Cannevi / History

Historical References to Cannabis in Jersey

Prehistoric Cannabis Use?

Palaeoenvironmental research has suggested that cannabis may have been present in Jersey during the Neolithic period:

"Jones et al (1989) comment on the occurrence of pollen of hemp or hop in Early/Middle Neolithic deposits at L'Ouzière, Jersey: this may relate to wild hops growing in coastal fens, but could reflect cultivation of hops for brewing or of hemp for rope-making and/or as a narcotic." [1]

It is difficult to distinguish hemp pollen from that of hops, which complicates analysis. However, research indicates that cannabis was not introduced into Northwestern Europe until the Iron Age [2], which together with data on the prevailing environmental conditions indicates that the ancient pollen found at St Ouen was most probably from hops.

The presence of burnt residue on 'vase-supports' found during archaeological excavations at La Hougue Bie has been suggested to be related to the ritualistic infusion of hallucinogenic drugs, which may have included cannabis. [3] However, analysis has since determined the residue as being from the burning of birch bark tar. [4]

Jersey Cannabis History Timeline

  1. 1534

    Following King Henry VIII's edict in 1533 requiring all farmers in England to "cultivate one-quarter acre of hemp or flax for every sixty acres of land under tillage" for use by the navy [5], the export of hemp was "prohibited under pain of confiscation" in Jersey. [6]

  2. 1682

    Jean Poingdestre recorded the "sowing of hemp and flax for ye making of linnen cloth." [7]

  3. 1691

    A petition was granted by the Privy Council to form a company to manufacture linen and paper in the Island stating that it "would be able to employ a large number of men, women and children and that the soil of the Island was very suitable for sowing and raising hemp." [8]

  4. 1781

    Following the Battle of Jersey, Chaplain James Playfair wrote to his parents about life in Jersey at the time, commenting that: "They have no flax here, but commonly sow a small quantity of hemp to make ropes of." [9]

  5. 1839

    Cannabis grew naturally "in several places between St Helier's and St Aubin's." [10]

  6. 1842

    "The earliest account we have of Jersey manufacture is that of a kind of body coat made of hemp or flax, which were then grown in the Island: these coats were sent to England in large quantities." [11]

  7. 1896

    Cannabis sativa L. was recorded as 'naturalized' in the Island. [12]

Jersey's Ropewalks

Rope manufacturing was established in the Island by the late-18th century [13], with several ropewalks recorded on the south coast as part of the local ship building industry.

"As well as ships, ropes were made at Havre des Pas; as early as 1760 George Rowcliff had a rope walk there, and he was followed by Deslandes, de Ste Croix and Jerrom and Son in the 19th century." [13]

"To supply the [ship building] trade with the necessary materials, several ancillary trades were set up in both St Helier and St Aubin... Ropes by the hundreds of miles were made in the many local 'Rope-Walks'. They were to be found near the yards, at St Aubin, First Tower, Patriotic Place, Green Street and Havre-des-Pas. Here the raw imported hemp was spun into strands and woven into ropes of the required size. The largest of these was at Havre-des-Pas, where the walk was a quarter of a mile in length." [14]

"Ships were built here of the finest wood available, and rigged with the best Russian hemp, and as Great Britain at this time was imposing a high import tariff on these materials, the Jersey-built ships could be sold in England at a lower price than English-built ships on which lesser-grade materials had been used." [15]

From 1828-1832, "Of hemp no less than 676 tons have been imported... Of these 179 tons of hemp have been re-exported... leaving an excess of nearly 500 tons of hemp... the large remainder of the excess of hemp... was no doubt used in rigging the shipping of the island, at a cheap rate. Not one pound of British hemp or cordage was imported during the above period." [16]

In St Aubin, there is a property named La Corderie on Rue du Croquet (also known as the High Street), where nearby "rope was made in the path in the La Haule [Manor] property leading from the top of the High Street to the house, and which is still called the Rope Walk." [17]

"A contract of La Haule shows that in 1770 Philip Marett rented to William Brine for nine years the garden and corderie, on condition that he kept the ground in good order, ...it being understood that Philip Marett will furnish William Brine with the tools which he needs for his trade of rope maker till he can buy his own." [17]

The Le Breton Map of 1854 depicts two ropewalks at Havre des Pas, either side of Green Street. The ropewalk to the eastern side followed the line of Greenwood Terrace southward to the coast. Rope Walk, to the west of Green Street, consisted of a roof abutting a long wall on one side and open on the other, and existed from the late-1700s into the early-20th century. [18]

The Le Gros Map of 1834 provides a clearer depiction of the ropewalks at Havre Des Pas and also shows a similar building parallel to George Street (now Kensington Place), which is likely the site of Mr Nicolle's Ropewalk referred to in The 1851 Census of Jersey.

The ship building industry in Jersey declined in the late-19th century as iron steamships replaced wooden vessels, bringing an end to the manufacture of hemp ropes in the Island. [14]

References

  1. [1] Patton, M. A., Neolithic Communities of the Channel Islands. University College London, 1989.
  2. [2] McPartland, J. and Hegman, W., 'Cannabis utilization and diffusion patterns in prehistoric Europe: a critical analysis of archaeological evidence', Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 27(Suppl 4), 2018.
  3. [3] Sherratt, A., '16 Sacred and Profane Substances: The Ritual Use of Narcotics in Later Neolithic Europe!', Economy and Society in Prehistoric Europe, 1991.
  4. [4] Lucquin, A. and March, R. J., 'Analysis of adhering organic residues of two “coupes-à-socles” from the Neolithic funerary site “La Hougue Bie” in Jersey: evidences of birch bark tar utilisation', Journal of Archaeological Science, 34(5):704-710, 2007.
  5. [5] Nelson, R. A., Hemp History, 1996.
  6. [6] 'Popular History of Jersey - Chapter 19', Jerripedia.
  7. [7] Poingdestre, Jean, Caesarea or a Discourse of the Island of Jersey, 1682.
  8. [8] 'Trade and Smuggling by A.C. Saunders', Tony's Musings, 2015.
  9. [9] Playfair, James, 'Letter from James Playfair', Jerripedia.
  10. [10] Babington, C. C., Primitiæ floræ Sarnicæ; or, An outline of the flora of the Channel Islands, 1839, p.89.
  11. [11] A Guide to the Island of Jersey, describing its history, government, commerce, productions, etc., 1842, p.84.
  12. [12] Piquet, J., 'The Phanerogamous Plants and Ferns of Jersey', Societe Jersiaise Bulletin, Volume 3, 1896, p.377.
  13. [13] Ford, Doug, 'Coast: Havre des Pas', Jerripedia.
  14. [14] Cox, Robin S., 'The Rise and Fall of Jersey Shipyards', p.2.
  15. [15] Podger, Alec, 'Ship-building in Jersey', Société Jersiaise Bulletin, 1962, p.7.
  16. [16] Inglis, H. D. and Scholefield, M., The Channel Islands: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, etc. Volume 1. Whittaker, Treacher, Arnot, & Company, 1834, p.220.
  17. [17] Marett, Julia, 'The Old town of St Aubin', Société Jersiaise Bulletin, 1949, p.6.
  18. [18] Stevens, J. and Bisson, P., 'La Maison du Mont', Société Jersiaise Bulletin, 1969, p.5.