Everything about Herm totally explained
Herm is the smallest of the
Channel Islands that's open to the public.
Cars are banned from the small
island just like its Channel Island neighbour,
Sark. Unlike Sark,
bicycles are banned too. However, Herm does allow
quad bikes and
tractors for the locals. The sandy white beaches make Herm a walker's paradise.
Herm won the
2002 Britain in Bloom competition in the 'Small Coastal Resort' category, despite not being part of the
UK (it is in the Bailliwick of
Guernsey).
History
Ancient history
Herm was occupied in prehistoric times; the remains of
Neolithic chamber tombs have been found on the island.
Middle Ages
The first records of Herm's inhabitants in historic times are from the
sixth century, when the island became a centre of
monastic activity; the name 'Herm' supposedly derives from
hermits who settled there (although an alternative interpretation derives
Herm from
Norse erm referring to an arm-like appearance of the island). However, the monks suffered from the inclement
Atlantic; in
709, a storm washed away the strip of land which connected the island with the small uninhabited island of
Jethou.
The most important moment in Herm's political history was
933, when the
Channel Islands were annexed to the
Duchy of Normandy (they remain a British
Crown dependency since the division of
Normandy in
1204). After the annexation, Herm gradually lost its monastic inhabitants, and between
1570 and
1737 it was used as a hunting ground by the governors of Guernsey.
19th century to 1940
In the
nineteenth century, industry arrived in Herm with the establishment of granite quarries to serve the large scale military fortifications undertaken in the islands. The island was let to tenants by the Crown and was generally off-limits to visitors. When
Prince Blücher was tenant before the
First World War, he introduced a colony of
wallabies to the island. None now survive.
Between 1920 and 1923, the noted Scottish writer and founder of the
Scottish National Party Compton Mackenzie was tenant of the island; among his best known works are
The Monarch of the Glen and
Whisky Galore.
World War II
On 25 July 1940, a few weeks after the arrival of German troops in Guernsey and Jersey, nine German soldiers landed on the island in a commandeered motor boat to shoot a propaganda film. They went back to Guernsey the same day. Herm's sandy beaches were soon used for practising landings from barges, in preparation for the invasion of England, but otherwise the island saw little of the Germans beyond officers making trips to shoot rabbits. In a British nighttime raid on the island in February 1943, commandos wandered around the island without finding any signs of life at all, let alone enemy troops. Herm was spared the huge concrete blockhouses, anti-tank walls and observation towers that were to disfigure the larger islands.
1945 to the present day
After the war, the
States of Guernsey decided to buy Herm from the Crown in order that its pleasant atmosphere could be enjoyed by Guernsey residents. The States now rent the island to a tenant, who is expected to maintain the island for the benefit of its visitors.
The most influential tenant has been Major Peter Wood, who looked after the island from
1949 to
1980 when the current tenants, Adrian and Pennie Wood Heyworth, took over. Major Peter Wood died in 1998.
It was reported by BBC News on 17 May 2008 that the current tenants have put the remaining 40 years of their lease up for sale, with an asking price of £15,000,000.
Language
Like the rest of the Channel Islands, Herm was formerly officially administered solely in the
French language. It is presumed that, as in neighbouring islands, the population would have spoken a variety of
Norman language, but no documentary evidence exists as to any distinctive dialectal features particular to the
vernacular of Herm. The
Norman language is extinct in Herm now. It was eroded mainly by neglect, and also settlers from
England. However, a number of French/Norman placenames remain.
Placenames
The
Herm Island map, published by the tenant of Herm says -
» "The origins of many of the place names in the island are obscure, as indeed is the name 'Herm' itself"
Over the years, there has been a steady anglicisation of the island's nomenclature, and this erosion still occurs to a minor extent, in the replacement of authentic names, with new ones for example the northern tip of the island is properly called "La Pointe du gentilhomme" but is often referred to as "Alderney Point".
Fieldnames are generally in English, with the following exceptions - "Monku", "Belvoir", and "Bon Jour".
Remnants of
Old Norse are scanty, but examples would be the second element of
Pointe Sauzebourge on the south west tip of the island, while the rock of "Le Plat Houmet" contains the
Houmet (
holmr) with a Norman
diminutive.
"Hermetier", a tidal islet just offshore, may be a corruption of the Norman for "Land of Herm".
Politics
Herm is a dependency of
Guernsey, and is in fact owned by the
States of Guernsey, being rented out to various tenants (see
List of tenants of Herm).
Geography
Herm is only 1½
miles long and less than half a mile wide. It is orientated so that its greatest length runs north-south. The northern half of the coastline is surrounded by sandy beaches, the southern half is rocky.
Shell Beach and Belvoir Bay are two of the major tourist attractions.
The isle of
Jethou is just to the south. It is said that in
709 a storm washed away the strip of land which connected the island with Herm.
To the west is the
channel Little Roussel (Petit Ruau) between it and
Guernsey, and the
Big Roussel (Grand Ruau) to the east, between it and
Sark.
Economy
Tourism is Herm's main source of income, with the majority of tourists arriving on one of the Trident catamaran ferries (
Herm Trident V and
Herm Trident VI) operated by the
Trident Charter Company. On some busy days, the Herm Clipper is also called into service.
Money is also made from vegetable growing, livestock and occasionally issuing its own stamps, and the island's status as a tax haven.
