Not a marriage stone
The datestone which gives the main clue to the age of this La Haule property is a perfect example of how it is so often a mistake to refer to these stones as marriage stones. They rarely commemorated marriages, but more frequently a significant event in the life of the house.
Brelade Janvrin, a wealthy shipowner, married Elizabeth de Lecq in 1749, but the door lintel at Le Coin is engraved BIV EDL 1762, and that is the date the house is believed to have been built. It passed to Brelade's son Francois (1750-1812), who married Elizabeth Sheppard, and then to their eldest daughter Elizabeth Jeanne (1776-1842) in 1812.
de Lisle owners
She married Guernseyman Frederick de Lisle (1772-1851) and the family appears to have spent most of its time in London, where the majority of nine children were born, although Mary Jane was born in Jersey in 1815 and Ann Letitia, the youngest, in Guernsey in 1822.
Frederick died a year after his eldest son Frederick Janvrin de Lisle, who therefore never inherited the La Haule property, as suggested in Joan Stevens's Old Jersey Houses. It passed to the only remaining surviving son, Richard Francis Valpy de Lisle (1818-1894). He was an army surgeon, who served with the 96th Regiment of Foot and then the 4th (King's Own) Regiment.
He spent most of his working life overseas, first in Malta, than at the siege and fall of Sebastopol. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French Emperor for his services in the war against Russia, and then transferred to India. He retired in 1867 and returned to Jersey, presumably to live at Le Coin, which he sold in 1885 to John Alfred Seale, then Constable of St Brelade, for £1,600.
Le Coin has some interesting fatures, including a large first floor room used as a drawing room. This was not uncommon at the time, particularly in houses in St Brelade which enjoyed a fine view of St Aubin and the bay from an upper storey.
Estate agent's pictures
The house was offered for sale for £3,125,000 in 2021, described as Le Mont du Coin
- A substantial Jersey estate purported to date from the fifteenth century, recognised at the time as one of the most prestigious examples of a granite country residence on the Island.
- The most recent owners, distinguished artist and collector Sir Francis Cook and his wife Lady Cook, purchased the property shortly after the Second World War and tastefully enhanced the traditional property with extensive alternations. Having been in the same ownership for almost sixty years, the affection and charm throughout the property and its' surroundings is certainly admirable.
- Le Coin is a substantial and historical family property with all the components to provide a wonderful home in a delightful setting. The house comprises charming south facing accommodation, with attractive possibilities for family, staff and guest combinations. The two detached cottages at the rear of the main house can be purchased by a separate arrangement if required.
- Set in approximately three acres of mature parkland with a tennis court and swimming pool, quietly situated away from the airport and traffic noise, this delightful rural estate offers limitless opportunities to the purchaser.
