Historic Jersey buildings
If you own this property, have ancestors who lived here, or can provide any further information and photographs, please contact us through editorial@jerripedia.org |
Property name
Ville Bree
Other names
- Ville Bree Cottage
Location
Rue de La Ville Bree, St Martin
Type of property
18th century farm group
Valuations
No recent transactions
Families associated with the property
- Bree: Who left their name to the hamlet, La Ville ès Brées, shortened to Ville Brée.
- Mallet: In 1641, Laurens Mallet (1621-1690) married Catherine Brée,(formerly pronounced `braye`), and moved to her property at La Ville Brée. Their grandson, Jean Mallet and his wife, Marie Collas, left their initials engraved, as depicted above, with the date 1728. Their own grandson, another Jean Mallet, born in 1766, was to gain a scholarship to study at Oxford University, as a result of which he was ordained and returned to Jersey to become rector of three parishes. His son, an East India Company Civil Servant, then married the heiress of the Fief Haubert, St Ouen and of St_Ouen's_Manor. La Ville Brée was sold.
- Blampied: The celebrated Jersey artist Edmund Blampied (1886-1966), was born here. His parents, John Blampied ( -1886) and Elizabeth, née Blampied, had farmed here but on the premature death of his father, his widowed mother took him and his three brothers to Trinity, where he went to school.
- Baudains
1901 Census Several families were identified as living at 'Ville Bree' in the 1901 census. It is not clear whether all these households were within the same property or whether they were living at Ville Bree Farm or elsewhere in the road.
- Guegan: Jacques Guegan (1856- ), a general labourer and immigrant from Carreuc in Brittany, was living at Ville Bree Cottage with his wife Victoire, nee Therin (1856- ), sons Francis (1887- ) and Jean (1894- ), and daughters Victoire (1888- ) and Marie (1892- )
- Renouf: It is likely that farmer William Gaudin Renouf (1866-1948) was living at this property, given that his son Harold was here in 1941. In William's household were his wife Louisa Jane, nee Whitel (1871- ), their daughter Gladys (1897- ) and sons William (1899- ) and Claude (1901- ). Harold was born the year after the census. In 1941 he and his wife Lucille, nee Blampied (1911- ) and their sons William Blampied Renouf and Edward Harold Renouf were living here
- Billot: The presence of the Billot family in a separate household at this property in 1901 is also confirmed by later records. Farmer Charles Billot (1842- ), his wife Lydia, nee Tourgis (1842- ), their son Charles (1877- ) and daughter Lydia (1879- ) were recorded in the census. In 1941 Thomas George Billot (1908- ), his wife Eunice Beatrice, née du Gruchy (1908- ) and their daughters Anne Elizabeth (1932- ), Ruth Mary (1933- ) and Mary Gertrude (1934- ) were living here
Datestones
- 17 IML ♥ MGL 28 - For Jean Mallet and Marie Collas
- WCR ♥ AER 1899 - For William Charles Renouf and Amelia Esther Renouf
Historic Environment Record entry
Listed building
A house of circa 16th - 18th century origins, together with a cohesive farm group, which retains historic character. Historical association as birthplace of artist Edmund Blampied.
Ville Bree is of historical interest as a former farmstead which has developed from the 1500s. J McCormack Channel Island Houses identifies the earliest building phase for the house as the 16th century, being re-fronted in 1728.
The 1795 Richmond Map shows a cluster of buildings on site, including the existing house and two lost buildings along the roadside to the west.
The farm buildings are 19th century; group with loose courtyard plan, comprising the main south-facing house with a detached two-storey pressoir to the west and range of detached two-storey outbuildings across a yard to the north (both converted). 1960s wing adjoining to the east.
Old Jersey Houses
This was probably the site of the family home of Laurens Baudains (1546-1611), founder of the Don Baudains which enabled young Jerseymen to be educated.
Notes and references
