Jersey, the Island of Breton Immigrants

Jersey, so British and so Breton?

No, Jersey is not just an island where you can get good deals thanks to duty-free shopping. Even though it is one of its many advantages! 

Victor Hugo described the islands of Jersey and Guernsey in his work Les Travailleurs de la mer as “pieces of France fallen into the sea and picked up by England.” France indeed has very strong ties with the island of Jersey, located off the Normandy coast but dependent on the British crown. While in the 16th and 17th centuries Jersey was rather a land of refuge, immigration became economic between 1850 and 1950, thanks to the island's agricultural specialization, mainly linked to the cultivation of potatoes, which required a labor force still insufficient in Jersey. It was therefore a predominantly seasonal migration, which can be traced through the foreign workers' registration cards issued from 1920 to 1960 following the Alien Restriction Act. Under this law, all foreigners over 16 had to register with the authorities to be able to reside on the island. These cards are real gold mines for genealogists given the many pieces of information they contain: Name, address, marriage date, place of residence, and even for some, dates of death. 

Mainly Breton Immigrants

By tracing the origins of foreigners who stayed on the island, one can see that 90% of immigrants were of Breton origin, mostly from Côtes-du-Nord, in the region of Paimpol. Between 1914 and 1925, 70% of passports issued by Côtes-du-Nord (former name of Côtes-d'Armor) were for Jersey. 

Since wages were higher than on the continent, many foreigners chose to settle in Jersey. Indeed, even though they could not be owners as foreigners, they could acquire land through the right of the soil by having a child on the island. Quite a boost to birth rates! 

Another important community in Jersey: the Portuguese, who came mainly from the archipelago of Madeira. But workers' cards from Italy, Spain, Russia, and even Iran were also found. 

The island also saw the passage of a very famous visitor: Victor Hugo. He indeed stayed on the island following his exile linked to the coup d'état of December 2, 1851 by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. He even wrote, “I love this solitary island, Jersey, which free England covers with its old flag…”. Despite his love for the island, he was expelled in 1855, following his criticisms of the English government (long live freedom of expression!). For his new land of asylum, he chose a very, very distant and exotic island... he settled a few kilometers away, in Guernsey, the Anglo-Norman neighbor of Jersey!