Our 2023 trip had been postponed from October last year because of bad weather cancellations! We explored many of Guernsey’s prehistoric and later archaeological sites over 3 days.
One of the things which struck us was that despite its smaller size, it seemed that our sister island had more megalithic remains (as well as later military fortifications) than us, but it is probably that many of them are near each other unlike Jersey where they seem to be more spread out. However, the number of megalithic remains packed into the low-lying northern parish of Vale are incredible – perhaps our south-eastern low-lying areas were equally numerous, but we have lost / not found as many of ours because we lost more foreshore during the Neolithic period. Looking at Guernsey’s recent megalithic discoveries and what they have consisted of, we might conclude that we have not necessarily found all of ours and we may need to broaden what we are looking for as possible tell-tale signs of what is hidden underground?
Group photo outside St Martin’s Church, Guernsey. (La Gran’mère du Chimquière (a Neolithic menhir) standing in for Sheila Mallet, who took the photo!!)
We spent most of our last day in the company of Phil de Jersey, of the Guernsey Museums Service, who kindly gave us a tour of some of St Peter Port’s archaeological sites where discoveries have been made. Phil also took us to see the present excavation of the “Prisoner’s Walk” in Castle Cornet. There we met Phil’s colleague and Secretary of the Archaeology Section of La Société Guernsiaise, Andy Lane, and we have agreed that it will be fruitful to have more collaboration between the respective Société’s sections.
The excavation at Castle Cornet
And finally…..
Section Chair and driver for the trip taking a rest with Victor Hugo in St Peter Port!
