Port Alfred

A dusty old shoebox in a charity shop in Pinetown. No-one knows how long it had been lying there and no-one knows who brought it in. A staff member working there found it whilst tidying up and opened the box to see what was inside. “Look at this”, she said to the ladies managing the shop, “this box is full of old photographs with names on the back”.

Neither of the ladies were much interested in genealogy, but both agreed that the contents of this box looked quite special and should, if possible, be reunited with its family, or, failing that, go intact to a collector who would appreciate it. But how to go about it?

They posted a few of the photographs on the shop’s Facebook page, which was shared to several Genealogy groups. Although causing a fair number of comments, no-one among the large groups of members seemed to have any connection to the family. Passing through Pinetown and having an interest in genealogy and old photographs, my husband and I stopped at the charity shop on the off-chance that the photographs might still be there. We were hoping, at best, to find a few nice old photographs as seen on the Facebook post, but were completely taken aback at what we found - a whole box of the most beautiful Cabinet Cards and Cartes de Visite, most of which were identified by name, as well as some handwritten notes and a diary.

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It was the well-preserved slate headstone - arranged like a spreadsheet of family history - that first got my attention: its organisation of facts stand in contrast to the just-contained chaos of nature in the green and secluded churchyard of St Gluvias in Penryn. But it was a chance glimpse of the surname in a book about Cornish minerals that intrigued me, and prompted me to look deeper. Pioneers in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are all part of the family’s story - and the instigator of one of the most bizarre buildings in Cornwall…

The well-preserved slate headstone (Louise Hollick)

The Medieval church of Merther – a tiny hamlet on the east side of the Tresillian River, now a picturesque ruin – was the setting for the marriage of Edward Haweis Lavin, a carpenter, to Sarah (nee Poat) on 4th October 1781. At least four sons were born to the couple in Merther, and sometime around 1810, the family relocated towards Penryn, a busy port town since medieval times, further down the river. When their eldest son, Michael, married Mary Bennett in 1814, it was at St Gluvias church, a beautiful setting just near to the Penryn River (see main image).

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Barville Park 1820 settler estate, located to the west of Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, has a long tail to its history. It was one of the largest properties allocated to a settler in the region. A portion of it touched on Port Alfred itself. It included well known farms, obviously subdivided off now, however, these were all part of the original farm.

The farm known as Barville Park, comprised of Reed Fountain and Glendower. It was granted to General Campbell and his independent party of Settlers. Unfortunately the General died as a result of injuries sustained when falling off his horse in 1822 so was unable to enjoy the farm he had named. He left his second wife Mary and seven children. When the Seventh Frontier war broke out, fourteen families sought refuge at the farm. During the War of Umlangeni, 300 persons were sheltered at Barville Park farm. (The War of Umlangeni 1850-1852 centred around King William’s Town and into the eastern section of the colony)

Reed Fountain (before restoration)

Glendower farm buildings with beacon in the background

I must tell you, this farm and its buildings are utterly glorious. I would...

Once, a train ran from Port Alfred station every day: the 11.10 to Grahamstown, 68km away. In the early 1900s the train used to steam up through the valleys towards Bathurst and Grahamstown taking farmers, farm workers, holidaymakers and commercial travellers, especially on stock-fair days, when the atmosphere was festive and the coaches were full. It is no longer possible to go on the train. One must walk the line or take the road that loops and meets, strays from and returns to it. 

The railway runs truer than the road: there are fewer meanderings and distractions. In the old days, prospective passengers could signal to the train driver if they wanted to board, running up from a farm or waving from the veranda of a homestead for him to wait. Train drivers were obliging in those days. 

Mr. Robinson, driver of the 11.10 on Saturday April 22 1911, was aware of potential passengers as he steamed along. By the time he reached Martindale, he had 52 on board. The line was built in 1883, tracing a wide curve across the farms of lower Albany, ancient in the history of the indigenous people long before the first white colonists settled there in 1820. The names of the small stations and sidings are testament to the provenance of those Settlers: Hayes, Bathurst, Clumber, Trappes Valley, Martindale, Manley Flats, Oak Valley, with the occasional gesture to other origins: Blaauwkrantz. The older, Xhosa names for the rivers that cross those grass and copse-scattered hills...

A few years ago, Bev Young compiled this article on the spectacular Cock's Castle in Port Alfred. The piece was originally published in the newpaper Eastern Cape Today on 21 January 2010. Bev is one of the Eastern Cape's most prolific and passionate researchers. 

Established in about 1840, the nearly 30,000 m² Richmond House property, formerly known as "The Castle", hangs tenaciously on the east face of Wesley Hill. It is an impressive estate, were yesteryear still lingers like an untouchable perfume fragrance, so familiar, yet so titillating. Situated in dense indigenous virgin bush, the historical property stands guard over the Kowie River mouth, where it all started with the arrival of the intrepid 1820 settlers. Among them was the Honourable William Cock, a wealthy Cornish printer and man of great ability and strength of character, who brought the Industrial Revolution to the Eastern Cape in the 19th century.

Old view of Cock's Castle (source unknown)

A distant view of Cock's Castle with newer buildings on the right (Bev Young)

Sue and Neville Gordon, who own the property...