Looking back: Festive robbery hits St. Peter's Village

Monday 24 December 2018

While the rest of the island was peacefully celebrating, St Peter’s Village was the scene of a daring robbery on Christmas Day in 1888.

The village had its own Post Office by 1836 and it was here that the crime took place 52 years later.

The Post Office produced a revenue of £33 9s 11d, making it one of the largest receiving houses in the island. In 1864, Edouard Syvret became the Sub-Postmaster at St Peter and when he died, his widow Elizabeth, followed him as Sub-Postmistress from 1868 to 1891.  

It was during Elizabeth’s tenure that the Post Office became a Christmas crime scene. At about 19:00 on Christmas Day, a group of soldiers from St Peter’s Barracks, one of whom was John Nugent, the barracks postman, went to the Post Office.

Pictured: A group of soldiers from St. Peter's barracks went to the Post Office on Christmas Day.

The redcoats had been celebrating all day and being full of the Christmas spirit, as well as some alcoholic ones, were keen to have news from home. When they arrived at the Post Office, they found that the Sub-Postmistress was out and not due back until 20:00. They assaulted her servant, Marie Lawrence, cut open a letter bag and made off with the letters inside. 

At his trial, John Nugent, the barracks postman, stated that he had simply gone to the post office to retrieve the mail and, finding Elizabeth absent, had helped himself. He was eventually given a fine of 10 shillings.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was cautioned by the Postmaster General for irregular proceedings in her absence - she was expected to be on duty all day on Christmas Day. 

Pictured: The 1877 Registre de Police shows the names of the men involved and the punishment they received.

The Post Office robbery of 1888 was not the only Christmas crime to appear in the Honorary Police registers of St Peter. On the night of 24 December in 1877, 20 men, led by Francis Houssel, were charged with committing an interruption to the public peace by climbing through a window, scaling the stairs and sounding the bell at the Parish Church. 

'Ding Dong Merrily on High' was not what the Magistrate wanted to hear late at night on Christmas Eve and, failing to see the funny side, ordered Houssel to pay a £2 fine or spend 15 days in prison. The rest of the men were charged with paying a £1 fine or spending eight days in prison. 

This story is the first of a new series in collaboration with Jersey Heritage. To uncover more stories like these, visit Jersey Heritage's Archive.