LA CHASSE, EDWARD COMBS (St. Helier resident)

From this house at 6.30 a.m. on 6th January 1781, he alerted the Lieutenant Governor, Moses Corbet, in Government House (at the corner of Grosvenor St) that the French had invaded and were in St. Helier. Five hours later, Baron de Rullecourt's French troops had been defeated by Major Peirson's Jersey and British forces in the Market Place (Royal Square) in a confrontation now known as the Battle of Jersey. Holyoake's copy of Copley's "The Death of Major Peirson" is hanging in the Royal Court. For more in depth information on the Battle of Jersey please click here (opens in new window). The plaque reads:- "EDWARD COMBS LIVED HERE. ON JAN 6, 1781 AT 6.30 A.M. HE ALERTED THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR THAT THE FRENCH WERE IN THE TOWN. THE BATTLE OF JERSEY WAS FOUGHT AND WON FIVE HOURS LATER."