Heritage - The Guernsey Jumper
If you had to choose a national dress for the people of Guernsey, you would be hard pressed to find a better option that the iconic navy blue guernsey, which still has a place in locals’ hearts - as well as in their wardrobes.
The guernsey or gansey has been the typical localfisherman’s dress for hundreds of years and it is as much part of our cultural heritage as ormers and bean jar. The making of guernseys was a natural extension of our knitting trade, which enjoyed its heyday in Tudor times. Guernsey knitted stockings are recorded in the household accounts of Elizabeth I and were worn by Mary Queen of Scots at her execution, which despite being a rather macabre claim to fame, shows the high circles our local handiwork moved in.
A lucrative trade
From time immemorial, knitting had been an integral part of the community. In the Middle Ages, savvy merchants began to exploit this ready-made skill base and the knitting of stockings became the islands’ most lucrative trade, occupying the waking hours of every capable child, woman and man on the island. It is said that some women even knitted on horseback as they made the journey into town, so as not to waste a precious moment. The situation became so out of hand that in the 1600s the Royal Court had to pass ordinances prohibiting knitting between sun up and sundown during the harvest and vraic (local seaweed) collecting seasons. The activity continued in the evenings with folk getting together in each other’s homes to share lamplight and entertain each other with songs and stories.
Back to front
By the close of the 18th century, the stocking trade had been irreparably damaged by the French Revolutionary Wars, but local people continued to knit ‘wastcotes’ - or guernseys as they were by then known. Using as much as a kilo of worsted English wool, the garment was knitted in the round with up to sixteen fine stocking needles. This gave a tightly stitched finish with amazing wind and water proofing properties that were ideal for seafarers. The arms were knitted from the shoulder down to allow for easy unpicking and repairing of elbows and cuffs, and because the sweater is identical front and back, it could be turned round to extend its life by several more years. This design feature also had another use: after a day spent wiping bait coated hands on the front of their guernseys, the less savoury local fisherman could turn them back to front for an instant spruce up and a place at the bar for a well-earned jug of ale.
Handed down
As well as making them for a living, the garments were also knitted by wives, sweethearts and mothers for their menfolk. The basic form was copied throughout the British Isles, spreading as far afield as America, Canada and Australia, but there are many variations in the patterns that adorn them. In the British Isles, these differences tended to be regional, but in Guernsey, they were specific to each family and were handed down from mother to daughter along with her needles. In part, this tradition was rooted in efficiency because once a pattern was mastered, it was possible to knit it with great speed, but it also had a far more tragic motivation: drowned fishermen were able to be identified by their guernsey and returned to their families for proper burial.
This custom continued until the German Occupation (1940-45) when thousands of Guernsey’s young women were evacuated. On their return, many of them could no longer speak Dgernésiais, the language of the older generation, and the passing on of family patterns by word of mouth came to an end. Combined with the growth of other trades, the knitting of guernseys ceased to be an integral part of island life but the craft is very much alive and well. Garments are still being made on the island by Guernsey Woollens in their workshop in the Vale.
The company is run and owned by Phil Walker and Arthur Eldridge who met in the 70s when they worked for the same knitwear manufacturers in the UK.
It was to be another 30 years before they would come together to preserve the guernsey. They have both enjoyed successful careers in the business but have also watched an industry that once thrived in the UK and Guernsey, get set aside for the low production costs of the Far East.
Our appetite for disposable, cheaply made fashion has left some good businesses and skilled workers by the wayside but this makes the success of Guernsey Woollens even more heartening.
Nelson
The company is still making over 200 guernseys a week using a blend of traditional and modern manufacturing methods and it exports to the UK, mainland Europe, Canada, Japan and the United States. Loved by generations of seafarers - they are standard issue for all RNLI crews - guernseys have also remained in demand by the armed forces.
In the 19th century Nelson recommended it as a valuable item of naval clothing and it was issued to the British garrison in Nova Scotia as part of their winter equipment. Most recently, the Brigadier of the 7th Armoured Brigade commissioned Phil and Arthur to make three hundred sweaters, complete with Desert Rat insignia on the left arm, for their campaign in Iraq and they have also supplied the forces in Afghanistan and regiments including the Mercian, the Royal Tank and the Intelligence Corps, who have recently reverted to their First World War green.
Arthur explains: “It was a great privilege to undertake these commissions and the process involved sourcing the precise colours for the wool and making sure that the specifications met with military approval at every stage. It should surprise people to learn the contribution being made from a small shed in Guernsey!”
Decades of wear
All Guernsey Woollens’ sweaters, gilets and cardigans are painstakingly made using a blend of traditional and modern manufacturing methods. Specialist machines now do the lion’s share of the knitting but each guernsey it still hand-finished, steamed to remove shrinkage and carefully inspected before it is sent out. “These garments can last for decades if looked after properly and there has been more than one occasion when a guernsey of thirty years or more has been sent in for minor repairs,” explains Phil.
In an age of built-in obsolescence, it is great to know that some things are still made to last and that people still appreciate the workmanship, history and beauty of these remarkable garments.