Sodomy, Race and Respectability in Stellenbosch and Drakenstein, 1689 —1762: The Story of a
Family, Loosely Defined
Author(s): SUSAN NEWTON-KING
Source: Kronos, No. 33 (November 2007), pp. 6-44
Published by: University of Western Cape
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41056580 .
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in Stellenbosch
Sodomy,Race and Respectability
and Drakenstein,1689 1762: The Storyofa Family,
LooselyDefined
SUSAN NEWTON-KING
' University
oftheWestern
Cape
Department
ofHistory
CAST OF CHARACTERS
The trial(in orderofappearance)
GerritCoetzeeJacobuszoonof Non Pareilleand Goede Rustin Daljosafat,tried
andexecutedforsodomyin 1733.
ofStellenbosch.
PieterLourensz,Landdrost
in Daljosafat.
CharlesMarais,ownerofRust-en-werk
LouwPretorias,16 year-oldstepsonofCharlesMarais.
Johannes
ofJohannes
Louw Pretorius.
Abrahamle Roux,24 year-oldfriend
LeendertBarendszvan Saxen,freeblack,marriedto Johannade Ryk,daughter
of Constantiaof Bengal,ownerof thegreymareallegedlysodomisedby Gerrit
CoetzeebehindthequincehedgeofCharlesMarais.
Caatje or Domine,a 26 year-oldKhoekhoewoman,seasonalworkeron thefarm
toAndriesdu Toit.
Calais,belonging
Claas Mallabaar, freeblack ownerof Vlakkelandin Daljosafat, neighbour
ofJacobusCoetzee.
guestofClaas Mallabaar.
Christoffel
Beijer,freeburgher,
Constantia of Bengal, free black, concubine of Claas Mallabaar, mother
de Ryk.
ofJohanna
Andriesdu Toit,ownerofCalais in Daljosafat.
AugustusLourensvan Holsteijn,knegtof the Widow PieterJürgenvan den
Heever.
Willem
Stolts,freeblackownerofthefarmWolwedans,nearKlipheuwel.
AlexandervanTernaten,
'elderly'slaveoftheWidowvandenHeever.
Some ofGerritCoetzee's paternalkin:
ofGerritCoetzee,ownerofGoede RustandNon Pareille
JacobusCoetzee,father
in Daljosafat.
Dirk Coetzee, fatherof Jacobus Coetzee, grandfatherof GerritCoetzee
Jacobuszoon;bornin Kampenin 1655, son of GerhardCoetse and Margaretha
heemraadof Stellenbosch,
Claasdochter;
captainofthecivicguard,churchelder;
in 1721.
hisretirement
until
in
Stellenbosch
farmedatCoetsenburg
of
wifeof DirkCoetzee,grandmother
Sara van der Schulp,bornin Amsterdam,
Coetzee.
Gerrit
GerritCoetzee Dirkzoon,uncle of GerritCoetzee Jacobuszoon,heirto
Coetsenburg.
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Some ofGerritCoetzee's maternalkin:
bornin slaverycirca
LouisofBengal grandfather
ofGerritCoetzeeJacobuszoon,
until1690, thereafter
lived in Cape Town. Died
1652, farmedin Jonkershoek
circa1715.
of Gerrit
Lijsbethvan de Kaap, (laterknownas LijsbethSanders),grandmother
Coetzee Jacobuszoon,slave and concubineof Louis of Bengal from1678 to
1688, laterconcubineof JohanHerfstor Herbstof Bremen,possiblybornof
slavesimported
from'Guinea'in 1658.
ofLouis ofBengalandLijsbeth
ElisabethLouiszor Lowice,born1680,daughter
vande Kaap; mother
ofGerritCoetzeeJacobuszoon;married
JacobusCoetzeein
1724.
JohannHerfstor Herbstof Bremen,lover and life partnerof Lijsbeth van
de Kaap from1695 until his death in 1734, owner of Opperherfstin the
valleij.
Wagenmakers
Hans Jürgenof Salzburg,a formerCompanysoldier,grantedburgherstatusin
ofherfirstchild,Johannes
1688,husbandofElizabethLouisz,father
Jürgen.
Introduction
This articleexplorestheinteracting
dynamicsof race,class, statusand respectcolonialsocietyat theCape ofGood Hope in thelatesevabilityin theemerging
andearlyeighteenth
enteenth
centuries.
It is essentially
a case studywhichclosely
examinesthebackground
to thetrialand executionof GerritCoetzee,thefirst
tobe accusedofsodomyattheCape. By implication
itraisesa number
freeburgher
ofquestionsabouttheruralcommunity
inwhichGerrit
was raised,anditre-opens
old debatesabouttheroleof raceand thedeterminants
of statusin earlycolonial
SouthAfrica.
GerritCoetzee,as willbecomeclearbelow,was a personof mixeddescent
in therecordofhistrial).His paternalgrandparents
(thoughthiswas notapparent
wereDutchimmigrants,
staunchmembersof thecolonialReformedchurchand
in thecommunity
lifeof Stellenbosch-Drakenstein.
His
prominent
participants
maternalgrandparents,
had been bornin slaveryand his maternal
by contrast,
at least,was a womanof ill-repute,
grandmother,
havingtwicebeenconvictedof
theftby thecolonialCouncilof Justice.As one probesGerrit'sbackground
and
the
social
networks
within
which
and
he
his
one
comes
investigates
familylived,
to wonderaboutthemeaningofhis arrestandconviction
andthemotivesbehind
his allegedlytransgressive
behaviour.Was he a victimof social or racialprejudice?Was he excluded,cold-shouldered
or otherwisesubtlymarginalised
by his
male
in
where
he
lived?
Was
he
driven
young
peers Daljosafat,
by prejudiceto
seek thecompanyof othermarginalised
individualsand ultimately
to engagein
behaviour?Or was he simplya youngmanwhowrecked
suicidallytransgressive
hischancesbygoingtoofar?
7
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The trial
GerritCoetzeeJacobszoon(the
On Thursday10 September1733 thefreeburgher
in Cape Town.He was twensonofJacob)appearedbeforetheCouncilofJustice
ty-oneyearsold and he was chargedwithsodomy.He was alreadya prisonerin
andbrought
toCape Townfromhishomein DaltheCastle,havingbeenarrested
in
he had twicebeenintersome
time
late
July.Although
josafat(in Drakenstein)
members
of
the
Council,thiswas hisfirst
rogatedinthepresenceofcommissioned
appearanceinthelongmeetingroomintheKat BastionoftheCape TownCastle,
He was to maketwofurther
wherethecouncilmeteveryThursday.
appearances
therebeforehisdeath.
On this,his first
appearance,he was biddento heartheclaim(theeijsch)of
The LandLanddrostPieterLourenszof Stellenbosch.
theinvestigating
officer,
himto
sentence'condemning
drostaskedtheCourtto deliveran 'interlocutory
in supHe readouthisclaimandhandedovera largebodyofdocuments
torture.
Coetzeedeniedthechargeand remainedsilentwhentheLanddrost
portthereof.
soo als deselvealhier
concludedthathe be condemnedto 'de volkomen
tortuur,
is
as
is,' (fulltorture, usuallyappliedhere)despitethefactthatthis
gebruijkelijk
Lourenszthenrepeatedhisclaim(presumably
was repeatedseveraltimes.1
threat
andthehearing
Coetzeesaidagainthathe was innocent,
in summary
form).Gerrit
Jande la Fontaine
chairedbytheGovernor
was concluded.The CouncilofJustice,
orderedthattheyoungmanbe brought
andassistedbythreefreeburgher
members,
'ad actumproximum'andhe was led away.2
inthiscase,Landwas appropriate
In orderto convincethecourtthattorture
toproducewhatwas knownas 'a fullhalfproof
drostLourenszhadbeenrequired
thatthecrimehad indeedoccurredand thatCoetzee was the guiltyparty.Aclaw whichgovernedcriminalprocedurein
cordingto therulesof Roman-canon
controlled
and in theterritories
theNetherlands
companies,'full
by itschartered
is in law con'which
confession
the
either
was
constituted
suspect's
by
proof
of
'the
or
the
to
to
amount
sidered
testimony twoor more
by
strongest
proof3
know...'4 In theabsenceof
of whattheypersonally
crediblewitnessestestifying
thecourtcouldnot
twoeye witnesses,
a confession(as in thiscase) and without
convict:' . . . so thatitdependson thenumberofwitnessesandthemeansoftheir
the
is provedby onlyone witnessit cannot,without
knowledge.For ifanything
in
was
thecourt
be received.'5If,however,
aid ofothercorroboration,
possession
evidenceto rendertheaccused 'vehemently
of sufficient
suspect',it couldorder
whichwould'completetheproof
so as to obtaina confession
thathe be tortured
round'.6
the
'make
or
proof
1
2
3
4
5
6
CJ 15, Minutesof theCouncilof Justice,10 September1733; CJ 337, documentsin criminalcases, 1733,Eijsch ende
incourt10 September1733.
PieterLourenszcontradenburgerGerritCoetséJacobsz,presented
conclusieofLanddrost
CJ 15,MinutesoftheCouncilofJustice,10 September1733.
on Roman-Dutch
law,revisedandeditedbyL.w. Decker,translated
oyj.o. Kotze,¿
SimonvanLeeuwenscommentaries
vols(London:1886),vol. II, 490.
Ibid.,487.
Idem.
inde vroegThisexpressionis used inTheo vanderMeer,Sodomszaad inNederland:hetontstaanvanhomoseksualiteit
and thelaw ofproof:Europeand England
modernetijd(Nijmegen:SUN, 1995),148, 150.See also J.G.Langbein,Torture
ofChicagoPress,1976).
in theAncienRégime(Chicago:University
8
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'Vehement
suspicion'couldbe established
bya 'halfproof'. Thiswas defined
bySimonvanLeeuwenas
... evidencewherebythejudge indeedobtainssomeknowledgeof the
case, butnotcomplete,or such thatjudgmentcan be pronouncedor
justicedone thereon.Such proofis forinstancetheevidenceof one
witness,whoseevidencealthoughhe is a man of honourand credit,
cannotbe acceptedas proof...7
'Commonreport'or circumstantial
evidence(indiciawas theformalterm)
also
be
taken
to
constitute
a
half
might
proof.8
In thiscase, Lourenszwas able to producethe statements
of threeeyewitnesses.
The firsttwo,thefreeburghers
Johannes
Louw Pretorius
andAbraham
le Roux,testified
that'abouteightmonthsago', whilewandering
one afternoon
in the vineyardof CharlesMarais,who lived in Drakenstein,
across the Berg
Rivier,theyhad,'to theirgreatamazement',
Seen a greymarebelongingto theburgher
Leendertvan Saxen standin
a
ditch
behind
a
on
the
ing
quincehedge,
rumpof whichtheburgherGerritCoetse Jacobzoonwentand lay,and thenmovedupon it
as thoughhe was usingit,(sig vervolgens
daarop merendeals of hij
deselvegebruijkte,)
notwanting
to watchthat,
he,
whereupon appearer,
wentawayfromtherewiththeaforenamed
Abrahamle Roux,without
to waitfortheendofthatwork.9
wanting
Thethird
was a Khoe womannamedCaatjeor,'in herlanguage',
eye-witness
'Domine'.The secretary
estimated
herage attwenty-five.10
She testified
toa differentincident
whichhad allegedlyoccurredmorerecently,
'at thebeginning
of the
recentpressing-time'.11
One eveningatsunset,shesaid,shehadarrivedatthefarm
ofthevrijswart
Thereshefoundthe
(freeblack)Claas Mallabaar,inDrakensteijn.
Christoffel
and
thewivesof(respectively)
Claas Mallabaarandthe
burgher
Beijer
Cobus van Macassar.Theywerejoined by theburgher
GerritCoetzee
vrijswart
Jacobszoon,who,afterhe had spentsometimein thehouse,came to herin the
whereshehadlaindownto sleepwithherchild,andaskedwhether
waggon-house
he could'lie withher'.Whensherefusedhimhe leftat once andwentbehindthe
housein thedirection
of [Claas Mallabaar's neighbour]
CharlesMaraisdejonge,
whereClaas Mallabaar's horses(an old marewithfoalanda red-brown
mare)were
tethered
toa pole.Soon afterGerrit's
from
the
departure
waggon-house
Caatjetoo
wentoutsideandshesaw Gerrit
Coetzeestanding
on a block,usingthered-brown
7
8
9
10
11
vol. II, 493.
Decker,ed., VanLeeuwen's commentaries,
discussionofthelegalrequirements
Ibid.,vol. II, 494. Forfurther
fortorture,
see S. Newton-King,
'For theloveofAdam:
twosodomytrialsat theCape ofGood Hope', Kronosvol. 28, 2002,21-42.
CJ337, 315,Testimony
ofJohannes
Louw Pretorius,
27 July1733.Abrahamle Roux'saccountoftheseeventsis virtually
identical.
Thisandsubsequent
translations
fromtheDutcharemyown.The originalDutchtextscan be foundinan earlier
draftofthisarticle.
CJ337,318,Testimony
oftheHottentot
Caatje,or Domine,2 1 August1733.
The grape-pressing
seasontodaybeginsin lateJanuary
andendsinApril.
9
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mare'againstnature'.In his handhe heldthehorse'stailand theropeby which
it. Seeingthis,Caatje approachedto withina fewpaces of the
he had restrained
scene.She saton thegroundand watched,'and saw thenthathe was proceeding
inthatdetestable
hiswholebody.'She wentevencloserand
workandwas stirring
himdirectly,
De Grandpreez):'my
confronted
saying(as renderedby Secretary
God Gerrit,
whatareyoudoingthere?(mijngod GerritWatdoeje daar?Y As he
was open.Whenhe
dismounted
fromtheblockshesaw thattheflapofhistrousers
hadremovedtheropefromthemouthofthemareandretiedittothepole,he left.
Thereuponshe,Caatje,bangedon thedoorand windowsof thehouse,shouting
to theoccupants:'Look whatGerritis doingwithyourhorse!'ÇKijkhoe Gerrit
hiermetjoupaard omgaatV)The twowomenandChristoffel
Beijercameoutside
mare
and
noticed
thattheanimalhad
still
behind
the
and saw theblock
standing
tethered.
beenincorrectly
Finally,saidCaatje,shehadbeenable to see everything
at thattime.12
the
moon
shone
because
brightly
clearly
elaboLourenszpointedly
as
Landdrost
's
remarked,
was,
Caatje testimony
was
a
And
heathen. he
rateanddetailed.Butshewas a singleeye witnessand she
is not
of a Hottentot
(Lourensz)wellknewthat'thetestimony
againsta Christian
unlike
Herstatement,
thatthesamecan serveinlaw as a halfproof.'13
so sufficient
and supported
couldnotbe confirmed
thoseoftheotherwitnesses,
bythesolemn
conoath'So waarlijkhelpmijgod almagtig' Butherevidencewas,he thought,
the
and
Christoffel
evidence
the
circumstantial
firmed
bapBeijer
by
provided
by
ofBengal,one ofthetwowomenin thehouse
tisedfreeblackwomanConstantia
thattheyhadbeenawakenedbyCaatjebangingon the
atthetime.Bothconfirmed
behindthemare.Accordwindowsandthattheyhad seentheblockstillstanding
theeveningbefore.
the
house
at
the
door
of
had
lain
the
block
to
just
ing Beijer
ofCharles
behindthevineyard
thefirst
The twomenwhowitnessed
incident,
themselves
and
both
declared
Marais,wereof coursebothChristian,
readyto
Coetzee'sbackhadbeen
ButbecauseGerrit
oftheirdepositions.
sweartothetruth
turnedtowardsthemand sincetheyhad notwantedto see more,theycould not
and
and ejaculationhad takenplace. Proofof penetration
thatpenetration
testify
of
could
be
convicted
a
theexchangeofbodilyfluidswas requiredbefore suspect
'volbragte(completed)sodomie".At besttheLanddrostcould use theevidence
forattempted
andLe Rouxto securea conviction
ofPretorius
sodomy,whichwas
with
death.14
if
ever
punished
rarely
neededto convincethe
Lourenszwantedmore,however,and he therefore
thesustojustifysubjecting
courtthattheevidencehe hadcollectedwas sufficient
12
13
14
oftheHottentot
CJ337,3 18, Testimony
Caatje,or Domine,2 1 August1733.
incourt10
PieterLourenszcontradenburgerGerritCoetseJacobsz:,presented
CJ337,EijschendeconclusieofLanddrost
discussionofthispoint,see RobertRoss,'The ruleoflaw intheCape Colonyintheeighteenth
1733. Forfurther
September
in RobertRoss,Beyondthepale: essayson thehistory
ofcolonialSouthAfrica(Hanover:WesleyanUniversity
century',
a thesisby
De testimoniis:
thesisof theCape-bornGijsbertHemmy,
translated
Press,1993), 158-9.See also therecently
and annotated
and otherpagans,translated
by M.L. Hewitt
oftheChinese,Aethiopians
GijsbertHemmyon thetestimony
thislatterworktomyattentoGeraldGroenewaldforbringing
ofCape Town,1998).I am grateful
(Cape Town:University
tion.
see VanderMeer,òodomszaad in iseaeriana,144, i»d
tora sodomyconviction,
of therequirements
Foran explanation
'For theloveofAdam',32.
andNewton-King,
10
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denial'andfurther
uncover'sucha
so as toovercomehis 'stubborn
pecttotorture,
andgodlesscrime...M5
horrible
As
attention?
How hadGerrit
Coetzee'sallegedmisdeedscometotheLanddrost's
in so manysuchcases,thetrajectory
fromlocal rumour
to formal
investijudicial
record.Accordingto Lourenszhimself
gationhas leftfewtracesin thehistorical
he first
becameawareoftheallegationsin May thatyear(1733), thoughhowand
in thecommunity?
to rumours
fromwhomis unclear.Was he reacting
circulating
Did someoneapproachhimwithinformation?
Did he make informal
inquiries
beforelaunchinga formalprosecution?
Accordingto thecourtrecordit was not
untillateJulythathe tookformalstatements
fromJohannes
Louw Pretorius
and
Abrahamle Roux. On 28 Julythesestatements
wereconfirmed
(' gerecolleerd')
underoathat theCastleinthepresenceofGerritCoetzee,whowas nowunderarforthefirst
rest.Coetzeehimselfwas interrogated
timeimmediately
afterwards.
thatsome eightmonthsago he had indeedbeen
He toldhis interrogators
behindthequincehedgeadjoiningthevineyard
ofCharlesMarais.He hadpassed
thereon hiswayto cutwoodbesidetheBergRiver.Had he seena greymarebelongingto Leendertvan Saxen? 'Yes,' he said,'I don'tknowifI saw themareat
thattimeor not,butit was indeedon ourlandforfourteen
daysand sometimes
and
I
brother
fetched
it
the
from
veld
and
it
home.'
Had he brought
my
brought
themareto a ditchbehindthevineyard?
as
he
'so
to
mount
Yes,' said,
it;andthen
I rodeithome.'Did he lie uponitsrump?'No, butsincethemarewas quitehigh
I putmyhandon herhipso as to climbup frombehind,butI couldn'tmanageso
I stoodat hersideandjumpedup fromthere.''Neverin mylifehaveI donesuch
withrepeatedinvitations
to confessto sodomy
deeds',he said,whenconfronted
withthemare.'If I had donethatI woulddeserveto die. HoweverI neverdid it
northought
to do it.'16
The Landdrostdid notlet the matterresthere.He made further
inquiries
andthreeweekslaterhe securedtwofurther
statements:
one fromCaatje,already
and one fromAndriesdu Toit,ownerof thefarmCalais in Daljosafat,
described,
and therefore
of theCoetzee family.17
(as will becomeclearbelow) a neighbour
Du Toittoldthetwocommissioners
to
take
his
statement
that,sometime
deputed
his slaves had alertedhimto thepresenceof Jaago, 'afterthepressing-time',
cob Coetzee's son Gerritin his slave quarters(in 7 slaave huijs).x%
Gerrithad
two
consecutive
with
there
Du
said.
Toit
toldthem
them,
alreadyspent
nights
they
to lethimknow,shouldGerritcomeagain.Thatverynighthe receivedwordthat
Gerritwas againamonghis slaves.He confronted
himin theslaave huijs,asking
himwhathe was doingthereandwhether
hisparentshad senthim.Gerritreplied
thathis parentshad notsenthimand thathe was lookingforsomething,
buthe
15
16
17
18
CJ337, EijschendeconclusieofLanddrostPieterLourenszcontradenburgerGerritCoetséJacobsz:,presented
in court
10 September1733.
CJ337,324-6,Interrogation
ofGerrit
28
1
733.
Coetsé, July
J.G.le RouxandW.G.le Roux,Ons Drakensteinse
Erfgrond:
Daljosafat(Paarl:Drakenstein
undated).
Heemkring,
CJ337,322,Statement
ofAndriesdu Toit,2 1 August1733.
11
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wouldnotsay more.'Did youthencometo steal?'askedAndriesdu Toit;'or are
youlookingforone ofmyslavewomen?'To whichGerritresponded
Thathe came therefora femaleHottentot
knownto theappeareras
who is squint,thereuponimmediately
said
Caatje, whichHottentot,
to GerritCoetse in substance:'You say thatyou have come forme,I
haveto do witha dog thanwithyou,becauseyouhad to
wouldrather
with
a
do
horseof Claas Mallabaar,to whichGerritCoetse answered
notone singleword. . . 19
'Do youknow,'askedAndriesduToit,'thatthosewhodo suchthingsdeserve
buthe said no more,neither
notdenyingthe
death?''Yes', said Gerrit,
admitting
forhe
accusation.His silenceapparently
ledDu Toittoconcludethathe was guilty,
said: 'sinceyouknowthatsuchdeedsmeritdeathandsinceitis all thesametoyou
thatone shouldreproach
youwithit,whythendidyoudo sucha thing?'Again,he
gotnoresponsefromtheyoungman,whothenwentaway,as didCaatjesoonafter,
forshewas onlythereforthepressingseason.20
Gerrit'ssilencein theface of theseaccusationswas laterseized upon by
LanddrostLourenszwho arguedthatit betrayedhis guilt.An innocentperson,
suchan accusationin silenceandwould
wroteLourensz,wouldnothavesuffered
Coetzee's sibe punishedforherinsolence.21
haveaskedthatthe'hottentottinne'
further
disclosures
from
saidLourensz,thathe wishedtoforestall
lencesuggested,
and
known
led
to
the
matter
attracting
becomingwidely
Caatje,whichmighthave
theattention
ofthejudge.22
a secondtime,afterbeing
However,whenGerrithimselfwas interrogated
withthenew evidencein thepresenceof thenew witnesses(Caatje
confronted
with
andAndriesdu Toit),he revealedthathe alreadyhad a sexualrelationship
of
Caatje at thetimeofhisvisitto thehouseofClaas Mallabaar,at thebeginning
thepressingseason.He castdoubton Caatje's versionofevents:he hadnotasked
to lie withher,he said, 'since he alreadyhad knowledgeof her'
herpermission
and he had notleftherduringthenight.He had lain thewholenightwithherin
He
'untilthefirst
thewagon-shed,
cock-crow',whenhe gotup and wenthome.23
block
the
the
of
her
remainder
the
horse,
concerning
testimony,
entirely
rejected
andthetrousers.
admitofAndriesduToit,Gerrit
Withrespecttohisvisittotheslavequarters
tedthathe had gonethere'fora Hottentot
meijd9(Caatje),and he acknowledged
thatCaatje had accusedhimin frontof Andriesdu Toitof havinghad sex with
his silence
thehorseofClaas Mallabaar,buthe explainedthathe had maintained
farm.24
Du
Toit's
on
becausehe didnotwanthisparentsto knowthathe hadbeen
thathe wishedtoavoida fuss,buthis'frivolous'
meant,presumably,
By thisGerrit
19
20
21
22
¿i
24
Ibid.
Ibid.
in
CJ 337, 310, EijschendeconclusieofLanddrostFieterLourenszcontraden burgerUerritLoetseJacobsz,presented
court10 September1733.
Ibid.
oruerrituoetsejacoosz, i òeptemoeri m.
(JJ55 /,ill, interrogation
Ibid.
12
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whoagainvoicedhissuspicionthat
on theLanddrost,
excusemadeno impression
revelations.
thesuspecthadmerelywantedtoheadofffurther
A modernreader,accustomedto themethodsof defencelawyersin adverthatLanddrostLourenszentirely
sarialcriminaltrials,maybe surprised
ignored
withCaatje.In a moderntrial
to hispriorsexualrelationship
Coetzee'sreferences
at a lover'squarrel,thefury
defencecounselwouldseize on sucha detail,hinting
intent
ofa womanscorned,orotherwise
to
hostile
on Caatje's part.
seeking prove
betweenthestatement
The defencemightalso drawattention
to an inconsistency
of Caatje on theone handand thoseof thetwo circumstantial
witnesseson the
other.Caatje'saccountplacedCoetzee'sencounter
withClaas Mallabaar'smarein
theearlypartofthenight,or at leastwellbeforedaybreak(she specifically
noted
thatthemoonshonebrightly
thatnight),
butbothChristoffel
BeijerandConstantia
thatCaatje had wokenthem'thenextdayat cock-crow'.25
van Bengalentestified
ThisaccordswithGerrit
Coetzee'sinsistence
thathe hadlainthewholenightwith
and
had
at
left
daybreak.
Caatje
Thiswas notan adversarial
in whichprosecution
anddefence
trial,however,
in accordance
squareup to one another;itwas an inquisitorial
process,structured
withtheprinciples
ofRoman-canon
law andgoverned
bytheCriminalOrdinances
ofPhilipII. Thesehadbeenintroduced
totheSpanishNetherlands
bytheDuke of
Alva in 1570,in an attempt
to bringsomeorderto thediversity
ofcriminal
codes.
The procedure
was designedtobe speedyandfinal.26
A suspecthadno righttodefencecounselandhisabilityto cometo hisowndefencewas severelylimited.He
didnotsee orheartheevidenceagainsthimuntiltheinvestigating
officer
(normaltoconfront
himwithit.
lytheFiscal,inthecase oftheCape) deemeditopportune
He couldnotcross-examine
thewitnesses,
thoughhe couldrebuttheirallegations.
Aboveall,he had no rightto remainsilentand,ifthecourtgranted
to
permission
him
'a
to
he
could
be
examination',
put
sharper
compelledto speak.
GerritCoetzeewas takento thetorture
chamberin theCastleon Friday11
1733.The entireCouncilofJusticewas present,
September
exceptfortheGoverandtheSecunde,AdriaanvanKervel,whowas indisposed.
nor,Jande la Fontaine,
The Fiscal,Daniel van den Henghel,who wouldhaveprosecuted
thecase had it
notfallenunderthejurisdiction
of LanddrostLourensz,was also present.27
The
was
warned
that
he
would
be
'aan
de
if
he
failed
to
prisoner
strung
up
pleije'
give
truthful
answerstothequestionsputtohim.28
'Did he catcha greymare,someten
months
ago,andbringitintoa dryditch?''Yes', he said. 'Did he notthencommit
thesodomiticalsin withthismare,whichbelongedto theburgher
Leendertvan
Saxen?' 'Yes', he said. 'Was he notat thehouseof thevrijswart
Claas Mallabaar
on theBergRiverone nightin thelastpressingseason?' 'Yes', he said. 'Did he
notagaincommitthesodomiticalsin witha red-brown
marebelongingto Claas
Mallabaar?''I untiedher,'he said,'withtheintention
ofdoingso, butI didn'tac25
26
27
28
CJ337, Statement
oftheburgher
Christoffel
de Beijer,3 1 August1733; statement
ofthevrijswartin
Constantia
of Bengal,
31 August1733.
'For
the
love
of
24.
Adam',
Newton-King,
CJ337,334, Interrogation
ofGerrit
Coetsé,11 September1733.
Ibid.Thepleije,also knownas themanaclesor strappado,
was a formof torture
in whichthevictimwas suspendedfrom
a beam,hook,orpulley,whileweightswereattachedto hisfeet.Itdistended
thelimbs,sometimes
causingdislocationand
was extremely
and thelaw ofproof,23, 84-5.
painful.See JohnH. Langbein,Torture
13
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woman,Caatje,came up to me.' He had in sum,
complishitbecausea Hottentot
this'sin' onlyonce,behindthequincehedgeofCharlesMarais.29
committed
thefollowing
Thisadmission,
confirmed
day,signedbythepris'voluntarily'
all
and witnessedby themembersof theCouncilof
onerwitha spindlycross,30
to secure
Justice(exceptthe Secunde,who was stillindisposed)was sufficient
forthecrimeofsodomy.On thenextcourtday,ThursGerrit
Coetzee'sconviction
The
to deathbydrowning.
1733,GerritCoetzeewas sentenced
day 17 September
'thathorrible
courtfurther
orderedthattheanimalswithwhichhe hadcommitted
deed' werelikewisetobe putto death.31
Thiswas notquitetheend,however.In whatmayhavebeena lastdesperate
an attempt
topurgehis
ortogainmoretime,oralternately
tosavehimself,
attempt
ofhisexecution(Friday
soulbeforedeath,Coetzeetoldhiscaptorson themorning
ofthe
confession.32
Two members
thathe wishedto makea further
18 September)
He toldthemhow,about
Councilof Justiceweredeputedto takehis statement.
had come to his father'sfarm
woodcutters
a yearago, two ox-wagonscarrying
One belongedto theWidin Drakensteijn
fromthedirectionof theTijgerberg.
WillemStolts.34
and theotherto thevrijswart
van den Heever33
ow PieterJürgen
The wagonswereaccompaniedbytheWidowvan denHeever's knegt,
Augustus
The dayaftertheirarrival
WillemStoltsandthreeslaves.35
LourensvanHolsteijn,
's father,
Gerrit
Jacobus,senthimaheadtotheforestwithone ofthevisitors'wagwhomGerrit
ons,accompaniedbyan 'elderlyyellowish'slavenamedAlexander,
where
thevisitors
the
was
the
to
to
lead
Gerrit
was
place
way
thought Buginese.
two slaves
the
other
intendedto cutwood,whilehis father,
Stolts,Lourensand
followedinthesecondwagon.
thattheyshouldhave
AlexanderproposedtoGerrit
On theirwaytotheforest
witha horse'and to do as man and wife',to whichGerritreplied
intercourse
from
The wood-cutting
that'he wouldsee whentheygothome'.36
partyreturned
theforestfourdayslater,aroundmidday,and thatsamedayGerritand theslave
On theirwayback
Alexanderweresenton an errandto Claas Mallabaar'sfarm.37
landand thatof
his
father's
in
a
between
horses
a
of
hometheysaw group
place
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
ofGerrit
CJ337, 334, Interrogation
Coetsé,11 September1733.
12 September1733.
Ibid.,Recollement,
ortnedeatnsentencepassedon
1Hi. horan explanation
incriminal
CJ 15, 8 1, Minutesofproceedings
cases, 17 September
andSandraSwart(eds), CanisAfricans,
'A shortpaperabouta dog', inLancevanSittert
theanimals,see S. Newton-King,
a dog history
forthcoming).
ofSouthAfrica(Leiden:BrillAcademicPublishers,
Exhibitwn
andCouncilofJustice,
LourensztoGovernor
CJ337,Landdrost
injudicio8 October1733.
PetersenvandenHeever,whoarrivedas a sailorin 1693,becamea knegtin 1710and laterownedMeerendalnear
Jürgen
vol. 3 (Pretoria:
as wellas otherfarms.(J.A.Heese and R.T.J.Lombard,Suid-Afrikaanse
theTijgerberg,
geslagsregisters,
HumanSciencesResearchCouncil,1992),247.
JanBotmaand his witeStijntjecnnstorreiae Bruijn,wnoownea
WillemStoltshad beentheslave of theoud-heemraad
whereJacobusCoetzeewas
on theedgeofStellenbosch
thefarmWelgevallen,
adjoinedCoetsenburg,
village.Welgevallen
bornandraised.AfterBotma'sdeathin 1719,Stijntjede Bruijnmovedto De SchotscheKloofinTable Valley,whereshe
Pieterszvande Caab should
madea willwhichstatedthatWillemandhisfellowslavesPietervanBengalenandChristina
be freedaftershedied.The threeslaveswerealso to receivea wagon,eighttrekoxenandtwofishnetswithwhichtoearn
theirliving.(CJ2602,Wills,no. 11, 14 July1723.)Stijntjede Bruijndiedin 1724andby 1726WillemStoltshaddonewell
JanValk.(Margaret
Cairns,'WillemStoltsofthe
enoughto buythefarmWolwedans,nearKlipheuwel,fromtheburgher
toJackieLoos forthisreference.)
Cape, 1692-1750',Familiavol. 27, 1990,47. (I am indebted
ofGerritCoetsé,18 September1733.
confession
CJ337, 339,Further
Ibid.
Gerritspentthefourdays in theforestwiththewoodcutters.
It is notclearwhether
AugustusLourenswas adamantthat
ofAugustusLourensvanHolsteijn,7 October1733.)
homethesameday.(CJ337, 344,Testimony
Gerritreturned
14
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Leendert
Claas Mallabaar,amongthema greymarewhichbelongedtotheburgher
vanSaxe (sic). Seeingthis,Alexandersaidthattheyshouldtryto catchone ofthe
whichhorsewas thetamest,
towhichGerrit
horsesandhe askedGerrit
replied'the
one of Leendertvan Saxe'. Theycaughtthehorseand led it intoa nearbyditch,
wheretheycouldnotbe seen.
Alexanderused thatmareagainstnature
Whereuponaforementioned
it
also tried
whiletheconfessant
held fast,afterwhichhe confessant
to use thatmarewhileAlexanderheldit fast,butcouldn'treachit for
thatpurpose,so Alexanderletthemareloose and liftedhimup against
whichhelphe theconfessant
also used themarein
herrump,through
his turn,afterwhichdoingsbothof themwent[back]to his father's
house...
This was thesame mare,he added,whichhe laterused one othertimebehindthefenceofCharlesMarais'vineyard.38
Landdrost
Followingthisrevelation
Lourenszimmediately
out
the
slave
Alexander
and
detained
him
at
theCassought
tle.Gerrit's
executionwas suspendedwhileAlexanderwas foundandinterrogated.
On Monday21 September
Gerrit'recollected'hisconfession
inAlexander'spresence(notunderoathbecausehe was alreadya convictedsodomite),
addinga detail
whichwas to becomethefocusofthesubsequent
he
investigation: explainedthat
whenthewoodcutters
returned
fromtheforesthe andAlexanderhadbeensentto
Claas Mallabaar'shouseto fetchwine,andhe said thatitwas theknegtAugustus
Lourenswhohad sentthem.Andall thiswas as true,he said 'as he hopedshortly
to appearbeforeGod andreceivehisjudgment.'39
In myopinion,Gerrit
Coetzee'sthirdandlastconfession
hastheringoftruth.
It has a breathless
andurgent
quality,as thoughthepersonwhosespeechwas recordedwas eagerto unburden
himself.Butin theend(fortunately
forAlexander)
Coetzeewas notbelieved.Alexander(whowas about50 yearsold andcamefrom
theislandof Ternatein theIndonesianarchipelago)acknowledged,
whenqueswithhis mistress's
tioned,thataboutone yearago he had gone to Drakensteijn
in thecompanyofWillemStolts,andthattheyhad stopped
wagonandherknegt,
at thefarmof JacobusCoetzee.Coetzee's son Gerrithad indeedshownhimthe
buton hisreturn
he hadnotbeensenttothehouseofClaas
waytothemountains,
Mallabaar,he hadnotleftJacobusCoetzee'shouse,he said.40
TheCouncilofJustice
tooktheallegationssufficiently
tocall a speseriously
cial meeting,
on Tuesday22 September,
at
the
Governor's
duringwhich,
suggesandAlexanderwereconfronted
withone another.
The Governor
tion,Gerrit
urged
Gerrit
totellthetruth,
buttheyoungmanstucktohisstory,
sayingthattherewere
witnesseswhocouldbackhimup: thevrijswart
WillemStoltswas presentwhen
38
39
4U
CJ337,339, Further
confession
ofGerritCoetsé,18 September1733.
¡bid., Recollement,
2 1 September1733.
CJ337,Interrogation
ot theslaveAlexanderofTernaten
('m de PortugeesetaaV),21 September1733.
15
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Pietervan den Heever'sknegtgave himmoneyand senthimwithAlexanderto
buywinefromClaas Mallabaar;andClaas Mallabaar'swifeorconcubineÇbijsif)
hadgivenhima jug ofwineinthepresenceofAlexander.41
Alexander,
bycontrast,
deniedthathehadeverbeentothehouseofClaas Mallabaar.He knewitonlyfrom
thathe hadnotsenthim
afar,he said,andtheknegt
AugustusLourenscouldtestify
there.42
theCouncilofJusticeinstructstatements,
Perplexedbythesecontradictory
ed LanddrostLourenszto questionWillemStolts,AugustusLourensand Claas
Mallabaar'sconcubine,'so as to see whether
one cannotthrowsomelighton this
which
theaccuseror theaccused- they
matter
and
of
the
two
[decide]
tricky
shouldbelieve.'The Councilalso decidednottofurther
postponetheexecutionof
Gerrit
Coetzee.The sentencewas to be carriedoutimmediately.43
GerritCoetzeewas drownedthefollowingmorning
(23 September1733),44
Lourensz
butthetrialsoftheslaveAlexanderwerenotoveryet.IttookLanddrost
Theirevidenceconflicted
twoweeksto findandquestiontheadditionalwitnesses.
concorin some respectswiththatof GerritCoetzee,butthereweresignificant
dances.It emergedthatLourenshad madetwo tripsto thewoods nearJacobus
Coetzee'sfarm:he hadgonethereaboutthreeyearsago,withthreeslaves,among
and whenhe reachedJacobusCoetzee'splace he had bychance
themAlexander,
there.He
metup withthefreeblackWillemStolts,whowas likewiseoutspanned
had visitedthewoodsagainaboutone yearago, also withthreeslave men,again
Alexander.
On thisoccasionhe had againstoppedat JacobusCoetzee's
including
CoetzeemonHe hadnotgivenGerrit
but
had
notstayedovernight.
he
farm, said,
ey to buywineand neitheron his mostrecentjourneyto theforest,noron the
previousoccasion,had he sentAlexanderor anyotherslave to fetchwinefrom
thatAlexanderhad been
WillemStoltsconfirmed
thehouseofClaas Mallabaar.45
to thewoods about
Lourens
Augustus
amongthepartyof slaves accompanying
threeyearsago,buthe saidthat,whileLourensandtheslaveshad spentthenight
on Coetzee's farm,he had notseen or heardthatLourenshad givenmoneyto
GerritCoetzeeand senthimwithAlexander,'who was an elderlyslave', to buy
winefromClaas Mallabaar.He andLourenshadindeedspentan eveningat Claas
had
Andhehimself
Mallabaar'shouse,he said,butAlexanderwas notwiththem.46
withLourensoralone.Finally,
notbeenbacktotheforestsincethattime,whether
de Grandpreezand testified
Claas MallabaarhimselfappearedbeforeSecretary
twoorthreeyearsago,
that
occasion
on
Coetzee
thathehadnotsoldwinetoGerrit
whenthewoodcutters'
waggonswereon Gerrit'sfather'sfarm,'and evenless' to
nottobe awarethatthe
whomhe didnotknow.He professed
theslaveAlexander,
to
Widowvan den Heever'swaggonwithherknegtand herslaveshad returned
41
42
43
44
45
46
ofBenincriminal
CJ 15, Minutesofproceedings
cases,22 September1733. Claas Mallabaar'sconcubinewas Constantia
Claasz.
de Ryk,whointurnwas thewidowofClaas Mallabaar'sdeceasedson,Johannes
ofJohanna
gal.She wasthemother
thefreeblackLeendertBarendszvan Saxen,ownerof theunfortunate
Johannade Ryklatermarried
greymare.(Mansell
inSuidCiaassen(eds),Die Claas(s)en afstammelinge
Upham,'Claas vanMalabar',inNicolaasClaassenandGertHendrik
2001).)
(Centurion:
Afrika
Ibid.
Ibid.
note.
Ibid.,17 September1733,marginal
ofthesoldierAugustusLourensvan Holsteijn,7 October1733.
CJ337, 344,Testimony
WillemStolts,7 October1733.
ofthevrijswart
CJ337, 346,Testimony
16
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JacobusCoetzee'splaceone yearago,andwhenAlexanderwas presented
to him,
he saiddidnotknowhimandhadneverseenhimon hisfarm.47
Werethesewitnesseslyingin orderto protectAlexander?Or were they
colludingto protectClaas Mallabaarwho mayhave been sellingwine without
a license?48
to coverup for
AugustusLourensmayhave been underinstructions
Alexanderwhobelongedto his employer.
WillemStoltsmayhavebeentornbetweenloyaltyto Gerrit'sfatherJacobus,whomhe musthave knownduringhis
earlierlifeas a slave on Welgevallen49
and loyaltyto Claas Mallabaar,a fellow
freeblacklandholder.
He mayin anycase havebeenunawareofthenatureofthe
which
into
he was drawn.Butitis worthnotingthatStoltshad reainvestigation
sonto be grateful
to theauthorities
at theCape. In 1724theOrphanChamberhad
overseentheexecutionof thewillwhichsethimfree;in 1726 he had boughthis
farmWolwedanswiththeaid ofa largeloanfromHendrikSwellengrebel,
a memberof theCouncilof Policyand theCouncilof Justice;and in July1733,while
thecase againstGerritwas inpreparation,
hisrequestforan additional14 morgen
of landadjacentto Wolwedanshad been favourably
received.50
Claas Mallabaar
ofthecolony'sgoverning
elite,but
maylikewisehavebeenindebtedto members
at presentlittleis knownofhisoriginsor ofthemannerin whichhe had financed
thepurchaseofhisfarm,
in 1724.51
Vlakkeland,
itmayhavebeenGerritwholied.He may,as suggested
above,
Alternatively,
havesimplybeenplayingfortime.Or hisstorymayhavebeenessentially
true,but
and dangerousfamiliarfaultyin itsdetail.If it weretrue,it revealsa surprising
between
a
freeborn
and
an
a
ity
youth
elderlyslave, subjectto whichI willreturn
below.Be thatas itmay,whenLanddrost
Lourensreviewedtheevidencegivenby
theabove-named
threewitnesses,
he concludedthathe couldnotproceedagainst
AlexanderofTernateand he askedtheCouncil'sadviceas to whathe shoulddo.
AtthenextCouncilmeeting,
on 8 October1733,Alexanderwas released,'losten
schaadeloos'(freeandunharmed).
Freeburghersand Free Blacks
Thisparticular
fortworeasons.First,as willbe
sodomytrialattracted
myattention
seenbelow,itis theonlycase ofwhichI amawareinwhicha freeburgher
was tried
and executedforthecrimeof sodomy.WhileI cannotyetgive a comprehensive
accountof all sodomytrialsconductedat theCape since 1652,a carefulstudyof
theseventeen
cases triedbetween1709and 1734revealsthatnoneofthesuspects
in theothercases werefreeburghers.
Most wereslaves,Khoekhoeor Company
servants
soldiers
or
sailors,thoughtherewas one schipper,one
(usuallyordinary
boekhouder
andoneonderkoopman
In thesubsetofeight'bestialiamongthem).52
47
48
49
50
51
52
CJ337, 348,Testimony
ofthevriiswart
Claas Malabaar(sic), 7 October1733.
I am grateful
to Leon Hattingh
foralerting
metothispossibility.
See above,note34.
Cairns,'WillemStoltsoftheCape, 1692-1750',47.
Upham,'Claas vanMalabar'.
CJ5-16, Minutesofproceedings
incriminalcases andCJ3 13-337,Documentsincriminalcases, 1709-1734. Mydecision
tobeginmysearchin 1709 was arbitrary
and I planto workbackwardsfromthere.
17
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
inthisperiod,fouroftheaccusedwereslaves,
ty'cases amongthetrialsconducted
twoweresoldiersandone was Khoekhoe.Gerrit
Coetzeewas theonlyfreeburgher
In 1713 an elderlyfreeburgher
to be accusedof sodomyin any form.53
named
in 7 Land vanWaveren,
Claas Holder,a knegton thefarmDuiwelsbergh
hadallegwitha dog,buthe committed
suicidethe
edlybeencaughtintheactofintercourse
samedayandwas therefore
neverbrought
to trial.54
Holderwas in anycase more
(usuallysoldiersfromtheCastlegarritypicalofthoserootlessCompanyservants
masters(whomtheyserved
son),whowereloanedbytheCompanytofreeburgher
as knegten,
thanofthefreeburghers
themselves:
he
or schoolmasters)
tradesmen,
was an eenlopendeman- single,elderlyandwithout
property.
was a memberof a prominent
and prosperous
GerritCoetzee,by contrast,
familiesin theColony,itcouldbe
freeburgher
family one of theleadingsettler
DirkCoetzee (who died in
His paternalgrandfather
said,at leastby reputation.
of
first
to
be
was
the
1725)
freeburghers grantedlandin thenew district
among
In 1682 he had establishedthefarmCoetsenburg
on thebanksof
Stellenbosch.
of thenewvillage.DirkCoetzeehad a longand
theEersterivier,
on theoutskirts
of
record
service,
havingbeenappointedHeemraad(Alderpublic
distinguished
nineteenyearsin that
in
1687
and
Stellenbosch
of
man)
havingserveda further
becamea memberof
1688
and
1721.
He
a
between
basis)
capacity(on rotational
churchcouncilin 1685 and servedon thisbodyon and offfora
theStellenbosch
frompubliclife
as deacon,thenas elder,untilhisretirement
36 years,first
further
had
marriedmen
and
Sara
Coetzee
in 1721.55Gerrit'sauntsMargaretha
(Griet)56
His
'bestuurs-elite'51
the
small
local
who werelikewisemembersof
orphaned
cousinsMatthijsGreeff(aged 22 in 1733) andJanand Sara Krugel(aged 18 and
thousandsof guilderswhentheycame of
stoodto inherit
16 yearsrespectively)
atCoetsenburg,
andhisown
His
uncle
Gerrit
Coetzee
Dirkzoonnowfarmed
age.58
inthe
father
Jacobus,
properties
thoughnotwelloff,was theowneroftwofreehold
DaljosafatwardofDrakenstein.59
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
Dutchjuriststooktheirlead fromCharlesV's imperial
and a complexetymology.
The term'sodomy'has a longhistory
to nature'with
CriminalisCarolinain 1532,whichdefinedsodomyas 'unchastity
criminalcode,theConstitutio
contrary
andseventeenth
sixteenth
Theo vanderMeer,'well-known
totheDutchhistorian
century
man,womanorbeast.According
AntoniusMattheusII, UlrikHuber,Simonvan Leeuwenand
Dutchjurists,suchas PhilipsWielant,Joostde Damhouder,
ofall
serious
as
the
most
that
intheiropinion sodomy,
and 'wereunanimous
followedtheConstitutio'
SimonGroenewegen
kind'of sodomyand felt
was 'themosthorrible
thedeathpenalty'.Theyagreedtoo thatbestiality
carnalcrimes,merited
andmasturbaanal intercourse
thattheanimalshouldalso be puttodeath.Theywereless sureofthestatusofheterosexual
ofthe
tion.(VanderMeer,Sodomszaad inNederland,29-30.)In medievalChristian
sodomywas a manifestation
theology,
maintained
anda loveofexcess.Christian
sinofluxuria.Itwas thusassociatedwithself-indulgence
consistently
theology
thatsodomywas thegravestandmostdangerousofall thesinsoftheflesh.
a dog history
and S. Swart(eds), Cams Africanis:
'A shortpaperabouta dog' in L. van Sittert
S. Newton-King,
ofbouth
forthcoming).
Africa(Leiden:BrillAcademicPublishers,
BertbakPrometheus/
¡680-1730 (Amsterdam:
Ad Biewenga,De Kaap de GoedeHoop: eenNederlandsevestingskolome,
7 October1721.Dirk
ker,1999),41 and 135;C 1086,Memorialsandrequests,DirkCoetsetoCouncilofPolicy,exhibited
from1706-1721.
Coetzeehadalso beenCaptainoftheStellenbosch
infantry)
schutterij
(burgher
Leo Fouché(ed), ThediaryofAdamTas ( 1705-1706),(London:Longmans,1914),64.
thewidowerMatthijsKrugelin 1/I /. He was the
Coetzee married
The termis used by Biewenga:ibid.,40. Margaretha
andservedas Heemraadforseveralyears.SaraCoetzeemarried
inSimondium
ownerofStellengift
Matthijs
(Drakenstein)
in 1710(whenshewas sixteenyearsold).
sonofthelateHeemraadMatthiasGreeff,
Greeff,
December
21
ot
Jan
MOOC
en
Roose,
TEPC Projectand SentrumvirBesigheids- Taaldiens,
8/3.103,Inventory
Jürgen
ofMatthijsKrugerandMargareta
Coetze,8 March173 1.
1718;MOOC 8/5.71, Inventory
le
and
W.G.
J.G.
le
Roux
of
Jacobus
MOOC
8/6.1
Roux,Uns DrakenTEPC Projectand Sentrum,
Coetze;
la, Inventory
steinseErfgrond:
undated),5-7.
Heemkring,
Daljosafat(Paarl:Drakenstein
18
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Whatwas one to makeofthis?IfGerritwas guiltyoftheactsallegedagainst
hisreputation
andhis socialposihim,whyhadhe riskedhislife,notto mention
his
of
were
shunnedin much
tion,indeed, verymembership society(forbuggers
forthegratification
ofhislibido?Whyhadhe steppedso faroutside
ofEurope),60
behaviouras to layhimselfopento thechargeshe now
theboundsofrespectable
ofthecharges,whyhadhebeenfalselyaccusedofso
faced?Or,ifhe was innocent
ifsexualplayandexperimentation
withanimalswas
seriousa crime?Alternately,
commonamonghis peers,as it was amongcountry
relatively
boysin someparts
ofruralEuropeatthattime,61
whywereotherburgher
youthsnotprosecuted?
Why
hadGerrit
beensingledout?
The secondaspectofthiscase whichcaughtmyeyewas theunexpected
ease
and familiarity
of Gerrit'srelationswithfreeblacksand slaves in his immediate
He seemsto have feltat homewithClaas Mallabaarand his
neighbourhood.62
concubineConstantiaof Bengal,whose farmVlakkelandadjoinedGoede Rust
andNon Pareille,ownedbyhisfather,
JacobusCoetzee(see Figure1 below).He
was intimately
a seasonalworker,
and
acquaintedwithCaatje,whowas apparently
he didnottryto hidehisconnection
withher,at leastnotfromClaas Mallabaar's
didwantto concealitfromhisparents.He spent
household,
thoughhe apparently
at leasttwo nightsamongthe slaves of Andriesdu Toit,who was likewisehis
father's
(see Figure1 below).And,finally,
neighbour
byhisownaccount,he was
willingto place himselfunderthetutelageof an elderlyslave,by whomhe was
initiated
intowhattodaymightbe called 'high-risk
sexualbehaviour'.
WhileGerrit
Coetzee's familiar
relationswithslavesandfreeblacksseemed
to me particularly
therecordof his trialalso suggestedthatrelationnoteworthy,
- but
between
free
blacks
and
free
(termswhichweresometimes
ships
burghers
notoften- appliedto thesame person)63
in generalin Daljosafat,whereGerrit
harmonious
and even egalitarian.
At leasttwo of thefree
lived,wererelatively
blacksnamedin thetrialrecord- Claas MallabaarandWillemStolts- werelandowners.As notedabove,Claas Mallabaar'soriginsareobscure.He first
appearson
thetaxrollof Stellenbosch
and Drakenstein
in 1710,whenhe paid/4 for'leeuw
en tijgergeld'.64
In 1712he was employed(as knegtl)byGerritBasson,65
himself
theson of thefreeblack womanEngela,or Ansiela,of Bengal,who farmedat
Honswijk,
justnorthofDaljosafat(see map)untilherdeathin 1720.66In 1724he
Vlakkeland
fromMariaCatharinaDurier,widowof Guillaumele Lièvre
bought
(or de Haas), whohad movedto thefarmWelgevallenin Stellenbosch
(adjoining
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
On this,see JonasLiliequist,'Peasantsagainstnature:crossingtheboundaries
betweenmanandanimalinseventeenthand
thestate,societyand theregulation
Sweden',inJ.C.Fout,ed.,Forbiddenhistory:
inearly
eighteenth-century
ofsexuality
modernEurope(Chicago:University
ofChicagoPress,1992).
Ibid.
'Freeblack'or 'vrijswarfwas thetermusedtodenotepersonswhohadbeenborninslaveryandlaterfreed,eitherbytheir
orbya thirdparty.Hans Heese correctly
criticises
owners,bythemselves,
Elphickand Shellforusingthetermtoo loosely
in TheshapingofSouthAfrican
society,1652-1840.( Heese,Groepsondergrense,21.)
H.F. Heese,Groepsondergrense:die rolen statusvandie gemengdebevolking
aan die Kaap, 1652-1795(Bellville:UnioftheWestern
vandie Kaap: die wêreldvan x«slavin,1652-1733
versity
Cape, 1984), 14,28; KarelSchoeman,Armosyn
Town:
Human
and
628-9.
Rousseau,2001),
(Cape
- 1679-1720(Bellville:University
Leon Hattingh,
Die eerstevryswartes
vanStellenbosch
oftheWestern
Cape, 1981),69.
1/STB5/7,Minutesofproceedings
incivilcases,2 1 March1712.
Fora wonderful,
readableaccountofthelifeofAngelaofBengal,see Schoeman,Armosyn
vandie Kaap, pp.642-646.For
detailsconcerning
thetransfer
of Honswijkfromone ownerto thenext,see LeonardGuelkeand RobertShell,Thedeed's
book:theCape cadastralcalendar,1677-1731(New Haven:OpgaafProject,1990).
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withherson-in-law
Jeanle Roux of Normandie.67
Claas Mallabaar
Coetsenburg)
to JanMartinKursz (or
ownedVlakkelanduntil1746, whenit was transferred
Coerts),who marriedGerritCoetzee's sisterJacobain 1736.68Claas Mallabaar
was therefore
theimmediateneighbour
of Gerrit'sfatherJacobus,who farmed
Vlakkelandwas infactoneofa string
GoedeRustandNonPareilleinDaljosafat.69
offarmslaid outalongtherivulet,
Dal-se-loop,whichflowedintotheBergRiver
ofthepresent-day
Daljosafatrailwaystation(see Figure1 below).
justnorth
relationswith Jacobus
Claas Mallabaar clearly had good neighbourly
winetohisguests(ornot,as thecase maybe) andallowinghis
Coetzee,supplying
son to comeand go uponhis property
(thoughhe was notat homeon thefateful
nightwhenCaatje allegedlysaw Gerrithavingsex withhis horse).He accomunion
Christoffel
modatedtheburgher
Beijer (himselfthechildof a legitimate
and he playedhostto
betweena freeblackwomanand a Europeanimmigrant)70
theknegtAugustusLourensvanHolsteijn,andthefreeblackWillemStolts.Simiand
larly,LeendertBarendszvan Saxen,whosehorseis at thecentreofthisstory,
Johannade Ryk
who was marriedto Claas Mallabaar's former
daughter-in-law,
(Claas Mallabaar's onlysonhaddiedin 1727)71seemstohavebeenwellintegrated
describedby
VanSaxenwas respectfully
ofDrakenstein.
intothefreecommunity
andAbrahamle Roux in theirevidenceas 'den burger
Johannes
Louw Pretorius
titlewas likewiseadoptedbyLanddrost
vanSaxen'.Thismorerespectful
Leendert
had
ofStellenbosch
one yearbefore,theSecretary
Lourenszinhiseisch,although,
black
as
that
of
the
a
free
fellow
's
claim
minutedVan Saxen
'vrijswart
against
LeendertvanSaxen'.72
Shouldwe concludefromthisevidence,then,thatthefreepopulationof
and
in a webofneighbourly
areaswas boundtogether
Daljosafatandsurrounding
and
the
little
for
familialrelationsin whichrace and descentcounted
stigmaof
Shouldwe agreewithLeon Hattingh,
slaverywas erasedwithinone generation?
withtheobservawhoconcludedhis carefulstudyof freeblacksin Stellenbosch
ofracialdominancewhichcame
tionthat,whileit mightbe truethatthepatterns
SouthAfricain latercenturieswerealreadytakingshape in the
to characterise
Stellenbosch
societyintheearly1700swas stillan 'open
century,
earlyeighteenth
dicolour
conscious
without
prejudice,whichcould evolve in different
society'
of
the
between
of
correlation
to
the
with
rections
categories race,
degree
respect
statusand class?73Hattinghwas, of course,arguingagainsttheconclusionsof
RichardElphick,RobertShellandHermann
Giliomee,whoassertedin TheShap-
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
Deeds Office,T 1588,7 April1724.Claas Mallabaarpaid /850 forVlakkeland,a farmof 50 morgen.He paid /300 on
thatthedebttohismothertheauthorities
In October1727 Jeanle Rouxinformed
transfer
andthebalancein3 instalments.
in-lawhadbeenpaidinfull.
'Die blankenagesiagvan Louis van Bengaleen
Le Roux and Le Roux,Daljosafat,11-12;torKurszsee Leon Hattingh,
Lijsbethvandie Kaap', Kronos,vol. 3, 1980,17.
Le RouxandLe Roux,Daljosafat,5-7.
andCatharinaVrijmanof theCape, who
Christoffel
Beijerwas theson ofAndriesBeijers,theCompany'swagon-maker,
nearStellenbosch.
geslagsregisters,
was bornin slavery.
(Heese and Lombard,Suid-Afrikaanse
Theyfarmedat Bottelarij,
vol. 1 (Pretoria:HumanSciencesResearchCouncil,1986),258.)
Upham,'Claas vanMalabar'.
incivilcases,25 February1732.LeendertBarendszvanSaxen s originsarepresently
1/STB5/14,Minutesofproceedings
unknown.
- lö/V-l/zu(tseiiviiie:university
oí me westerni^ape, ivöi;, o/,
vanòtellenbosch
Die eerstevryswartes
Leon Hattingh,
74.
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of racialdominancewerealready
ingofSouthAfricanSocietythatlaterpatterns
In theirview,manumisat theCape in theeighteenth
century.
clearlydiscernible
which
totheoverallsocietalpattern,
madelittledifference
sionandmiscegenation
of raceand class,littleupfromearlyon by a highcorrelation
was characterised
wardmobility
forpeopleofcolouranda 'congealingideology'ofwhitesupremaShelland
andDrakenstein
With
to thearableregionsof Stellenbosch
respect
cy.74
wrote:
Elphick
balancedsex
HeretheEuropeansettlerssoon achievedcomparatively
of stable Europeanfamilieswas possible.
ratiosand the formation
and
Consequentlytherewas littlepressuretowardsmiscegenation,
was
little
intensified.
There
also
to
manumission,
hostility concubinage
even thoughmostof thecolony'sslaves livedin theseareas.Without
thegingergroupof freeblackswhogave Cape Townitscosmopolitan
air,thisregionwas soon characterised
by the assimilationof blacks
intothechurchor
to Europeanculture,butnotto theirincorporation
betweenEuropeansand
freeburgher
society.A clear social distinction
blackswas establishedsoon aftersettlement.
Prestigeand local power
and almostall landholders
were
becameassociatedwithlandholding,
European.75
totheseassertions,
outthattheywere
Hattingh
responded
cautiously
pointing
based on inadequateempiricaldata and thatthetwo authorshad greatlyunderestimatedthenumbersof freeblacks in the arabledistricts.76
He demonstrated
thatdetailedresearchintothecareersof individualfreeblacksandtheiroffspring
showedthatpeopleofcolourin Stellenbosch
district
had greateraccess to credit,
and opportunities
to earna livingthanElphickand Shell had supposed.
markets
Theywerealso notexcludedfromthechurchto thedegreethatthetwo authors
hadsuggested
andtherewas littleevidenceofstrained
relations
betweenthemand
themajority
oftheburgher
It
is
he
that
population. true, wrote, fewsucceededas
but
this
was
more
due
to 'a lackofknowledge,
farmers,
insightanddrive'thanto
theirdeliberate
exclusionfromtheruraleconomy.77
MostthenwerenotlandholdwithElphickand Shell.But,he concluded,theirchildren
ers;in thishe concurred
and grandchildren,
wereabsorbed
especiallythosebornof mixedrelationships,
intothefarming
'Hierinle die warebydraevandie
community
through
marriage.
vroeëvryswartes
vanStellenbosch.'1*
Withtheseremarks
in mind,we shouldtakea closerlookat theprotagonists
in thedramasurrounding
GerritCoetzee.Claas Mallabaar,Constantia
of Bengal,
Leendertvan Saxen and WillemStoltswereall freeblacks,bornin slaveryand
74
75
76
77
78
RichardElphickand HermannGiliomee(eds), The shapingof SouthAfricansociety,1652-1840(Cape Town: Maskew
MillerLongman,1989edition),220-221,536-540,560.
RichardElphickandRobertShell,'Intergroup
relations:Khoikhoi,settlers,
slavesandfreeblacks,1652-1795',in Elphick
andGilomee,Shaping,23 1.
Eerstevryswartes,
67.
Hattingh,
Ibid.,72.
ibid.,75.
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laterfreed;Christoffel
was
of mixeddescent(his father
Beijerwas a freeburgher
German,his mothera freeblack).Andries(or André)du Toit(to whoserole in
theseeventswe shallreturn)was a freeburgher
of Huguenotorigin.In 1733 he
was 42 yearsold and he ownedthefarmCalais in Daljosafat,threekilometres
fromJacobusCoetzee'shomeat Non Pareille.79
Laterthatsameyear,in
upstream
factjusttendaysbeforeGerrit
Coetzee'sfirst
courtappearanceinSeptember
1733,
he acquiredtwomorefarmsin Daljosafat:Kleinbosand Schoongezicht,
thelatter
fromNon Pareille.80
Thesefarmscameto himfromthe
lyingjusthalfa kilometre
heemraadand churchelderFrancoisdu Toit,who
theformer
estateof his father,
livedat Kleinbosanddiedtherein 1731.81In 1736Andriesdu Toitmovedbackto
Pierre,tooktransfer
Kleinbos,wherehe had grownup, and his youngerbrother,
Andriesand Pierre,weremarriedto two
of Calais.82The two Du Toitbrothers,
ofthelateheemraadandchurch
MarthaandIsabeauRousseau,daughters
sisters,
councillorPierreRousseau,whohad farmedat Orleansin KleinDrakenstein
(see
in
marsix
sisters
all.
the
1
There
were
Rousseau
Maria, eldest,
figure below).83
riedLodewijkPretorius(fifthchildof the gequalificeerde
Companyemployee
in Daljosafat.Whenhe
JohannesPretorius)who ownedthefarmRust-en-werk
died she marriedCharlesMarais,whichwas how Maraiscame to own Rust-enwerk.Rust-en-werk
adjoinedVlakkeland,whereClaas Mallabaarlivedwithhis
Itwas MariaRousseau'ssixteen-yearofBengal.84
wifeor 'concubine',Constantia
Pretorius
whohad spottedGerritCoetzee
old son,Johannes
Louw)
(or
Lodewijk
van Saxen's greymarebehind
with
Leendert
to
have
sex
allegedlyattempting
1732.
As forAbrahamle Roux,
in
summer
of
the
his stepfather's
early
vineyard
's companionon thatfateful
Louw Pretorius
Johannes
day,he was the24 year-old
son of thelateGabrielle Roux of Blois, who had ownedSalomonsvleiin Klein
twicesincehis father'sdeathin
Abraham'smotherhad remarried
Drakenstein.85
thento hiselderbrother,
to hisstepfather,
1712andSalomonsvleihadpassedfirst
in 1729.
Pierre,whosolditto a neighbour
thatmuchofthelandin Daljosafat
It wouldseemthen,on closerinspection,
was ownedbycloselyrelatedand well-connected
Huguenotfamilies.Whatwere
offreeblacksat Vlakkeland?Werethey
withthesmallcommunity
theirrelations
and mutualsupport?Or
characterised
conviviality
friendship,
by
neighbourly
and social distance?Did theirsons
weretheymarkedby disdain,condescension,
Claas Mallabaar's houseanddrinkhiswine?Or was Gerritsomehowdiffrequent
ferent?
answerto these
Thereis notenoughevidenceto give a fulland satisfactory
own
at
Gerrit
Coetzee's
A
look
closer
suggeststhathe was,
background
questions.
one
And
the
more
his
from
'different'
indeed,
probeshis backHuguenotpeers.
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
Le RouxandLe Roux,Daljosafat.
¡bid.
¡bid.,4,'2.
¡bid.,15.
vandie ou Kaapsefamilies,vol. 2 (Cape Town:Balkema,1966),799.
C.C. de VilliersandC. Pama,Geslagsregisters
HelenavanTimorin 172 1, butsheseemstohavediedsoon
Le RouxandLe Roux,Daljosafat,8-9.Claas Mallabaarmarried
afterwards.
(Upham,'Claas vanMalabar'.)
vol. 2, 819; Le Roux and Le Roux,Uns Drakensteinse
De Villersand Pama,Geslagsregisters,
erjgrond:KleinUraKenstein.
22
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erfgrond:
Figure 1: Map of Daljosafat,1700 (Source:J.G.and W.G. le Roux,Ons Drakensteinse
undated)).
Daljosafat(Drakenstein
Heemkring,
23
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themorethequestionsdirectedat himbyAndriesdu Toitwhenhe found
ground,
in 1733,acquirea dishimin his slaavenhuijsat Calais, afterthepressing-time
Did
'What
come
to
do
here?
have
yourparentssendyou?Did
you
turbing
edge:
you thencome to steal?'These werehostilequestionsto ask of a neighbour's
on thecollege
son; thegrandsonof a manwho had servedwithDu Toit'sfather
of Heemradenand who,likeFrancoisdu Toit,had beenformanyyearsan elder
ofthechurch.However,whileyoungGerritCoetzeewas indeedthegrandsonof
as suchat birth,
and
he hadnotbeenacknowledged
DirkCoetzeeofCoetsenburg,
in
in
been
raised
not
white.
hismaternal
were
fact,
had,
slavery,
They
grandparents
lives.Theyhadnever
andaftermanumission
respectable
theyhad notled entirely
Gerrit'smaternal
had
a
shall
marriedand,as we
see, they
'stormyrelationship'.
andhisgrandfaLijsbethvande Kaap, was twiceconvictedoftheft
grandmother,
and been
madea respectable
ther,Louis of Bengal,whohad eventually
marriage
on
had
suffered
Town
as
a
member
of
the
church,
sequestration
Cape
accepted
on
he
was
twooccasions.Atthetimeofhisdeathin 1715or 1716,
dependent poor
relief.
Louis ofBengaland Lijsbethvan de Kaap
in 1683whenhe was 31 yearsold. He
Louis ofBengalhadsettledin Stellenbosch
on the
was amonga smallgroupoffreeblackswhomovedto thenewsettlement
banksoftheEersteRiverintheearly1680sinordertotakeadvantageoffreeland
from
partlyin responseto encouragement
opportunities,
grantsand newfarming
29 morgenon thebanksoftheriver
SimonvanderStel.He was granted
Governor
knownas
namedforJanAndriesze,otherwise
in an area knownas Jonkershoek,
his
named
Louis
the
further
who lived
Jande Jonker,
optimistically
valley.86
up
ofAngola
wereManuelandAnthony
farmLeefop Hoop}1 His nearneighbours
andaboutthreekilometres
Acrosstheriver,
andJanandMarquaitofCeylon.88
upSteven
livedfellowsettlers
streamon theedgeofthenewvillageofStellenbosch,
JanszBotma(at Welgevallen)andDirkCoetzee(at Coetsenburg).89
ownersat
Louis ofBengalspenthisearlylifein slaveryand,thoughhisfirst
theCape weremenofhighrank,one mayassumethathischildhoodwas hard.He
ZachariasWagento theCape in 1664as a slaveoftheCommander,
was brought
left
the
When
aer.He was thenabouttwelveyearsold.90
colonyin 1666
Wagenaer
In
soldLouis totheSecunde,HendrikLacus,for80 rixdollars.91
hisstep-daughter
1667Lacus was sentawayfromthecolonyin disgraceandLouis was takenover
In 1671
by theCompany,forwhomhe workedwithoutrewardforfiveyears.92
to
him
the
was
who
Isbrandt
Commissioner
Goske,
permission
visiting Cape,gave
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
Eerstevryswartes,
39, 80.)
JanAndrieszewas also knownas JanAndrieszevanRijssenor VanArendsdorp.
(Hattingh,
646.
Schoeman,Armosyn,
649.
EersteVryswartes,
map,p. 87; Schoeman,Armosyn,
Hattingh,
See LeonardGuelke,'The southwestern
Cape Colony,1657-1750:treeholdlandgrants, mapproducedDytneuepartmeni
ofWaterloo,1987.
ofGeography,
University
646.
21; Schoeman,Armosyn,
Eerstevryswartes,
Hattingh,
AnnaBöeseken,Slavesandfreeblacksat theCape, I65Ü-I7ÜU(Cape Town: larelberg,IV//),Z8. une rixdollarequalled
48 stuiwers.
oftheCouncilof Policy,13 April1672.
C 8, Resolutions
24
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butittookhimsomemonthsto accumulatethemeansto do so.
buyhisfreedom,
theCouncilofPolicyto granthimhis
In April1672he was at lastable to petition
was granted,
His petition
freedom.
providedhe paid50 realsofeighttoLacus' ac'his nameappearedannually
'From1673onwards,'notesLeon Hattingh,
count.93
attheCape.'94
on therolloffreeinhabitants
in freedom.
Louis prospered
By 1676 he ownedtwopiecesof landin Table
'in thevicinity
of presentValley:a gardenon thelowerslopesof themountain,
nearthecentreofthetown.96
anda residential
plotinBergstraat
dayBredaStreet'95
van
de
Cust Coromandel,who in
1678
he
owned
one
slave:
Anthonij
By April
andassault,and
the
of
Justice
for
desertion
Council
1681was brutally
punishedby
In
setinchainsforlife.97 July1678Louis also acquireda femaleslave,the18 yeartheCompany'smasold Lijsbethvande Kaap. She had belongedto a neighbour,
tercarpenter
Adriaenvan Brakel,who had boughtherin 1671 fromone Mathijs
Louis acquiredherina mostunusualmanner.
Coemansfor/160 (53 rixdollars).98
In April1678 shebrokeintohis housein Bergstraat,
openeda woodencupboard
in his roomand stolea gold ring,threepairsof silverbuttonsand some money.
Whenapprehended,
she at firstdeniedthetheft,
sayingshe had tradedtheitems
froma 'Hottento'namedCorhaeij,buttwodays latershe confessed(apparently
undertorture)
afterreceivingsomeformofcorporalpunishment,
and,presumably
thatVanBrakel
shewas returned
toherowner.99
The CouncilofPolicydetermined
shouldcompensate
Louis forthelossescausedbyhis slave.Whenhe failedto do
so, Louis againapproachedtheCouncil,whichorderedthatLijsbethbe sold to
raisethemoney.100
In
to Louis.101
Instead,it seems,Van Brakelgave herdirectly
thiswayGerritCoetzee'smaternal
and
became
the
slave
concubine
grandmother
ofhisgrandfather,
Louis ofBengal.
On 6 October1680 thefirstchildbornto Lijsbethand Louis was baptised
in thechurchin Cape Town.102
(Louis himselfhad been baptisedin 1675,when
he was 'abouttwenty-three
yearsold'.)103She becameknownas ElisabethLouisz
or Lowice.Louis and Lijsbethhad at leastone further
in
child,Maria,christened
1686.LijsbethcannothavebeenLouis' onlypartner,
forin 1685 a third
however,
AnnaLouisz,was christened
in Cape Townandhermother'snamewas
daughter,
givenas Mariavande Kaap.104
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
1 realwas worth54 stuiwers:
50 realsthuseaualled56.5 rixdollars.
Eerstevryswartes,
2 1.
Hattingh,
646.
Schoeman,Armosyn,
Eerstevryswartes,
2 1.
Ibid.,646; Hattingh,
'Die blankenageslagvan Louis van Bengalenen Lijsbethvandie Kaap', 6 and Eerstevrijswartes,
22. See also
Hattingh,
Böeseken,Slavesandfreeblacks,90 andC 13,Resolutions,14July1678.
'Blankenageslag' 12; Böeseken,Slavesandfreeblacks,128;C 13,Resolutions,14July1678.
Hattingh,
CJ 2954, Confessien
en interrogatorien,
1677-1685,28 and 30 April1678. I am deeplyindebtedto MansellUphamfor
to thesedocuments
andfortranscribing
them.It has provedimpossibleto finda recordofLijsbeth
's
drawingmyattention
trial.The recordofherconfession
on 30 April1678refers
to heramendingherpreviousconfession'op scherperexaminaofthisintheminutes
oftheCouncilofJusticeforthatyear.
tie' butthereis no mention
C 13,Resolutions,
14July1678.
Thisis theinference
drawnbyMansellUpham,and itis supported
evidence.
bycircumstantial
'Blankenageslag',16.
Hattingh,
Eerstevryswartes,
22.
Hattingh,
toHattingh,
a womannamedMariavande Kaap was a godparent
Ibid.,10,12and 19.According
attheChristening
ofMaria
Louisz in 1686.
25
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In July1683,theyearthatLouis andhisfamilymovedtoStellenbosch,
Louis
and
'lek
Louis
a
in
which
he
set
her
two
children
free.
document
Lijsbeth
signed
tehebbenmijnmeijtgenaamt
van
vanbengalebekennevrijgegeven
lijsbeth Cabo'
This documentwas
haer tweekinderen...'105
he declared,'... en meedevrijgeefi
butthereis no reasonto doubt
testedin courtsix yearslater,and foundwanting,
at thetime.
thesincerity
ofLouis' intention
theunionofLouis
givenitsinauspiciousbeginning,
Perhapsunsurprisingly,
whosemeticuofBengalandLijsbethvande Kaap was nothappy.Leon Hattingh,
has describedit as 'apparently
lous workguidedme to theoriginaldocuments,
In March1687thecouplemadea trouwbelofie
(gotengaged)beverystormy'.106
foretheCollegeof Landdrostand Heemradenin Stellenbosch.
Exactlyone year
Louis appearedbeforetheCollegeagain,thistimeto sue Lijsbeth
later,however,
thatherpromhim.Lijsbethcountered
andtodemandthatshemarry
fordesertion
in
his
an
Louis hadbeenconditional
ise tomarry
upon improvement behaviourtothecourt,thathe should
had warnedhim,shereminded
wardsher.The Landdrost
vandooslaan en dreijgementen
'metsmijten,
no longertreatherso tyrannically,
to killher...)', butsincethattime
and threatening
den ... (withshoving,hitting
andsheno longerwishedtomarry
him,norwould
thingshadgotworse,notbetter,
all
oftheasand
she
resisted
was
shelivewithhim.107
adamant,
attempts
Lijsbeth
sembledHeemradentoreconcilethecouple.FinallysheandLouis agreedto part:
norlive
another
marry
'Lijsbethcouldgo whereshewould,butsheshouldneither
Louis gotcustodyof thetwo
withhim... as longas Louis remainedunmarried.'
outof wedlockwith
children'bij ditoLijsbethin onechtgeprockeert
(procreated
toremain
child(MariaLouisz) was permitted
thesaidLijsbeth)',buttheyoungest
Thuswas
maintenance.108
that
Louis
onemoreyearwithhermother,
paid
provided
intothe
over
ofGerrit
ElisabethLouisz,latertobecomethemother
Coetzee,given
Louis ofBengal.
unsafecustodyofherfather,
unawarethattherewas a
The Heemradenof Stellenboschwereapparently
to thisdispute.OnlyinApril1689,whenLouis tookhiscase to
hiddendimension
theCouncilofJusticein Cape Town,diditemergethattherewas a thirdpartyinTheCouncilwas informed
volved.109
that,'abouta yearanda halfago', thatis,not
Louis had taken
longafterLijsbethand Louis had concludedtheirtrouwbelofie,
whohad
on a knegtnamedWillemTeerling(orTarling),a 55 year-old
Englishman
as
a
and
now
worked
service
in
the
16
been years
amongthe
shepherd
Company's
had
Louis now allegedthat,whilein his house,Teerling seduced
freeburghers.110
and 'debauched'Lijsbethandwonherawayfromhim.Beingunabletoprovethis,
he said,he was obligedto dismissTeerling,
Lijsbethlefthimtoo.Her
whereupon
he was unableto see to
since
he
much
him
had
caused
damage, averred,
departure
27 July1683.
1/STB 18/144, NotarialDeclarations,
Hattingh,Blankenageslag, /.
Ibid.
in civilcases, 15
Ibid.,7. The sourceof thequotationsis notnamed,butit mustbe 1/STB5/1,Minutesof proceedings
March1688.
incivilcases, 10 February1689.
109 CJ3, Minutesofproceedings
ot Willemleerling,b Aprillò»y.
110 CJ291, Documentsincriminalcases,interrogation
105
106
107
108
26
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boththelandandthelivestockon hisown.111
Wildanimalshadkilledhislivestock
(he had losta cow and calfto a 'wolf [jackal]and 25 sheepto a leopard);fruit
andvegetableshadgoneto waste;16 chickenshadgonemissingand2 morgenof
He askedthecourtto restoreLijsbethto himas
grainhad been leftuntended.112
hisslaveandto freehimonceandforall fromhistrouwbelofte.
FromTeerlinghe
wanteddamagestotheamountof/450 forlossessuffered
as a resultofLijsbeth's
departure.113
The Fiscal electedto institute
a criminalprosecution
againstbothLijsbeth
and Teerling,theformer
fordisobeyingand deserting
her 'patroorìand owner
andthelatterfordebauching
Louis' slaveandseducingherawayfromherduty.114
The Fiscal was unimpressed
He called it 'her pretended
by Lijsbeth'svrijbrief.
letterof freedom'{'haare pretensebriefvan vrijdom')and said thatit was of no
andhad notbeenvalidated
value,becauseithadbeenissuedon privateauthority
an
oath
sworn
before
the
the
Council
of Justice?]and properly
by
Secretary[of
witnesses.
even
a
freed
slave was requiredto
Furthermore,
appointed
properly
remainobedienttohisformer
master.115
The FiscalconcludedthatTeerlingshould
be compelledto makegoodLouis' lossesandto labourfortwoyearsat thepublic
to Louis as his
works;Lijsbethshouldbe whippedandbrandedandthenrestored
'with
costs'.116
slave,
Lijsbethand Teerlingwiselydeniedhavinghad carnalrelationswhilestill
inLouis' house,andTeerling,
oftheagreement
reachedbetween
perhapsmindful
and
Louis
before
the
Heemraden
of
Stellenbosch
in
March
1688,denied
Lijsbeth
thathe hadlivedwithherthereafter.
ButLijsbethfreelyadmitted
thatshehadhad
a steadyrelationship
withTeerlingsinceherdeparture
fromLouis' houseandthat
(inApril1689) shewas fourmonths
pregnant
byhim.117
The courtdeclinedto granttheFiscal all thathe asked.Teerlingwas condemnedto paya fineof 25 rixdollarsand to labourfortwomonthsat thepublic
Louis forhislosses,byan amountstilltobe deworks;he was also tocompensate
termined
the
court.
was
without
by
Lijsbeth
apparently
discharged
punishment.118
She was notobligedto return
toLouis.
It seems,however,thatthiscourtcase markedtheend of Lijsbethvan de
withWillemTeerling.Accordingto hertestimony
beforethe
Kaap's relationship
Councilof Justicein 1689,aftershe leftLouis's house at theend of 1787, she
had gone to join her(unnamed)mother'ten huijse van Abramvan guinea'.119
withAnthony
ofAngola(Louis' immediate
Teerlinghad goneto live first
neighbour) and thenwithJanAndrieszevan Rijssen (Jande Jonker)further
up the
111 CJ29 1, Statement
ofLouis of Bengal,6 April1689.
112 See listtranslated
andreproduced
in Hattingh,
Eerstevryswarte,
25. The originaldocument
is almostillegible.
113 CJ3, Minutesof proceedings
in civilcases, 10 February1689; CJ29 1, Statement
of Louis of Bengal.Louis's recourseto
theCouncilofJusticewas perhapsprovokedbya successfulcivilsuitbrought
byTeerlinginJune1688fortherepayment
of31 rixdollarswhichhe hadlentto Louis. (1/STB5/1,Minutesofproceedings
incivilcases, 11 June1688.)
114 CJ291, EijschofFiscalCornelisLinnes,1689.
115 Ibid. On thedutyof freedslaves towardstheirformer
670 and Hattingh,
masters,see Schoeman,Armosyn,
Vryswartes,
56.
116 CJ29 1, EijschofFiscalCornelisLinnes,1689.
117 CJ291, Testimony
ofLijsbethvande Caap, 6 April1689.
118 CJ3, Minutesofproceedings
incriminalcases,6 July1689.
119 CJ29 1, Interrogation
ofWillemTeerling,
6 April1689.
27
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While therehe seems to have had almostdailycontact
valleyof Jonkershoek.
withLijsbeth,so it is reasonableto assumethatAbramvan Guineaalso livedin
or withJanofCeylon,Louis's
Jonkershoek,
possiblywithJanAndrieszehimself,
to Stelreturned
on theotherside.120
However,whileTeerlingcertainly
neighbour
ofhissentenceinSeptember
lenboschafterthecompletion
1689,he doesnotseem
tohaverejoinedLijsbethvande Kaap. In 1691and 1692he appearson themuster
Andby 1695,as we knowfromanothersource,Lijsbeth
rollsas a singleman.121
vande Kaap was alreadyinvolvedwiththemanwhowas to becomeherlifepartHerbstorHerfstofBremen.
ner,Johann
In January
1696 Lijsbeth(now aged about36 anddescribedas 'a freeblack
The Fiscal (JoanBlesius)
in
living Stellenbosch')was againchargedwiththeft.
allegedthat,one FridayeveninginMarch1695,whilelodginginCape Townwith
thefreeblackJacobCorneliszof Bengal,she had takena lockedcasket{'seeker
kleijnindischekisjemetkoperehengselsenslotplaatse') inwhichJacobCornelisz
and othersmallthings'),
kepthis mostpreciousgoods ('comprisingsilverwork
removedit secretlyfromthehouse and takenit thenextday to Stellenbosch.122
TheFiscalwas abletoproducea confession
signedwithLijsbeth'smark,as wellas
attached
totheDrostdyofStellenbosch.
evidenceoftwoveldwagters
thedamning
Theyhad beenaskedby JacobCorneliszto fetchLijsbethfromthehouseof the
herintheir
JanHerbst,andbringhertohimso thathe couldconfront
freeburgher,
was lowhich
at
the
of
Jan
found
house
was
indeed
to
be
She
Herbst,
presence.
catedless thanhalfan hour'swalkfromthevillage(probablyinJonkershoek).123
herguiltwhenconfronted
by Jacob
Lijsbethwas guilty- she had admitted
in the
thecasketto him(withmostof itscontents)124
Corneliszand had returned
as 'a
Fiscal
demanded
and
the
Stellenbosch
of
of
the
that,
Secretary
presence
shebe punishedin publicand 'in herperson'.
commonthiefandrepeatoffender,
'and theredeliveredto theextothepublicscaffold,
He askedthatshebe brought
boundtoa pole andseverelywhippedwithrods',andthereafter
clapped
ecutioner,
admitted
in chainsto labourforthreeyearsat thepublicworks.125
Lijsbethagain
She would
ofa publicwhipping.
guiltbutaskedthatshebe sparedthehumiliation
of the
The courtwas lenientby thestandards
be willingto pay a fineinstead.126
ers (convictpobythecaff
day:itruledthatthewhippingwouldbe administered
thus
notexactlyin
7
slaven
slave
in
the
quartier')
lice)
lodge {'in
Company's
of three
the
sentence
and
that
the
view
of
but
out
of
generalcitizenry
private,
'in
case
of
toa fineof50 rixdollars,
prompt
yearshardlabourcouldbe commuted
payment'.127
Eerste
withMatthijsCalmer.See Hattingh,
120 Abramvan Guinea seems to have enteredintoa short-lived
partnership
afterthatof
47. The Stellenboschmusterrollsfor1691 listthenameof Abrahamvan Guineaimmediately
vryswartes,
'Paij [Marquait]vanCeijlon' and therollsfor1692 list'Abrahamvan Guineaand Pladoor[Plat oorl' belowthenames
at thetime.(VC 39, Musterrolls,1660-1700;
of CornellsJoostenen JanHersts' whofarmedas 'maats' inJonkershoek
10 December1692.)
1/STB18/40,Contracts,
121 VC 39, Musterrolls,1660-1700.
1696. ForJacobCornelisz,also known
incriminal
122 CJ299,Documents
cases, 1696,eijschofFiscalJoanBlesius,26 January
640.
as JacobCorneliszofCeylon,see Schoeman,Armosyn,
1696.
ofthesoldierPieterSours,13 January
123 CJ299,Testimony
1696.
of HansJürgen
ofthecasketarelistedinCJ299,Testimony
Smith,25 January
124 The contents
1696.
FiscalJoanBlesius,exhibitedincourt26 January
125 CJ229,EijschofProvisional
1OVO.
incriminalcases,5 .' January
126 CJ3, Minutesot proceedings
127 Ibid.
28
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Did Lijsbethserveout hersentencewiththechaingang?Or did herlover
JohannHerbstpaythefine?It seemsunlikelythathe couldhaveraisedthemonwithCornelisJoosten,
accordingto
ey.In 1692 Herbsthad formeda partnership
of farming
Joosten's
whichthetwomenagreedto sharethecostsandthereturns
In return
fortheuse of theland,Herbstwouldhelp
landin Jande Jonkershoek.
Butby 1695 thepartnership
seemsto
Joostenrepayhis debtsto theCompany.128
havebeendissolved.In thatyearHerbstwas listedaloneon themuster
rolls,with
twochildren(one of whommayhave beenLijsbeth'sunnamedchildbyWillem
butneither
Clara,fathered
by Herbst)129
Teerlingandtheotherherlittledaughter
hadformed
a newpartnership
withanother
'maaf norspouse.Joosten,
bycontrast,
It emergesfromanothersourcethatin 1694 Herbst
man,namedHans Jürgen.130
hadconcludedan agreement
witha certainClaas vanGuinea('Klaes vangenea'):
HerbstwouldprovideClaas and his concubine(Hoen or Hoena van Guinea)131
withfood,helphimsow a muidofgraineachyear,andprovidehimwitha garden,
fromwhichhe, Herbst,'wouldenjoyno morethanwhatwas neededto feedhis
Claas wouldplacehissix oxenat Herbst'sdisposal.132
family'.In return,
Thisagreement
seemstohavebeenmarkedly
favourable
toClaas vanGuinea
and Hattingh
has suggestedthathe, ratherthanAbrahamvan Guinea,mayhave
been thefatherof Lijsbethvan de Kaap. HattinghnotesthatClaas van Guinea
had madea similaragreement
withLouis of Bengalon 15 October1687,around
thetime(perhapsa littlebefore)thatLijsbethhad lefthimforTeerling.133
Cerit
seems
that
were
West
African
slaves.
The
tainly
veryprobable Lijsbeth'sparents
so-calledGuiñeanslaves had arrivedat theCape in 1658,broughtby theVOC
fromthecoastofDahomey,incontravention
ofitsagreement
withtheDutchWest
IndiaCompany.'Some weresenton to Batavia,someretainedby theCompany
and someassignedto thefirst
Claas van
freeburghers.'134
Accordingto Hattingh,
Guineawas freedbytheCompanyin 1687 (theyearofhis agreement
withLouis
ofBengal),as 'old andwornout'.135
so
Lijsbethvande Caap was bornin 1659,136
she maywell have been thechildof two newlyimported'Guiñean'slaves.We
do know,at least,thatherbrother,
thefreeblackPieterWillemsz,also knownas
PieterWillemszTamboer,transport-rider
and drummer
in theStellenboschburwas sometimes
knownas 'PieterWillemszAfricano'.137
ghercavalry,
If Lijsbethvan de Kaap had servedherfullsentence,she wouldhave been
freedfromthechaingangin 1699. In thatyearJohannHerbstwas grantedland
on theupperreachesof theWamakersRiverin thenewlysettledregionof WaHerbst(or Herfst)namedhis farm'Opper(now Wellington).
genmakersvalleij
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
1/STB 18/40,Contracts,
1694-170 1, 10 December1692. Herbstbrought
8 oxenand 112 sheepintothepartnership.
Herbstalso hada son,namedJohannes,
bornoftheslaveCecilia ofAngolain 1685.(Heese,Groepsondergrense,9.)
VC 39, Musterrolls,1660-1700. The significance
ofthiswillbecomeclearbelow.
VC 39, Musterrolls,1660-1700.
1/STB18/40,Contracts,
1694.
1694-1701,2 January
Eerstevryswartes,
44.
Hattingh,
JamesArmstrong
andNigelWorden,'The slaves,1652-1834',inElphickandGiliomee(eds), Shaping,112.
Eerstevryswartes,
42.
Hattingh,
'Blankenageslag',10.
Hattingh,
1/STB5/10,Minutesofproceedings
incivilcases, 11 May 1716.Fortherelationship
betweenPieterWillemszandLijsbeth
vande Caap (or LijsbethSanders,as shebecameknown),see 1/STB5/3,Minutesofproceedings
incivilcases,28 November1729.ForPieterWillemsz'roleas 'tamboer',see Hattingh,
Eerstevryswartes,
48.
29
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herfst'.He livedtherewithLijsbeth(nowknownas LijsbethSanders)138
untilhis
Johannes
tohisson-in-law,
deathin 1734,thoughin 1724thefarmwas transferred
Vosloo, on conditionthatVosloo maintainhim forthe remainderof his life
HerbstandLijsbethSanders
(LijsbethSanderswas notnamedintheagreement).139
had twodaughters:
Clara,whomayhavebeenbornbeforeLijsbethwas convictJohannes
who was bornin 1702 and married
ed of theftin 1696,and Gerbrecht,
Voslooin 1718.140
Whentheyfirstsettledat Opperherfst,
Lijsbethand Herbstwereassistedby
who agreedto helpHerbst,'wegenzijn
theburgher
(and tailor)HeinrichVenter,
to establishthefarm.Theywouldsow
swaekheijf(on accountof his infirmity)
Ventermade his 60 cattle
and sharetheprofitand theloss.141
and reaptogether
availableforploughingand manureand pasturedhis sheepon theland.In 1704,
downstream
on theBergRiver.He
Venterreceivedhisownlandfurther
however,
In time,
to
fend
for
themselves.
and
Sanders
left
Herbst
then
Lijsbeth
presumably
a smallcommunity
ofrelatives,
aroundthemselves
as we shallsee, theygathered
thehusbandsandloversofLijsbeth'sdaughters
byLouis ofBengal.
including
*
of his slave and
to Cape Townin 1690,bitteroverthedeparture
Louis returned
He soldLeefop Hoop tohis
concubineandcrippledbythelosseshe hadsuffered.
to Cape Townwherehe stillowned
ofAngola,and retreated
Anthony
neighbour,
RebeccaofMacassar,a freewoma houseanda gardenplot.In 1694he married
She
arrivedfromBatavia.142
an and a Christian(possiblya mardijker),
recently
as
Karel
under
her
was
and
it
arrival
church
on
the
influence,
perhaps
joined Cape
as a fullmemberof thechurchin
Schoemansuggests,thatLouis was confirmed
143
in Louis' housein Berg1697. For a whiletheyliveda lifeof modestcomfort
butin 1705Louis' debtscaughtup withhimandhe was obligedtosubmitto
straat,
inexecutionofa judgment
thesale ofhishouseanditscontents
againsthim.144
hishousefor200 guilders
Louis hadmanydebts- in 1703he hadmortgaged
to JoanBlesiustheFiscal (thesamewhohad prosecuted
Lijsbethvan de Kaap in
ina bidforrespectability
somewerenotincurred
1696) andonewonderswhether
manandchurch-goer
as
a
married
life
to
down
as
Louis
settled
andburgher
status,
he
In
for
town.145
in theColony'sonly
1703, example, boughtsix ebonychairsat
The listof his
of thetown.146
resident
theauctionof Christina
Does, a prominent
board,eightporcelain
possessionssoldatauctionin 1705includesa backgammon
a curtained
2 mirrors,
dollswithporcelainhair,a silkcabaaij (jacket),12 pictures,
24
and
2
a
4
saucers, porcelainplates,23 porcebed, sheets, teapot, porcelaincups
name.
whichmayhavebeenLijsbeth'sfather's
138 MansellUphamsuggeststhat'Sanders'was derivedfromAlexander,
undated),11; ueeds urnce, i dw,
139 Le RouxandLe Roux,OnseDrakensteinse
HeemKnng,
erjgrond:tiovlei(Drakenstein
volume33, donationintervivos,13April1724.
vol. 3 (Pretoria:HSRC, 1992),328.
140 Heese andLombard,Suid-Afrikaanse
geslagsregisters,
141 1/STB 18/40,Contracts1689-170 1, 17 March1699.
647.
'Blankenageslag',9; Schoeman,Armosyn,
142 Hattingh,
647.
143 Schoeman,Armosyn,
144 CJ4, part1, 154, 6 October1704.
documents.
in severalcontemporary
145 Louis is describedas a 'vrijburger'
ofChristina
MOOC 10/1.27, Inventory
146 TEPC ProjectandSentrum,
Does, 8 October1703.
30
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the6
lainservingdishes,18 tablenapkins,a roundtableand 12 chairs,including
'
The houseitself(recordedas 7 huijsvanSwart
ebonychairsacquiredin 1703.147
rix
was
603
sold
for
dollars.
Louis')
remarks
thatsince
Thiswas nottheendofLouis's troubles.'IndeedHattingh
In 1708theKerkraad
1676he was neverwithout
debt',notesKarelSchoeman.148
debtof/300andin 1711 hiscreditors
ofCape Towncalledinanoutstanding
finally
he
and
his
claimedhisgardenlandinTableValley.149
1715
wife
Rebecca
were
By
In
last
aid
church
fund.
that
same
Louis
made
one
on
from
the
poor
year
dependent
to forceLijsbethto return
futileattempt
to him:he suedJanHerbstforthereturn
ofhis 'slave'. The CouncilofJusticedismissedhis claimas 'frivolous'and fined
him2 rixdollarsforhavinghandedin a documentwithouta seal.150
Louis died
and
His
soon after,
embittered. widow,describedin church
penniless apparently
as 'Rebecka'or 'de vrouwvan SwarteLouis', remaineddependent
documents
on
a monthly
from
the
fund
until
in
her
death
1724.151
Louis
had
made
her
grant
poor
his sole anduniversalheir,buttherewas no estateto bequeath.HoweverLouis's
three'onegtehinderen',
for
Elisabeth,MariaandAnna,wereeach left50 guilders,
thesemoniestotheOrphanChamberat thetimeofhis
Louis hadwiselyentrusted
toRebecca.152
marriage
JacobusCoetzee and ElizabethLouisz
Louis of Bengal'seldestdaughter
byLijsbethvan de Kaap came to be knownas
ElizabethLouisz or Lowice (Lowies in themodernspelling).She was themother
ofGerrit
Coetzee.The identity
ofGerrit'sfather
was less evident,ifnottohisparat large.
ents,at leasttothechurchandthecommunity
ElizabethLouisz andJacobusCoetzeemaywellhaveknownone anotheras
children.
on theedge
Theylivedbuta shortdistanceapart,JacobusatCoetsenburg
of thevillageof Stellenbosch
and Lijsbethat herfather'sfarmLeef op Hoop, a
littlefurther
on theEersteRiver.Giventhedifference
intherelativestaupstream
tusoftheirparents,
it seemsunlikelythattheymetat church(Elizabeth'smother
or duringtheendlessroundof kuiery,
Lijsbethwas notbaptised),153
card-playing
andchatinwhichJacobus'parentsandtheirmoreaffluent
neighbours
indulged.154
ButElisabethLouisz andJacobusCoetzeewereexactlythesameage (bothhaving
beenbaptisedin 1680) and theymaywell have playedtogether
in Jonkershoek,
with
the
children
offreeblacksJanvanCeijlonandDina vanCoelang,who
along
wereofsimilarage,andthemuchyounger
children
ofJande Jonker
andLijsbeth
Janszvande Kaap.
ElizabethLouisz mayhaveleftStellenbosch
andreturned
toCape Townwith
herfatherwhenhe gave up farming
in 1690. By 1695,however,whenshe was
147
148
149
150
15 1
152
153
154
CJ2913, 116,listofmovablegoodssold inexecutionat thehouseoftheVrijswart
Louis vanBengalen,19January
1705.
Schoeman,Armosyn'648.
Eerste
648.
29; Schoeman,Armosyn,
Hattingh,
vryswartes,
CJ6, Minutesofproceedings
incivilcases, 142, 14 November1715.
648.
Schoeman,Armosyn,
CJ2597,Wills,30 August1697.
CJ29 1, Documentsincriminal
of Louis of Bengal,6 April1689.
cases,Testimony
Fouché(ed), ThediaryofAdamTas,1705-1706.
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fifteen
or sixteenyearsold, she was back in theJonkershoek
valley,livingon
new'maaf (partner),
landas thewifeorconcubineofJoosten's
CornelisJoosten's
was a former
Hans Jürgen
Hans Jürgen
of Salzburg.155
Companysoldierwhohad
arrivedat theCape in 1681 and receivedburgher
rightsin 1688. By theend of
This may
of Salzburghad one child.156
1695,ElisabethLouisz and Hans Jürgen
in
1700.157
in
Town
christened
havebeenJohannes
Cape
Jürgens,
of Salzburg?No recordof a marDid ElizabethLouisz marryHans Jürgen
riagehas survived,buttheremusthave been one, for,manyyearslater,when
in Drakenstein,
Elizabeth'schildrenDirkand MariaCoetze(sic) werechristened
oudtvijfjaren,
as
in
of
the
were
described
'Maria,
doopregister Drakensteijn
they
diedeselenzoonvanjacobus coetzeongetrouwde,
enDirkouttweejaren,doghter
venbij eenenElisabethLouies,getrouwde
vrouw,
gewönneheefi.U5S
By contrast,
in September1722, whentheiryoungestchildJohannesCoetzee was baptised,
ElizabethandJacobusCoetzeewerebothdescribedin theDrakensteijn
doopboek
musthavedied
lìederì(unmarried
as 4ongetrouwden
persons),so thatHansJürgen
betweenDecember1720and September1722.ThatwouldexplainwhyElizabeth
Louisz and JacobusCoetzee did notmarryuntil1724,whentheywereboth44
yearsold.
ElisabethLouisz' secondchild,Maria,baptisedin Stellenboschin January
is not
childbyJacobusCoetzee.Maria'sfather
1704,maywellhavebeenherfirst
arenamedas Janvan Ceijlonandhis
namedin thedoopboek,buthergodparents
old associatesofElisabethLouisz andherparentsand
wifeDina (ofJonkershoek),
ElizabethLouisz' thirdchild,Elisabeth(bapwellknowntotheCoetzeefamily.159
of
werethechildren
children
tisedAnneElisabethin 1705) andall hersubsequent
s, for,whilethe
fromthedoopregister
JacobusCoetzee,thoughthisis notapparent
father
ofAnneElisabethwas notnamed,Jacoba,baptisedin Cape Townin 1709,
Margareta(baptisedin Cape Townin 1711) and Gerrit(baptisedin Cape Town
Gerrit
of Salzburg.160
underthenameof Hans Jürgen
in 1712), werechristened
Coetzeethusbeganlifeundera mistaken
identity.
of theCape Townchurchhave causedunTheseentriesin thedoopregister
thegenealogy
confusionamongthosewhohavetriedto reconstruct
derstandable
of thisbranchof theCoetzee family.But it is quiteclearfromotherdocuments
ElisabethLouisz's first
child,was
drawnup manyyearslaterthatonlyJohannes,
the
For
of
Hans
husband
her
fathered
example, liquidation
Jürgen Salzburg.
by
Sara vanderSchulp,drawnup in 1745but
accountofJacobusCoetzee'smother,
recordedpriortothatdate,statesclearlythatin 1739
carefully
listingtransactions
of GerritCoetzee) ElisabethLouisz and Jacobus
execution
the
after
(six years
of Salzburgin
no. 25. ForElisabethLouisz' associationwithHansJürgen
en billetten,
155 C 2748,Diverseburgervrijbrieven
maatwas JohanHerbst,theloverof Elizabeth's
1695,see VC 39, vol. 1, Musterrolls1660-1700.(Since Joosten'sformer
and
whilelivingwithhermother
mother,
Lijsbethvan de Kaap, one mayassumethatElisabethLouisz metHans Jürgen
HerbstinJonkershoek.)
156 VC 39, Musterrolls,1660-1700, Stellenbosch1695.
157 VC 604,Doopregister,
Kaapstad,26 September1700.
158 VC 644. Doonreeister.
Drakensteiin.
15 December1720.
20 Januarv1704.
159 VC 632. Doonreeister.
Stellenbosch.
160 VC 604, Doopregister,
Kaapstad,3 February1709; 12 April17 11 and6 November1712.
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Maria(born1715),Elisabeth,Jacoba,Sara,DirkandJan
Coetzeehadsixchildren:
Coetzeeareclearlynamedas 'hinderen
van boovengem:JacobusCoetsé,bij geMariamusthavedied
meldeElisabethLouiszverweht'.161
Margaretaandthefirst
beforethisdate.And fifteen
in
when
the
yearsearlier, 1724,
couplewerefinally
in Stellenbosch
able to marry,
thepredikant
recordedtheeventas theunionbetween'JacobusCoetseevan Cabo, metElisabethGlam wede,van Cabo (hebbende7 kinderstussenhaar beide,wanneervereenigt
The seventh
wierden.y162
childwas Gerrit.
The originsof JacobusCoetzee's love affairwithElizabethLouisz are hiddenfromtheeyeofthecurioushistorian.
As alreadynoted,bothspenttheirchildhoodinandaroundJonkershoek,
one ofthemostbeautiful
valleysintheareanow
knownas theCape winelands.
WhenElizabethreturned
tothevalleyinthe1690s,
livingperhapsfirstwithhermotherand Herbston Joosten'sland and thenwith
Hans Jürgen,
herpathmust(literally)have crossedthatof DirkCoetzee's eldest
son.Furthermore,
it seemsthatHans Jürgen
madea fateful
choicewhichbrought
hisyoungwifeintoclosercontactwiththeCoetzeefamily.
In 1694,orthereabouts,
he enteredintoan agreement
withtheheemraadDirkCoetzee,in termsof which
he wouldrent'a certainpieceofland,lyinginJanJonckershoek',
andinreturn
for
hisenjoyment
ofthefruits
thereof
he wouldpayCoetzee50 ewes. In 1697 (when
JacobusCoetzeeandLijsbethLouisz werebothseventeen
yearsold) thetwomen
betweenthemhad been fulfilled
and
signeda documentstatingthatthecontract
thattheyhadno further
claimson one another.163
JacobusCoetzee's relationship
withElizabethLouisz seemsto have caused
hisparents
muchdistress.
In 1707theywentso faras topersuadetheGovernor
and
CouncilofPolicytostriphimofhisburgher
enlist
him
a
as
soldier
and
send
rights,
himto Batavia.164
Such deportations
werenotunheardof at thetime.165
Indeed
Jacobus'parentsmayhavegottheidea fromeventsofthepreviousyear,whenthe
CouncilofPolicy,facedwithwidespread
agitation
againstitselfandtheGovernor,
WillemAdriaanvanderStel,decidedto getridof 'all singlemenandidlers.. .esthat
peciallythosewho are notof good behaviourand who cannotdemonstrate
earn
their
anddecently,'
them
they
livinghonestly
by 'fromtimetotime'enlisting
as soldiersat f9 permonthandsendingthemto India.166
JacobusCoetzee was widelyreputed,accordingto theGovernor,
to live a
'dishonourable
and veryscandalouslife' ('een persoon alommeberigtvan een
eerloosen zeer ergelijkleeveri)and his fatherand motherhad persistently
and
urgently
requestedthathe be sentaway to India,'so thattheymightendureno
161 MOOC 13/1/3,
no.61, LiquidationacountofSaraJacobszvanderSchulp,wedewijlendenburgerDirkCoetsé,31 December 1745.
162 VC 639, Huweliksregister
Stellenbosch,
1700-1788,2 November1724.It is notat all clearwhyElisabethLouisz cameto
be namedin somedocuments
as ElisabethGlimorGlam.
163 1/STB18/40,
26 February
1697.The landinquestionwas knownas 'Assagaijbos'.Itwas 'a smallpieceofarable
Contracts,
landinJan-Jonkers
... ofwhichonly6 morgenweregoodland'andithadbeengranted
Hoek,undertheGroote-berg
toDirk
CoetzeebySimonvanderStel,inadditiontothe39 morgenwhichbecameknownas Coetsenburg,
'in ordertocompensate
himsomewhat'.(H.C.V. Leibbrandt,
PrecisoftheArchives
oftheCape ofGood Hope: requesten
{memorials),
1715-1806,
vol. 1 (Cape Town:Government
Printers,
1905),257.)
164 C 1446,Lettersdespatched,
Governor
andCouncilat theCape toGovernor-General
andCouncilof India,10 March1708.
I havenotbeenable to finda written
requestfromDirkCoetzeeandSara vanderSchulptothiseffect.
165 Schoeman,Armosyn,
437-438.
166 C 25, Resolutions,
11 March1706.Citedin Schoeman,Armosyn,
438.
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him{op dat ze hierdoor geen meerschändevan mögt
further
disgracethrough
in
that
he mightnevercomebackfromthere.'167
the
beleeven),
hope
Thesewereharshwordsto use ofone's eldestson.Andwhatofhischildren,
Maria,now aged threeand Jacoba,agedjust one year?Did his parentsspareno
was it theirveryexistencewhichcaused
forthem?Or,on thecontrary,
thought
themsuchdistress?
to ask whatitwas aboutJacobusCoetzee's
It is worthpausingfora moment
Was ithercolour(being
liaisonwithElisabethLouisz whichso upsethisparents.
half-Asian
or
her
she
have
been
West
African,
dark-skinned),
ancestry,
may
part
with
Was it herfather'slongstruggle
thefactthatshe had been borna slave?168
liOr was ithermother
debtandhisrecentsequestration?
Lijsbeth'sextra-marital
as a 'commonthief?Or wereDirk
aisonwithHerbstandhershameful
reputation
ofDutchburghers
CoetzeeandhiswifeSara vanderSchulp,boththechildren
(he
and
from
she
of
fromtheProtestant
Amsterdam),169
especially
stronghold Kampen
and adulterouscontextof theirson's relationship
provokedby theextra-marital
themscancombinedtorender
withElizabethLouisz?Mostlikelyall thesefactors
dalised.
beSchoemanandHeese haveablydemonstrated,
As Hattingh,
relationships
commonat
tweenwomenofcolourandmenofEuropeandescentwereextremely
so muchso thattherewas scarcelya family
theCape in theseventeenth
century,
to theopinionof Elphickand
whichwas untouchedby such a union.Contrary
In DirkCoetzee'sown
the
classes.170
to
lower
not
confined
such
unions
were
Shell,
had been bornin
circletherewereseveralmenwhosewivesor mothers-in-law
MatthiasGreeff,
blacksmith
The
slaves.
from
were
descended
or
wealthy
slavery
forexample,whohad severaltimesservedas heemraadalongsideDirkCoetzee,
was marriedto SusannaClaasen van de Kaap.171His son MatthijsGreeffmarriedJacobusCoetzee's sisterSara in 1710 and afterSara's deathin 1718,Dirk
Coetzeeand Sara vanderSchulptookin theirorphanedgrandson
MatthijsGreeff
The heemraadand churchelderArrieCruijtsand raisedhim as theirown.172
173
to Maria
man,whoacquiredthevaluablefarmElsenburgin 1718, was married
betweenHelenavanMalabarandthe
Vosloo,childofan extra-marital
relationship
whofarmed
GuillaumeFrisnet,
Vosloo.174
Johannes
chief
woodcutter,
Company's
van de Kaap, a former
to GrootArmosyn
was married
in Drakenstein,
Company
memberoftheStellenbosch
slave(possiblyofWestAfricanorigin)andlong-time
resiAndin 1720Hans JacobConterman
church.175
('Hans de Smif),a long-time
and
tothisletter
toMansellUphamfordrawingmyattention
10 March1708.1am verygrateful
167 C 1446Letters
despatched,
itscompanioninC 382, Lettersreceived,9 November1707.
see RemcoRaben, hacingthe
to DutchprejudiceagainstAsiansin generaland Asian slaves in articular
168 For references
hisand oceans: studiesinmaritime
crowd:theurbanethnicpolicyoftheVOC in K. Mathew(ed.), Mariners,merchants
tory(New Delhi:Manchar,1995).
selt300 jaar in Suid-Afrika(Johannesburg,
169 N.A. Coetzee,Die stamouersCoetzeeand nageslagte:herdenkingsuitgawe
published,1979).
170 ElphickandShell,'Intergroup
relations',198.
638.
vol. 2, 5 16; Schoeman,Armosyn,
17 1 Heese,Groepsondergrense,50; Heese andLombard,Geslagsregisters,
8 August1725.
172 MOOC 1/4,Weeskamer
Notulenboek,
of JanJürgen
MOOC 8/3.103,Inventory
Roose, 21
173 Guelkeand Shell,The deeds' book,85; TEPC Projectand Sentrum,
December1718.
vol. 3, 1082-1083.
174 Schoeman,Armosyn,
638; De Villiersand Pama,Geslagsregisters,
56 1.
175 Schoeman,Armosyn,
34
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manwhojealouslyguardedhis reputaand a self-important
dentof Stellenbosch
of AndriesBeyers,the
tion,madea secondmarriageto Maria Beyers,daughter
the
free
black
Catharina
Therearemany
by
Vryman.176
Company'swaggon-maker,
otherexamplesof such unions,butone finalexamplefromthe mid-eighteenth
who in 1751
mustsuffice:thatof JacobusCoetzee's own brother
Gerrit,
century
vanBeulen,childoftheGermanJanJansz
Johanna
at theage of68, wouldmarry
andAnnavande Kaap, a former
vanBeulen[orBollen]ofDitmarschen
company
vanBeulenwas also thewidowofthefreeblackWillemStoltsand,
slave.Johanna
for
in marrying
her,theelderlyGerritCoetzeeDirkzoonassumedresponsibility
Stolts.177
herchildren
by
This made
was sanctified
Howevereach of theserelationships
by marriage.
rare
within
the
wider
of
relations
between
themrelatively
category
Europeanmen
relations
and womenof colour.It is generallyacknowledgedthatextra-marital
womenwerefarmore
betweenEuropeanmenand slavebornor slave-descended
were
commonat theCape in thisperiodthanmarriages.
Manysuchrelationships
butotherswerelongtermand producedchildrenwho wereacknowltransitory,
In suchcases, writesHans Heese, 'thechildrenwereabedgedby theirfathers.
In general,longterm'concubinage'(in the
sorbedintothewhitecommunity'.178
was
of
the
tolerated
day)
by colonialsociety,whichturneda blindeye
language
butthereweresome,especiallywithintheCompanyesto its'immoral'features,
tablishment
andthelocal 'bestuurs-elite'
(ofwhichDirkCoetzeewas a prominent
it
and
who
found
member),
reprehensible tookstepswheretheycouldto stampit
out.179
In 1686,forexample,Dirkvan Koningshoven,
a sergeant
in theCompany's
was severelyreprimanded
garrison,
by CommanderSimonvan der Stel and the
Councilof Policyforhis 'misbehaviour'and 'scandalouslife'. His concubine,
had applied
Bort,a newlyemancipated
Jannetje
mesticoslaveoftheCommander,
to theCouncilfor'permission'to marryVan Koningshoven,
by whomshe alhad
four
'onder
van
children,
(with
ready
versekering trouwbelofte theassurance
ofmarriage)'.180
The CouncilorderedVanKoningshoven
to maintain
thechildren
andwarnedhimthathe wouldnotreceivepermission
to marry
anyoneotherthan
Thisapproachapparently
succeeded,forthecoupleweremarried
Jannetje.
bythe
endoftheyearandwenton to haveanothersevenchildren
together.181
Clearly,in
thiscase, theassemblednotableswereoffended
notso muchby theinter-racial
natureoftherelationship
as byitsillicitcharacter.
In August1707 a row eruptedwithinthe ChurchCouncilin Cape Town.
The newminister,
FranciscusEngelbertus
le Boucq,refusedto siton theCouncil
withtwoof itsnewlychosenmembers,
thedeaconJanOberholtzer
and theelder
176 Ibid.,43; Heese andLombard,Geslagsregisters,
vol. 1, 258. MariaBeyerswas thesisterofChristoffel
Beijer,whotestified
at thetrialofGerrit
Coetzee.
177 Cairns,'WillemStolts';Heese andLombard,Geslagregisters,
vol 1,603; vol. 12,(Gisa, 2005), 280-82.
178 Heese,Groepsondergrense,10.
179 For an illuminating
discussionof concubinagein Batavia,see HendrikNiemeijer,'Slavery,ethnicity
and theeconomic
of womenin seventeenth-century
in
Batavia,in B. Andaya(edJ, Otherpasts: women,genderand history
independence
modern
Southeast
Asia
174-94.
(Hawaii,2000),
early
180 Schoeman,Armosyn,
56 1.
181 Ibid.
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had an unblemished
AbrahamPoulie,becauseithad cometo hisearsthatneither
as a member
of
confirmed
had
been
he
said,
Oberholtzer,
only
recently
reputation.
thechurch,and he was in anycase notfitto serveon thecouncil'dewijlhij zoo
en haar hinderen
geprolangentijdmeteenswartemeijd,ofhoer,huijsgehouden,
... (becausehe had forso longkepthousewitha black
créeerdofgeprocureerd
's replywas
childrenwithher)'. Oberholtzer
meijd,or whore,and had procreated
that
He
answered
more
edifying.
scarcely
Hij in dat leeveneen weersingekregenhebbende[,] zig totden tróuw
begevenhebbende[,] wel waar te sijndat hij metzoo een meijdhadde
die sij hadde op sijn naam niet
huijsgehouden,maar dat de hinderen
gedoopten waaren. . . (havingdevelopedan aversionto thatlife,he
had embarkedupon a marriage[and that]it was indeedtruethathe
hadkepthousewithsucha meijd,butthatthechildrenshehad had not
inhisname...)182
beenchristened
ofthemanumitThe womanin questionwas AgnietaColijn,granddaughter
ted slaves Evertand Marij of Guinea and daughterof Maria Everts,a woman
was
Oberholtzer
of considerablesubstance,by theHollanderBastiaanColijn.183
beenbornin his houseand at leastone,
lying:Agnieta'schildrenhad apparently
underhis namein the
had beenchristened
Overholscher
Johannes
(Oberholster),
churchinCape Town.184
as a memberof
ofJanOberholtzer
Le Boucq's objectionto theappointment
and
theCape churchcouncilrevealsan unpalatablemixof theologicalrectitude
racialprejudice.He cited 1 Timothy:3, whichdoes indeedenjointhatdeacons
and eldersof thechurchshouldbe menof good repute,againstwhom'outsidwrotePaul, 'not
ers' couldraiseno objections.Deacons should'be respectable,'
toAgnietaColijnas a whorewas also not
Le Boucq's reference
double-tongued.'
cenin seventeenth
were
and
'concubine'
'whore'
virtually
synonomous
atypical:
dewas
a
'swarte
as
of
her
his
But
meijd'
gratuitously
description
uryBatavia.185
links
and
her
origins
meaningbecauseitso clearlyemphasisedhernon-European
withslavesandfreeblacks.''Meijd9was a termusuallyusedofslavewomenatthe
Cape, andAgnietahadbeenborninfreedom.
theothermembersof theCape TownKerkraadcouldnotfind
Interestingly,
from
to supportle Boucq's proposalto removeJanOberholtzer
it in themselves
office.Theymerely'shruggedtheirshouldersandaftersomediscussionbackand
Le Boucq said he wouldhe takeit
forth
theywouldnotconsentto it', whereupon
council.186
the
from
Oberholtzer
dismiss
to
on himself
no. 112,2 August1707.
C 2147, Verklaringen,
65 1-3.
Schoeman,Armosyn,
653.
20 October1702; Schoeman,Armosyn,
VC 604, KaapstadDoopregister,
Melenaau ion inrsicousinoi
lettherto marry
ButAgnietamayhavebeenstungbytheuse ot theterm.WhenUberholtzer
church
lifeas farmer,
Coetzee)andbegina respectable
AndriesduToitofDaljosafat,whowas latertotestify
againstGerrit
another
andheemraadofDrakenstein,
councillor
European,JanJansevanderHeyden,a Hollander
Agnietaquicklymarried
fromDelft.(Schoeman,Armosyn,
653.)
2 August1707.
186 C 2 147, Verklaringen,
182
183
184
185
36
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familiarwith1 Timothy:3.
The parentsof JacobusCoetzee werecertainly
elderofthechurchshould'have an impeccablecharTheyknewthata presiding
acter'.He shouldalso be 'a manwhomanageshisownhouseholdwellandbrings
his children
for,askedPaul, 'how can any
up to obeyhimand be well-behaved,'
manwhodoes notunderstand
howto managehisownhouseholdtakecareofthe
churchofGod?' DirkCoetzee,as we haveseen,was also a long-serving
heemraad,
andhe hadrecently
beenappointedCaptainoftheschutterij
(civicguard)in Stellenboschin place of HenningHüsing,whohad been sentto thevaderlandto anVanderStel.187
swerchargesoffomenting
resistance
to theauthority
ofGovernor
likeeldersofthechurch,
wereexpectedtoleadbyexample.'De voorHeemraden,
beeldfunctievan heemraden
steldedus hogèremorele eisenaan hendan aan de
DirkCoetzeemaywell
kolonist.9m
Given
theseheavyresponsibilities,
gemiddelde
as itseems
havefoundhisson'sbehaviour
intolerable,
especiallyifitwas flaunted,
Racial prejudice
to havebeen,beneathhis nose in thevillageof Stellenbosch.189
in thewidercommunity,
especiallyagainstwomenofAfricandescent,who were
but
rarelychosenas bridesbyEuropeans,mayhaverubbedsaltin his wounds,190
one suspectsthat,as in thecase of Van Koningshoven,
thechiefaffront
was the
natureoftherelationship.
SinceElisabethLouisz was alreadymarried,
adulterous
therewas littleprospect
ofhissonbeingable toregularise
thesituation.
Therewas
foritbutto sendhim'faraway'.
nothing
JacobusCoetzeewas plucky,
andhe refused
togo quietly.No soonhowever,
erhadhe arrivedinBataviainhisnewcapacityas Companyservant
thanhe,along
witha fellowdeportee,
the
and
India
Governor
Council
of
to sendhim
petitioned
backagain.He said thathe had beenbornat theCape, 'and his parentsstilllived
thereand he had beenmadea soldierin a violentmannerand sentaway against
hiswill'. He wishedtoreturn
to theCape withthenexthomeward-bound
fleet,he
as
his
as
so
to
resume
life
a
free
wrotetheHoge
said,
Therefore,
agriculturalist.191
Regeringin Bataviato theCape Councilof Policyin November1707,theyhad
senthimandhiscompanion
backtotheCape,stillintheircondition
as soldiers,'so
thattheycouldaddressthemselves
to theGovernorand Councilthere',and they
recommended
thattheCouncil'deal fairlywiththesepoorpeopleand helpthem
backon theirfeet'.192
The Cape Councilwas outraged.
The twomenhadno righttocomplain,they
since
the
scandalous
of
wrote,
(Coetzee)was wellknownandthe
lifestyle thefirst
was
second
'a vilepersonanda greatdrunkard'.
The deportees
hadmisrepresented
theircircumstances,
andtheCouncilwouldbe pleasediftheirExcellenciesinBatavia wouldhenceforth
notgiveear to suchcomplaints,
'unlesssupported
by sufficient
so
that
we
should
not
be
to
answer
to
the
evidence;
always required
simple
187 H.C.V. Leibbrandt,
PrecisoftheArchivesoftheCape ofGood Hope: Journal,1699-1732(Cape Town,1986), 14 August
1706,96-7.
188 Biewenga,De Kaap de GoedeHoop,58.
189 In September1704JacobusCoetzeewas granted
an erfinthevillageof Stellenbosch.
(Guelkeand Shell,Thedeedsbook,
transfer
no. 1414.)
190 Heese notesthatEuropeanmenrarelychose womenofAfricandescentas long-term
sexualpartners.
Mostextra-marital
liaisonswithslavesinvolvedwomenofAsiandescent.(Heese, Groep,8, 10)
191 C 382,Inkomende
Batavia
to
the
9
1
November
707.
brieven,
Cape,
192 Ibid.
37
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andtodebatetheir
ofthisorthatsoldieror sailor,howeverunfounded,
complaints
As
man
be
to
thefatherland.
The
second
would
sent
on
straight
supposedwrongs.'
forJacobusCoetzee,theywouldkeephimin serviceat theCape fora while,'to
in his wayof life,in whichcase he will
he makesanyimprovement
see whether
requestit;butwe believetheywillhavelittle
againbe setfree,providedhisparents
havehimfaraway.'193
to do so, butwouldrather
inclination
to mendhis ways,or hisparentsrelentEitherJacobusagreed(untruthfully)
ed: in November1708 'den landbouwerJacobusCoetzee' was granteda graz'overde BergRiviertusschen
inglicenseto settlewithhis stockin Drakenstein,
after
Baas JanenHendrikRoodenburg'mIn February1709,someelevenmonths
his return
fromBatavia,Jacoba,his thirdchildconceivedout of wedlockwith
inCape Town.(Paternity
was attributed
to 'Hans
ElisabethLouisz,was christened
vanSaltsburgh').195
Jurrien
Abraof a horse'.In 1710 theOud-Heemraad
Thencame 'thesmallmatter
Hoffman
of
in
the
Jan
suit
Stellenbosch
hamde Villiersbrought
against burgher
was theloverof ElisabethLouisz' sisterMariaLouisz (he
Hoffman
Langenberg.
De Villiersallegedthat
ofherthreechildren.196
married
herin 1711)andthefather
hishorse:a blackmarewhichborethemarksofan
hadmisappropriated
Hoffman
by a wolf.It had gone missingduringtheoptrekin Stellenbosch
injuryinflicted
thatthemarewas his: he had bought
Hoffman
countered
in September1708.197
of 'Victor'inApril1708.In supportofhiscase
itfor9 rixdollarsat thevendutie
WillemCorneliszvan
statements
he submitted
by JacobusCoetzee,JanHerfst,
thathe knewthehorsewell; he had
Coeveldand CasparJansz.Coetzeetestified
De Villiersbridledat thecourt'ssuggestion
oftenborrowedit fromHoffman.198
thathe too shouldproducewitnesses:he coulddo this,he said,buthe had twice
ofall Hoffman's
swornan oathandhiswordcountedformorethanthestatements
he explained,'sincetheaccused
were'inhabieV[unfit]
Theirstatements
witnesses.
theirconcubines(doorde
withone another,
andthewitnessesarefriends
through
was theprobable
v.
Coesveld
Willem
Cornelisz
and
that
die
bijsitten zij hebben),
cause oftheswappingofthehorse'.199
wereElisabethLouisz, her
The 'bijsitten'to whichtheHeemraadreferred
andAnnaLouisz. The first
Maria
sisters
Louisz
and
her
mother
Sanders,
Lijsbeth
the concubinesof JacobusCoetzee,JohanHerbstand
threewere respectively
AnnaLouisz was in factmarriedto Caspar
van Langenberg.
Hoffman
Johannes
It appearsthatthefamilyafJansz(son of Janvan Ceijlon of Jonkershoek).200
fairsofJacobusCoetzeewereindeed'alommeberigf(widelyreported)
amongthe
to whichhisfather
'bestuurs-elite"
belonged.
193 C 1446,Lettersdespatched,
Cape to Batavia,10 March1708.
ot me iarm
whotooktransfer
194 RLR 1,13 November1708.Was 'Baas Jan'perhapsJean(or Jan)le Roux ot Normandie,
at Goede Rustin Daljosafatin 1714?
settlefurther
afield,beforesettling
Vlakkelandin 1694?Or didJacobusCoetzeefirst
livedon thefarm
ownerofGoedeRust,apparently
seemsthemostlikely,sinceJacquesVivier,thefirst
Thelatter
possibility
farmDe DruijveValleijwas situatedfartothenorthof Daljosafat.
untilhisdeathin 1714,andHendrikRoodenburg's
3 February1709.
195 VC 604, Kaapstaddoopregister,
196 J.Hoge,'PersonaliaoftheGermansat theCape, 1652-1806',Archives
yearbook,vol. 9 (1946), 167.
incivilcases,30 December1709.
197 1/STB5/6,Minutesofproceedings
1710.
19 January
198 1/STB18/155,Notarialdeclarations,
incivilcases, 10 February1710.
199 1/STB5/6,Minutesofproceedings
'Blankenageslag',11-12.
200 See Hattingh,
38
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Abrahamde Villierswonhiscase. Hoffman
hadbeenlying:thehorsewas not
his.He hadacquireditaccidentally,
as theresultofa mix-upon thepartofWillem
it to itsrightful
Cornelisvan Coeveld.Insteadof returning
ownerhe had falsely
claimeditas hisown.DirkCoetzee,who,as heemraadhadtakenthesworntestiwhen
defence,musthavebeenmortified
monyofhisownsongivenin Hoffman's
thecourtfoundin favourofDe Villiers.It also foundthat'all thedocuments
preandunfit,
sentedbytheaccusedwereobjectionable
bloodrelationsince,through
to misleadthejudge {alle des gedaagdens
theywereintended
shipandotherwise
stuckenmitsvermenginge
vanbloetverwantschap
als andersints
tot
ge-exhibierde
vandenregiergericht,
inhabielen verwerpelijk
mislijdinge
zijn).'201
JacobusCoetzee may not have intentionally
lied in order to support
case. He maynothaveknownthatthehorseindisputedidnotbelongto
Hoffman's
Hoffman.
Butin a community
wherehonourmattered
ofthe
deeply,thejudgment
was damning.
His father
assembledHeemraden
hadbeenshamedbyassociation.
Inheritance
In 1721 DirkCoetzeeannouncedhis intention
to retirefromfarming:
he was 66
he
with
an
invalid
wife
and
no
children
in
the
house.
He had
yearsold, explained,
donehisbesttoacquithimself
wellintheserviceofthechurchandthecommunity
andhe nowwishedto retirefrom'theunavoidabledifficulties
ofcountry
life'and
the
remainder
of
his
'in
life
meer
ruste
en
minder
spend
omslag'('morerestand
less upset')inCape Town.202
In 1722he andhiswifeSara vanderSchulpmadepreparations
to handover
theirhomestead(Coetsenburg)
to theirsecondson GerritCoetzeeDirkzoon,who
married
SusannaLoefkeinJunethatyear.203
Gerritwas allowed
(coincidentally?)
tolease Coetsenburg
on condition
thathe farmeditproperly.
In lieuofrenthe was
to payhisparentshalftheharvestof grain,wineand anyothercropsraisedupon
thefarm.204
Overthecourseofthenextthreeyearshe suppliedthemwithquantitiesofwheat,peas,beans,driedfruit
andalmonds.In 1723and 1724he sentlarge
of
and
quantities brandy wineto his fatherin Cape Townand in February1725,
one yearafterhe had acquiredCoetsenburg
in freehold,
he brought
his father'a
loadofgoodsparsanda loadofgoodslats,'op mijneijgenlandtgekaptdoororder
van mijnvader,om sijn agterhuijste vermaakerì('choppedon myown landby
orderofmyfather,
so as to alterhisouthouse').205
On 1 March1724Gerrit
CoetzeeDirkzoontooktransfer
ofCoetsenburg.
His
fatherset thepriceat /4000 and added a further
for
some
'loose
/3600
goods'
tools and furni(2 slaves,60 head of cattle,30 leggers,and some agricultural
ture)whichwentwiththefarm.Gerritwas to pay/2600 cash and thebalanceof
201 1/STB5/6,Minutesofproceedings
incivilcases,24 February1710.
202 C 1086, Memorialsandrequests,
7 October1721.
203 Gerritwas 39 whenhe married
SusannaLoefke.Theyalreadyhadone child,Eva, christened
in 1719.Theirsecondchild,
on thedav ofhisparents'marriaee.(De Villiersand Pama.GeslaQsreQixters.
Adam,was christened
vol 1 145 ì
204 MOOC 14/14,Annexures
to liquidation
accountof Sara van derSchulp,statement
of Janle Roux de Normandie,
Coert
HelmandHendrik
9 November1728;see also an undatedaccountsubmitted
Coningshoven,
byGerritCoetsé.
205 Ibid.,undatedaccount.
39
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thefirst
/5000infiveequal portions,
payableon 1 March1726andthelastdue on
1 March1730.206
On 26 February1724,justthreedaysbeforeGerritmadehis markuponthe
of
JacobusCoetzee finallyacquiredownership
of Coetsenburg,
deed of transfer
Goede Rustand Non Pareille,thetwofarmsin Daljosafatwhichhe had already
(a total
occupiedforsometime.He agreedto pay/1200 forbothfarmstogether
a
bond
he
areaof 100 morgen)and,likehisbrother
Gerrit, signed mortgage
(custin favourofthepreviousowneroftheland,in thiscase PieterJanszvan
ingbrief)
andpromisedto
He paidhim/300 upfront
of Drakenstein.
Marseveen,a resident
first
due
on
26
the
in
three
annual
the
balance
instalments,
February1725and
pay
1727.207
26
thelaston February
Was DirkCoetzee's eldestson Jacobusdisinherited
by his parentsbecause
of his longaffairwithElizabethLouisz? This is theconclusionimpliedby Leon
ofLouis ofBengalhas beeninvaluable
whosestudyofthedescendants
Hattingh,
Thereis no evidencethatJacobus
is wronginthisparticular.
ButHattingh
tome.208
DirkCoetzeeand Sara
Coetzeewas disinherited
by his parents.On thecontrary,
weretreated
carefultoensurethattheirchildren
vanderSchulpwerescrupulously
In
their
them.
was
divided
estate
when
their
jointwill,drawn
among
joint
equally
ordainedthat'any
up in 1714,whenDirkCoetzeewas 60 yearsold,theyexplicitly
fromtheestate]in orderto marryor to
childof ours [whohas enjoyedbenefits
to acrecord
the
written
to
a
home,
keptbyus, willbe brought
according
acquire
so
so
that
countafterourdeathand [theamountofthebenefit]
deducted,
by doing
noneof ourchildrenshouldgo shortin his inheritance
(opdatsodoendeniemand
Theseprovisionswererepeated
in sijn ervdeelverkortwerde)'.209
onserhinderen
inthewilldrawnup byCoetzee'swidow,Sara vanderSchulp,inApril1727.She
totheestate,whether
was indebted
ofherchildren
statedthatwhichever
expressly
'totuijthuwelijken
ofom haarliedenterzeette brengen(to marryor to acquirea
shouldmakegood the
forwhomtheestatehad stoodsurety,
and
those
home)',
amountsoutoftheirshareoftheinheritance.210
todivideall herwoollenand
herexecutors
SaravanderSchulpalso instructed
tothaar lijfbehoorende'
linenclothing,
gemaaktgouden silverwerk
'mitsgaders
to
as equallyas possiblebetweenhertwodaughters,
Coetzee,married
'Margaretha
the
married
to
Maria
and
theheemraadatDrakensteijn
Coetzee,
MatthijsKreugel,
and Maria wereher
HendrikStempelMuller...'2n In 1727,Margaretha
burgher
as heryoungest,
Sara,hadpredeceasedher.Noneof
daughters,
onlytwosurviving
endowed.
was similarly
herdaughters-in-law
omitted
thatElizabethLouisz' namewas wilfully
hasalso suggested
Hattingh
Dirk
Coetzee
of
The
is
not
correct.
too
But
this
fromthelistofheirs.212
inventory
(compiledon 9 October1725) and his widow'swill (8 April1727) followedthe
accountof Sara van derSchulp,document
to liquidation
206 Deeds Office,T 1582, 1 March1724; MOOC 14/14,annexures
dated1 March1724.
207 Deeds Office:Tl 580, 26 February1724.
'Blankenageslag',15.
208 Hattingh,
209 CJ2603,Wills,no. 6, DirkCoetseandSara vanderSchulp,14August1714.
210 CJ2604,Wills,no. 13, WillofSara vanderSchulp,8 April1727.
211 ¡bid.
'Blankenageslag',15.
212 Hattingh,
40
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thehusbandsoftheirdaughters
werementioned
acceptedpattern:
byname,while
laws
thewivesof theirsonswerenot.This practiceaccordedwithcontemporary
and
to
inheritance:
since
the
husband
was
the
head
the
of
compertaining marriage
established
he was technically
theheir,and nothis wife.He
munity
bymarriage,
namedindocuments
was necessarily
tothedivisionoftheestate.Once
pertaining
ElizabethLouisz was widowedin 1738,hernameappearsin thesedocuments,
as thewidowof JacobusCoetzee.213
By thistimeshe and herlate husbandhad
receivedall buta tinyportionoftheirdue inheritance:
344 rixdollarsand 35 stuiwas dividedinexactlyequal porwers.Thebalanceof8 rixdollarsand30 stuiwers
tionsbetweenElizabethLouisz on theone handandhersix surviving
children
by
JacobusCoetzeeon theother.214
Herfamilythusreceivedexactlythesameamount
fromtheestateas theotherheirs:353 rixdollarsand 17 stuiwers.
On theotherhand,whilethereis no evidenceofoutright
one
disinheritance,
couldarguethatJacobusCoetzeewas severelydisadvantaged
his
failfather's
by
ureto extendhimcredit.Thereis no evidencethatJacobusCoetzeereceivedany
loan fromhis father
or his mother.
his brother
Gerritwas enabledto
By contrast,
a well developed,irrigableand conveniently
locatedfarmon
buyCoetsenburg,
theedgeof Stellenbosch
and
his
brother
Jan
ofthesons
(thefirst
village,
younger
to marry)was providedwithsuretyfordebtshe had incurred
forthepurchaseof
inCape Town.215
In bothcases thetermsofrepayment
weregenerousand
property
flexible.In 1731,Gerrit
CoetzeeDirkzoonstillowedhisparents'estatethesumof
804 rixdollars(/2412).JanCoetzeerepaidsomeofhisdebtsoonafterthedeathof
hismother,
butthebalanceof/1701 was stilloutstanding
in 1739.216
These sums
werefargreater
thanthe/1200 expendedbyJacobusforthepurchaseofhis two
farmsin Daljosafatandpaidinfullbythedue dateinFebruary1727.
The parentshave eatenunripegrapes;
and thechildren'steethare seton edge. (Ezekiel 18: 1-2)
JacobusCoetzeeandElizabethLouisz weremarried
in Stellenbosch
inNovember
1724.Theywereboth44 yearsold.
It is notclearwhathappenedto Elizabeth'shusband,Hans Jürgen
of Salzfor
is
he
all
but
in
invisible
the
archival
In
record.
1703
he
was
burg,
alreadydescribedinthemuster
rollsas a mantooold to attendtheannualoptrek.211
By 1712
he seemstohavebeenlivinginDrakenstein,
aloneandwithout
In 1719
property.218
he was stillalivebutdescribedas 'oud en arm' anddependent
on poorrelieffrom
2 13 MOOC 13/1/3,no.6 1, Liquidation
anddistribution
accountofSaraJacobszvanderSchulpwedeDirkCoetsé,3 1 December
1745.
214 Ibid.
215 In November1720 DirkCoetsestoodsurety
fora loanof/600 obtainedbyJohannes
fromone David Boelhouwer( 1/STB
18/64,Obligatiën,1 November1720) andinFebruary
1728 Sara vanderSchulptookovera debtof/3000whichJanCoetsé
had owed theOrphanChambersinceJuly1724.(See MOOC 1/6,Minutesof theOrphanChamber,21 July1724 and C
no. 70, 141.)
1088,Requestenen nominasies,
216 TEPC ProjectandSentrum,
MOOC 8/6.98,Inventory
ofSaraJacobszvanderSchulp,23 February1728;MOOC 3/1/3,
no.
61, Liquidationanddistribution
accountofSara JacobszvanderSchulp,3 1 December1745.
217 Hattingh,
'Blankenageslag',14.
218 Ibid.
41
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He musthavediedsoonafter,
foras we haveseen,
thediaconi]ofDrakenstein.219
as a widow.
Elizabethis describedin themarriage
register
Jacobusand ElisabethLouisz lived modestlyat Non Pareille.Theirhouse
WhenJacobusdiedinApril
comprised
onlytworooms:a kamerand a voorhuijs.
1738,fourand a halfyearsafterhis eldestson was drownedin Table Bay,his
householdeffects
werevaluedbyhisneighbours
(AndriesduToit,CharlesMarais,
JanMaraisCharleszoonandJohannes
Sweetmans)ata meagre33 guldenÇkeuken
His livestockand his
18
goederen guld: kameren voorhuijsgoederen15 g/:').220
storeof winewereworthmore,butthegrossvalueof his entireestateamounted
toonly/3058and,hadtheOrphanChamberforceda sale (whichitdidnot),there
wouldhavebeenscarcely/1500 leftafterdebtsto thedoctor(/1000) andthediaconij (/600) hadbeenpaid.
JacobusCoetzee'srelativeswerenotamongthosewho stoodsuretyforthe
of his threeminorchildren(Sara, Dirkand Jan).Nor werethey
vaderserfportie
bed ofElisabethLouisz some24 yearslater(8 June1762).221
at
the
death
present
itwas nother
ofherwillwas contested
Whenthevalidity
bytheOrphanChamber,
totestify
toherwishesandsupport
whocameforward
in-laws,butherneighbours
childof theSwiss
JanOberholster
theclaimsof herson-in-law,
(therepudiated
his
concubine
Oberholtzer
Jan
Amongthem
AgnietaColijn).222
by
immigrant
weretheOud HeemraadPieterdu Toitof Calais andhis nephewsStephanusand
Guillaumedu Toit,sonsofAndriesdu ToitofKleinbos.223
had come forwardon an earlieroccasionto
ElizabethLouisz' neighbours
a
to thevalidityof familybequest.In 1734 hermother,
LijsbethSanders
testify
in
(Lijsbethvande Kaap), hadcometo livewithher.LijsbethhadleftOpperherfst
In
FebruHerbst.
Johann
her
the
death
of
partner,
following
Wagenmakersvalleij
interms
withhereldestdaughter,
a contract
ary1738sheenteredintoa retirement
to
six
with
Griet's
de
herslave,Grietvan Caab,
ofwhichshetransferred
children,
and 'good accommodation'.224
forlifelongmaintenance
'LijsbethLouisz' inreturn
Since neitherLijsbethSandersnorLijsbeth(Elizabeth)Louisz could write,the
It was caremusthavebeendrawnup bysomeoneintheneighbourhood.
contract
witnesses':CharleMarais (sic), Andriesdu
fullysignedby seven 'trustworthy
Toit,GuiliamOverholster
(childof JanOberholtzer
by his lawfulwifeHelena
du Toit),IgnatiusMarais(Maree?),KasperRaadts,JacobusMaraisandAbraham
Leroe (sic). Two of thesemenhad givenevidenceagainstElizabeth'sson Gerrit
fiveyearsbefore.
Shouldwe conclude,then,thatthehouseholdandfamilyofJacobusCoetzee
was embracedand acceptedbyhis neighbours?
Or,if 'embraced'be too stronga
ofthe
tobe fullmembers
and
tolerated
were
word,
acknowledged
grudgingly
they
the
and
Had
in whichtheylived?
close knitruralcommunity
passageof
marriage
timeerasedthescandalwhichhadonceattachedto them?Was Gerrit'sbehaviour
oftheCouncilofPolicy,2 1 November1719.
2 19 TANAP Project,C 5 1, Resolutions
ofJacobusKoetse,26 Apnl 1738. The kamerandvoorhuijsgoedeMOOC 8/6.11b, Inventory
220 TEPC ProjectandSentrum,
ofJacobusCoetze,8 May 1738).
renwerelaterrevaluedat/50 (MOOC 8/6.1la, Inventory
incivilcases,22 July1762.
22 1 CJ856, Minutesofproceedings
222 MOOC 12/2,Bewijzen,1738-1756,no. 6; CJ 1083,Documentsincivilcases, 12July1762.
223 CJ 1083,Documentsincivilcases, 12July1762.
accountofElisabethLowice(1764).
to liquidation
224 MOOC 14/26,part1, annexures
42
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andhisdramatic
(indeed,theatrical)
expulsionfromthecommunity
justa terrible
thatGerrit'sfatewas somehowlinkedto
Or am I rightin suspecting
aberration?
toliveouttheircommitment
thetrajectories
ofhisparents'lives,as theystruggled
inthefaceofsocialdisapproval?
WasGerrit's
lifeinsomesensethe
tooneanother
intothefreeburgher
community?
pricetheyhadtopayforfullintegration
We cannotanswerthesequestionsconclusively.But it may be usefulto
call to mindtheworkof Hans Heese and thecarefulcommentsmadeby Karel
vandie Kaap.
Schoemanas he summedup hischapteron freeblacksinArmosyn
The extentto whichfreeblackswereacceptedin thesocial and economiclife
oftheCape duringthefirst
decades[oftheDutchoccupation]is startling',
wrote
swartvoor1700 bekleehet,hetgrootliks
van
Heese in 1984.'Die statuswat 'n vry
die individu
en
nie
van
ras
nie.'225
afgehang
noodwendig sy
ofetniesegroepering
ButbothHeese and Schoemanhave pointedto a turnfortheworsein thestatus
of freeblacksduringthefirst
Schoemanwrites
quarterof theeighteenth
century.
in theCape community
or stratification
of 'a processof "sifting"
whichbecame
noticeablearound1700' and was associatedwith'moreand moresignsof direct
andindirect
colourdiscrimination.'226
'Duringthe1720s',writesSchoeman,'one beginsto noticea wholeseriesof
isolatedincidents
ofwhichno singleoneis perhapsparticularly
butwhich
striking,
indicatea distinctly
newcontourandshowhowthegroundwas beginning
together
In 1722,forexample,a separatemilitiacompanywas establishedin
to shift.'227
- 'so thattheyshould
Cape Townforfreeblacks- the'Compagniedervrijzwarteiï
notbe leftidleandthusbe givenopportunity
foruncivilbehaviour.'228
Theywould
serveunderofficers
fromamongtheirownranksand,unliketheircompatriots
in
theburgher
infantry,
theywouldnotbeararms,butwouldratherbe expectedto
in theburgher
fightfiresand preventthelootingof shipwrecks.229
Participation
had
free
blacks
a
cherished
sense
ofbelongingandinclusionin the
infantry given
freecommunity;
thecreationof a separatemilitiacorpswas thusa real blow to
self-esteem
and a threatto whatupwardmobility
theymayhave enjoyed.Moredistinctions
this
of
based
thanrace
over,
sort,thoughostensibly
uponstatusrather
as
Schoeman
has
could,
observed,easilyshadeintoracialdiscrimination.
therewere signsthat
Alreadyin theearlyyearsof theeighteenth
century
an uglyracism'smoulderedbeneaththe surface',to use Schoeman's evocative
drawnup by AdamTas
phrase.It burstintotheopen in a documentapparently
to
the
widow
HansJürgen
ofDirkCoetzeeat
(married
Grimpandthusa neighbour
in 1706anddirectedagainsttheGovernor,
WillemAdriaanvan der
Coetsenburg)
Stel.The document
had 15 signatories,
of theCape and
mostlyfromthedistricts
and
their
fear
and
of
their
coloured
Drakenstein, theyexpressed
loathing
compatriotsin vividterms.Theirslaveswerenottobe trusted,
theywrote
225
226
227
228
Heese,Groepsondergrense,28.
670.
Schoeman,Armosyn,
Ibid.,67 1. Mytranslation.
M.K. Jeffreys
and S.D. Naudé (eds), Die Kaapse Plaakaatboek,1652-1806,vol. 2 (Cape Town:Cape Times,1948),93,
citedinIbid.,671.
229 RobertRoss, Statusand respectability
in theCape Colony,1750-1870:a tragedyof manners(Cambridge:Cambridge
Press,1999),34.
University
43
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En vrij minder...de CaffersyMoulattos,Mestiços,Castigos en al
dat swartgebroeijdselonder ons woonende,en metEuropeaanse
en AfricaanseChristenendoor huwelijkenen andere vermengingen
dewelkein vermoogen,
vermaagdschapt,
getal en hoogmoet(pride)f
onseruijterste
de Christenen
verwonderingen
aangegroeijd,en neffens
en krijgsoeffening
totallerhandewapenhandeling
tougelaten,geven
te
ons metduijsterlijk[?] daar haar trotsebejegeningen(treatment)
weldenvoetop
datseonsyhaar slaag (success)waarnemende,
kennen,
wantdat Chamsbloedis niette
de neksondenkönnenen willensetteny
betrouwen.230
atthepridewithwhichpeople
thememorialists'
One notesparticularly
indignation
with
(readmen)of colourborearmsalongside'theChristians'and participated
exercises.Wherewould thisend? theywondered.
themin the annualmilitary
'?
Wouldtherebe a reversalof roles,'wantdat Chamsbloed is niette betrouwen
as one ofthewell-springs
ofracism.
has longbeenrecognised
Fearofcompetition
- was a source
The rightto beararms- and publiclyto displayone's masculinity
and some,itseems,werevehemently
ofgreatprideamongmalefreeburghers
opdescent,well
posed to sharingthishonourwithmenof Eurasianor Eurafrican
oftheseparatefreeblackmilitiacorpsin 1722.
beforetheestablishment
in themind
Was thisthesentiment
'Dat Chamsbloed is niette betrouwen'.
inthe
Coetzeeinhisslavequarters
ofAndriesduToitwhenhe foundyoungGerrit
summerof 1733? 'Whatare you doinghere?'he asked. 'Did yourparentssend
you?Did youcometo steal?'
AndwhatofthetwoyoungmenwhoespiedGerritCoetzeeon theotherside
of CharlesMarais'quincehedge,actingsuspiciouslywithLeendertvan Saxen's
thesame
wereroughly
Louw Pretorius
greymare?Abrahamle RouxandJohannes
the
ofadultmales
on
all
three
were
as
Gerrit
Coetzee;
cusp
youngfreeburgher
age
of
small
wives
from
the
for
be
soon
would
hood.231
pool availcompeting
They
havebeen
well
Gerrit
In
this
able and sociallyapprovedfemales.232
context,
may
andsubjectedtounusualsurveillance.
markedoutas 'different'
Andwhenhe was seento stumbleandfall,howdidhis 'Christian'
peersconIt
was
believed
was
a
sin
of
excess.
as
we
have
struehisbehaviour?
seen,
Sodomy,
'mad
of
the
to
surrender
and
from
to stemfroma lackof self-control,
pull unsubuncleanandplacedhissoul
theperpetrator
desire'.Itspracticerendered
ordinated
Was
this(fromtheviewpoint
death.233
this
side
of
reach
of
the
redemption
beyond
the
of thosewho watchedhimand thosewho spreadnewsof his transgression)
1
bloed'
'dat
Chams
destinyof
half-anticipated
Andwas Gerrit,
onlydoingwhatwas expectedofhim?
perversely,
denHaag,VOC 4057, 1035,citedin Heese,Groepsondergrense,28.
230 NasionaalArgief,
was lo.
Louw Pretorius
231 Abrahamle Rouxwas 24 in 1733andJohannes
in 1730 was
232 AccordingElphickand Shell,theratioof mento womenin theadultfreeburgher
populationof Drakenstein
160:100.('Intergroup
relations',196.)
'A shortpaperabouta dog'. 'In 1051 PeterDamiánhad gone so faras to suggestthatsodomy,alone
233 S. Newton-King,
at leastnotthissideofdeath.'
amongthesinsoftheflesh,was a sinwhichcouldnotbe repented,
44
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