Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society

The Royal Jersey Showground, the Society's headquarters, also holds a wide range of indoor and outdoor events and provides meeting, conference and exhibition facilities.

On the 26 August 1833 a meeting was held in St. Helier, chaired by the Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, Major General Thornton, to consider forming an agricultural society.

Located in the Parish of Trinity in the heart of the Island, these new Headquarters and showground were officially opened on 13 July 2001, by the Society's Patron, Her Majesty The Queen.

When His Majesty King William IV conferred his Royal Patronage upon the Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1834, he set a precedent that has been graciously continued by each successive Monarch since then.

In June 1887 the Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria was celebrated with a combined show of the Society, at which the judging of cattle took place in public for the first time.

The next patron, His Majesty King George V, visited Jersey in 1921, when he was presented with a splendid specimen of the breed 'La Sente's Miss Bronzemine' at the Society's Springfield showground.

So much attention was paid to the production of woollen garments that legislation was introduced by the States to control the time devoted to knitting as the gathering of vraic (seaweed used for fertiliser) and harvesting were being neglected.

Renowned for its beauty, ease of management and natural ability to produce rich creamy milk, the 'Jersey' is a product of the Island, its soil, its climate, its people and their history.

The most distinctive features of the 'Jersey' are its black nose with a mealy white band round it, the traditional dished face, refined bone and graceful beauty.

In 1882 the cow 'Khedive's Primrose' was sold to America for the incredible sum of £1,000, which in those days would have been sufficient to purchase an average size farm, house and buildings.

The Jersey Herd Book is a register in which is recorded information relating to the bovine population, including the owner, a description of the animal, its ancestry, date of birth and many other facts.

In addition to holding pedigree details the Herd Book also records an animal's production and conformation, which is very important for assessing the breeding value of individuals so that the farmers can improve their stock, and therefore, the general condition of the cattle population.