Francoise Nicolle

Wednesday 10am to 4pm

The year is 1865 at Hamptonne Farm, where Francoise Nicolle and her family work as tenant farmers.

Francoise was born in the parish of St Mary and into a life of farm labour. She is no stranger to the demanding nature of rural life but with many children to care for, a husband struggling with poor health and the ongoing pressures of farm life, her resilience is put to the test every day.

Francoise's family, like many tenant farmers of the time, face a constant struggle to balance the demands of the land and family to keep up with the payments to their landlord.

In addition to the physical labour of the farm, Francoise must care for the family and oversee the children’s education. When they are not out in the fields helping with the harvest or planting, she does her best to teach them their letters and numbers, though the task is difficult given the demands of everyday life.

Through Francoise’s eyes, understand the hardships and rewards of living on a Jersey farm in the Victorian era. Her stories illustrate the resilience, hard work and community that defined life in rural Jersey and you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices that shaped the Island’s history and the families who worked to make it thrive.

If meeting Francoise Nicolle is going to be the highlight of your trip to Hamptonne Country Life Museum, please call +44 (0) 1534 863 955 before you visit to check that performances are confirmed for that date.

Photos thanks to Andrei Alexe Photography