Historic Jersey buildings
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Property name
La Pompe
Other names
- Le Puits [1]
Location
Le Marais, St Mary
Type of property
Two Jersey farmhouses, 18th and 19th century, with earlier origins
Valuations
Families associated with the property
- Renouf: La Pompe was owned by Renoufs until the early 18th century. In an outhouse there is a datestone of 1680 with the initials of Jean Renouf and Elizabeth Picquet (Jean buried in 1719) [2]. Jean Renouf exchanged this house just before he died with Jean Arthur, ancestor of the late Miss Jean Arthur. She said that Jean Renouf had agreed to the exchange over a game of cards on board a ship and he thus acquired Jean Arthur's house "at the crossroads" which no longer exists today.
- Arthur: The Arthur family have been living here since 1719. A door lintel is inscribed with the initials of Jean Arthur and Rachel Le Couteur who married in St Helier in 1705, not 1715 as shown in the Datestone Register. According to Jean Arthur, in the late 18th century its address became known as Les Puits, as it had a “fine well with a thatched roof”. In the early 19th century this was replaced by a pump, which gave the house its current name. It was Jean’s grandfather who found the Renouf-Piquet stone in a "mud heap" and incorporated it into an outhouse he built about 1910. The present dwelling house was built in the 20th century but the house behind it is older.
Datestones
- PW 1767 - On a drinking trough brought here from Le Marais
- IAT RLC 1720 - For Jean Arthur and Rachel Le Couteur
- IR EPQ 1680 - For Jean Renouf and Elizabeth Picquet, who married at St Mary in 1662 [3]
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
An historic farmstead, La Pompe, formerly Le Puits, is a house with 17th century origins, perhaps earlier, retaining many fine historic features externally, stonework to south elevation, associated rare ash house and farm buildings.
Internally the plan and construction retains its integrity and many significant historic features. Most significant is the extensive, rare paint and paperwork in the central hallway. There are further historic features internally - stair, joinery, fireplaces.
The house emulates the polite architecture of Georgian fashion but with a continuing local character.
Farmstead with evidence of occupation from 17th century onwards. McCormack proposes earlier phase, identifying medieval hall window. Mainly built in 17th century, extended with outshot in early 19th century.
Retained early oak window frames. Shown on the Richmond Map of 1795.
The new house, La Pompe, was built in 1886 by William Blampied and Alfred le Sueur. The name of the property comes from it being the site of the first water pump installed in St Mary.
The architectural details of the houses are described in detail in the HER website
Old Jersey Houses
The present dwelling house (1965) was built in this century [4], but the old house behind it retains some of its antiquity. The courtyard in front is still enclosed, though the arched entrance, which is believed to have existed, has disappeared.
Some of the windows are chamfered; one is beautiful, carved with an elaboration of accolade moulding, and these are certainly older than 1720. The Renouf datestone of 1680 could reasonably be the date of the house.
The old house on the roadside came into the possession of Jean Arthur in 1719, when he exchanged it with Jean Renouf, obtaining a farm 16 vergees larger than his own, and compensating Renouf for the difference in rentes. A tourelle staircase was demolished when additional rooms were added to the north by Jean Arthur and his wife Elizabeth, nee Le Brocq, in about 1860
Notes and references
- ↑ The property was formerly known as Le Puits, then La Pompe, and now it appears to have been divided into two residential units, the earlier house renovated and taking the name Le Puits, and the 19th century house called La Pompe
- ↑ We have not been able to place Jean in any of our Renouf family trees, but there is a record of his marriage to Elizabeth in 1662
- ↑ Despite our extensive coverage of the Renouf family we have not been able to find any further information about Jean and Elizabeth
- ↑ Now known to have been built in the 19th century - see above
