🌍 Was It an Earthquake? The Night Guernsey Trembled
From the Guernsey archives — reimagined by Guernsey Deep Dive
Shortly after midnight on a quiet Wednesday, islanders in both Guernsey and Jersey were startled by an unusual and unsettling event. Windows rattled, crockery clinked, and for a few seconds, the ground seemed to quiver beneath their feet.
Word spread quickly the following morning — had the Channel Islands really experienced an earthquake?
🌒 The First Reports
Our first informants were residents in the Vale, who felt faint vibrations around midnight. Now, more accounts have surfaced — most notably from Mr. Rowswell of Les Blanches, St Martin’s.
He wrote that he had just gone upstairs when “the window of the bedroom rattled as though shaken by a gust of wind.” The floor beneath him vibrated gently, but unmistakably, and the furniture was seen to oscillate.
The entire phenomenon lasted only about two seconds. Believing it to be an earthquake, Mr. Rowswell noted the exact time: 12:17 a.m.
That timing closely matched reports from Jersey, where the Evening Post placed the event at 12:15 a.m.
At the time, the weather was dull with a gentle W.S.W. breeze, barometer 30.35in and falling slightly, and the temperature stood at 45°F.
☄️ A Flash in the Sky
Adding intrigue to the mystery, Mr. A. Collenette reported that a meteor was seen falling into the sea to the north-east of the island, bursting with a loud report at almost the same time as the tremors.
He suggested that such a meteor might have created air shockwaves, which residents could easily have mistaken for an earthquake.
So — was it a genuine tremor, or a celestial explosion that shook the night?
🌊 More Witnesses Come Forward
At Les Dicqs in the Vale, several households reported feeling the earth move just after midnight. Crockery rattled on kitchen shelves, and in at least one case, the tremors were strong enough to wake people from their sleep.
Over in Jersey, similar shocks were recorded — but curiously, the Maison St. Louis Observatory detected no activity on its seismic instruments.
🪶 The Mystery Remains
The absence of seismic records leaves the truth uncertain. Perhaps the islands experienced a small, localized quake that escaped detection — or perhaps the meteor’s fall created a shockwave powerful enough to mimic one.
Either way, the event of that night lingered in local conversation for weeks. Islanders had felt, if only for a moment, that the earth itself was alive beneath them.
🕰️ Why It Matters
Guernsey’s granite cliffs and ancient rocks have stood unchanged for millennia, but moments like these remind us that even here, nature still holds surprises.
Whether caused by cosmic fire or underground force, the 1914 “earthquake” remains one of those island mysteries that continues to fascinate — proof that even the calmest coasts can tremble when history decides to move.
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