Wednesday 21 February 2024
Sir John Doyle, the former Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, has been awarded the next Blue Plaque as part of the Blue Plaque Scheme.
With an illustrious history, Sir John is possibly most notable for his ambitious engineering project to reclaim the Braye du Valle from the sea, connecting the island, which was formerly in two parts, together. When the tide rose the Braye du Valle tidal estuary filled and isolated the northern part of the island - then called the Clos du Valle. Doyle felt this was a weak point in the island's defences as a French landing on the Clos would provide the invaders with a readily defendable position from which to strike at the rest of the island.
Sir John was nominated by Deputy Sue Aldwell and the plaque has been sponsored by Deputy Aldwell and the OGH Hotel. It will be unveiled by The Bailiff during a short ceremony on the 15th March at 11am, outside the Old Government House Hotel. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Deputy Sue Aldwell, Member of the Committee forEducation, Sport & Culture, said:
"The Blue Plaque Scheme is all about recognising people crucial to Guernsey's history, and Sir John Doyle is certainly one of those. In many ways, he shaped the island we live on and love today. As well as filling in the Braye du Valle, Sir John also built new roads, gun batteries and forts as part of a major defence plan. His projects were not without opposition either, with a huge public meeting held in Town Church where he managed to charm the crowd into voting in favour of his plans."
Sir John became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey in 1803. While he often faced opposition, when it came time for him to leave there were protests and local petitions for him to stay.
The plaque will be the latest addition to the ways in which Guernsey commemorates the former Lt-Governor. Previous dedications include: the Doyle Monument at Jerbourg Point, Doyle Road, Fort Doyle, Doyle Street, Doyle Lane, Doyle Close and The Doyle - (previously the site of Doyle Barracks).
General Sir John Doyle, 1st Baronet GCB, KCH
(1756 - 1834)
John Doyle was born in Dublin in 1756. He entered Trinity College Dublin in July 1768 to study law, but when his father died in March 1771 he joined the army. He served with distinction in the American War of Independence (1775-1783. Following the peace in America in 1782 Captain Doyle returned to Ireland, entering politics. He was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons in 1783. He progressed to serve as Secretary of War in Irish politics from 1796 until 1799.
When France declared war on Great Britain, in September 1793, Doyle raised his own regiment, the 87th (The Prince of Wales's Irish, later the Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot; they were also known as The Prince of Wales Irish Heroes. He served in France, the Netherlands, Gibraltar and Egypt.
Doyle was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey in 1803, after the resignation of his predecessor, Sir Hew Dalrymple. He was already stationed in Guernsey with the garrison at the time. Thanks to his military background, Doyle understood the potential threat of French invasion to the island and he immediately declared a "state of emergency" which remained in force until Napoleon's defeat in 1815.
