6th August 1934
Nude sunbathers sentenced to eight days’ hard labour
The law over public nudity can be difficult to understand. Although there are no laws specifically outlawing being naked in public, nudists may be prosecuted if they cause offence. Thus, it would be possible to be naked on a secluded beach, minding your own business, and end up breaking the law simply though the fact that someone else came into view, even if you were unaware that they were present.
Stripping off
Jersey doesn’t have any designated naturist beaches, but this hasn’t stopped some bathers stripping off over the years. In 1934, the Northern Whig reported that “two girls whose only apparel when bathing at Portelet, Jersey… consisted of caps and shoes were… each fined £3 or eight days’ hard labour for bathing in the nude”.
The girls, both in their early 20s, were artists models who had travelled to Jersey from London, and had been spotted by a local who had watched them come out of the water, naked, and pose for a man who had taken their photo. They later claimed that they didn’t know the photographer but thought the photo would be a nice reminder of their trip. The photographer claimed not to have realised that they were close enough to the camera to be seen in the photo. His film was confiscated.
In 2007, the BBC reported that “in a non-scientific poll of more than six hundred people, 85% were in favour of designating one of Jersey’s beaches for naturists, compared with just 8% who were against it (the remaining 7% didn’t mind either way)”.
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Other events that occured in August
Two men drown at St Ouen’s bay
- Two men drowned in Jersey's St Ouen's bay after heading into the water to rescue one of the friends they were holidaying with.
- Read more…
Law Lord who oversaw Channel Island refugees is born
- Herbert du Parcq chaired the Channel Islands Refugees Committee which raised funds for evacuated Channel Islanders.
- Read more…
The telephone line between Jersey and the mainland is inaugurated
- Jersey's phones were connected by a direct line to the mainland in August 1939 via a coaxial cable that landed near Dartmouth.
- Read more…
Jèrriais author Philippe Le Sueur Mourant dies
- Philippe Le Sueur Mourant was born in St Saviour, Jersey, and moved to Newfoundland before returning to the island.
- Read more…