St Martin's Church is one of the 12 ancient parish churches of Jersey; it is sited at the corner of Rue de Croix au Maitre and Grande Route de Rozel.
Name
This church is dedicated to St Martin-le-Vieux, which occasionally leads to confusion with the parish of Grouville (dedicated to St Martin, Bishop of Tours). The parish shares the red and silver bands with Grouville. However, on the St Martin parish emblem, the three red bands are noticeably broader, and there are just seven bands altogether, rather than eight.
Architecture
The church existed at least as early as 1042. It is stone vaulted with a red tile roof and has a remarkable number of supporting buttresses. The central tower is surmounted by an octagonal spire, which has twice been struck by lightning. The first time in 1616 occurred as people were going to church; the spire broke in two. The spire was rebuilt, but was struck again in 1837.
The interior consists of a nave, south aisle, the Mabon Chapel on the north side of the crossing, the chancel and a chapel to the south of it, divided from the south aisle by a screen. The font is located in the nave, close to the west door.
The church registers are preserved from early in the 1590s.
History
- St Martin Parish Church, an article from the Annual Bulletin of La Société Jersiaise
- History of St Martin's Parish Church, by George Balleine
- Official history of St Martin's Parish Church, another article based on Balleine's history
Rectors
12th Century
- Robert de la Hougue 1195
- Robert Florie 1196-1208
13th Century
- Thomas de Vauville 1208-1242
- Thomas de la Hougue 1242
- Geoffrey de Carteret 1295
- Thomas de Ausses 1299
14th Century
- Johan de Hamelton 1346
- Richard Corbyn 1348
- Pierre Malecovenant 1349
- William de Gelethorpe 1371-1374
- Thomas de Riby 1374
15th Century
- Peter Amnener 1414
- Thomas Le Hardy 1432-1463
- Jean du Val 1494
- Pierre Le Penec 1495-1500
16th Century
- Guillaume Nicolson 1500-1505
- Thomas Coubray 1505-1508
- Nicolas l’Evesque 1509
- Richard Mabon 1514-1543
- Clement Gosselin 1550
- Charles Mabson 1550-1553
- Jean Poulet 1553-1565
- Thomas Johanne 1566
- Pierre Henry dit Dangy 1574-1583
- Helier Faultrart 1587-1628
17th Century
- David Bandinel 1629-1645
- Pierre d’Assigny 1645-1660
- Philippe Le Couteur 1661-1671
- François Le Couteur (brother of above) 1672-1706
18th Century
- François Le Couteur (son of his predecessor) 1708-1717
- François Le Couteur (son of his predecessor) 1717-1765
- François Payn 1765-1775
- François Le Couteur (nephew of the previous François) 1776-1789
- Philippe de la Garde 1789-1798
- Charles Le Touzel 1799-1818
19th Century
- George Bertram 1818-1829
- George Balleine 1829-1856
- Philippe Guille 1856-1875
- Thomas Le Neveu 1875-1901
20th Century
- George Philippe Balleine 1901-1917
- Reginald Le Sueur 1917-1941
- Edward Cecil Lempriére 1947-1959
- Ernest William Rendell Gayner 1960-1961
- Franklin Osmond Brackley 1962-1981
- Lawrence John Turner 1982 -
Picture gallery
Click on any image to see larger version
Statue of St Martin donated by Lady Trent in 1936
A distant view of the church
Walkway alongside the church
Stained glass window
Armorial tablet, photographed by Emile Guiton in 1927
