Through the Key Hole - RoseCroix.org.au

38
THE CARVED STONES OF JERSEY
By Keith Stockley
The late Bro. H M Godfray researched the British public records in
London in the 13th century and found no reference to the Castle
Grownes. This castle, even if its history is not known, is certainly of
a very great age as is confirmed by the following extract from the
Minutes of the proceedings of the Royal Commissioners Gardner
and Hussey who were sent to Jersey in 1607.
“ Phillip de Carteret his Majesties Proculer against Phillip de Carteret
Sr. of St. Owen foe keeping his Court upon the castle of
Grownes.
The said Proculer allegeth on his Majesties behalf that the said Sr.
of St Owen ought not to have kept his Court within said castle because
it standeth upon his Majesties fee called Lestack which hath
bin always in his Majesties possession and saith that because it
was a castle therefore it is presumed to belong to his Majestie.”
It is clear that this was indeed a very ancient building. The local
antiquarian society made extensive excavations in the early 1800’s
during which was discovered many unusual stones.
Bearing in mind the antiquity of the building which historians date
to the 13th or 14th centuries, the carvings on these stones must
surely prick the curiosity of any Freemason and these stones are
shown below. It is hoped that whomever reads this in lodge will be
able to reproduce these pictures for the benefit of the audience.
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And also this man Jabal was called the father of shepherds. The
Master of History says, and Beda de Imagine Mundi and the Polycronicon
and many others more say, that he was the first that
made partition of lands, in order that every man might know his
own land and labour thereon for himself. And also he divided
flocks of sheep, that every man might know his own sheep, and
so we may say that he was the inventor of that science.
His brother Jubal or Tubal was the inventor of music and song, as
Pythagoras states in Policonicon, and the same says Isodorus. In
his Ethemolegius in the 6th book he says that he was the first
founder of music and song, and of the organ and trumpet; and he
discovered that science by the sound of the weights of his
brother’s, Tubal-Cain’s, hammers.
And of a truth, as the Bible says, that is to say in the fourth chapter
of Genesis, Lamech begat by his other wife Zillah, a son and a
daughter, and their names Tubal Cain, that was the son, and the
daughter was called Naamah. And according to the Policronicon,
some men say that she was Noah’s wife; but whether this be or
not we will not affirm.
Ye must know that his son Tubal Cain was the founder of the
smith’s craft and of other handicrafts dealing with metals, such as
iron, brass, gold and silver as some learned writers say; and his
sister Naamah discovered the craft of weaving for before her time
no cloth was wowven, but they span yarn and knit it and made
such clothing as they could. And as this woman Naamah invented
the craft of weaving it was called woman’-craft.”