THE traditional ringing of church bells in the western parishes at Christmas came to a halt in St Ouen when the bell clapper broke.

The parishes of St Ouen, St Peter and St Mary invite people to ring the church bells from noon on Christmas Eve and through Christmas Day – apart from when services are being held – to continue a tradition started when Jersey celebrated liberation from France in 1468.

But at some point on Christmas Eve, it seems that someone was rather too enthusiastic with the ringing of the bell in St Ouen’s Church – which needed only a gentle pull on the rope – and the clapper broke. The ringing was thus only able to continue in the other parishes.

In more recent years, a walk has also been organised around the three parishes and earlier on Wednesday, local historian Frank Falle led walkers from St Ouen to St Peter and St Mary for the bells to be rung.
After their exertions the troops were warmly rewarded with hot punch at Le Moulin de Lecq. The walk also helped raise funds towards building a new café extension at the Trinity Youth Centre.

The history behind the bell ringing goes as far back as 1461, when Pierre de Brézé, Comte de Maulevrier, Grand Seneschal of Normandy, sent an expedition against Jersey under Sir Jean de Carbonnel who succeeded in gaining possession of Gorey Castle. In 1462 the Comte de Maulevrier was appointed Seigneur des Iles by the French King.

In the appointment document Gorey Castle is for the first time referred to as Mont Orgueil. Jersey remained under French rule for seven years until 1468 and after a siege lasting five months, Monsieur de Carbonnel surrendered Mont Orgueil to Sir Richard Harliston, Admiral of the English fleet. The story goes that the western parishes were the first to be liberated, hence the bell-ringing celebration. .