Slaves in the Inventories
The following tendencies in the household inventories give one an idea of the aspects of the lives of the slaves which were of importance to their owners.
Their place in the inventory
The heading “Lijfeigenen” appears in many cases towards the end of an inventory. Where the owner(s) owned a significant number of slaves, the male slaves would be mentioned first and then the women with their children, if they formed part of the household. In MOOC8/6.119 reference is made to the slaves as part of the belongings. In single cases a word such as “halvslag” would make its appearance. One slave named Martha with her two children, who were half-castes, belonged to Albert Diemer (MOOC 8/1.2, 1685). Reference would sometimes be made to the sizes and ages of the slaves. The fact that they had absconded was sometimes mentioned. Examples of detail to the ages can be found in 1825 in the case of Alexander of the Cape aged 38 3/4 and Jannuary of Malabar aged 54 2/3 years (MOOC8/42.25). Sometimes reference would be made to “seven stuks jongen, drie stuks meiden en twee kinderen”, without having names given to them (MOOC8/1.2, 1685).
Naming
Biblical names were often given to the slaves, e.g. Salomon, Izaak, Abraham, Jonas, or sometimes the names of the month of the year, e.g. November, September, Julij, etc. In some cases the name would give an indication of the personality of the slave, e.g. Harlekyn, Platvoet, Snaphaan and Tooijang. Pasop of Malabar was a slave belonging to Arnoldus Johannes Basson (MOOC8/6.88, 1742) – one wonders why he bore this cautionary appellation meaning “be careful”. Their country of origin formed part of their name. Many slaves came from the Indian Ocean, India, Malaysia, Ceylon, the East African coast and the island of Madagascar. There were also slaves from Angola, Bali, China and Japan. Many were born “in this Colony” in other words the Cape of Good Hope, and therefore known as “of the Cape”.
Living area
There is not much focus on the slaves’ living quarters in the inventories. Picks, spades, bags of salt and shovels were all kept in the slave quarters (MOOC8/12.14). The third upper room’s contents of the household of the retired Henricus Beck are described as ironwork racks, a chest, junk and 1 slave, Coridon of Maccaser (MOOC8/8.12a).
Value and condition
Slaves were described and valued in terms of their condition, as old, blind, worn with age, or crippled. The slave of Caspar Hendrik Batenhorst, Cupido of Batavia, was in chains at the Battery at the time of the inventory and so was not valued (MOOC8/6.55, 1742). Rosetta of Madagascar was blind, therefore no monetary value was assigned to her (MOOC8/17.8a, 1778). On the farm Eselsfonteijn in the Bokkevelt, a slave named Flora belonging to Henderina Horsel was described as “stom en harsenloos” (dumb and retarded). Together with her child, Samson of the Cape, they were only worth Rd:s20 (20 rixdollars) (MOOC8/6.72, 1744). January of Bengalen and a young slave, Titus, also of Bengalen, were cripples. Their worth was Rd:s20 and Rd:s15 respectively. Both these slaves belonged to Baltus Roelofsz (MOOC8/6.73, 1744). Johan Fredrik Hässner and his wife Martha Maria du Toit found the slave Job of Madagascar inferior because of his age, which is not specified in the inventory. However, Job became part of the liabilities of the will. Johannes le Riche inherited this slave and a valuation was placed on him of Rd:s500 (MOOC8/37.31, 1820). A slave belonging to Leendert Louw named Trompetter was old and had leprosy (“lazarus ziekte”), therefore he had no worth or value (MOOC8/6.58, 1743).
There are a number of references in the inventories to deaths caused by smallpox. Jan Heijns and his only slave both died of smallpox in 1767, during one of the smallpox outbreaks (MOOC8/12.24). Slaves were subject to many illnesses, due to their living conditions. Januarij of Mosambique was seen as sickly and therefore valued at Rd:s100 (MOOC8/51.49, 1796). Cases of chest problems were mentioned, such as Sophie, who had a chest condition: “een long tering”(MOOC16.5, 1827). A slave called Ceaser of Madagascar had epilepsy and was worth Rd:s150. At the death of Reijnier Lafebre, Catharina Abigael inherited Pieter of the Cape, a breastfeeding young slave (MOOC8/9.6, 1755). A year later it is noted that a young slave named Pieter, who belonged to Catharina Abigael Lafebre, had died of smallpox (MOOC8/9.7, 1756). Silvia of Boegies had cancer of the mouth. She had two children, Diena 2 years and Philida, 8 years old. The neighbours referred to the lesion as an “aksiedent” (MOOC8/51.43, 1795).
Possessions
Some slaves owned possessions and money. Part of the retired minister Henricus Beck’s “lasten” was the fact that he owed the freed slave Henrica of the Cape, according to the legacy specified in the deceased’s will, Rd:s166.32. To the heirs of the freed slave Alida of the Cape he owed Rd:s200. According to the will, this money was given to her by her late father and given into the custody of the late Mr Henricus Beck for her heirs. To his unnamed slave Beck left all his woollen and linen clothes. To his living free slave, Henderica of the Cape, he left one sideboard, one kitchen cupboard, broken chairs, a pot, bed, table, a matress and one bedspread (MOOC8/8.12a, 1755). Examples of possessions belonging to slaves are to be found in the inventories of the slaves, Alima of Mosambicque (MOOC8/42.22, 1825) and Chrisjan (MOOC8/42.20, 1827).
Freed slaves
There are instances of freed slaves who owned slaves. Carel Jansz van Bengalen requested in his will that his slave, Rebecca of Bengalen and her two children, Jan and Appollonia of the Cape, be freed at his death. It was also stated in the inventory that Rebecca and her children inherited the young slave, Anthony of Coutchin (MOOC8/6.74, 1744).
Listing
Slaves were in somes cases involved with the listing of the household goods. Johanna Magdalena of the Cape gave in good faith an account of the possessions of Cornelis Petrus Jansse de Bruijn on 25 April 1812 and promised to declare any goods that may come to her notice afterwards. This was done on 2 May 1812 and signed by herself as J. Mageen (MOOC8/29.17).
Another case was Betje of the Cape who declared to have acted therein bonafide and had not withheld anything that belonged to the estate of Johan Casper. She then signed, after the Commissioners J. Brand and C. Blanckenberg, her name as Elizabet van Kap in the presence of J.J.L. Smuts (MOOC8/44.51, 1830).
Labourers
Slaves were brought to the Cape to form the basic labour force. Christiaan Daniel Perzoon had doorframes, windowpanes, different lengths of wood, a chest with carpenter’s tools, etc. in his carpenter’s shop (MOOC8/17.22, 1776). Amongst his slaves were four masons, two stone hewers and a carpenter. Occupations ranged from shoemakers (Manuel of the Cape), vegetable sellers (Joseph of Boegies) and tailors (August of Bengalen) to silversmiths (Jan of the Cape). In the inventory of Gysbertus van Reenen and Maria Joh: Smallbergen many cattle and some sheepskins and bullock hides are inventoried. It is not surprising that one of their slaves, Philip of Malabar, 51 years old, was a tanner and another, Novel of Mosambicque, 41 years old, was a baker. It is also significant to note that another slave of this household, Carolus of Mosambicque, was 91 years old (MOOC8/42.26, 1827).
Instructions of the Will
Specific instructions were sometimes given in the will as to what should happen to the slaves after the death of the testators. Jan Dirksz: de Beer and Anna van Veldhuijsen specified that the 6 slaves at their house at the Cape not be sold but be divided amongst their children (MOOC8/1.63, 1701). In another case children would request to own certain slaves. In the will of Debora de Koning her eldest son and daughter had made their choice of slaves (MOOC8/7.53, 1748). There are many requests for slaves to be manumitted at the death of their owners. A case in point is Leonora of the Cape: Hendrik Heijns had to promise his father on his deathbed that she would be freed after his death (MOOC8/20.43, 1793).
Children
Many children were born into slavery. There was a dispute sometimes concerning this issue, as in the case between the deceased Izaak van de Kaap and Carel Christiaan Mocke (MOOC8/35.15, 1820). Mocke appealed to the King and Courts of England, because the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the deceased. The slaves, Rosina of Mosambicque with her children, Anthony, Salomon and Roosje were still Mocke’s possessions and the honourable De Wet was aware that Rosina, who since being with Mocke had born another child, but whose name he, De Wet, did not know. The child in question had to be Doortje, the youngest, 6 years old at the time.
Clothing
In some cases the clothing of the slaves was mentioned as part of the inventory. Debora de Koning had 2 packs of sheeting used for slave clothes in her attic. She also had slave gingham in her upper room (MOOC8/7.71, 1748). Michiel Groos owned 9 blue slave shirts (MOOC8/7.53, 1750). In Theunis Dirksz: van Schalkwijk’s wine cellar he had 6 pairs of slave trousers that had to be devided amongst 14 slaves (MOOC8/3.42, 1717). Adam Leendertsz van Nieuwenbroek owned 4 slave dresses apart from 5 pairs of slave trousers (MOOC8/3.81, 1718).
The abovementioned information portrays the position and role of the slaves in the selected household inventories at the Cape between 1717 and 1830.
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