1820 Settlers arriving in Algoa Bay by Thomas Baines
"Sir Walter Stanford, his Forebears and Family" by Celia Edey Now Available!
A brief summary of the book. 'Kelham Ned' Driver was a likely lad from Nottinghamshire. John Stanford was an impoverished father of six, keen to stand up for his rights and those of his fellow men. Henry Warner came from Bristol and his skill was as a basket and brush-maker, his faith that of a Baptist preacher. Joseph Walker was determined to acquire land and be prosperous. These intrepid men, and their eventual brides, set off late in 1819 to cross the seas and seek new lives in the Cape Colony. Finding a land hostile to the farming traditions of England, and peopled by an indigenous race unhappy to have their land settled by strangers, they all set about creating a new way of life for their families. Two generations later their grandchildren were to become distinguished and influential members of the burgeoning Cape Society. Walter, steeped in a deep understanding of Xhosa customs, and committed to fairness for all, was to be a lone voice in advocating that universal franchise be embedded in the constitution of the new Union of South Africa. He failed in that, but succeeded in many other ways to make his mark on the young country. He is remembered with pride by the generations that followed him, and this book is the story of his ancestors and his families. It is compiled by his great-granddaughter, Celia, as a personal tribute to him, his forebears and his family.
More about Sir Walter Walter Ernest Mortimer Stanford (1850-1933) was the grandson of 1820 Settlers. He grew up speaking Xhosa as well as English. His formal education, at Lovedale Missionary Institution, ended when he was only 12 and he was immediately appointed as assistant magistrate to his uncle at Glen Grey. Thus began his long career in the Department of Native Affairs in the Cape Colony, and a life-long commitment to encouraging mutual understanding and fairness between the English colonial government and the African population. He rose to be Chief Magistrate of the Transkei Territories, Head of the Department of Native Affairs, served in the South African War and as recruitment Officer for WWI. In 1919 he was awarded a K.B.E. for his work with returning soldiers. He was selected to represent the views of the African people to the National Convention for the Union of South Africa in 1909, where he advocated universal franchise, irrespective of race and gender. If he had succeeded in this, South Africa’s history might have been quite different. In her book his great-granddaughter, Celia Edey, brings to life the personality of a much loved and respected man and recounts the adventures of his forebears and those of his wife, Sarah Alice Walker. It is the story of one family and its influence on South Africa over 150 years of the 19th and 20th centuries.