contents

Inventories of the Orphan Chamber
of the Cape of Good Hope


Two inventories from the British period

MOOC8/40.14

Hendrik Canterburry died at 11 o’ clock on the evening of 28 April 1825. His last will and testament had been made on 29 April 1822 in the presence of the Notary Public, Rynier Beck and witnesses. According to the inventory his sole and universal heirs were his three natural children conceived by the late female slave, Christina of Ceylon, namely Hendrik Cesar Canterburry, Jesimina Canterburry and Job Canterburry. The last two children were still in slavery at the time of the execution of his will. His other heirs were his four children conceived by the free woman Eva of the Cape, named Hester Elizabeth Canterburry married to Fredrik Jacob Schowkerk, Silvia Catharina Hendrica Canterburry married to David Davidsze, Maria Johanna Hendrica Canterburry born 12 September 1808 and Fredrik Willem Canterburry born 12 November 1814. However, according to Heese and Lombaard (1986), there was another child, Caroline Marthina, who was married to John Mckenzie at Caledon on 12 May 1839. Canterburry appears to have been a colourful character and was associated with an old saying: “Dis ou nuus van Kenteborrie” (Ibid: 544).

A slave boy named Damon, whom Hendrik Canterburry believed to be his child, was purchased by him from the late widow le Sueur, and therefore ransomed. He also wished to have his said son christened and instructed in the Christian religion (CO3897/70).

On 30 August 1800, in the presence of Joh:s Hen: Neethling, Notary Public at the Cape of Good Hope residing in Cape Town and in the presence of witnesses who personally appeared, Mrs Dorothea Elisabeth Scheller, widow of the late Hendrik le Sueur, declared that she had sold and transferred to the manumitted slave Canterburry of Bengal, her slave boy named Damon, a native of this Colony who was born on 31 June 1793. Damon was the son of Canterburry and Christina of Ceylon, also a slave belonging to Mrs Scheller. The conditions of this transfer of Damon were stated in her will: that in case the said Canterburry, then free, may depart this life before the boy having reached his twentieth year of age, he shall remain and live with the said appearer or one of her heirs, until he has reached that age, and shall be instructed in such a trade as he shall be inclined to. When Damon became manumitted could he have taken on the name of Hendrik Cesar Canterburry, seeing that Canterburry’s first-born according to MOOC8/40.14 was the freed Hendrik Cesar Canterburry?

Condition N:o 313 in the Book of Conditions (SO11/1) applied: a copy of the codicil of the deceased widow of the late H. le Sueur, born D.E. Schilder (Scheller) attached to her last will and testament and logded with the Orphan Chamber stated that the children born to Christina must never be sold. The widow le Sueur and Christina requested that Jasemina, a nurserymaid, be given to her daughter Hannetje. The other child, Job, by request was to be given to her son Pieter de jonge (junior) and to remain in slavery until Pieter reached the age of 26. Job inherited 2000 gilders from Mrs le Sueur because he had een steyve arm. Pieter Lodewyk le Sueur registered Job, son of Christina of this Colony in 1818. He was a houseboy at the time and was sold to C.S. Pillans on 21 July 1829.

After the death of his former wife Christina, Canterburry had relations with a female slave belonging to Mr E.F. Schraader, Eva of the Cape, with whom he procreated children. The eldest was Hester Elizabeth Canterburry, whom he also purchased on condition that she be manumitted. In order to manumit them he desired that they should be admitted membership of the Christian religion. As for Damon’s manumission, he begged, as a poor man, not to have to pay the Church the usual penalty that owners of slaves born in their owners’ houses had to pay and who have confessed the Christian religion. The owners were obliged to allow these slaves to be freed on their paying the sum at which they should be valued. To such slaves was remitted the penalty established against the manumission of slaves, which then was only twenty five rixdollars, but later became fixed at fifty rixdollars each. The sale of the children to their father would have the same effect as if they had bought their freedom themselves, or have been valued at the prices the father purchased them for (CO3897/47).

Hester Canterburry was born in slavery and bought by her father, Hendrik Canterburry, on condition that she be discharged from slavery. In his request to Lord Charles Henry Somerset, Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Canterburry stated his willingness to comply with all the regulations prescribed by the Colonial laws. The request was signed in Cape Town on 8 December 1819 (CO3916/386).

The other children born to Eva and Canterburry, Selvia (about 18 1/2 years old when manumission was requested) and Maria, both natives of this Colony, had been instructed in the Christian faith and baptized in the Reformed Church of the Colony, and manumitted in 1824 (CO3927/411). The aim of the propagation of Christianity and the general spreading of religious instruction amongst slaves was to promote morality amongst them and to improve their condition and conduct (Index to Slave Office 1/21.

The Assistant Inspector for the Enregisterment of slaves in the Colony was Honoratius Fredrik Willem Maynier, appointed by the Government. Hendrik Canterburry appeared before him. After having obtained His Excellency the Governor’s permission, Hendrik declared on 6 April 1821 to have Fredrik manumitted and discharged from slavery. The appearer’s slave named Fredrik born in this Colony, was about seven years old. Fredrik Jacob Schowkerk, husband of Hester Elizabeth Canterburry, and Johan Christiaan Weis junior also appeared. They declared to bind themselves in solidum as securities, that the aforesaid emancipated slave named Fredrik would not within the fixed time of twenty years, become burdensome to the Church, nor through poverty be entitled to apply for any alimentation or support (Slave Office 12/3, Deeds of manumission 1816-1822 Folio N:o 261).

A codicil dated 15 July 1824 requested the Board of Orphan Masters of this Colony to act as the executors. Consequently the property was inventoried by the undersigned special Commissioners and the following found: a house and plot situated at 5 Leeuwe Street (see Plan of Cape Town, 1827). According to another record, his business as a hairdresser was at 22 Leeuwe Street (African Court Calender and Directory for 1822). In his house at 5 Leeuwe Street, the following were found: one table, one kitchen table, three chests, two trunks, two benches, one iron pot, two water buckets, two dishes, four plates, four spoons, four forks and two knives, two candlesticks, etc. The heirs requested that some of the deceased’s clothes be given to the younger brother, Fredrik Willem Canterburry, as well as one pair of scissors, one comb, one hairbrush and one powder bag.

Eva Satzman, formerly Eva of the Cape and a housemaid, was the free slave whose owner was Ernst Fredrik Schrader. She was manumitted on 30 November 1826. The property which she claimed to be hers (confirmed by E.F. Schrader) ranged from a clothes cupboard to chairs, tables, curtains, blankets, pillows, a desk, ten paintings, buckets, a vinegar cask, candlesticks, a tea-caddy, Chinese pots, one soup spoon, plates, dishes, chests, cups and saucers, a silver pocket-watch, a lantern and a coffee mill. She claimed the remaining furniture and other articles found in the house of the deceased as her property. Eva Satzman was also listed as a bijzit (concubine) of Carel Human at Morgenroodt, on 28 July 1836 (Opgaaflyst voor het jaar 1836, voor den veldkornet Jac:s van Reede van Oudtshoorn).

Hendrik Canterburry junior, the hairdresser, was a colourful personality who lived in Hout Street for many years. According to H.J.W. Picard he must have been a great storyteller and complemented the rather dull local news columns of the first Cape weeklies with a wealth of intimate gossip. He was honoured as a popular figure in Cape Town by naming a street after him. He was missed when he moved from 26 to 53 Keerom Street in 1828 (Picard, 1968: 111).

Claims in favour of the estate amounted to several rixdollars for hairdressing services rendered, in arrears for as long as two years for some clients, for example Boniface and Martinus Holtman, at 5 rixdollars per annum. Claims against the estate included a mortgage to F.W. Flamme for the deceased’s house. Another claim against the estate was a mortgage to the Lombard Bank on the house. “In 1793 this bank, the first government Bank in South Africa, was established to increase the revenue and relieve the distress then prevailing and the want of currency. Paper money was issued and this was loaned to the inhabitants at 5 per cent on security on houses, land, gold, silver, jewels, merchandise, etc.” (The Public Archives of South Africa, 1928:11). Other claims were money owing to Hendrik Teubes, the meat supplier, and to J.R. Thompson for coffee.

The household had been inventoried on 2 May 1825 according to a statement made by the free woman, Eva Satzman, in the presence of the respective heirs of the deceased. She declared that she had not withheld or secreted anything that belonged to the estate and was willing to confirm her statement by solemn oath; and if at a later date any other property belonging to the estate might be found, she would inform the Orphan Chamber.

Plan of Cape Town and environs showing blockplan of town with major public buildings.
This is a version of George Thompson’s 1827 plan.

 


 

MOOC8/40.23

Simon Johannes Visser and Christina Maria Kriel, had four children according to the inventories in MOOC8/40.23 and MOOC8/68.4a:

  1. Johan Hendrik Visser full aged
  2. David Christiaan Visser full aged
  3. Simon Johannes Visser born on 20 May 1803
  4. Pieter Coenraad Visser born on 30 July 1811

Simon Johannes Visser passed away in 1822 (MOOC8/68.4a and b). Christina Maria Kriel left the estate to her 5 children when she died in 1825 (MOOC8/40.23).

In the general account of liquidation of the estate another child, Johan Abraham Visser, born 19 June 1808 is included with the other children mentioned above, qualifying him for his maternal inheritance (MOOC13/1/51).

No division of rooms is given for the house and plot in Riebeek Street in Simon Johannes’s inventory (MOOC8/68.4a and b). The house and plot situated in Table Valley at 15 Riebeek Street refers to a passage, a front room and a kitchen in (MOOC8/40.23). The passage had a sofa as well as pots, dishes, plates, glasses, spoons, five, forks, one knife, etc. There were bedding and eating utensils in the front room. Apart from the bedstead with its curtains and bedding there were plates, forks, knives and spoons which give an indication of the utilisation of the front room. Interesting items in the front room were two small looking glasses, one pocket knife, one Bible, one prayer book, a quantity of doepa, a quantity of nutmeg, etc. Although the Bible is an indication of the Christian religion, the doepa reflects a belief in the magic effects of a potion made of plants/herbs. The separate kitchen had the kitchen table, with its typical cooking utensils, namely kettles, pots, a frying pan, a gridiron, etc. This kitchen was probably used for cooking. There were a table, pots, empty casks one old chest, ladder and beam in the yard. It is clear that the passage, front room and the yard had been utilised for eating purposes. Contents of the house mentioned in MOOC8/68.4a include bedroom and kitchen furniture as well as the kitchen utensils.

The slaves belonging to the household were Fransina of Mallabaar, a house maid aged 68 years who, according to the children, should be manumitted at her own expense and Constantia of this Colony aged 58 at the time of death of Christina Maria who was her daughter-in-law. Simon Johannes Visser was the son and owner of Constantia, a wash and housemaid registered 27 March 1817 at the Slave Office (SO 5/5). Constantia was named as Constantia of Africa by her daughter-in-law (MOOC8/68.4b). The slave boy, Present of Bougies was a fisherman, 48 years of age.

There was some cash found in the estate, including Spanish and English currency. Claims in favour of the estate were monies owing from rent for a room from Albert, in service of Mr P.J.Truter and from Johannes in service of Mr Twycross. Mr Twycross was a shipping agent, as well as chairman of the Committee of the Commercial exchange. Could Maria Kriel also have benefited from this connection with Mr Twycross, hence the type of currency and the possible income from fishing? Money was still outstanding for board and lodging from Jan Fisscher and lodging from Jacobus Franke. It is clear that Maria Kriel had an income from her lodgers. The big question is, where were they all staying? There were definite indications of sleeping arrangements in the front room, although there was only one bed. A sofa in the passage could have been used for sleeping too. Was the yard also used for lodging purposes?

Nearly all the city dwellers of Table Valley provided boarding as a second economic activity. The landlords were allowed to provide accommodation and meals, but not liquor (De Wet, 1981:53). One notices that there were many bottles, despite the meagre possessions: Johan Hendrik Visser, the son, had one case with twelve bottles in his possession. There were also fifteen empty bottles and eleven wine glasses in the passage. There was no limit to the number of boarding houses at the Cape, only a geographic restriction, namely that houses in Table Valley could be utilised for this purpose, because of the sea traffic (De Wet, 1981:55).

Had Christina Maria also been an active seamstress, because Regina a Khoi woman from Olieboom, owed her money for two chintsz covers? Jacob Brown at Moddergat owed her cash. Moddergat in Hout Bay Rd., now Valley Grange, was a quitrent grant to Christopher Bird, Colonial Secretary in 1821 of nearly 400 morgen (Fransen and Cook: 1980:132).

According to the vendu roll of the goods of Christina Maria Kriel and Simon Johannes Visser by the Board of Orphan Masters at the Cape of Good Hope put up for public sale on 30 May 1825 at the house of the deceased Christina Maria Kriel, widow of  Simon Johannes Visser, a slave boy named Present of Bougies, 48 years old and a fisherman, was bought by the son, Johan Hendrik Visser,  for 310 gilders (MOOC10/39.28). The slaves as well as free blacks came from parts of the world where fish was an important and cheap source of food. The boats were sent out to sea early in the mornings with slaves as fishermen. The free fishermen of Table Valley made an exsistance from fishing, selling their dry and salt fish to passing ships (De Wet, 1981:57). Fishing was not an economically viable activity, because of the risks and the expensive equipment, therefore many fishermen became despondent and after a year or two would leave the Cape or work for the Company (De Wet, 1981:58).

It is then justified to say that Christina Maria Kriel had diligently striven to make ends meet through practising a few economic activities. Unfortunately the inventory is not a reflection of a wealthy estate. The estate of Simon Johannes Visser and Christina Maria Kriel was liquidated on 7 May 1825 (MOOC13/1/51). When Simon Johannes Visser died there were still some rixdollars left in the estate, namely Rd:s1085:46 (MOOC8/68.4a). However, at his wife’s death the claims against the estate were Rd:s1333:16 to the Orphan Chamber owing to a mortgage bond and Rd:s325:38 3/4 for the paternal inheritance of the three minor children (MOOC8/40.23).

 

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