Legends of Jersey

by Feòrag

BBC Jersey has produced Things that go bump in the night..., a web page all about the island's folklore. The story of The Witches of Rocqueberg has certain parallels with better-known Scottish faerie tales, but the tale of Geoffrey's Leap is positively Darwinian!

No-one really knows who Geoffrey is, but we know that he committed a crime - and that his punishment was to be thrown off a high rock at Anne Port.

Crowds came to watch Geoffrey die, and the executioner hurled him off the rock. But Geoffrey survived, and swam ashore.

Some of the crowd argued that he should be allowed to live, and others that he should be thrown off again.

Geoffrey settled the argument, by saying that he would jump off the rock himself to show how easy it was. But this time, Geoffrey hit the rocks below, and died.

While there, check out the recipe for Black Butter, which has no folkloric connection that I know of, but is lovely stuff. (Thanks, indirectly, Simon).