on Jersey's history.

Today it dawned a bit finer and I have been able to indulge my first love, walking. There is a great bus system here that means you don't need a car but can get to all the far-flung bays by bus. I caught a bus this morning to L'Etacq which was quite a barren spot on the north-west coast. I hadn't been walking long and it began drizzling with a light wind from the sea in the west. It suited the barren nature of the landscape, with rocky cliffs falling down into the sea. There are also lots of reminders of WW2 in this part of the island, with gun emplacements built by slave labour all over the place.

I came to Gros Nez where there are ruins of a defensive chateau from the 1200s that never actually provided much defence against the French. The rain had eased off by now and I was on the northern coast proper. I kept walking until I reached La Greve de Lecq, enjoying fine views all the way. I was pleased to find I still have some cycling fitness and going uphill in places was not a trial, though generally the walk was reasonably flat. I was surprised to see a couple of very sandy golden beaches, patrolled, though nobody was swimming on this cooler weekday.

At La Greve de Lecq I actually had a sit down lunch in a restaurant, my first in Jersey. For £10 I got a half lobster salad and some Jersey Royal potatoes, as well as strawberries and cream. Very yummy.

Family History - Neolithic history

Woke this morning to a bit of thunder and could see
some lightning forking down in the sky! But it all
finished so I could go out walking some more.

Armed with a map that showed me where the road Les
Ruettes was, I set out hopeful that this morning I
would find the house called Les Ruettes where my Payn
ancestors lived. And it wasn't too long before I was
standing in front of their house. It has been much
altered over the years, with an extra storey added on,
but it was clearly the same traditional styled rural
house. I was glad to have made this contact with the
past.

I next kept walking to get to La Hogue Bie. I have to
confess that I was completely ignorant of the fact
that Jersey has a rich and varied neolithic history.
At La Hogue Bie there is a mound covering a large
passage grave, which it is explained was more than
just a grave and had ceremonial uses. In the 90s it
was discovered that the sunlight at the equinox
reaches a far part of the passage. On the top of the
mound in the 12th century, a chapel was erected over
this place of pagan pilgrimage, turning it into a
Christian site.
During WW2, many forced workers had to come to Jersey
and German bunkers intrude on the mound. A memorial to
the workers is in the bunkers.

I decided to go to Jersey Archives in the afternoon to
put some of the family names into indexes to see what
turned up. What did turn up was an interesting book,
all in French, detailed various legal matters
surrounding inheritance. Then I checked a few
censuses. I found my great-grandfather at home as a
mariner a few years before he left for NZ. His father
was listed as a ship's carpenter and his mother as a
schoolmistress. I now have a reader's card for Jersey Archives!

Jersey -shops and coast

Saturday I came into St Helier and went shopping for a change! I bought a Lonely Planet guide, -in English!- for Ireland. It confirmed what I had heard really, that Ireland is an expensive destination, so we'll see how we go.....St Helier was all abuzz with the England-Portugal game that was about to get underway. Sadly, I gather there were some riots in St Helier after England lost, but my camping ground is a whole world away in rural tranquility, though it may only be a few "miles" by bus.

Sunday morning I left the camping ground quite early as another hot day was forecast, and walked to Rozel Bay. Very gorgeous. The tide was quite low and I wandered amongst some of the rock pools and over some seaweed covered rocks. Then I headed uphill on a cliff path and soon found a coastal footpath which I followed around to Bouley Bay. It was a glorious coastal walk. I was reminded of some walks I have done with the Vinks around the harbour near Christchurch! I passed a rock called White Rock which reminded me a little of being at Cape Reinga, as currents seemed to be meeting near it (though it may have been an illusion with rocks under the water.)

At Bouley Bay I had some brunch, from a caravan run by Mary, a friendly woman with lots of life who made eating there fun. I must admit, I haven't eaten very well here in Jersey yet. Even a sandwich costs about $10 NZ. And I am pining for the lovely service in France. I am sure that hunger will soon get me over the expense/lack of service hurdles!

I walked back via the roads to the camping ground. I am getting used to their narrowness and listen well for where cars are coming from. I gather that the narrow roads are a legacy of the way farms used to be organised in the time of my ancestors anyhow so I can't complain. It is just a bit nervewracking if you are walking along a narrow road next to a rock wall with stinging nettle poking out wide!

In the afternoon I took a siesta as it was quite warm! I am reading a book called "Not quite British" which is enlightening about the kind of lives my rural ancestors led. They used to speak a Norman-French dialect. I hadn't known when this largely died out, but it seems that compulsory schooling, with the use of the dialect banned, had something to do with it. Sad echoes of what happened with the Maori language in New Zealand.

In the evening an English couple invited me out with them for a drive in their car, and I got to St Catherine's Bay, and Gorey, both very beautiful. I can't get over how very calm the sea is at present.

This morning I went in search of Les Ruettes, the house my great grandfather grew up in. Never actually found it, but it was an interesting walk that took me to a dolmen in Faldouet. I had some great help from a meter reader though so know another place to try tomorrow. For now, it is too hot again and I see another siesta in my future!

I took the footpath down to Gorey from Faldouet, grabbed some brunch and took yet another scenic route by bus into St Helier, past a rocky area that has become an internationally recognised marine reserve. This might be a small island, but it is very scenic, and a great bus service is a real aid to exploring even if you have no car.

Rozel camping ground

Yesterday I was up very early to leave Bonnelles at 6am with my friend who was on her way to work. We took a car to Orsay-Ville then the RER which I hopped off to join the metro to get to Gare Montparnasse for a trip to St Malo. I had no idea at this stage whether it was possible to get to Jersey the same day or not, but it all worked out and I am happily installed in the Rozel camping ground.

At St Malo a friendly bus driver helped me get off the bus at the right stop for a short walk to the ferry terminal. As my pack has a pile of Loire brochures etc I need to post home, as well as the 3kg tent at present, I was glad not to have to walk far!It wasn't too long before I was able to check my luggage through to Jersey, leaving me time to have a quick look around St Malo. The old town has been largely rebuilt after heavy bombardment in the war. The cathedral has a beautiful modern rose window. It also had an exhibition by a photographer, with text mostly from Acts teamed with photographs of where Paul passed on his last voyage to Rome. I found the exhibition inspiring.

The ferry sailing was very smooth and before I knew it, my clock was set back an hour and I was in an English speaking land! I wanted to go to Rozel camping ground as I knew it was near St Martin's parish where a family grave was. At the terminal I was told there were hardly any buses to St Martin's (not true: they run at least every hour in summer) so I took a taxi. Probably easier at that early evening hour I guess and I was soon happily esconced in my rural camping ground. The camping price is a shock after the cheap prices in France, but the people running the camp are absolutely lovely and I know I will enjoy staying there.

I had time in the evening still to make my way to St Martin's churchyard where I found the grave of my great great grandparents, Thomas Payn and Elizabeth Mourant. Maurice, a cousin, had videoed it some ten years ago so I knew what kind of headstone I was looking for. Very special to find it. It records the names of several children who had died young as well, a sad fact of those times.

This morning I was woken again by birdsong close above my head. It will be hard to get used to sleeping inside again after all this camping!