Société Jersiaise, 7 Pier Road, St Helier JE2 4XW

Founded in 1873 the Société is a registered Jersey Charity. Its mission is to produce and facilitate research on the Island’s history, culture, language and environment; and to share that knowledge with the widest possible audience for the benefit of the island community. It achieves its aims through its active Sections, research collections, community outreach and collaboration with local and international heritage partners.

 

The Société Jersiaise Shop

Discover a wide selection of books, maps and Jersey prints, all available for worldwide shipping. Items can be purchased online or in person.

 

Opening hours:

Monday–Friday: 09:00–14:00

Saturday & Sunday: Closed

 

Contact:

Phone: +44 1534 758314

Email: hello@societe.je

 

Photographic Archive

The Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive (SJPA) holds over 140,000 photographs of Jersey, dating from the beginnings of photography in c.1840 to the present day. The team can assist family history researchers with identification enquiries, access to collections, and guidance on using the digital catalogues.

 

Key collections

• Henry Mullins – A prolific 19th‑century commercial photographer. The archive holds over 9,600 photographs of identified Jersey individuals, taken by Mullins between 1848 and 1874. 

 

• Ernest Baudoux – Another significant 19th‑century photographer, with a collection of over 1,300 photographs of identified individuals and properties, dating from 1869 to 1897. 

 

Links

Department webpage: Jersey Photographic Archive 

SJPA collections via the Jersey Heritage catalogue: SJ Photographic Archive | Jersey Heritage

Société Jersiaise Bulletins and selected photographic albums are available via the PastViewcatalogue

For all enquiries, please contact photoarchive@societe.je or call +44 (0) 1534 633394.

The Photographic Archive does not have a public reading room and operates by appointment only.

 

 

The Lord Coutanche Library

The Lord Coutanche Library supports the Société’s mission by collecting, preserving and providing access to material relating to Jersey’s history, culture, language and environment. It is an essential resource for researchers, family historians and anyone interested in the Island’s past.

 

Opening hours:

Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 09:30–17:00

Tuesday & Thursday: 09:30–14:00

Saturday & Sunday: Closed

 

Contact:

Phone: +44 1534 730538

Email: library@societe.je

Collections & Resources

Printed Material

• Recent local publications and periodicals, including selected Channel Islands titles
• Histories of the Channel Islands from medieval times to the present
• Société Jersiaise publications
• Extentes de Jersey (1274, 1331, 1528, 1607, 1668, 1749)
• Guidebooks in English and French (1822–present)
• Almanacs from 1785 onwards (English and French), which include records of local events, lists of residents by address and/or trade, persons in public office, militia, shipping movements and more
• Newspapers from 1784 onwards (English and French)
• German Occupation books, journals and newspapers
• Indexed scrapbooks and vertical files

 

Archives

• Documents relating to Jersey’s history
• Family papers and correspondence
• Authors’ manuscripts and research notes (e.g. Philip Ahier, G.R. Balleine, William Davies, E.T. Nicolle, Joan Stevens, Marguerite Syvret)
• German Occupation diaries, reports, Biberach Camp register, and German military plans of Island defences
• Ephemera, including entertainment programmes

 

Family History

• Family trees, published family histories and research files
• Indices to Census returns from 1841 to 1911
• Transcriptions and indexes of parish church registers (baptisms, marriages, burials c.1540–1842)
• Listes du Rat (parish rate lists) from 1858; electoral lists
• Index of civil registers (1842–c.2002) for births, marriages and deaths
• Jersey Merchant Seamen’s Benefit Society Registers (1835–1900), listing seamen and ships registered in Jersey

 

Maps and Prints

• Maps of St Helier and the Channel Islands from c.1300, including originals and copies
• Plans, drawings and original prints of the Channel Islands (e.g. Harwood, Le Capelain, M. Moss, P.J. Ouless, Rock & Co.)

 

Additional Resources available in the Library

• British Newspaper Archive
• Findmypast
• PRIDE (Public Registry Online)

 

Online Resources on the Société Jersiaise Website

• Newspapers
• Annual Bulletins
• Photographic albums
• Books