4th May 1891
Jersey court fines man three months’ pay for swearing
When Emile F Bouchere “grossly insulted” Captain G Le Huquet on 4 May by calling him “a damned liar”, he could hardly have thought it would land him in court for using words likely to provoke a breach of the peace – nor that the penalty would be so harsh.
The advocates for either side argued over the facts of the case, and the circumstances that had led to the coming together on Gorey Common.
A doctor’s excuse
Bouchere, who was a member of the East Regiment, had been excused his duty of being on military parade by his doctor, who had given him an exemption certificate stating that he had laryngitis. Le Huquet had refused to accept it, as he’d seen Bouchere carting barrels around from as early as 7am, suggesting that he wasn’t suffering nearly as much as he claimed.
Bouchere admitted to the court that he’d sworn at Le Huquet and explained how sorry he was for having done so. However, the magistrate was having none of it, and he fined him £5 which, at the time, was considered a hefty amount. Labourers would have earned around nine shillings a week for working 10 hours a day, six days a week. With an old pound comprising 20 shillings, the fine amounted to around 11 weeks’ pay, which seems a high price indeed for what, today, would be considered a fairly mild insult.
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Other events that occured in May
The Channel Islands are liberated
- The Channel Islands were liberated on 9 May 1945 after several attempts at negotiating the German army's surrender.
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Traffic returns to the “right” side of the road
- Throughout the occupation, the Channel Islands moved to German time and traffic switched from the left-hand side of the road to the right.
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Princess Royal opens Zoo’s visitor centre
- As a patron of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Princess Anne visited Jersey to open the zoo’s new visitors centre.
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The Co-operative movement is born in Jersey
- The Co-operative Society was established after a 23 May meeting at the Oddfellows Hall and opened its office at New Street one month later.
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