Minquiers
La Maîtr' Île
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| Geography | |
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| Location | English Channel |
| Coordinates | 48°57′00″N 2°07′59″W / 48.950°N 2.133°WCoordinates: 48°57′00″N 2°07′59″W / 48.950°N 2.133°W |
| Major islands | Maîtresse Île / Maîtr' Île Les Maisons |
| Administration | |
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Jersey
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| Parish | Grouville |
| Demographics | |
| Population | none permanent |
The Minquiers (Les Minquiers; in Jèrriais: Les Mîntchièrs 
pronunciation ; nicknamed "the Minkies" in local English) are a group of islands and rocks, about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Jersey. The Minquiers forms part of the Bailiwick of Jersey. They are administratively part of the Parish of Grouville.
At low tide, the rock shelf around the Minquiers has a larger surface area than Jersey itself but at high tide only a few of the main heads remain above water. The largest of these is Maîtresse, which is about 50 m (55 yd) long and 20 m (22 yd) wide and has about ten stone cottages in various states of repair. However, they have no permanent inhabitants, though fishermen, vraic (seaweed used for fertilizer) collectors, yachtsmen, radio amateurs and even sometimes kayakers make summer landfall.
The most significant islands in the group are:
Others include:
The Minquiers are designated protected under the Ramsar convention.
The etymology of the name is disputed. While some say that the name comes from the Breton language minihi meaning a sanctuary, others such as Victor Coysh, maintain it comes from minkier meaning a seller of fish.
Thousands of years ago, around the time of the last glacial period, when sea level was lower, the Channel Islands were high ground on the plain connecting the European Continent and southern England.
In 933 CE, the Duchy of Normandy annexed the islets, along with the other Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula. After William, Duke of Normandy conquered England in 1066, the islands remained united to the Duchy until Philip Augustus conquered mainland Normandy in 1204. In 1259 Henry III did homage to the French king for the Channel Islands. Edward III, in the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny, waived his claims to the crown of France and to Normandy, but reserved various other territories to England, including the Channel Islands.
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Wikipedia