We left beautiful Plett early on Monday morning; it was a cloudy day but we were still sorry to say goodbye to this gorgeous jewel of the Western Cape. The five hour journey to Port Alfred on the Eastern Cape was painless and the scenery on the way is fascinating and varied.
We were met by our exchanger’s parents in Port Alfred at their hotel, My Pond
. This lovely couple, both in their ’70’s, had driven the 170km from East London to show us the way to their beach house at Fish River. After a quick stop for a few groceries, we followed them at break-neck speed for 25km until we suddenly veered off the highway onto a dirt road, deep into the bush. Feeling slightly apprehensive, we followed closely, not wishing to lose them in this wilderness. After numerous twists and turns, we hurtled round a clump of trees to find ourselves in front of our new ‘home’ for the next two weeks.
Paulette and Colin have owned this beach house for 43 years. It is very rustic with corrugated roof and walls but it is slap-bang on the beach; just climb over the sand-dune and there is the Indian Ocean! It sleeps 19 comfortably and has lots of big, comfy rooms and masses of outdoor space for living and braais (Peter - we have given up trying to cook over melting cheese and found the SA braai much more successful)
. P&C have 35 children & grandchildren and they all come to this magic place on a regular basis. It is an amazing family home.
Paulette’s ancestors were not only 1820 Settlers (on one side of her family) but also French Huguenots from Dijon. This area is all about the 1820 Settlers and so many of those original families still live here. We went into Port Alfred again on Tuesday morning (our 47th wedding anniversary!) to visit the museum there and I was so excited to find REAL records of my ancestors’ landing here on 18th May, 1820. What we now know (and we always suspected) is that after John, Beth and John’s brother, William landed in Simon’s Town, they were transferred to another ship, the ‘Albury’, to land at Fort Frederick in Algoa Bay. It was from here that they travelled by ox-cart to Bathurst - a much more likely journey. I shall have to re-write that part of ‘Beneath African Skies’! We also see that William was only 10 when he left England and they also travelled with John’s sister, Ann who was allegedly 7
. She does not appear in any records after leaving England, so perhaps she died on the journey? We have come to the conclusion that John and Beth must have taken these children under their wing when John’s mother died shortly after Ann was born and that is why they travelled with them to SA.
On Wednesday we drove up to Bathurst, which is where my ancestors had been allocated land. From records at the museum in Port Alfred we had discovered that the Hudson stretch was in Lushington Valley which is just a few miles out of the village towards Grahamstown. It wasn’t very hospitable 195 years ago and it doesn’t look much better now; hilly scrubland for miles and miles. Bathurst itself is a fascinating little village and probably hasn’t changed much since the Settlers built their church, pub and store there in the 1820’s. There are a handful of art and craft shops, a butcher’s shop, a general store/post office and three pubs
. The Pig & Whistle was built in1832 and claims to be the oldest continually licensed pub in South Africa. “There’s no thirst like Bathurst’ it proudly boasts! Another claim is: ‘Bathurst is a drinking village with a farming problem’.
There is also a very small library where the librarian was extremely helpful; she found a number of historical books about Bathurst and the 1820 Settlers and we found quite a few references to John Hougham Hudson and his appointment as a magistrate in Graaf Reinet, Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth. He was also mentioned as serving with distinction during the Frontier wars. He had not been a successful farmer but we think his family must have continued to live in Bathurst for some years. His eldest son, also named Hougham, was married to Helen at St John’s Church in the village by Rev. Jas Barrow in 1848. The curator of the church showed us a plaque on the wall in memory of Helen’s father, Walter Currie, who was the Settler’s treasurer for the building of the church in 1834
. There are also pictures of the Rev Barrow and his wife in the entrance porch.
This may also interest our Yorkshire friends - we came across a wooden plaque made by ‘Mousey Thompson’ dedicated to a former curator of the church, complete with the tell-tale little mouse carved on its frame. How extraordinary that it should end up in a tiny little village in the Eastern Cape!
Despite the Eastern Cape’s reputation for being ‘the sunshine coast’, our first few days here at Fish River Mouth were cloudy and drizzly. Thursday, however, lived up to the area’s reputation; it was hot and sunny all day and we decided to have a day off from family hunting and enjoy this eccentric house. The beach area at the back of the house is totally sheltered by the huge sand-dunes and we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and lunch here. In the afternoon, too hot, we made for the beach and had a lovely swim in the ocean
. The waves were not challenging and it was nice to enjoy the breakers without being swept off our feet for a change. Monkeys play around in the bush around the house and we enjoyed watching them climb and play in the front garden. There are also antelope in the bush and we have been warned to look out for hippo! On other days, we have walked for miles along the beach, seeing no-one except the odd fisherman. In the evening, we light the indoor braai and cook over the fire. It’s very cosy with the Christmas lights still flashing.
So, we are half way though our time here in Fish River Mouth. From the beach in front of our house we can see the river that was the frontier of the area that was given to the Settlers in 1820 and on the mountains beyond loomed the warring Xhosa tribes. It becomes more and more apparent as we read all the information available that those Brits had no idea that they were letting themselves in for in 1820! Basically, they were offered land, mostly unsuitable for farming other than sheep grazing, in return for being a ‘buffer’ between the African tribes and the already established farms and villages between Port Elizabeth and the Cape.
I hope you are not finding this too boring! It is obviously fascinating to me but not for everyone, I’m sure. However, bear with me; this is one of the most important spots for Hudson-hunting that we will visit on this three month trail. Look forward to all your comments - please make them on the blog rather than writing to us personally. Our wifi internet here is non-existent so it means we have to go and have long, boring breakfasts or lunches at ‘expensive’ hotels to reply to you!! God it’s tough… xxx
Beach bums reach the Settlers coast
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Fish River Mouth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
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2025-02-15
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Jennifer P.
2015-02-01
I for one find your story facinating,What a journey in all ways.
Sorry to hear of drizzle but it makes me feel better as it's perishing here.
Fancy the Mouse in S.A.
Also congrats on the 47 years. xxx
mvgarside
2015-02-01
Interesting stuff, Gillie. Sometime you'll have to draw a family tree picture for me of where the kids fit in that Hougham took out with him.
peter
2015-02-01
Those SA braais are something else aren't they? A project for Mike in the summer to build one!
Carol
2015-02-01
I found it absolutely fascinating but perhaps being a Hudson helps! Thanks for all your hard work Gillie and Mike. Keep on enjoying. Love to you, Carol
Tim Crawley
2015-02-01
Reading your story as you travel is fascinating and we are full of envy. Sorry we are unable to make a plan to meet you during your travels here. Hopefully you both enjoy SA so much you will come back and with planning we might be able to join you in your next adventure.
Victoria
2015-02-02
I love your blogs Mum - it makes you feel a whole lot closer and not millions of miles away. Plus they help me get to sleep lol - only joking xxxxxx