Constables of St Lawrence

• Pierre Le Veslet mentioned in documents in 1525 and 1531 as connetable, also as “clercq” (probably greffier). The area of the parish called la Ville au Veslet is named after the family.

• 1539 Laurens Hamptonne sworn in 9 Sept 1539. He became an advocate of the Royal Court in 1544 and a Jurat in 1549. Seigneur of the fief Luce de Carteret and captain of the parish in 1549.

• Jean Gibaut probably the son of Philbert Gibaut, married to one of the daughters of Simon Sarre, Connetable of St John, and brother in law of Laurens Hamptonne his predecessor.

• 1572 Henry Hamptonne sworn in 18 Jun 1572. Although not mentioned in Payne’s Armorial, he was the eldest son of Laurens, (Connetable 1539), he died without issue in 1583, his heirs being Helier and Edward Hamptonne, his brothers.

• 1584 Edouard Hamptonne sworn in 20 Jun 1584. The brother of Henry and uncle of Edouard (son of Nicolas connétable in 1587).

• 1586 Helier Hamptonne sworn in 7 May 1586 for only one year, at a time when the Royal Court had fixed the period of office of a connétable at one year; re elected in 1592.

• 1587 Edouard Hamptonne sworn in 13 May 1587. Son of Nicolas, grand son of Laurens, (Connetable 1539) and s Seigneur of the fief Luce de Carteret. He asked to be discharged from office on 10 Jun 1592 after a long service to the parish. He was imprisoned in Mont Orgueil Castle for his debts and forced to sell his properties, firstly le Manoir de Malorey and then in 1601, Manor House

• 1592 Helier Hamptonne sworn in for second term on 8 Jul 1592. A son of Laurens (Connetable 1539). He was procureur du bien public in 1580. Helier married Héliere Journeaux?

• 1604 Edouard Bisson sworn in 12 May 1604. Son of Léonard Bisson, Seigneur of the fief Luce de Carteret, he had moved from St Brelade, where he had also been connétable, in 1601 when he purchased Manor House from his Hamptonne cousins. He died in December 1616.

• 1616 Abraham Bisson sworn in 21 Dec 1616. Elder son of Edouard (connétable 1604), he died without issue in 1621. His brother Benjamin was his heir.

• 1621 Nicolas Gibaut sworn in 15 Oct 1621. He was fined 10 francs by the Royal Court on 13 Jul 1626, ½ to the king ½ to the poor, for not having followed the orders of the government “during these contagious times” 1626 was a year of plague in the island.

• 1629 Benjamin Bisson sworn in 20 Oct 1629 aged about 28, having been approved of age (20 years) on 8 Oct 1621. Son of Edouard (connétable 1604) and Seigneur of the fief Luce de Carteret. During his short 2 years in office he was named as a member of parliament. He became a jurat in 1631 and was one of the 5 commissioners of parliament in 1643. He died in 1647 and was buried in St Lawrence on 19 Dec 1647. Quai Bisson in St Aubin, where he owned a house, was named after him.

• 1631 Jean Mahaut sworn in 21 May 1631. He had been a centenier of the parish since 1621. Seigneur of the fief de la Roniole and son of Helier Mahaut, who had sold the fief des Arbres to Helier Dumaresq in about 1597. He died shortly before 29 Apr 1637.

• 1637 Gilles de Gruchy sworn in 27 Apr 1637. Sworn in as a parish centenier in 1633. A son of Noel de Gruchy of Trinity, he occupied in 1637 a house in St Lawrence that had belonged to Abraham Hamptonne. He asked to be discharged from office on 12 Dec 1643. His son Elias became mayor of Southampton in 1682.

• 1643 Jean Bailhache son of Nicolas, sworn in 23 Dec 1643. He was forced out of office at the end of 1651 with the arrival in power of the parliamentarians. He retook office in 1660 after the restoration of Charles II.

• 1652 Thomas Le Goupil The role of connetable was almost non existent during the parliamentary period. Thomas Le Goupil was originally from St Brelade but his mother was a Gibaut from St Lawrence, a relative of Philippe, son of Louis, and descended from Jean Gibaut (connétable 1551). Thomas died about 1655, the date at which Elie Le Gros was tuteur to his children.

• 1655 Elie Le Gros was Capitaine of the parish in 1652, he asked to be discharged from office on 23 Apr 1659.

• 1659 No appointment

• 1660 Jean Bailhache second term

• 1663 Nicolas Bailhache snr sworn in 20 Feb 1663. In 1666, during a court hearing, several people were cited for indiscipline against the connétable during a militia revue. Discharged from office on 24 Oct 1667 in view of his old age, he died the following year in 1668.

• 1667 Nicolas Bailhache son of Jean, sworn in 29 Oct 1667. Nicolas married Jeannne Bailhache, a relative. In Aug 1668, during a court sitting, he was in trouble for having left “the country” without the Bailiff’s or justices’ permission –“in view of the fact that he was a member of the States”.

• 1671 Philippe Maret sworn in 15 Mat 1671. Son of Philippe and seigneur of the fief des Arbres. He was connétable for only 2 ½ months as he was sworn in as a jurat on 3 Jun 1671.

• 1671 Edouard Bisson sworn in on 10 Jun 1671 and 1 May 1675. Eldest son of Benjamin Bisson (connétable 1629). He was seigneur of the fief Luce de Carteret and like his father also became a jurat on 17 Nov 1677. He died unmarried and was buried in St Lawrence on 6 Sep 1682.

• 1677 Abraham Bisson sworn in 25 Nov 1677. he was the brother and heir of Edouard –above. He was buried in St Lawrence in Nov 1687.

• 1687 Josué Ahier sworn in 22 Nov 1687. Eldest son of Rev Josué Ahier, rector of St Lawrence, and Elisabeth Hamptonne eldest daughter and heiress of Laurens Hamptonne (jurat and Lieut Bailiff). He asked to be discharged from office in Sep 1703 and died in 1721.

• 1703 Raulin Benest sworn in 27 Sep 1703. He was the eldest son of Raulin Benest and Sara Bailhache, and married Elisabeth, sister of Josué Ahier (connétable above). He only served as connétable for 15 months as he died in Jan 1705.

• 1705 Philippe Le Boutillier sworn in 29 Jan 1705. He was a parish centenier from 27 Jun 1696. H e married Marthe, daughter of Daniel Valpy dit Janvrin of St Brelade and Judith Esnouf, and died in 1723.

• 1721 Jean Le Hardy was the son of Jean Le Hardy, advocate of the Royal Court from 1694, he, himself, became Procureur General in 1729.

• 1729 François Marett sworn in 22 Jul 1729. He was the son of Philippe Marett, a younger son of the Dame of La Haule, and had been an advocate since 1721. When he came to be sworn in for his second term, in 1732, jurat Michael Lempriere objected on the grounds that he had lodged a man under arrest. It took 2 years for the opposition to be lifted and only on 13 Sept 1734 was he sworn in for a second term. He served for a total of 5 terms, giving up office when he was elected a jurat in 1747. In 1748 François purchased the fief qui fut a l’Eveque d’ Avranches (which is mostly in Trinity) and renamed his property Avranches Manor.

• 1747 Abraham Bisson sworn in 4 Apr 1747. He was descended from Abraham (connétable 1677) and seigneur of the fief Luce et Carteret. He died, unmarried, and was buried in St Lawrence in Sept 1764.

• 1761 François Marett sworn in 8 Oct 1761. He was the eldest son of François (connétable in 1729) and was sworn in as an advocate on 17 Jan 1765. He became seigneur of Avranches on the death of his father and a jurat on 22 Aug 1767.

• 1767 Pierre Mauger sworn in 22 Aug 1767. He had been an advocate since 1756 and served as deputy Procureur General for several periods. He was seigneur des Arbres and died in 1780.

• 1770 Benjamin Bisson sworn in 1 Sept 1770. He was the son of Benjamin and Judith Madeleine de Baudenis and brother of Edward, rector of St Lawrence. He died without heirs in 1783.

• 1773 Gédéon Dallain sworn in 8 Oct 1773. He was the great grand son of Pierre Dallian, a French refugee who came to Jersey at the end of the 17th C. He served 4 terms as connétable being sworn in again on 7 Dec 1776, 21 Dec 1779 and 28 Dec 1782. He had previously been a church warden and then centenier in the parish. He died in 1820 aged about 89.

• 1786 Pierre Mauger sworn in 14 Jan 1786. He was the son of Pierre (connétable in 1767) and was sworn in as an advocate on 23 Jun 1769. He married Marie Marett, sister of François (connétable in 1761).

The election in Jan 1789 to replace Pierre Mauger was contested by Richard Le Feuvre and Gédéon Dallain. M. Le Feuvre’s win was appealed against and only on 16 Jun 1790 was judgement given in his favour and his swearing in ordered.

• 1790 Richard Le Feuvre sworn in 16 Jun 1790. He was the eldest son of Rév. Richard Le Feuvre, rector of St Peter, and Sara daughter of Abraham Bisson. He has also served as centenier from Nov 1788. He died in Feb 1803.

There was again a contested election with Richard Le Feuvre seeking re election opposed by Pierre Mauger, the former connétable. M. Le Feuvre finally conceded on 3 Oct 1793.

• 1793 Pierre Mauger sworn in for a second term on 3 Oct 1793. He was elected a jurat on 11 Apr 1795.

• 1795 Jean Luce sworn in 21 Apr 1795. He lived at La Chesnée, was a Capitain in the Militia and died in 1818.

• 1798 Jean Poingdestre sworn in 1 May 1798. He was the son of Jean Poingdestre and Suzanne Le Maistre.

In the election of 3 May 1801, Philippe Marett beat the outgoing connétable by 3 votes. Jean Poingdestre opposed the result claiming that agents of Marett had used illegal means during the election. There followed a long series of court cases and appeals, with the senior centenier, Jean Langlois, acting as chef de police during the period. Finally, in 1805 Jean Poingdestre withdrew his appeals and his rival was sworn in.

• 1805 Philippe Marett sworn in 19 Jan 1805. He was the eldest son of Philippe Marett and heir to his uncle Francois, seigneur of Avranches, who died in 1801. He married Ann Mauger, his cousin and daughter of Pierre Mauger, seigneur des Arbres and connétable in 1786 and 1793. His wife Ann was the sole heir to her father when he died in 1807. He was an advocate, was sworn in a Jurat on 6 Jun 1807 and served as Lieut-Bailiff..

• 1807 Francois Marett sworn in 8 Jun 1807. The younger brother of Philippe (above), he served as centenier and also Député-Vicomte. He died in Feb 1811, aged 34, and his wife Jeanne Bouton survived only 2 more years.

• 1810 Jean Langlois sworn in 11 Jun 1810. He was the eldest son of Philippe Langlois of the Maison de Bas and Marie daughter of Francois Luce. He had been chef de police during the period of the disputed 1801 election. He was promoted major in the St Lawrence battalion in 1812.

• 1813 Gédéon Dallain sworn in 17 Jun 1813. He was the son of Gédéon Dallain (connétable 1773) and Catherine Le Montais. He died in 1847 aged 79.

• 1816 Jean Langlois sworn in for his second term on 25 Jun 1816. He served a further three terms being sworn in again on 12 Jul 1819, 27 Jul 1822 and 31 Jul 1825.

• 1828 Pierre Marett sworn in 18 Aug 1828. He was the eldest son of Philippe Marett (connétable 1805).

On seeking re-election in Aug 1831, Pierre Marett failed by 10 votes to defeat his rival Edouard Léonard Bisson who obtained 110 votes. Edouard was the son of Rév Amice Bisson, rector of St Lawrence, and Jane Le Maistre. M. Marett contested the result of the election on the usual grounds but as his rival was elected a jurat on 3 May 1832, he was able to re take office

• 1832 Pierre Marett sworn in for a second term on 7 May 1832.

• 1835 Tom Dupré sworn in 23 Jun 1835 after a contested election against Jean Gédéon Dallain, which he won with a majority of 28; M Dallain quickly withdrew his appeal. Tom Dupré was born in about 1786, the son of George Dupré and Jeanne Amy.

• 1841 Jean Gédéon Dallain sworn in 31Jul 1841 and again 7 Aug 1844. He was the son of Gédéon Dallain (connétable 1813) and Esther Simonet. His second term was during the period of political parties rivalries between the Rose party, represented by M Dallain and the Laurel party, the supporters of Pierre Marett. Rates lists and rateable values were rigged in favour of one group and against their opponents and each party had its support in the two rival newspapers.

• 1847 Jean Morel (Laurel) sworn in 5 Apr 1847 after another disputed election and again on 14 Sep 1850.

The election in 1853 was contested for over 3 years during which time Jean Le Gros, who had disputed the 1847 election result, was chef de police.

• 1856 Jean Le Gros (Rose) sworn in 5 Apr 1856 and again on 30 Apr 1859. He died in 1868 at the age of about 58.

• 1862 Francois Marett sworn in 10 May 1862 and 20 May 1865. He was the youngest son of Philippe Marett (connétable 1805), like his father he also became a jurat on 24 Mar 1866 and a Lieut-Bailiff.

• 1866 Edward Denize served 3 terms, sworn in for the first time on 7 Apr 1866 and then again on 17 Apr 1869 and 27 Apr 1872. He was the only member of this family, living in the parish for approximately 600 years, to serve as connétable.

• 1875 Edouard Gibaut sworn in 15 May 1875. He died in 1877 aged 56, one of the few to die in office.

References