What were the Corn Riots?
In 1769, Islanders became frustrated with food shortages & rising prices. In 1767, people protested about the export of grain from the Island. Anonymous threats were made against shipowners and a law was passed in 1768 to keep corn in Jersey. In August 1769 the States of Jersey repealed this law, claiming that there were enough crops in the Island to provide Islanders with enough food. There was suspicion that this was a lie to raise the price of wheat, which would be beneficial to the rich, many of whom had ‘rentes’ owed to them on properties that were payable in wheat. This led to a storming of the Royal Court by around 500 Islanders in what became known as The Corn Riots. Recently there was a festival to mark the 250th anniversary of the Corn Riots from the 24th-27th of September. The demands of the Corn Riots protestors included:
• That the price of wheat be lowered and set at 20 sols per cabot
• That his Majesty’s tithes be reduced to 20 sols per vergée.
• That the value of the liard coin be set to 4 per sol.
• That there should be a limit on the sales tax.
• That seigneurs stop enjoying the practice of champart (the right to every twelfth sheaf of corn or bundle of flax).
• That seigneurs end the right of ‘Jouir des Successions’(the right to enjoy anyone’s estate for a year and a day if they die without heirs).
• That branchage fines could no longer be imposed.
• That Rectors could no longer charge tithes except on apples.
• That charges against Captain Nicholas Fiott be dropped and that he be allowed to return to the Island without an inquiry.
• That the Customs’ House officers be ejected.
In the summer of 1769, a ship loaded with corn for export was raided by a group of women who demanded that the sailors unload their cargo and sell it in the Island. ‘Let us die on the spot, rather than by languishing in famine. God hath given us corn, and we will keep it, in spite of the Lemprières, and the court, for if we trust to them they will starve us’
Other protests
Queen’s Valley is Jersey’s biggest reservoir holding up to 262 million gallons of water. In the late 1970’s there were plans to flood the valley, which caused outrage and led to a protest.
There were two campaign groups who organised protests against flooding the valley on environmental grounds. They were ‘Save our valley’ (pictured above) and ‘Concern’. It’s estimated around 8 thousand people marched through the valley at the height of the protests.
My favourite photos from the Jersey Museum trip
