Philip De Carteret, 6th of St Ouen

Philip De Carteret, Seigneur of St Ouen, born circa 1402, son of Philip.

During the Wars of the Roses, Queen Margaret, the wife of Henry VI, made an agreement with Pierre de Brézé, Comte de Maulevrier, the seneschal of Normandy, to raise an army, in aid of the Lancastrian cause, to capture Jersey and in the process to provide a refuge if it should be needed in the event of Yorkist success. The reward for de Brézé would be the Lordship of the Channel Islands.

At the time the Constable of Gorey Castle – which in the late 15th century became known as Mont Orgueil – was a Cornishman devoted to the Lancastrian cause. It is suggested that he may have co-operated with de Brézé in hatching a plot to give up the castle without a fight. In any event, in the summer of 1461 Jean de Carbonnel seized the old fortress without a fight.

For seven years afterwards men loyal to de Brézé and France held the castle and, in theory, the rest of the Island. In practice, life changed very little, the Bailiff remaining in office and the Royal Court continuing to sit.

That said, there was dissension in the west, where Philippe de Carteret of St Ouen’s Manor deeply resented the presence of the French force.

In 1467 the situation in England had changed dramatically. York and the White Rose were in the ascendancy, Edward IV was on the throne, his rival, Henry VI, was in the Tower, and his wife, Marguerite, was an exile in France. Pierre de Brézé, meanwhile, had been killed in battle and Carbonnel had fallen from favour in his native country.

Philippe de Carteret saw that the French position had weakened and began to oppose them actively.

They in turn were keen to capture him and – so legend has it – found an opportunity one day when he went fishing at St Ouen’s Pond.

The French soldiers crept along to capture him, but Sir Philip saw them, and leapt on his black horse. He raced towards his manor, but the soldiers cut him off and he was forced to head for Le Val de la Charrière, where his route was blocked by a sunken road 18 feet (5.5 m) deep and 22 feet (6.7 m) wide.

Spurring on his mount, his horse jumped the gulf and galloped on towards the Manor. It is said that once he reached home, and was safe, his faithful horse collapsed and died.

Philip ordered that his horse be buried in his garden. Today you can see a painting of the black horse in St. Ouen's Manor and in 1904 the shoulder blade of a horse which dated back several centuries was unearthed in the Manor gardens.

De Carteret's Leap
The Lord of St. Ouen's was down by the lake,
When the sun through the mists was beginning to break,
By its margin he sought, as he trod the soft ground,
The Carp to ensnare as they sported around,
From the depths of its waters, so calm that the air
Scarcely rippled the surface, a mirror so fair.
The day is too chill, mists are floating on high,
Drawn from out the dark earth to obscure the bright sky,
Ah ! who are those creeping beneath that high mound
Of glittering sand, with a silence profound ?
Ah, Lord of St. Ouen's, I bid thee beware,
And fly from a deep and a treacherous snare;
The foe will surround thee, thy blood on their steel
Will bedew the cold ground - is there nought to reveal
The danger that threatens ? His steed loudly neighs,
As corslet and faulchion gleam bright in the rays
Of the sun, which now breaks thro' the mist and the gloom
That may light with its beams on De Carteret's tomb.
Mount thy steed, and away ! Now he's off with a bound,
From the foes who had sought Ouen's Lord to surround.
There's a race for a death, there's a race for a life,
Will the steel drink his breath in the mad'ning strife ?
He's away to the hills - they are closely behind;
He ascends the steep bank, but new dangers to find,
On its brow there are foes to cut off his retreat :
He bears himself bravely, his steed's strong and fleet.
To the vale of the Charrière he turns him aside,
Oh ! on ! the foes follow, their steeds deeply dyed
With blood on their flanks, as they're goaded along,
He'll be slain, though his horse is so fleet and so strong.
Too closely they follow, - he'll ne'er reach the vale !
Of his death to his friends who will bear the sad tale?
Deep banks line the road, two and twenty feet wide
He is lost or across the deep chasm must ride.
Now aid him brave steed, though thy heart may be broke,
Save thy lord in his need from the faulchion's stroke.
One spring! he bounds over! - alas he is lost;
No! his steed gains his footing - in safety he's crossed
Now hie thee, brave horse, o'er the long sandy plain
On his castle De Carteret looks once again,
Ere he reaches its portal the gallant steed falls,
Yields his breath for his Lord, who is safe by his walls.
~ T. Rose, The Visitor's Souvenir of the Island of Jersey, 1859

In England, the Yorkists grew in confidence. In 1468 Edward IV sent Sir Richard Harliston and his fleet to Guernsey, as part of a plan to invade France and recover Normandy. In Guernsey, Sir Richard learnt that this was a propitious moment to retake Jersey. He accordingly went quietly over to Jersey, secretly interviewed Philippe de Carteret, and immediate action was decided on before the French could get wind of what was to take place.

Then came one of the most dramatic moments in the Jersey's romantic history.

Word was sent round by Philip de Carteret "in a moment passing from hand to hand", and the people marched in a great silence to invest the Castle. This silent mustering in the darkness, of the people from all the loyal parishes, augmented no doubt from the others who had chafed against the French rule, to assemble before the old grey Castle, appeals to the imagination. Their loyalty to their own Seigneur and the English Crown prevented any betrayal of their purpose, and the dawn of morning showed to the astonished French a fleet of British ships encompassing them by sea and a standing army of the islanders besieging them by land.

The French held out and even tried, it is said, to build a boat secretly and let it down the Castle walls into the sea to try to get help from Normandy. The carrying out of this plan was foiled by an islander who had been pressed into an unwilling service. He shot an arrow with a letter on it over the side of the Castle betraying the plot, and the boat was captured. The besieged then, seeing all hope was gone, gave in, and the British flag was again run up on the Castle keep. Mont Orgueil had been recaptured and the foreign occupation brought to an end.

This proof of loyalty was rewarded by the King by the grant of a further charter to the islanders. Harliston was made Governor of the Island, but de Carteret does not appear to have received any recognition of his services, though the whole success of the enterprise was due in a great measure to his loyalty and courage.

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