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| From The Moodie Book privately printed 1908 |
In 1817, two hundred settlers arrived at the Cape. They were labourers indentured to Benjamin Moodie, the Laird of Melsetter, and a Cape Town businessman named Hamilton Ross. However, most of these labourers broke their contracts and sought work and fortune elsewhere. Some married into Dutch families, while others became outlaws and hid in the Knysna forests.
Initially, these settlers came to inhabit the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony. However, the Governor of the Colony refused to allow them to settle there due to the volatile situation. As a result, the Laird purchased a farm named 'Groot Vaders Bosch' not far from Swellendam. In 1831 he was granted land at the mouth of the Breede River by the Governor, Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole. From there, he tried to establish a sea route to Cape Town and named this land 'Westfield'. A village called White Sands was established here.
Without his Scottish labourers, Benjamin Moodie was forced to employ locals at Groot Vaders Bosch. Meanwhile, Hamilton Ross abandoned Moodie and the settler project to continue his business in Cape Town. He became successful and entertained judges and Governors at his home, Sans Souci, Rondebosch. He advised Sir Harry Smith in setting up a new legislative assembly and he drafted the ordinance for the new Cape Town municipal council.
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Benjamin Moodie. (2020, June 30). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Moodie |
The first attempt at mass emigration to the Cape Colony was not very successful, but it paved the way for further settlement in 1820. Interestingly, two ships that brought out Moodie’s Party - the Brilliant and the Garland - also carried groups of the 1820 settlers three years later.
Many people who came out with Moodie left a lasting impact on the country. For instance, his grandson led a group across the Limpopo River in the 1890s and settled at Melsetter in Zimbabwe. The descendants of others participated in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 on the Boer side.
