Minquiers
Les Minquiers, Les Mîntchièrs, The Minkies | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | English Channel |
Coordinates | 48°58′14″N 02°03′43″W / 48.97056°N 2.06194°W |
Major islands | Maîtresse Île / Maîtr' Île Les Maisons |
Administration | |
Jersey | |
Parish | Grouville |
Demographics | |
Population | none permanent |
Official name | Les Minquiers, Jersey |
Designated | 2 February 2005 |
Reference no. | 1456[1] |
The Minquiers (Les Minquiers; in Jèrriais: Les Mîntchièrs ⓘ; known as "the Minkies" in local English) are a group of islands and rocks, about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Jersey. They form part of the Bailiwick of Jersey.[2] They are administratively part of the Parish of Grouville, and of its Vingtaine La Rocque.[3]
The rock shelf around the Minquiers has a larger surface area than Jersey itself, but at high tide only a few of the main heads remain above water.
Name
The etymology of the name is disputed, and could either come from the Breton language minihi meaning a sanctuary, or from minkier meaning a seller of fish.[6]
Geography
Thousands of years ago, around the time of the
Islets
The most significant islands in the group are:
- Maîtresse Île / Maîtr' Île
- Les Maisons
Others include:
- Le Niêsant
- Les Faucheurs
- La Haute Grune
Protection
The Minquiers are designated protected under the
History
In 933 AD, the
By 1911, the
During
In July 1970, the former French Prime Minister Félix Gaillard, who served in that office from 1957 until 1958, disappeared during a yachting journey; his body was found in the sea off Les Minquiers some days after his disappearance.
In August 2018, one of the twenty buildings on the islands was sold to private individuals using a Jersey company. Only five sales have been recorded in 50 years.[10]
Resolution of status
In 1950,
In 1998, some French 'invaded' the Minquiers on behalf of the 'King of Patagonia' in 'retaliation' for the British occupation of the Falkland Islands.[2][11] The Union Jack was restored the next day.[12]
In literature
The Minquiers are mentioned at length by Victor Hugo in his novel Toilers of the Sea. He mentions how treacherous they are, and says that their combined area is bigger than mainland Jersey itself. Hugo lived in both Guernsey and Jersey at various points in his life, and so was familiar with local lore.
The British-French dispute over Les Minquiers is a plot element in Nancy Mitford's novel Don't Tell Alfred, as an occasional cause for dispute between the 'two old ladies' - France and Britain.
The Minquiers feature in the seafaring adventure novel The Wreck of the Mary Deare, by Hammond Innes, and its 1959 film adaptation.
See also
Images
-
Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South.
-
Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South.
-
Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South.
References
- ^ "Les Minquiers, Jersey". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Les Minquiers (GH): 2007". Cambridge University Wireless Society. 2007. Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "Christian Fleury, Henry Johnson: The Minquiers and Écréhous in spatial context: contemporary issues and cross perspectives on border islands, reefs and rocks. In: Island Studies Journal, Vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 163 – 180, Nov. 2015" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ "Jersey Birds". web page. www.jerseybirds.co.uk. 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ "MJ0X/GB0LMI activity". Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
- ISBN 0902550128.
- ^ "Les Minquiers, Jersey". Ramsar. Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- ^ a b * Minquiers and Ecrehos (France/United Kingdom) – Summary of the Summary of the Judgment of 17 November 1953 Archived 30 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, International Court of Justice
- OCLC 810423.
- ^ "Hut on fringe of British Isles sold". BBC News. 2018-08-21. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ Bicudo de Castro, Vicente; Fleury, Christian; Johnson, Henry (2023). "Micronational claims and sovereignty in the Minquiers and Écréhous". Small States & Territories. 6 (1): 35–48.
- ^ "Husband and wife interrupt day trip to reconquer Channel isle for Britain". The Independent. 1 September 1998. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- Files on the ICJ case can be found in the National Archives, mostly in the FO 371 sequence.
- Les Minquiers: article published in hidden europe magazine, 2006, Issue 6, pp. 38–39 (ISSN 1860-6318)
- Histoire des Minquiers et des Ecréhous. Robert Sinsoilliez. Editions l'Ancre de Marine.
- Channel Islets - Victor Coysh