[tz] Adding verified historic details

[Joseph S. Myers]

On Wed, 4 Sep 2013, Lester Caine wrote:

> > We have dates of legal adoption of GMT in Jersey (around 4pm on Saturday
> > 11 June 1898) and Guernsey (18 June 1913).
> Can I take those dates as facts we can add to the tz data? Is there any
> indication of the islands using a different time prior or like the main land
> they were already using 'GMT' and this just formalised it?

I don't have information about what time was being used before the legal 
adoption of GMT.  The petition (March 1909) signed by ten members of the 
States of Deliberation of Guernsey called for adoption of GMT as well as 
for summer time (only the first part ended up entered into law), and says 
"As to the first, that the island time should be standardised, we 
apprehend that there will be little, if any, difference of opinion.  
Indeed, we think it likely that many will hear with surprise that there is 
at present no official standard time in Guernsey, and that at any moment 
questions might arise which would be difficult to settle in the present 
state of confusion.".

-- 
Joseph S. Myers
jsm at polyomino.org.uk