Oscar Norwich

The article below explores the historical debate surrounding the origin of Johannesburg's name. It was written by Dr. Oscar Norwich, noted Johannesburg historian and collector, and appeared in 'Between the Chains' the journal of the Johannesburg Historical Foundation. Thank you to the Norwich family for their kind permission to publish this article from Dr. Norwich's archives.

After the discovery of gold on the main reef in the middle of 1886, the Government decided to send Christian Johannes Joubert and Johann Rissik to go as a commission to investigate the area to be proclaimed. They reported back on 12th August and the Government decided on their findings to select a large triangular piece of ground in their possession - named Randjeslaagte - no man's land - as a site of a new village. Why the name Randjeslaagte was not retained is completely unknown.

Johann Rissik (Wikipedia)

On 3rd October 1886, Captain Carl von Brandis, the first appointed Mining Commissioner, wrote to the State Secretary, informing him of a plan he had received from the Surveyor-General and that the place would be called Johanensburg - reproduced in facsimile in a book named "A history of the discovery of the Witwatersrand" by E.L. and J. Gray. This is the document No. 4996/86 and to this day it has never been found. It unfortunately did not state after which Johannes Johannesburg was named. When...

The article below explores the early history of Johannesburg, from the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand to the establishment and development of the city's first neighbourhoods. Dr. Oscar Norwich, a noted Johannesburg historian and collector, captures the rapid transformation of a mining settlement into one of the world's great cities. The piece was originally published in a 1975 edition of "Behind the Chains", the journal of the Johannesburg Historical Foundation. Thank you to the Norwich family for their kind permission to publish this article from Dr. Norwich's archives.

The development, growth and progress in so short a space of time in the life of one of the great cities of the World is unparalleled. Prior to the discovery of the main gold reef on the Witwatersrand many attempts as far back as 1834 were made to seek this precious metal, in many other parts of the Transvaal. In Lydenburg, gold deposits were found during the regime of President Burgers the second President of the South African Republic. In the Eastern Transvaal districts of Pilgrims Rest and Barberton, payable gold was discovered from 1873.

Old photo of Barberton

After the occupation of the Transvaal by the British from 1877 to 1881, it reverted back to a self governing Republic which was ruled temporarily by a triumvirate of Paul Kruger, Piet...

In the article below, Oscar Norwich answers the fascinating question 'When did Johannesburg first appear on a map?''. Norwich was a prolific collector of maps and his priceless collection is now held by Stanford University. He was also the long time Chairman of the old Johannesburg Historical Foundation. The article first appeared in the 1984 edition of the Foundation's journal Between the Chains.

For many years the writer of this article has been asking both in South Africa and in overseas cartographical circles, when did the name of Johannesburg first appear on a map. After some years of research, a surveyor’s plan illustrated here was found housed in the Africana (Strange) Library of the Johannesburg Public Library. A surveyor’s plan is definitely acceptable as a map. Its author was Johann Rissik, of the Surveyor-General’s office, and it is dated 15 December 1886, approximately three months after the official Government Gazette proclaiming the opening of the Witwatersrand gold-fields.

'Stad Johannesburg'

The city of Johannesburg is vital in the history of South Africa as the centre of the largest and wealthiest gold fields yet known to mankind, discovered there in 1886. The Government then in power in the Zuid-Afrikaansche-Republiek (Z.A.R.), took steps, on receiving the official news of the discovery of...

A lot has changed since Oscar Norwich compiled this piece about the famous Norman House in Doornfontein in the 1980s. Norman House was a grand mansion frequented by the who’s who of early Johannesburg. We are not sure when it was demolished. If anyone has any information please add it to the comments section below.

This mansion is situated near to the Irene Church with its front entrance on End Street in close proximity to the attractive Doornfontein Park. The mansion has an interesting historical provenance. It has always been associated with the Dale Laces of early fashionable Doornfontein and thereafter as the well-known Norman Nursing Home. It was originally built by JCI for Barney Barnato. Research has revealed that JCI in the book ‘The Storey of Johnnies”, published in 1965 by its staff, quotes on pg 23 - Barney Barnato’s residence as ‘Where his home in End Street which today is the Norman Nursing Home became the venue for the celebrated breakfast parties at which many of his financial deals were arranged”. In spite of further research it has so far been difficult to ascertain when it was built or who was the architect. It has been suggested by the African Library that in February 1980 a newspaper report by Barbara Scriben stated that the archival material records of Doornfontein were destroyed in 1893.

End Street Park (The Heritage Portal)

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In the late 1980s Oscar Norwich (founder and longtime Chairman of the Johannesburg Historical Foundation) did a survey of certain parts of Doornfontein. As we were paging through the survey one property jumped out at us... a mansion with a landmark dome built two years after Johannesburg was established (1888). A site visit last week confirmed that the remains of the mansion including the dome still exist. Enjoy Norwich's brief description below.

What remains of this mansion is situated at present in the yard of a plumbing firm, Fraser and Co. Within the yard of their large premises is the original Byzantine dome of this early residence c. 1888 and the remains of some of the original walls within which are some of the original stained-glass windows.

View towards the original Byzantine Dome (The Heritage Portal)

Remains of the original walls and stained glass windows (The Heritage Portal)
 

Bettelheim came from Constantinople to seek his fortune in the gold rush of 1886. He is reported to have been associated with the police in Turkey. He very soon became active with early mining and other projects. He built this mansion within which there were many gay...