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Minquiers

Les Minquiers, Les Mîntchièrs, The Minkies
La Maîtr' Île
Geography
Location	English Channel
Coordinates	48°57′00″N 2°07′59″W / 48.950°N 2.133°W / 48.950; -2.133Coordinates: 48°57′00″N 2°07′59″W / 48.950°N 2.133°W / 48.950; -2.133
Major islands	Maîtresse Île / Maîtr' Île Les Maisons
Administration
Jersey
Parish	Grouville
Demographics
Population	none permanent
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Les Minquiers, Jersey
Designated	2 February 2005
Reference no.	1456[1]

The Minquiers (Les Minquiers; in Jèrriais: Les Mîntchièrs pronunciation (help·info); known as "the Minkies" in local English) are a group of islands and rocks, about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Jersey. The Minquiers forms part of the Bailiwick of Jersey.^[2]
They are administratively part of the Parish of Grouville.

At low tide, the rock shelf around the Minquiers has a larger surface area than Jersey itself but at high tide only a few of the main heads remain above water.^[3] The largest of these is Maîtresse, which is about 50 m (55 yd) long and 20 m (22 yd) wide and has about ten stone cottages in various states of repair; these are the most southerly buildings in the British Isles. However, they have no permanent inhabitants, though fishermen, vraic (seaweed used for fertilizer) collectors, yachtsmen, kayakers, and even radio amateurs^[4] make summer landfall.^[2]

In August 2018, one of the twenty buildings on the islands was sold to a Jersey company. Only five sales have been recorded in 50 years.^[5]

Name

The etymology of the name is disputed, and could either come from the Breton language minihi meaning a sanctuary, or from minkier meaning a seller of fish.^[6]

Islets

The most significant islands in the group are:

• Maîtresse Île / Maîtr' Île


• Les Maisons;

Others include:

• Le Niêsant


• Les Faucheurs


• La Haute Grune.

History

Thousands of years ago, around the time of the last glacial period, when sea level was lower, the Channel Islands were high ground on the plain connecting the European Continent and southern England.

In 933 AD, the Duchy of Normandy annexed the islets, along with the other Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula. After William, Duke of Normandy conquered England in 1066, the islands remained united to the Duchy until Philip Augustus conquered mainland Normandy in 1204. In 1259 Henry III did homage to the French king for the Channel Islands. Edward III, in the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny, waived his claims to the crown of France and to Normandy, but reserved various other territories to England, including the Channel Islands.^[7]

The 1911 Britannica says that Maîtresse Île "affords a landing and shelter for fishermen."

A small company of Wehrmacht soldiers on the Minquiers were among the last to surrender in the Second World War. A French fishing boat, skippered by Lucian Marie, approached the island of Minquiers and anchored nearby. A fully armed German soldier approached and asked for help saying 'We've been forgotten by the British, perhaps no one on Jersey told them we were here, I want you to take us over to England, we want to surrender'. This was on 23 May 1945, three weeks after the war in Europe ended.

Resolution of disputed status

In 1950 Britain and France went to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for friendly discussions to decide to which country the Minquiers and Ecrehos belonged.^[2] The French fished in the waters, but Jersey exercised various administrative rights. The ICJ considered the historical evidence, and in its judgment of 17 November 1953 awarded the islands to Jersey (as represented by the United Kingdom).^[7]

In 1998 some French 'invaded' the Minquiers on behalf of the 'King of Patagonia' in 'retaliation' for the British occupation of the Falkland Islands.^[2] The Union Jack was restored the next day.

Les Minquiers in literature

Notably, The Minquiers are mentioned at length by Victor Hugo in his novel Ninety-Three, about the French Revolution. He mentions how treacherous they are, and says that their combined area is bigger than mainland Jersey itself. Hugo lived in both Guernsey and Jersey at various points in his life, and so was familiar with local lore.

The British/French dispute over Les Minquiers is a plot element in Nancy Mitford's novel Don't Tell Alfred, as an occasional cause for dispute between the 'two old ladies' - France and Britain.

The Minquiers feature in the seafaring adventure novel The Wreck of the Mary Deare, by Hammond Innes, and its 1959 film adaptation.

Protection

The Minquiers are designated protected under the Ramsar convention.^[8]

Images

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  Minquiers from the North Jersey.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South. This is of the transit looking east.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South. This is of the transit looking east.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South. This is of the transit looking east.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Minquiers looking at inner basin from the South as the SE passage in taken towards Chaussey. This is of the transit looking east.
  

  
  

  
  

References

• Files on the ICJ case can be found in the National Archives, mostly in the FO 371 sequence.


• 
  Les Minquiers: article published in hidden europe magazine, 2006, Issue 6, pp. 38–39 (ISSN 1860-6318)


• 
  Histoire des Minquiers et des Ecréhous. Robert Sinsoilliez. Editions l'Ancre de Marine.


• 
  Channel Islets - Victor Coysh

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minquiers.

• International Court of Justice: Case files


• 
  (in French), Accord commercial sur la pêche entre la France et Jersey