The Van Plettenberg Historical Society's next talk commemorates an event which has been described as "The most callous mass migration of people in the history of the British Empire" We invite you to decide for yourselves.
Our speaker Courteney Bradfield is a direct descendant of a settler family, and his extensive research gives us a fascinating insight into this extraordinary resettlement programme.
It's 200 years since the British Settlers arrived in the Cape Colony. This event has been called " The most callous mass migration of people in the history of the British Empire".Learn about the conditions promoting this migration of people.
Courteney looks at this from a Cape Colony perspective, as well as from events in Britain which resulted in the implementation of a plan put forward by Lord Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape Colony. This plan was supposedly to benefit Britain as well as the Cape Colony.
Follow the Settler's journey from Britain to their allocated location in the Cape Colony, as well as their trials, tribulations, and successes of starting a new life in a strange and foreign country and making it their home.
Then you can decide whether that singular statement of " The most callous act of mass migration of people" is valid.
Courteney Bradfield will be presenting this talk. Both his father and mother are direct descendants of 1820 settler families. He is not an historian but has extensive resources on which to draw, such as 1820 Settler diaries, written material, as well as an historian in Nottingham, UK who has access to the National Archives. This has proved to be an invaluable source of information and allows for a balanced approach to this intriguing event.
All 5 generations of Courteney’s paternal forbears, from 1820 Settler's to date, are buried in a single graveyard in the Clumber Valley, just outside of Bathurst, roughly halfway between Grahamstown and Port Alfred. This resulted in him starting research on his family over 40 years ago. He still attends the Clumber Church which was built in 1867. and he started his schooling here.
Clumber Church
Both church and school are situated on the exact spot where the wagons rolled in in 1820 carrying the 167 members of the Nottingham Party, part of a group of people called the 1820 Settler's, to commence a new life in their new home in a strange and foreign land.
To reserve places for this talk on Thursday 7th July please contact our Chairman, Len Swimmer by email or telephone. Email: lens@telkomsa.net. Telephone: 082 452 1799.
If you have suggestions for future talks or would like to know more about our archive project, please make contact via our email address: info@pletthistory.org
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