History of stamps
Jersey Philatelic Bureau
The Philatelic Bureau makes a significant contribution to yearly profits with interesting stamp issue themes, new products being introduced in order to maximise the appeal of philately. Changes in philatelic trends encouraged Jersey Post to be one of the first Postal Administrations in the world to advertise on the internet to broaden the prospective market.
History of Jersey
Situated off the north-west coast of France, in the Bay of Mont St Michel, is the Island of Jersey, largest of the Channel Islands which form the last vestiges of the Duchy of Normandy still attached to the British Crown. The area of Jersey is 45 square miles. The census in March 2001 revealed that the Island had a population of 87,186.
The capital and chief port is St Helier, established on the east side of the broad sweep of St Aubin’s Bay in the southern and most populated part of the Island. The Island’s countryside is varied and most attractive, containing 12 historic parish churches and many beautiful old granite farmhouses. Gorey and St Aubin are two of the many picturesque little harbours, and rural and village developments provide population centres out of town.
The official language is English but a Norman-French language - ‘Jerriais’ - is spoken by a devoted group of people who wish to see it continue and promote its use wherever possible. The Island has regular air and sea communications with Britain and France.
The climate is mild and the soil exceptionally productive, the principle produce being early potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes and flowers. The Jersey breed of cattle and its milk is famous worldwide, as is the generic name ‘Jersey’ for sweaters and a particular type of material.
Archaeological investigation at La Cotte de St Brelade points to human occupation as long ago as 250,000 BC. During the following Millennia, the rise and fall in sea level by several tens of metres resulted in what is now Britain, at times, being joined to Europe. The end of the most recent period of glaciation saw the sea level rise (due to the melting of the vast ice sheets) so that, around 4,000 BC, Jersey was finally cut off from what is now Normandy. It was following this separation that the recent history of Jersey can be said to begin, with the arrival of the megalith builders whose structures are still in evidence in several parts of the Island, including one of the most notable to be found in Europe, La Hougue Bie.
During the Dark Ages, the Island was a refuge for Christian Britons fleeing from their native land, before the onslaught of the Anglo-Saxons. It is thought that Brittany thus acquired its name. One of the British settlers in Brittany was St Sampson, some of whose followers colonised Jersey in the 6th century and called it Agna or Angia. In ensuing centuries, the Island was visited by Norsemen who gave it its present name, believed to be derived from gers-ey (grass island).
The Duchy of Normandy was established by Rollo the Viking in 911 and, some years later, Jersey and the other Channel Islands were annexed by the Normans. After Duke William (the Conqueror) invaded and took the throne of England in 1066, the fortunes of Jersey became linked to those of England. Along with the other Channel Islands, Jersey remained in the hands of the English Crown after King John lost all his other continental territories in 1204. Yet Jersey was never assimilated into the English political system, but remained a separate Bailiwick in personal allegiance to the Sovereign. During the Civil War the Island’s governor, Sir Philippe de Carteret favoured the Royalist’s side and, in 1644, King Charles I appointed him Vice Admiral, giving him power to attack Parliamentary shipping. Two years later, Jersey gave hospitality to the young Prince of Wales, later Charles II; it was in Jersey that, following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Prince was proclaimed as King by Sir George de Carteret, Sir Philippe’s successor, the first part of the British realm in which he was thus recognised. Sir George, later Admiral and Comptroller of the Navy at the same time that Samuel Pepys was Secretary of the Navy, was repaid by gifts of land in the Americas, and founded New Jersey.
During the long wars between Britain and France which dominated the 18th century, Jersey was often in the forefront of the action. The most famous episode from this period was that of the Battle of Jersey in 1781 when a French invasion force took the Island by surprise but was defeated in battle by British and Jersey troops commanded by Major Peirson.
The upheavals of the 18th century had not been without advantage to Jersey, many Islanders deriving a lucrative income from privateering and smuggling. When the peace between Britain and France in the 19th century brought these opportunities to an end, the Island found new prosperity, first in ship building and, as steam replaced sail, in tourism and the cultivation of early crops for the English market; these have continued to influence the economy of Jersey ever since. However, in recent decades the rapid growth of Jersey as a major international finance centre has dominated the economy.
Jersey’s Postal Service
Although letters from Jersey have been recorded from the middle of the 15th century, no official postal service existed in the Island until 1794 when Charles Le Geyt was appointed Postmaster and a regular weekly communication by sailing packet to Weymouth was established. For the first three years there was no delivery, everyone had to call at Le Geyt’s house for letters. In 1798 he engaged a woman – Mary Godfray - to deliver letters in the town area but it was not until 1829 that there was a country delivery. A penny post was established in 1830 to handle inland letters and a boxed rectangular hand-stamp inscribed ‘Jersey Penny Post’ in italic script was used for the purpose. Adhesive postage stamps came into service in May 1840 and British stamps were used for postal purposes for over the next 100 years. In 1852 at the instigation of the Post Office surveyor Anthony Trollope, the novelist, the first roadside letter boxes erected in the British Isles were installed in St Helier, Jersey. In 2002, Jersey Post celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first British roadside letter boxes with a set of stamps featuring some of the different styles of posting boxes that have been used in Jersey since 1852.
In 1969, when the British Post Office became a Corporation, the States of Jersey took the opportunity for postal independence from Britain. It was recognised that the operational and mails side of the business could be run successfully under local management, whereas the philatelic aspect of issuing stamps was a largely unknown area. Today, Jersey has a viable and efficient post office organisation handling over 75 million items per year which, although far less than the major administrations of the world, nevertheless compares favourably with a large number of other administrations of greater area and population than Jersey but whose postal requirements are fewer and services less sophisticated.
Jersey Post now embraces all aspects of mail – physical and electronic – and has recently entered into a working partnership with FedEx. Jersey Post is very pro-active and strives to keep up with various mail trends and can provide further facilities through its mailing house – ProMail – and a fulfilment house, Jersey Post Logistics. The ‘mails’ area of Jersey Post has benefited from sophisticated mail sorting equipment and is always looking for new, more efficient sorting practices.
The philatelic principles adopted by the new administration in 1969 have ensured that Jersey Post maintains a continuing appreciation by stamp collectors everywhere. A prudent policy of restricting the number of issues per year, printing sufficient stamps for all operational needs and philatelic demand, keeping them in line with postal requirements, relating themes to local commemorations, anniversaries and events wherever possible, all contribute to a high standard of acceptability.
Yet, although careful, this policy is more than touched with imagination so that collectors look forward with eager anticipation as well as confidence to each new issue. In recent years, Jersey Post has triumphed in stamp design on two occasions in particular. To celebrate the new Millennium on January 1st 2000, Jersey Post released the first stamp in Europe to include 22 carat gold in the printing process. Bearing a value of £10, this definitive stamp is the top value currently on sale from Jersey Post and its design is used as a type of watermark on the Jersey Philatelic Bureau stationery. In 2002, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne, Jersey Post succeeded in gaining a world first bringing 22 carat gold, 24 carat gold and 99.9% silver together in a single stamp design.