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A blue plaque has been unveiled marking the family home address of 'ship owner and coffee merchant' William Le Lacheur, with the Bailiff saying he hopes this will help to raise his profile in Guernsey.
Mr Le Lacheur was described by Richard McMahon yesterday as being "held in high esteem" in Costa Rica while "little known in Guernsey".
The plaque, sponsored by the Forest parish, has been placed at L’Epinel Farm, Rue de L’Epinel, Forest.
The Bailiff was joined by the Costa Rican Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Mr Rafael Ortiz Fábrega, for a short ceremony before His Excellency Mr Rafael Ortiz Fábrega, and Mr McMahon unveiled the plaque.
Pictured: The Costa Rican Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Mr Rafael Ortiz Fábrega, was in Guernsey to honour William Le Lacheur by unveiling a plaque at what was his family home.
A Blue Plaque Panel, of which the Bailiff is Chair, are responsible for deciding where to place the signs which are designed to recognise Guernsey people who have made an important contribution to the Bailiwick and the wider world.
Mr McMahon said he was "honoured to be invited to unveil the blue plaque to William Le Lacheur with His Excellency the Costa Rican Ambassador to the United Kingdom".
William Le Lacheur is held in high esteem in Costa Rica where he is recognised for playing an important part in improving the fortunes of the Central American country during the 19th century.
Visit Guernsey said he is "credited with transforming Costa Rica from the poorest country in Central America to the wealthiest in just 20 years".
Pictured: Visit Guernsey is one source of information about William Le Lacheur's life and work.
William Le Lacheur was born in 1802 and his family home was at Rue de L'Epinel in the Forest. He married Rachel Le Messurier and they had five children.
He worked as a seaman and then Captain on boats, sailing between the Channel Islands, England, the Mediterranean and the Azores, transporting fresh fruit.
Records show that by 1836 he had set up a shipping company called Le Lacheur & Co with a friend, and as their business grew they expanded their fleet before setting sail to Brazil in 1841.
While moored on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Mr Le Lacheur heard of problems surrounding the exportation of coffee out of Costa Rica. He made the decision to sail there, where he made a deal to transport coffee to London.
The first shipment saw around 5,000 bags of coffee, worth more than a million pounds, sold to the London Coffee House. Following this success and with growing demand, Mr Le Lacheur diverted his other ships away from transporting fresh fruit and into the coffee business.
Mr Le Lacheur continued transporting coffee from Costa Rica to London, and he also took some young Costa Rican men to England to further their education. One of these young men grew up to be the Costa Rican President, José María Montealegre (1859-1863).
Pictured: Guernsey Museum's holds some material linked to William Le Lacheur and his work in Costa Rica.
Through the practice of taking students to England, and then back to Costa Rica, Mr Le Lacheur is credited with introducing football to the country.
He also shared his Protestant beliefs with his associates, including through distributing thousands of bibles to those in the country.
Captain William Le Lacheur of Guernsey is remembered by a memorial in the Church of the Good Shepherd in San José, Costa Rica. The Le Lacheur name is also memorialised in other plaques, while his image is still used on stamps and money.
He is buried in a family grave on the western side of Highgate Cemetery in London.
Pictured: The Bailiff of Guernsey, Richard McMahon.
Guernsey's Bailiff said it is hoped the blue plaque will help widen awareness of Mr Le Lacheur's historical achievements in his home island too.
"While little known in Guernsey, William Le Lacheur played a vital part in helping the newly independent Costa Rica establish itself. He is held in high esteem there where he became a national hero and is credited with transforming that country from being the poorest in Central America to the wealthiest, in less than a quarter of a century, by shipping coffee direct to London and using the profits to improve coffee production. William Le Lacheur's ships have featured on Costa Rican bank notes and postage stamps during the 19th and 20th centuries. I hope that this plaque helps to make Captain Le Lacheur as well-known on his home island as he is in Costa Rica.
“We are delighted that His Excellency Mr Rafael Ortiz Fábrega has been able to visit Guernsey again for this occasion and to strengthen the new links between our two communities. It is also a pleasure to be able to unveil a new plaque to a deserving Guernseyman after a two-year hiatus.”
Pictured top: The new blue plaque commemorating the life of William Le Lacheur. Image of Mr Le Lacheur from Guernsey Museums.
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