Torteval (

Guernésiais Guernésiais (), also known as Guerneseyese, ''Dgèrnésiais'', Guernsey French, and Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of the Norman language spoken in Guernsey. It is sometimes known on the island simply as "patois". As one of the langues d ...

: Tortévas) is the smallest of the ten parishes of

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

, one of the western parishes. Its name comes from the

words for "twisting valley". The parish is split in two by the parish of St. Pierre du Bois, with the part in the east known as Torteval. The detached

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

to the west is named Pleinmont-Torteval. It includes the westernmost point in Guernsey, and a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. The reserve, designed for birds in the 1970s, was to be redeveloped for the

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for Queen Victo ...

in 2012. In

, people from Torteval were nicknamed "ânes à pid dé ch'fa", or "

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

s with

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

's hooves". In the centre of the parish is a church designed by John Wilson and built in 1818, with the oldest bell in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

, dating from 1432. The church is built on the site of an earlier church, consecrated on 4 November 1140, that had fallen into disrepair. The current church has the tallest

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...

in Guernsey, which is intended to be used as a

sea mark A sea mark, also seamark and navigation mark, is a form of aid to navigation and pilotage that identifies the approximate position of a maritime channel, hazard, or administrative area to allow boats, ships, and seaplanes to navigate safely. ...

. It was proposed in 1849 to install a light on the steeple, but after inspection by

Trinity House The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, also known as Trinity House (and formally as The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild Fraternity or Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity and of St Clement in the ...

it was found unsuitable. The

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...

for street addresses in this parish begins with GY8. The parish produces a regular magazine called ''Les Tortévalais''.

Features

The features of the parish include: * Torteval Church ? * La Tables des Pions * Military: ** Parish war memorial is outside the parish church ** Fort Pezeries ** Les Tielles Battery dating from the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

** Narron Battery dating from the

** Pleinmont Battery dating from the

** Ruined Watch-house, Pleinmont (mentioned in Victor Hugo's book 'The Toilers of the Sea') ** Pleinmont Observation Tower ** Batterie Dollmann ** German fortifications, built during the occupation 1940-45 * A number of protected buildings * Bays ** Portelet ( MCS recommended) ** Rocquaine * Pleinmont Point * Cliff paths *

Abreuvoir A watering trough (or artificial watering point) is a man-made or natural receptacle intended to provide drinking water to animals, livestock on farms or ranches or wild animals. History In Australia, the watering trough is established so t ...

s (places for cattle to drink) * Torteval nature reserve The parish of Torteval hosts: * The Torteval Douzaine * Torteval scarecrow festival * TV relay tower * Hotels and restaurants * Countryside walks

Politics

Torteval comprises part of the West

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

with Forest, St. Saviour's and St. Pierre-du-Bois In the

2016 Guernsey general election The 2016 Guernsey general election was held on 27 April 2016 to elect 38 members of the States of Guernsey who will serve until 2020. There was a by-election in October 2016 to fill a vacancy in the district of Vale. Electoral system Followin ...

there was a 3,188 or 74% turnout to elect five Deputies. Those elected (in order of votes received) being ''Al Brouard'', ''Andrea Dudley-Owen'', ''Emilie Yerby'', ''David De Lisle'' and ''Shane Langlois''.

References

{{Coord, 49, 25, 47, N, 2, 38, 46, W, source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Parishes of Guernsey