The tour of the Parishes, my life in Jersey

For one reason or another, I lived in a few different Parishes in Jersey in my years there.

• I started my Jersey life in St. Lawrence, because that is where I was offered a room by a friend of my employers.
• Then I was house-sitting for the churchwarden's son and family in St Brelade.
• I then stayed briefly in St. Brelade, with a 'friend' of the churchwarden's, who was scary.
• Then I lived in St. Saviour with the churchwarden and his wife for a few months
• Then I had lodgings on the edge of St. Helier and Trinity
• Then I returned to England for 6 weeks because of the strain of what had happened.
• I had had to give up my lodgings to go to the UK, so I came back to new lodgings in St. Clement
• The landlord sold the flat where I was lodging with him and I moved back to St. Lawrence, to the most dire lodging house.
• I left there and moved to St Aubin (St.Brelade) to a room and house that was never suitable for any lodger
• I left there quickly after a short time of discomfort and moved to St. Ouen
• St. ouen was a dire lodging house where I was sexually harassed, had my posessions rifled through and was threatened and suffered violence, which, incidentally, added to the other traumas and made me worse.
• I moved from there to St. peter, to the woman who wished she was dead even though she had everything
• And from there, to stay briefly onsite at work, and to my final home, in St. Brelade.

Well it sounds like a lot, but circumstances included the churchwarden getting me to stay in Jersey, the need to flee to England because of the suffering, and also and in main, the dire dire conditions of cheap unqualified lodgings in Jersey, I was treated like an animal at times, which did impact on my mental health especially after what had happened with the churchwarden.

St Helier		The two axes commemorate the beheading by Saxon Pirates in AD 555 of St Helier, Patron saint of Jersey.
St Brelade		Legend has it that St Brelade prayed for land whilst searching for the Islands of the Blest. An island arose from the sea on which he celebrated Easter. As he departed so did the island. It was an enormous fish sent in answer to his prayers.
St Clement		St Clement is the Patron Saint of blacksmiths and anchorsmiths. Legend has it that he was martyred by being attached to an anchor and thrown into the Black Sea.
Grouville		Louis XI believed that the Kings of Hungary were descended from St Martin, born in Hungary. Their arms of 8 bars of red and silver were placed on the saint’s shrine in the Cathedral of Tours. Grouville’s emblem shows the full 8 bars, whilst St Martin has only 7.
St John		The Maltese Cross is the emblem of the Knights of St John at Jerusalem (Knights Hospitallers). The stylised Maltese Cross is set on a green background to recognise the old name for the Parish church, St John of the Oaks, though the church was dedicated to John the Baptist.
St Lawrence		St Lawrence, Bishop of Rome, was martyred along with six deacons and Pope Sixtus II by being roasted alive on a gridiron. The saint is always depicted by being tied to or holding a gridiron.
St Martin		St Martin of Tours is the Patron Saint of St martin and Grouville, which is why their badges are similar. Both badges are based on the arms of the King of Hungary. It has seven bars to distinguish it from St Martin of Grouville.
St Mary		The lily of the Annunciation of ‘Flwur de Lys’ has always been regarded as the special flower of the Virgin Mary.
St Ouen		St Ouen, the Patron Saint of Normandy, founded a religious community on Jersey before the Viking invasions. He is said to have seen a miraculous cross, which told him to travel from Normandy to Jersey.
St Peter		The crossed keys of Heaven and Hell have always been the symbols of St eter. The Parish church was dedicated to St Pierre dans le Désert, recognised by the gold border to the crossed keys.
St Saviour		The Parish church, St Sauveur de L’Épine, was dedicated to Jesus Christ. Hence, the crown and nails of the cruxifixion though ’Épine‘ means thorn and may suggest a relic of the crown of thorns.
Trinity		The most curious of the Parish badges. The triangle obviously represents the Holy Trinity. God (deus) in the centre is (est) father (Parter), Son (Fillius) and Holy Ghost (Spiritus) whereas none of the members of the Trinity are of themselves (non est) God.