The only silver coin for Guernsey was the Spanish Dollar, overstruck or countermarked as follows:—
Respecting this coin, the Viscount of Jersey [Le Gros] writes to me, under date 21st September, 1893:— "The firm of Bishop de Jersey & Co., who issued the token in question in 1809, carried on the business of bankers in Guernsey under the style of "The Guernsey Bank." This Bank was in existence for about ten years in the beginning of the present century, and was, I am told, the first to issue paper money (£1 notes) in Guernsey. It came to grief, however, after this short time. "There are descendants of Mr. Bishop still living in Guernsey. "'Mon Plaisir' is the name of the family estate of the Guernsey family of de Jersey, of which the partner in the Bank of that name was a member. "Bishop and de Jersey are two distinct family names, both belonging to Guernsey." |