They are the sole of that duchy. at tached to the British crown. whence their inde pendence and the humorous local contention that great Britain is an appanage of the Channel Islands, legal doeuments referring to the mon arch as Duke of Normandy and King of Great Britain and Ireland. The islands originally were joined III the COntillent bettelleS and other traces of exist. Cave-dwellings and numerous megal it hic cromlechs, i, and prove the habitation of a prehistoric race; a few old Norman chapels remain: the oldest churches, Saint Brelade's. Jersey, and Saint Sampson's, Guernsey, date from Iii I. and earthworks. fortifications. and castles dat ing from Roman and subsequent periods exist. The Romans occupied the islands during the Third and Fourth centuries; Clesarea t•Iersey), l'a.sar•s Isle, and Sarnia (,linernsey) occur in the itinerary of An toninus. Christianity was introduced by Irish mis-donaries about A.D. 4110, Saint. Helier being the apostle of Jersey and Saint Sampson of Guernsey. The islands were taken by Rollo pre to his inva,ion of Normandy, the famous Romom do Von, by Wace (q.v.), a native of Jer sey, who wrOto in the Twelfth Century, tel his deeds.
After the Conquest the islands alternated be tween Norman ;111,1 English rule until 1204, when with the loss of Normandy they remained faith ful to Emland and steadfastly resisted many subsettuent attempts On the part of Franey to caDtUre them. In Henry VI.'s reign the Frenell
held part of Jersey for six years. During the Civil War they were the scene of many notable events, Jersey remaining loyal and Episcopal, and Guernsey republican and Presbyterian. During the Revolutionary War in America a French expedit hot landed in :Jersey in 1761, but wa; defeated with great loss. During the French and Ameriean wars. when shipbuilding was an im portant local industry. the titled out 'natty privateers. and. in Burke's words, became -ono of the naval imwers of the world," cap turing many rich prizes. The islands are fa vorite asylums for political refugees. Their numbers have included Charles II., Earl Claren don, Vielor lingo, and General Bmilanger, Popu lation. in IS91, 92,200: i» 19(11,!1i,~(10- Urquhart, 1 rlruttt. 1 is/finds. or num (Lon don, 1514) : Pegot-Ogier, ilistoire dos lltsde la 31 a nchc ( Paris, 1111) : lusted and Latham. The n cl IxutHd,1 I London, 189(1) : De Ch;•y, Los ills norm a toles 1S9S) ; and see separate ar ticle-. ALDERNEY: least:v., GUERNSEY: and SARK.