THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE of SIMON's TOWN 1783 to 1843
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UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN DEPARTMENT OF HISTORICAL STUDIES THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE OF SIMON’S TOWN 1743 TO 1843 Dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirementsTown for the Degree ofCape of MASTER OF THE ARTS IN HISTORY by JOLINE YOUNG (YNGJOL001) University Supervisor: Prof Nigel Worden December 2013 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgementTown of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Cape Published by the University ofof Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University i PLAGIARISM DECLARATION This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. Signature:…………………………………………… Date …………………………………. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Having come to the end of a two year project on the Enslaved People of Simon’s Town, I have many people to thank. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Nigel Worden for his excellent supervision. Thank you Nigel for always being available to me and for firmly steering me on course; at times when the research into the treatment of slaves became overwhelmingly painful for me. I know now why you have been described by so many students as a first class supervisor, and I echo these sentiments. All errors in this thesis are my own. To David and Elaine Potter, I am exceedingly grateful to you for granting me a fellowship through the Potter Foundation and also for the personal interest you have shown in the work I have been doing on Simon’s Town. I am also grateful to the Charles Struben and Ivor Davies Foundations for scholarships received. To Robert and Sandy Shell: Thank you for your friendship and encouragement over the years and thank you also for passing on some helpful resource material my way, for which I am very grateful. Thank you also to Robert for reading this thesis and for giving me valuable commentary and guidance. I am also very grateful to the staff at the African Studies library, where Sandy is still so greatly missed, and the staff at the Main Library at UCT. Names that particularly come to mind with grateful thoughts are Tanya Barben, Sue, Bev, Allegra, Mbuyi, Neil and Celo. I would like to make a special mention of gratitude to Nuroo Davids of Knowledge Commons UCT for giving up so much of her time to painstakingly guide me through the formatting process of this thesis. Thank you Nuroo. Your generosity of spirit is exceptional and much appreciated. To Mrs Patty Davidson of the Heritage Museum and Cathy Salter-Jansen of the Simon’s Town Museum, thank you for your assistance and for the use of your research facilities. Thank you also Mrs Davidson for your friendship over the years and for always welcoming me into your home. iii I am particularly grateful to Margaret Cartwright of the Simon’s Town Historical Society, who made me aware of the Freehold grants records listed in the Willis Files as, due to the digitisation project of the Deeds Office, these documents would have been otherwise unavailable to me. Grateful thanks also go to Victoria of the Simon’s Town Museum for making copious photostats of all these and other documents for me over the years and who always assisted me so kindly and cheerfully. To the staff at the Western Cape Archives and Document Service: James, Tembile, Erika, Kenny, Jaco, Peter, Cecil and Ridwaan, I am immensely grateful for your exceptional service and it has been a pleasure to meet you all. Thank you all for always going the extra mile. You are an amazing team of people. My thanks also go to Maureen Rall for all the Dutch translations that she did with such care and precision and to Jean Redelinghuys for so kindly translating the Dan Sleigh material from the Buitepos from Afrikaans to English for me. To Melanie Alperstein, thank you for being a ray of sunshine during some pretty challenging times. The world is a much more beautiful place with you in it. My thanks also go to Donna Corns who was been a huge source of inspiration and an amazing friend. Thanks also Donna, for proof-reading this thesis and for your valuable feedback. Lastly, but equally importantly I would like to thank my mother Barbara and my children Blanche, Colin, Kyle and Sarai for their incredible understanding while I have been studying. You are each uniquely special and unconditionally loved. Thanks particularly to Blanche for her exceptional support. And finally for Nicole, who lives on with every beat of my heart. iv ABSTRACT This thesis is a study of slavery and emancipation in Simon’s Town for the period 1743 to 1843. Through the compilation of a slave database derived from VOC era wills and British colonial era slave registers, quantitative details pertaining to slave demography, religion, mortality, occupation, gender and levels of creolisation were recorded to monitor how the experience of slavery in Simon’s Town changed over time. These details are attached in the form of a Slave Database CD. The use of magisterial and slave office correspondence afforded a qualitative enquiry of the society that existed in Simon’s Town during this period and offered insights into how this was experienced by slaves. Two oral history interviews were also conducted. Significantly the data shows that slaveholders exerted their power through a combination of violence and differential treatment, intended to cause fear and division amongst slaves. Conversely, the data suggests that slaves derived agency through religion, ethnic group strength and random acts of ‘slave justice’. Furthermore, it shows that the landscape of Simon’s Town district provided unique opportunities for escape both by land and sea. In addition it shows that the arrival of the British Navy created opportunities for some slaves to transcend slavery by becoming wage earning crew members on its fleets. Significantly too it shows that the arrival of many working class British seamen into Simon’s Town impacted on both male and female slaves in Simon’s Town in ways that would see them re-evaluate and reject the institution of slavery. Pertinent findings are suggestions of ethnic awareness and ethnic spatial separation that existed in Simon’s Town. These findings imply that theories derived by historians of Cape slavery that are informed by quantitative studies based on the Cape as a whole, do not necessarily match data within specific urban areas of the Western Cape. v CONTENTS PLAGIARISM DECLARATION .............................................................................................................................. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................... II ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................................... IV INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. X CHAPTER 1 – THE DISTRIBUTION OF SLAVES IN SIMON’S TOWN ...................................................................... 1 1.1. THE DATABASE 1743 – 1795 ............................................................................................................................ 3 1.1.1 Slave demography in Simon’s Town 1743 - 1795 ................................................................................. 4 1.1.2 Slave names 1743 – 1795 ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.3 A look at individual slaveholdings listed on the database .................................................................... 5 1.1.3.1 The slaves of Christina Diemer of Imhoff’s Gift .............................................................................................. 5 1.1.3.2 The slaves of Johannes Volraadt .................................................................................................................... 8 1.1.3.3 The slaves of Fredrik Kirsten - Imhoff’s Farm 1765 to 1783 ........................................................................... 9 1.1.3.4 The slaves of Hendrik Elshoud...................................................................................................................... 13 1.2 THE DATABASE 1796 - 1815 ............................................................................................................................ 14 1.2.1 A look at individual slaveholdings in Simon’s Town 1796 - 1815 ....................................................... 17 1.2.1.1 Slaves at Poespas Kraal farm ........................................................................................................................ 17 1.2.1.2 The slaves of Buffelsfontein Farm ................................................................................................................ 18 1.2.1.3 Slaves at Widow Hurter’s Lodging House ..................................................................................................... 19 1.2.1.4 Slaves of Jan Willem Hurter Junior Circa 1809 ............................................................................................. 21 1.2.1.5 The