Saint Brelade is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Its population was 10,568 as of 2011, and it occupies the southwestern part of the island. It is the only parish to border only one other parish, St. Peter. The parish is the second-largest parish by surface area, covering 7,103 vergées, which is 11% of the total land surface of the island.
History
Its name is derived from a 6th-century Celtic or Welsh "wandering saint" named Branwalator or Saint Brelade, who is said to have been the son of the Cornish king, Kenen. He is also said to have been a disciple of Samson of Dol, and worked with this churchman in Cornwall and the Channel Islands. A large section of the Jersey Railway linking La Corbière with Saint Helier ran through the parish between 1870 and 1936.
Church
is situated at the end of St. Brelade's Bay, an unusual situation being comparatively distant from historic centres of population. The small Fisherman's Chapel alongside contains mediaeval frescoes which survived the iconoclasm of the Reformation. According to folklore, the reason for the siting of the parish church is that originally the St. Bréladais intended to build the church inland, much nearer to the homes of the congregation. However les p'tits faîtchieaux who had their temple in a nearby dolmen were disturbed by the construction of the foundations and, every night, would undo the construction work and magically transport all the tools and materials down to the shoreline. Eventually the humans gave up and built the church where the fairies had indicated. Another church is located close to the Parish Hall in Saint Aubin. St Aubin on the Hill is an Anglican church in the Parish of Saint Brelade dedicated to Saint Aubin of Angers. The church that stands today was built in the 19th century and is a fine example of Victorian Gothic style, with beautiful stained glass windows. When this was built the appointed minister of the Anglican church also supported the building of a local primary school just a short walk from the church. St Brelade's School served the whole parish until it closed in 1984 and became St Brelade's College, a school that teaches English to foreign pupils.
Geography
St. Brelade has some of the most popular bays in Jersey, with St. Brelade's Bay, Ouaisné, Portelet and parts of both St. Ouen's Bay and St. Aubin's Bay falling within the parish boundaries. The village of Saint Aubin was originally a fishing port facing St. Helier on the opposite side of St. Aubin's Bay. St Aubin was historically the main centre of population in the parish, but residential development at Les Quennevais has shifted that centre of population. Jersey's prison is situated at La Moye, and the island's desalination plant is also sited in the parish. The lighthouse at La Corbière features on the Jersey £5 note and the Jersey 20-pence piece The traditional nickname for St. Bréladais is carpéleuses.
Demographics
Subdivisions
The parish is divided into vingtaines for administrative purposes as follows:
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