Die La Motte plase en hul oorsprong
Nortje, Joubert, Jordaan en Malan
Op 29 Januarie 1688, te midde van godsdiensvervolging en onsekerheid in Europa, het Jean, Daniel en Jacques Nourtier hul geboorteland agtergelaat. Hulle was nie bloot vlugtelinge nie maar ook dapper en hoopvol, aangemoedig deur die belofte van vryheid en die geleentheid om hul eie storie te skryf – sonder die voorskrifte wat Frankryk op hul afgedwing het.
Langs hulle op hierdie reis na die Kaap de Goede Hoop was Jacques de Savoye, die man wat hulle aanvanklik as knegte sou dien. Die Nourtiers was waarskynlik aangetroude familie van De Savoye. Sy eerste vrou was Christine du Pont, met die broers se ma ’n nooi du Pont. Dit sou verklaar waarom ’n andersins moeilike de Savoye die broers so goedgesind was.
Hierdie was ’n geleentheid wat hy vir hulle geskep het om hulle in staat te stel om Frankryk te verlaat: soos die seile egter oor die suidelike oseaan gewaai het, het hierdie drie broers, met De Savoye se seën, hul eie pad na onafhanklikheid en sukses begin bou.
Verskeie skepe het Nederland verlaat met vlugtelinge wat gedroom het oor ’n toekoms, maar wat ook bang was vir wat dit mag inhou en ook wat die ware prys van hul opoffering sou wees. Ons weet dat hierdie mense geen rykdom besit het nie; die ware prys is dus nie in ‘n geldeenheid gemeet nie, maar eerder aan dit wat hulle moes opoffer. Ons weet ook uit die getalle wat geregistreer het om na die Kaap te kom en die ware getalle wat opgedaag het toe die skepe gereed was om te vertrek, dat daar van hulle was wie se moed hulle begewe het. Vir vele is die bekende hul veilige hawe, self al was die gevaar reg voor hulle.
Wat die vlugtelinge hier gevind het, was meer as net grond en ‘n nuwe lewe: dit was die geboorte van ‘n nalatenskap wat eeue later nog vertel word, ‘n storie van moed, harde werk en die strewe na iets groter.
Teen 29 April 1688 bereik die Oosterland die hawe in die Kaap. Dit is die eerste skip met sy 24 Franse vlugtelinge aan boord wat in Tafelbaai aankom. Die Voorschooten het reeds op 31 Desember 1687 gevaar van Nederland, maar moes noodgedwonge in Saldanhabaai haar ankers laat sak as gevolg van ’n sterk suidoostewind. Alhoewel haar bestemming Tafelbaai was, het die offisiere gevoel dat dit veiliger is om in die baai aan te bly om herstelwerk te doen. Woord het gou die kommandeur in die Kaap bereik. Hy het ‘n kleiner seilboot, Jupiter, vanaf Tafelbaai gestuur met vars voorraad. Met die Jupiter se terugkeer was die 22 Franse vlugtelinge aan boord.
Op 20 Maart 1688 vertrek die Berg China uit Nederland en kom uiteindelik na ’n lang, uitmergelende vaart in die Kaap aan op 4 Augustus 1688. Daar was meer siekte en ook sterftes; met tye het dit gevoel of hulle nooit die Kaap gaan bereik nie. Die droom was nie dood nie: daardie eerste tree op vaste grond was bevestiging daarvan.
Net twee jaar vantevore in 1685 het kommissaris Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein in die Kaap aangekom. Hy was teleurgesteld in die onortodokse wyse waarop Simon van der Stel grond toegeken het aan die nuwe aankomelinge en het daarvolgens nuwe instruksies uitgereik oor hoe die proses moes verloop. Nie slegs wat die voorwaardes verbonde aan hierdie grondtoekennings moes wees nie, maar ook hoe die grond gerangskik word.
Aangesien die Stellenbosch-vallei vinnig besig was om oorbevolk te raak, het van der Stel nuwe nedersettings geskep vir die groeiende aantal koloniste. Op van der Stel se verjaarsdag, 14 Oktober 1687, het hy beeste en kalwers onder 23 nuwe boere wat toe pas van Europa aangekom het, versprei. Op 16 Oktober het hy saam met hulle vertrek na die omgewing van die Bergrivier. As huldeblyk aan Van Rheede het Van der Stel die vallei Drakenstein gedoop.
Daar is min inligting beskikbaar oor presies wie hierdie 23 nuwe boere was, maar hulle was hoofsaaklik van Nederland en een of twee Franse burgers wat op hul eie reeds na die Kaap geïmmigreer het. Die kommandeur het gehoop dat hulle moontlik hulle plek sou volstaan in die groeiende gemeenskap, maar te veel van hulle het ook opgegee.
Die harde grond en die intensiewe landboupraktyke was uitdagend vir hierdie nuwe boere – meeste van hulle het hul plase verlaat binne slegs ‘n jaar. In sommige gevalle was daar reeds strukture opgerig op grond, maar nie eens ’n dak oor hul kop kon hulle oortuig om die uitdaging deur te sien nie. Hierdie verskynsel het baie gereeld in hierdie pionierstyd gebeur en het ’n groot probleem vir die regering in die Kaap geword.
Die hitte gedurende somermaande het die bestaande uitdagings net vergroot: meeste van die ongetroude koloniste was nie oortuig dat daar wel iewers ’n silwer randjie sou verskyn nie. Hulle het eenvoudig opgepak en getrek. Hande is laat sak soos swaar grawe wat nie meer hul pad deur die harde aarde kon vind nie. Die onsuksesvolle boere het nuwe heenkome gaan soek.
Van der Stel het hierdie keer van Rheede se instruksies van 1685 meer noukeurig gevolg. Hy het op uitbreiding van die kolonie gefokus, met ywerige, bekwame manne, nie handelaars nie en verkieslik die getroud met kennis van landbou en veral wynbou. Morele waardes en ‘n Calvinistiese agtergrond sou hulle dalk meer geanker hou en hulle ook hopelik laat saamstaan in tye van moontlike oorlog. Van der Stel het gehoop dat hulle sy droom sou deel deur hulle permanent te vestig.
Die grond is nou ordelik toegewys onder toesig en elkeen kon nie net kies waar hy sy potjie wou krap nie. Daar is nie meer voorkeur gegee aan sekeres om hulle teen die rivier te vestig nie en in die proses boere vêrder van die rivier te verhoed om besproeiing aan te lê nie. Die plase het bestaan uit langwerpige stroke grond, almal in gelyke grootte van 60 morg. Die grond het gestrek vanaf die rivier tot teen die berge.
Die toekenning van grond se voorwaardes is ook nou aangepas. Plase is met volle eiendomsreg toegeken, sonder betaling, maar die plaas moes binne ’n jaar bewerk word en daar moes geboue opgerig word. Van der Stel het gehoop dat dit nuwe boere sou ontmoedig om die plase net te verlaat, maar dit het ongelukkig steeds gebeur. Dit omdat die lang stroke grond gelei het tot ‘n ongebalanseerde kombinasie van akkerland, weiveld en onbruikbare grond. Te veel uitdagings en te min motivering, dus.
Nog ’n ooreenkoms was dat daar klem op graanproduksie gelê moes word, met ’n tiende van die opbrengs aan die Kompanjie. Omdat wynproduksie meer winsgewend was vir die burgers en die Kompanjie is daar wel gou ook ’n reël ingestel dat vir elke vier morg grond, een morg wingerd geplant moes word. Grond is net voorlopig toegeken. Dan na ’n aantal jare sou die bewerkte grond opgemeet word en daarvolgens is eiendomsreg toegeken.
Dit is dus die rede waarom dokumente wat beskikbaar is in die argiewe nie ooreenstem met presies wanneer die boere hulle gevestig het op hul plase nie. Die amptelike toekenning het soms tussen 5 en 10 jaar geneem.
Ons sien in die daginskrywings van die Kompanjie dat besoek afgelê is en ’n tipe sensus of inspeksie gehou is waarin aangeteken is tot watter mate die grond reeds bewerk is, die hoeveelheid vee en ander diere en ook die getal “wijnstokke” wat aangeplant is. Daarvolgens is die gelde bereken wat elke boer dan aan die Kompanjie moes uitbetaal, maar dit was ook wat gebruik is as verwysing om te bepaal of en wanneer volle eienaarskap oorgedra sou word.
Voorbeeld van die inskrywings in die opgaafrol wat die ontwikkeling op die plase aandui
Die Franse vlugtelinge kon na hul aankoms spoedig vertrek na Drakenstein. Omdat daar plase was wat voorheen toegeken was aan Nederlanders, maar so gelaat staan is, was daar dadelik geleenthede vir hierdie groep Franse vlugtelinge om hulle te vestig.
Daar is nooit in daardie jare verwys na Hugenote nie, hulle was slegs gesien as Franse vlugtelinge of Protestantse koloniste. Die term Hugenote het eers later gewild geraak as ‘n manier om hierdie groep histories te identifiseer en hulle bydraes en erfenis binne die breër konteks van die Protestantse Hervorming te erken.
Dit was ‘n gepaste manier om hulle kollektief te beskryf, aangesien hulle deel was van ‘n spesifieke geloofstradisie en ‘n groep vlugtelinge was wat om godsdiensredes Frankryk verlaat het. Die gebruik is ook ‘n manier om hul unieke identiteit en geskiedenis in Suid-Afrika te beklemtoon, veral in die konteks van hul bydraes tot die land se kultuur, landbou en wynbedryf.
Die vestiging
Die stuk tussen Babijlons Toorn (Babylonstoren) en die Dwarsriviervallei was natuurlik in die 2 jaar vooraf ‘n gewilde bestemming as jy nog nie geweet het wat daar op jou wag nie, maar soos ons weet was die ontnugtering soms te groot. Nederlanders het hulle ook reeds op die beste moontlike grond gevestig. Van die boere het, na ‘n versoek gerig aan die Kompanjie, na ander dele verskuif.
Hierdie boere wat toe die voetheuwels onder Simonsberg en Kanonkop uitgesoek het, het slim gewerk en areas gekies wat deur die bergstrome van water voorsien is. Rotsformasies wat hoofsaaklik uit sandsteen bestaan laat gewoonlik water deur, poreus genoeg om groot hoeveelhede water te stoor – wat dit waardevolle wateropgaarders maak en oorsprong gee aan fonteine en sypelwater. In die somermaande sou hierdie stroompies teen die berg afvloei en so verligting bring.
Plase wat voorheen gedeeltelik aan Nederlanders en ook aan van die eerste aankomelinge uit Frankryk en die res van die wêreld behoort het en nou beskikbaar was, sluit in: Zion (A), Sion (B), Langerust, Le Plessis Merle, Vrede-en-Lust, Rust en Vrede en La Motte.
Hierdie was die eerste plase wat beskikbaar gestel is op daardie tydstip. Kort daarna is ook Bergen Henegouwen (Donkerhoek) en Fredericksburg by die lys gevoeg.
Daar is natuurlik baie meer plase toegeken: eienaars het meestal self name vir hul plase gegee.
Jacques de Savoye het hom op Vrede-en-Lust gevestig saam met sy vrou, Marie-Madelaine de Clerk, sy skoonma, die weduwee Antoinette Carnoy van Doornik en 3 kinders, Marguerite-Therese en Barbe-Therese, uit sy eerste huwelik, en die baba Jacques.
Die plaas Fredericksburg is aan Jean Nourtier toegeken as enkeling terwyl sy broer Jacques, bekend as Jacob, by hom aangebly het. As ‘n mens deur die rekords blaai sien jy dat Jean en Jacob saam aangeteken word, maar daar is nie, soos in baie ander gevalle, enige rekord dat die plaas gesamentlik aan hulle toegeken is nie. Fredericksburg het gegrens aan La Motte, met Vrede-en-Lust direk langs hom.
Van hier af is dit makliker om na Nortje te verwys: alhoewel die broers met hul vertrek uit Nederland aangeteken is as Nourtier, is die naam amper nooit weer gebruik nie. Ander variasies wat voorkom in dokumente is o.a. Noortje, Nortjie, Nortier en dan Nortje.
Die broers het te midde van hul eie uitdagings en behoefte vir vooruitgang steeds vir de Savoye ondersteun en ‘n bydrae gelewer in die ontwikkeling van sy plaas.
In die opgaafrol, ‘n dokument met ‘n register waar alles aangeteken word wat betrekking het tot ’n omgewing, spesifieke plase en ook gebeure, lees ons die Nortje-broers raak met elke inspeksie wat jaarliks gehou is. Hierdie dokumente wat beskikbaar is in die Nationaal Archief van Nederland was baie behulpsaam om datums van belangrike gebeure vas te stel.
Daniel Nortje het op sy plaas geboer saam met sy vrou, Maria Vitout, en hul kinders, Jacob, Elizabeth en Antonie. Jare later is daar inskrywings van twee Nortje-broers wat saam op ‘n plaas woon, maar dit is moeilik om te bepaal op watter plaas dit sou wees. Dit kon wel net die seuns van Daniel en Maria gewees het.
Jacob en Jean (Jan) saam op Fredericksburg en Daniel en Maria op La Motte
Jean het nooit getrou nie. Jacob is heelwat later op 8 Augustus 1717 met Marguerite Mouton getroud. Sy is op 32 jarige ouderdom oorlede en uit sy 5 kinders waarvan 4 seuns was, is 3 van die seuns ongetroud oorlede. Jacob is op 9 Junie 1743 gevind deur ‘n verbygaande kerkganger aan die oewer van die Bergrivier.
Daar is verskillende stories oor wat presies gebeur het. Op sommige plekke is sy dood aan verdrinking toegeskryf, maar omstandighede en getuies het op selfmoord gedui. Hy het op daardie stadium by sy niggie, Elisabeth, gewoon, weduwee van Matthys Strijdom en dogter van Daniel Nortje.
Daniel Nortje se sterfte is nêrens aangeteken op enige dokument wat ek al gesien het nie, maar sy vrou verskyn wel op die opgaafrol wat in 1702 opgeneem is vir 1701. Daarin is sy aangeteken as die weduwee van Daniel Nortje saam met haar kinders. Met die vorige opname het hy nog geleef.
Daar is een of twee aantekeninge en bewyse dat sy vir ‘n paar jaar saam met haar swaer, Jean, geboer het op die twee aangrensende plase. Sy is daarna weer getroud met Matthys Michielsz van die plaas Bergen Henegouwen, vandag Donkerhoek. Dit het amper soos ‘n ou verlore familie gevoel toe ek Matthys se naam raaklees as Maria se nuwe man. Hy was die wewenaar van Tryn Ras/ Catharina Ustinghs wat in 1708 oorlede is en oor wie ek onlangs baie opgelees het. Sy het na hul troue by Matthys gaan woon op sy plaas, maar die grond het steeds aan haar behoort. Van die inskrywings dui aan dat haar seuns verder op La Motte geboer het.
Alhoewel Maria se sterfte ook nie aangeteken is nie weet ons dat sy en Matthys eers na die dood van sy vrou kon getrou het. ‘n Inventaris van Maria se eie boedel is saamgestel op 30 Maart 1711 en daarin is Fredericksburg, Bergen Henegouwen en La Motte gelys. Fredericksburg en La Motte is hier as een enkele titelakte oorgedra. Sy kon dus net gesterf het tussen Desember 1709, waar sy aangeteken is as Matthys se vrou en 1711.
Die inventaris wat ingesluit is in Maria Vitout se boedel wat die datum aanwys as 30 Maart 1711
Daar was al verskeie pogings aangewend om vas te stel waar sy begrawe sou wees, sonder enige werklike leidrade. Wat ek wel weet is dat baie van die vlugtelinge op ‘n sentrale plek begrawe is en die moontlikheid is groot dat dit by die eerste kerkgebou sou wees wat in 1694 gebou is naby Babylonstoren.
Pierre Simond was die eerste leraar van die gemeente en het die bediening tot 1702 waargeneem. Selfs nadat kerkdienste hier gestaak is het hulle steeds mense daar begrawe. Daar word melding gemaak van ongeïdentifiseerde grafte wat gevind is in die spesifieke omgewing, maar hierdie grafte is verskuif na die Simondium begraafplaas.
Ek wil hier net uitwys dat te veel inligting gegrond is op informasie wat The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) in 1991 in ’n verslag vrygestel het. Hierin verwys hulle na die navorsing wat J Blanckenberg gedoen het vir ’n restourasie projek; dat ’n deel van hul verslag gebaseer is op haar bevindinge. Daarin sê sy dat Fredericksburg deur Jean buite die familie verkoop is iewers aan die einde van 1700 en dat Daniel Nortje dit teruggekoop het in 1705. Dit is egter onmoontlik as sy vrou reeds in 1702 ‘n weduwee was en Jean en Jacob nog op die opgaafrol verskyn het in daardie tydperk.
Hierdie kan dalk gesien word as ’n klein foutjie, maar die hoeveelheid stambome en navorsing wat saamgestel is uit daardie informasie is skrikwekkend. Mense hou van copy & paste en as jy weet daar gaan na jou data gekyk word, is dit altyd beter dat daardie copy & paste nie eintlik net spoeg en plak word nie.
Hier is waar ons moet onthou dat La Motte wat ons tot hier bespreek het, nie dieselfde plaas is as La Motte wat in Olifantshoek/Franschhoek geleë is nie. Eerder, dit is nie een van die ander twee La Motte plase nie.
Daniel Nortje se La Motte was verder op teen die Bergrivier, in die rigting van Wagenmakersvallei. Omdat die plaas grens aan Fredericksburg en ook Vrede-en-Lust, is dit maklik om hierdie plaas te onderskei van die ander.
Dit is ongelukkig baie verwarrend omdat twee van hierdie plase bekendheid verwerf het vir hul wyn en al twee steeds bedryf word as suksesvolle wynplase. Die Ruperts se betrokkenheid by albei maak dit nie makliker vir iemand van buite om te verstaan nie, maar dit is eintlik eenvoudig as jy eers die volledige prentjie voor jou sien.
Eerstens word Daniel se La Motte nou bedryf onder die naam Fredericksburg, tuiste van Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons (1997). As jy dus vandag aanwysings sou gebruik na La Motte, sal die pad jou reguit neem na die plaas naby Wemmershoek wat Pierre Joubert van Hans Heinrich Hatting oorgekoop het in 1709 en waarvan die geskiedenis meer bekend is. Hans was natuurlik later die eienaar van Spier, wat vernoem is na die dorp van sy herkoms, Speyer.
Die plaas het nooit voorheen bekend gestaan as La Motte nie: Die naam is eers so aangeteken nadat Pierre die plaas oorgekoop en herdoop het. Ons sit dan nou met twee plase met dieselfde naam, minder as 15km van mekaar. Miskien as dit minder bekende plase was, sou dit nie so ‘n groot effek gehad het nie. As jy dan besef daar is nóg ’n plaas met dieselfde naam raak dit wel ingewikkeld.
Pierre Joubert was Hans se buurman wat op sy eie plaas, La Provence, geboer het. La Provence, in die Olifantshoek omgewing, is na Joubert se aankoms in die Kaap aan hom toegeken. Pierre het La Motte op daardie stadium nadat hy die plaas gekoop het, slegs gebruik as weiding en geen wingerde is aangeplant nie. Onthou dat Hans Hatting ‘n Duitser was. Die vereiste om wingerde aan te plant het nie deel uitgemaak van voorwaardes om sy grond te behou nie; daardie reël het eers later ingetree.
Alhoewel Pierre oorspronklik onder daardie ooreenkoms geval het met die grond wat aan hom toegeken is, het hy La Motte nou aangekoop en was daar geen skuld te betaal aan die Kompanjie nie. Pierre en sy vrou Isabeau (Elizabeth) Richard het steeds op La Provence geboer. Isabeau was die weduwee van Pierre Mallan wat aan boord die Berg China oorlede is op pad na die Kaap.
Daar is ook verwarring oor Pierre se eerste huwelik gewees. Daar is ‘n inskrywing vir ’n huwelik tussen Pierre Joubert en ene Susanne Regne voor hulle Nederland verlaat het, maar daar is geen teken van haar in die Kaap nie en Pierre en Isabeau het die skip as ’n getroude paartjie verlaat.
Die agtergrond werp ’n klein bietjie lig op wat vooraf afgespeel het. Sewe weke nadat hulle by die kerk in Frankfurt geregistreer het, bevind die Protestantse vlugtelinge hulle in Rotterdam, Holland. In ’n brief van die Kamer van die Nederlandse Oos-Indiese Kompanjie identifiseer hulle ’n groep mense op ’n lys as “daardie mense van die Vallei”, met verwysing na die wat van die Aiguesvallei afkomstig was. Dit was hierdie mense wat hul voorneme verklaar het om die aanbod van die Kompanjie te aanvaar: om hulle op die skip Berg China te vervoer en hulle in die verre Kaap te hervestig. Die lys bevat 34 name, maar dit is steeds ’n volle drie maande voordat die Berg China sou vertrek. Baie kon gebeur in 3 maande!
Een van die name op hierdie lys is Susanne Regne, ’n 20-jarige ongehude vrou. Haar naam verskyn op die lys wat in Frankfurt opgeneem is en is weer aangeteken deur die VOC voor hul vertrek. Selfs al is daar geen bewys beskikbaar wat bevestig dat sy gedurende die vaart oorlede is nie, kan ons net aanneem dat dit wel die geval was – aangesien sy nie onder die vlugtelinge was wat die Kaap bereik het nie.
Susanne is dus kort voor die vertrek met Pierre getroud en oorlede voor sy haar bestemming kon bereik. Daar is weereens geen inskrywing vir ‘n huwelik tussen Pierre Joubert en Isabeau Richard nie, maar hulle het in die Kaap as ‘n getroude paartjie aangekom en is waarskynlik deur die kaptein van die skip getroud. Ander plase wat Pierre Joubert besit het: Beuinchamp, La Motte, Lormarins, Winterhoek, De Plaisante en La Roque.
Dit voel of mens nou hier die briek moet aandraai, of dalk net vinniger by die antwoord uitkom, maar dit is nie moontlik met daardie stukkies wat net in die lug bly rondsweef sonder ‘n plek waar hulle waarlik inpas en hoort nie. Elkeen van hulle moet afgetrek en op sy spasie geskuif word om te verseker dat hierdie storie nie weer en weer verkeerd oorvertel word nie.
Daar is iets in die gevoel om te sê jy weet waar jy vandaan kom. Daar is iets daaraan om op ’n stuk veld uit te loop en binne-in jou daardie gevoel van trots te voel groei by die gedagte dat jou voorouers hier gestaan het. Daar kan egter hoegenaamd niks daarin wees as jy op die verkeerde stukkie gras staan en dit nie weet nie!
Vir die huidige rolspelers maak dit geen verskil nie, maar as jy navorsing doen oor jou voorgeslagte, oor waar hulle gewoon het en moontlik begrawe is, kan dit nogal ontaard in ’n deurmekaarspul.
Dit bring ons by Jean Jourdan/Jordaan. Jean word ook beskou as ’n vorige eienaar van La Motte. Alhoewel daar nooit enige direkte verwysings is na presies watter plaas dit is nie, word daar steeds na hom verwys as die eienaar.
Hy trou met Isabeau de Long in 1689 in die Kaap en word die stamvader van alle Jouberts in Suid-Afrika. Saam met hom op die Berg China was sy broer Pierre Jordaan. Pierre trou later met Johanna Adriana Junius in 1701 en sterf in 1716. Hy laat slegs 2 dogters agter.
Jean se geskiedenis wat opgeteken is word effens verdraai, maar waarskynlik bloot uit oorvertellings en die feit dat daar nie behoorlik navorsing gedoen is voordat hulle sy geskiedenis en ook naam gekoppel het aan ‘n ander wynplaas in die omgewing van Montagu nie. Die plaas behoort aan sy direkte nageslag, maar in hul bekenstelling is daar een of twee foute in sy geskiedenis.
Jean was nie die alleen eienaar van La Motte nie en dit verwys ook nie na die bekende wynplaas wat ons almal onder die naam ken nie. Daar is wel ’n plaas, nader aan Olifantshoek/Franschhoek, toegeken aan Jean, sy broer Pierre en ook Jacques Malan. Jacques was ook een van die vlugtelinge wat op die Berg China in die Kaap gearriveer het en grond is soms aan meer as een persoon toegeken.
Daar is verskeie redes hoekom dit sou gebeur het, maar die meer bekende rede was onervare boere. Baie van die vlugtelinge was nie noodwendig boere in hul tuisland nie en moes eers leer hoe om land te bewerk en na diere om te sien. As een persoon wat deel uitmaak van die “pare” meer ondervinding gehad het, sou hy ander kon oplei. In hierdie geval dink ek Jean was die een met meer ondervinding en staan hy steeds bekend as seker een van die suksesvolste boer uit hulle tyd.
Jean was ook nie een van net 10 Hugenote wat die reis oorleef het nie: daar het 28 vlugtelinge aan boord van die Berg China gestap en 20 het in die Kaap aangekom. 2 mans, 5 vrouens en een kind het gedurende die reis gesterf. Hulle was: Pierre Mallan, Marie Jourdanne-Rousse en haar dogter, Jeanne Rousse, Paul Jourdan, Jeanne Marque, Marie Anthouarde, Louise Courbonne en Suzanne Reyne.
Die lys met getalle wat in “The Huguenots of South Africa 1688 – 1988” gedruk en uitgegee deur Tafelberg Uitgewers is foutief. Hulle verwys steeds daarin na die 34 vlugtelinge, alhoewel al 34 wat geregistreer het nie aangemeld het met die Berg China se vertrek nie.
Marie Rousse Jourdaan wat een van die oorledenes was, was die suster van Jean en Pierre Jourdan. Dit maak hulle dus die ooms van Marie en Marquerite Rousse (Roux) wat wel aanboord van die Berg China was met sy aankoms in die Kaap. Hulle was minderjarig ten tye van hul ma, Marie Rousse, se dood en op sommige plekke word hul ingesluit op die lys van weesmeisies wat op van der Stel se versoek gestuur is om as moontlike eggenote vir die koloniste in te staan. Daar was ‘n groot te kort aan vrouens en veral vrouens met ondervinding in boerdery, die meisies is dus daarvolgens gekies. Daar het 8 weesmeisies vertrek vanuit Nederland op die Berg China, nie 10 nie.
Nog ‘n oorvertelling is dat Jean die eerste vlugteling was wat sy voete op land gesit het in die Kaap. Francois Villion (Viljoen) is wel reeds in 1671 deur die kommandeur aanvaar as vlugteling en het hy dieselfde hulp ontvang as die vlugtelinge na hom. Verskeie het gevolg voor die eerste amptelike skip, die Oosterland, met vlugtelinge van Nederland in Tafelbaai ankers laat sak het op 25 April 1688. Vier maande voor die Berg China.
Die plaas, La Motte, is bewerk deur Jean, Pierre en Jacques. As ek moet raai of spekuleer, wat eintlik nie ’n opsie behoort te wees nie, sal ek sê dat hulle gesamentlik die plaas vernoem het na die dorpie De la Motte d’Aigues, as herinnering aan hul oorsprong.
Jacques Malan was getroud met Isabeau le Long, weduwee van Jean Jordaan wat intussen in 1698 oorlede is. Alhoewel die plaas in 1694 aan hulle toegeken is, het hy eers eienaarskap gekry in 1714. Ander plase wat aan Jacques behoort het is De Faisante Kraal, Lanquedoc, Rhone en Morgenson. Hy het ook ‘n vierde van die plaas Welgelegen besit.
Hier moet ek weereens uitwys dat Jacques Malan nie ingesluit is as vlugteling op die kaart met plase van “The Huguenot Memorial Museum – Franschhoek nie. Dit is moontlik omdat daar ‘n Mallan oorlede is gedurende die reis na die Kaap, maar dit was Pierre Mallan, die eerste man van Isabeau Richard.
Inskrywing in die opgaafrol vir Pierre Jordaan, Jean (Jan) Jordaan en Jacques Malan
Die uiteenlopende verhale van hierdie verskillende plase is ‘n testament van die vlugtelinge se nalatenskap. Hoewel die plase dalk deur die eeue verander het, bly die geskiedenis ‘n tydlose skakel tussen ons en die Franse vlugtelinge wat hul lewens hier kom hervat het. Hulle het dalk met leë hande hier aangekom, maar hul harte was steeds gevul met hoop en ook geloof in ‘n beter toekoms.
Die drie La Motte plase en hul liggings relatief tot mekaar:
64 – La Motte (Daniel Nortje)
91 – La Motte (Pierre Joubert)
101 – La Motte (Pierre en Jean Jourdan saam met Jacques Malan)
The La Motte farms and their origin
Nortje, Joubert, Jordaan and Malan
On January 29, 1688, amidst religious persecution and uncertainty in Europe, Jean, Daniel, and Jacques Nourtier left their homeland behind. They were not simply refugees but also brave and hopeful individuals, encouraged by the promise of freedom and the opportunity to write their own story – free from the dictates imposed on them by France.
Alongside them on this voyage to the Cape of Good Hope was Jacques de Savoye, the man who they would initially serve. The Nourtiers were probably related by marriage to de Savoye. His first wife was Christine du Pont, with the brother’s mother a maiden du Pont. This would explain why an otherwise difficult de Savoye was so well-disposed to the Nourtiers.
This was an opportunity he created for them to enable them to leave France. However, as the sails stretched across the Southern Ocean, these three brothers, with De Savoye’s blessing, began to forge their own path to independence and success.
Several ships left the Netherlands with refugees who dreamed of a future, but who were also afraid of what it might hold and what the true price of their sacrifice would be. We know that these people possessed no wealth, the true price was therefore not measured in currency, but rather in what they had to sacrifice. We also know from the numbers who registered to come to the Cape and the actual numbers who arrived when the ships were ready to depart, that there was some whose courage had failed them. For many, safety lies within familiarity, even though danger was right in front of them.
What the refugees found here was more than just land and a new life: it was the birth of a legacy that is still told centuries later, a story of courage, hard work, and the pursuit of something greater.
By 29 April 1688, the Oosterland reached the port in the Cape. It was the first ship with its 24 French refugees on board to arrive in Table Bay. The Voorschooten had already sailed from the Netherlands on 31 December 1687, but was forced to drop anchor in Saldanha Bay due to a strong south-easterly wind. Although her destination was Table Bay, the officers felt that it was safer to remain in the bay for repairs. Word soon reached the commander in the Cape. He sent a smaller sailing ship, Jupiter, from Table Bay with fresh supplies. When the Jupiter returned, the 22 French refugees were on board.
On 20 March 1688 the Berg China departed from the Netherlands and finally arrived at the Cape on 4 August 1688 after a long, gruelling voyage. There was more sickness and also deaths; at times it felt as if they would never reach the Cape. The dream was not dead: that first step on solid ground was confirmation of that.
Just two years earlier, in 1685, Commissioner Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein had arrived in the Cape. He was disappointed with the unorthodox way in which Simon van der Stel had allocated land to the new arrivals and accordingly issued new instructions on how the process should proceed. Not only what the conditions attached to these land grants should be, but also how the land should be arranged.
As the Stellenbosch valley was rapidly becoming overpopulated, van der Stel created new settlements for the growing number of colonists. On van der Stel’s birthday, 14 October 1687, he distributed cattle and calves among 23 new farmers who had just arrived from Europe. On 16 October he set out with them for the area around the Berg River. As a tribute to Van Rheede, Van der Stel named the valley Drakenstein.
Little information is available on exactly who these 23 new farmers were, but they were mainly from the Netherlands and one or two French citizens who had already immigrated to the Cape on their own. The commander hoped that they might fill their place in the growing community, but too many of them also gave up.
The hard soil and intensive agricultural practices were challenging for these new farmers – most of them abandoned their farms within just a year. In some cases, structures had already been erected on the land, but not even a roof over their heads could convince them to take on the challenge. This phenomenon was very common in these pioneering times and became a major problem for the government in the Cape.
The heat during the summer months only increased the existing challenges: most of the unmarried colonists were not convinced that a silver lining would appear somewhere. They simply packed up and left. Their hands, once tools of toil, hung heavy- like shovels dulled by unyielding earth. Defeated, the farmers set out in search of new beginnings.
This time Van der Stel followed van Rheede’s instructions of 1685 more closely. He focused on expanding the colony, with diligent, capable men, not traders and preferably those married with knowledge of agriculture and especially viticulture. Moral values and a Calvinist background would perhaps keep them more anchored and also hopefully unite them in times of possible war. Van der Stel hoped that they would share his dream by settling permanently.
The land was now allocated in an orderly manner under supervision. There was no longer any preference given to certain people to settle by the river and in the process prevent farmers further from the river from establishing irrigation. The farms consisted of elongated strips of land, all of equal size of 60 morgen. The land stretched from the river to the mountains.
The conditions for the allocation of land were also now adjusted. Farms were allocated with full ownership, without payment, but the farm had to be cultivated within a year and buildings had to be erected. Van der Stel hoped that this would discourage new farmers from simply leaving the farms, but unfortunately this still happened. This was because the long strips of land led to an unbalanced combination of arable land, pasture and unusable land. Too many challenges and too little motivation.
Another agreement was that emphasis should be placed on grain production, with a tenth of the yield going to the Company. Because wine production was more profitable for the burghers and the Company, a rule was soon introduced that for every four morgen of land, one morgen of vineyard had to be planted. Land was only allocated provisionally. Then after a number of years the cultivated land would be surveyed and ownership rights were allocated accordingly.
This is the reason why documents available in the archives do not correspond to exactly when the farmers settled on their farms. The official grant sometimes took between 5 and 10 years.
We see in the Company’s diary entries that a visit was made and a type of census or inspection was held in which the extent to which the land had already been cultivated, the number of livestock and other animals and also the number of “Wijnstokke” that had been planted were recorded. According to this, the money that each farmer then had to pay to the Company was calculated, but it was also what was used as a reference to determine whether and when full ownership would be transferred.
Examples of the entries in the muster roll indicating the development on the farms
The French refugees were able to leave for Drakenstein soon after their arrival. Because there were farms that had previously been allocated to the Dutch but had been left as is, there were immediate opportunities for this group of French refugees to settle.
During those years, they were not known as Huguenots, they were seen only as French refugees or Protestant colonists. The term Huguenot only later became popular as a way to identify this group historically and to recognize their contributions and heritage within the broader context of the Protestant Reformation.
This was an appropriate way to describe them collectively, as they were part of a specific faith tradition and were a group of refugees who had left France for religious reasons. The custom is also a way to emphasize their unique identity and history in South Africa, especially in the context of their contributions to the country’s culture, agriculture and wine industry.
The establishment
The stretch between Babijlons Toorn (Babylonstoren) and the Dwars Rivier Valley was of course a popular destination in the 2 years before, if you didn’t know what awaited you, but as we know the disillusionment was sometimes too great. The Dutch had also already settled on the best possible land. Some of the farmers, after a request made to the Company, moved to other parts.
These farmers, who settled at the foothills of Simonsberg and Kanonkop, made wise choices by selecting land nourished by mountain streams. The predominant sandstone rock formations, being permeable and porous, acted as natural reservoirs, storing large quantities of water. This gave rise to springs and seepage, ensuring a steady supply. During the summer months, these streams flowed down the mountains, providing much-needed relief.
Farms that previously belonged partly to the Dutch and also to some of the first arrivals from France and the rest of the world and were now available included: Zion (A), Sion (B), Langerust, Le Plessis Merle, Vrede-en-Lust, Rust en Vrede and La Motte.
These were the first farms made available at that time. Shortly afterwards, Bergen Henegouwen (Donkerhoek) and Fredericksburg were also added to the list. Of course, many more farms were allocated, with most owners naming their farms themselves.
Jacques de Savoye settled on Vrede en Lust with his wife, Marie-Madelaine de Clerk, his mother-in-law, the widow Antoinette Carnoy of Doornik and 3 children, Marguerite-Therese and Barbe-Therese, from his first marriage, and the baby Jacques.
The farm Fredericksburg was granted to Jean Nourtier as a single person while his brother Jacques, known as Jacob, stayed with him. Reading through the records you will see that Jean and Jacob are listed together, but there is not, as in many other cases, any record that the farm was granted to them jointly. Fredericksburg bordered La Motte, with Vrede-en-Lust directly next to it.
From here it is easier to refer to Nortje: although the brothers were recorded as Nourtier when they left the Netherlands, the name was almost never used again. Other variations that appear in documents include Noortje, Nortjie, Nortier and then Nortje.
The brothers, amidst their own challenges and need for progress, continued to support De Savoye and contributed to the development of his farm.
In the muster roll, a document with a register where everything relating to an area, specific farms and also events is recorded, we read about the Nortje brothers with each inspection that was held annually. These documents, which are available in the National Archives of the Netherlands, were very helpful in determining the dates of important events.
Daniel Nortje farmed his land with his wife, Maria Vitout, and their children, Jacob, Elizabeth, and Antonie. Years later, records mention two Nortje brothers living together on a farm. Though it is difficult to determine which farm, they could only have been the sons of Daniel and Maria.
Jacob and Jean (Jan) together at Fredericksburg and Daniel and Maria at La Motte
Jean never married and Jacob married Marguerite Mouton much later on 8 August 1717. She died at the age of 32 and of his 5 children, 4 of whom were sons, 3 of the sons died unmarried. Jacob was found on 9 June 1743 by a passing churchgoer on the banks of the Berg River.
There are different stories about what exactly happened. In some places his death was attributed to drowning, but circumstances and witnesses pointed to suicide. At that time, he was living with his cousin, Elisabeth, widow of Matthys Strijdom and daughter of Daniel Nortje.
Daniel Nortje’s death is not recorded anywhere on any document that I have seen, but his wife does appear on the muster roll, recorded in 1702 for 1701. She is recorded as the widow of Daniel Nortje with her children.
There are a few notes and pieces of evidence suggesting that she farmed alongside her brother-in-law, Jean, on the two adjoining farms for several years. She later remarried Matthys Michielsz of the farm Bergen Henegouwen, known today as Donkerhoek. Seeing Matthys’ name as Maria’s new husband almost felt like rediscovering a long-lost family member- he was the widower of Tryn Ras (Catharina Ustinghs), who passed away in 1708. I had previously done some researched on her. After their wedding, she went to live with Matthys on his farm, but Fredericksburg and La Motte still belonged to her.
Although Maria’s death is also not recorded, we know that she and Matthys could not have married until after the death of his wife. An inventory of Maria’s own estate was compiled on 30 March 1711 and listed Fredericksburg, Bergen Henegouwen and La Motte. Fredericksburg and La Motte were transferred here as one single title deed. She could therefore only have died between December 1709, where she is recorded as Matthys’ wife, and 1711.
The inventory included in Maria Vitout’s estate which indicates the date as 30 March 1711
There have been several attempts to determine the location of her grave, without any real clues. What I do know is that many of the refugees were buried in a central location and the possibility is high that it would be at the first church building built in 1694 near Babylonstoren.
Pierre Simond was the first pastor of the congregation and served until 1702. Even after church services were discontinued, they continued to bury people there. There is mention of unidentified graves found in the specific area, but these graves were moved to the Simondium cemetery.
I would just like to point out here that too much research is based on information that The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) released in a report in 1991. In this they refer to the research that J Blanckenberg did for a restoration project and that part of their report is based on her findings. In it she indicated that Fredericksburg was sold by Jean outside the family sometime in the late 1700s and that Daniel Nortje bought it back in 1705. However, this is impossible if his wife was already a widow in 1702 and Jean and Jacob still appeared on the muster roll at that time.
This may be seen as a small mistake, but the amount of family trees an research that have been compiled from that information is staggering.
Here is where we need to remember that the La Motte we have discussed up to this point is not the same farm as the La Motte located in Olifantshoek/Franschhoek. Rather, it is not one of the other two La Motte farms.
Daniel Nortje’s La Motte was further up the Berg River, in the direction of Wagenmakers Valley. Because the farm borders Fredericksburg and also Vrede en Lust, it is easy to distinguish this farm from the others.
This is unfortunately very confusing because two of these farms became famous for their wine and both are still operated as successful wine farms. The Ruperts’ involvement in both does not make it any easier for an outsider to understand, but it is actually simple once you see the full picture.
Firstly, Daniel’s La Motte is now operated under the name Fredericksburg, home of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons (1997). So, if you were to use directions to La Motte today, the road would take you straight to the farm near Wemmershoek that Pierre Joubert bought from Hans Heinrich Hatting in 1709 and whose history is better known. Hans was of course later the owner of Spier, which was named after the town of his origin, Speyer.
The farm was never known as La Motte before: The name was only recorded as such after Pierre bought the farm and renamed it. So now we have two farms with the same name, less than 15km apart. Perhaps if they were lesser-known farms, it wouldn’t have had such a big effect. Then when you realise there is another farm with the same name it does get complicated.
Pierre Joubert was Hans’s neighbour who farmed on his own farm, La Provence. La Provence, in the Olifantshoek area, was allocated to him after Joubert’s arrival in the Cape. At that stage, after he had bought the farm, Pierre only used La Motte as grazing land, and no vineyards were planted. Remember that Hans Hatting was a German. The requirement to plant vineyards was not part of the conditions for retaining his land.
Although Pierre had originally fallen under that agreement with the land allocated to him, he had now purchased La Motte and there was no debt to pay to the Company. Pierre and his wife Isabeau (Elizabeth) Richard continued to farm La Provence. Isabeau was the widow of Pierre Mallan, who had passed away aboard the Berg China while en route to the Cape.
There has also been confusion about Pierre’s first marriage. There is an entry for a marriage between Pierre Joubert and one Susanne Regne before they left the Netherlands, but there is no sign of her at the Cape and Pierre and Isabeau left the ship as a married couple.
The background on what happened before they left shed some light on the confusion. Seven weeks after registering with the church in Frankfurt, the Protestant refugees found themselves in Rotterdam, Holland. In a letter from the Chamber of the Dutch East India Company, they identified a group of people on a list as “those people of the Valley”, referring to those who came from the Aigues Valley. It was these people who declared their intention to accept the Company’s offer to transport them on the ship Berg China and resettle them in the Cape. The list contained 34 names, but that is still a full three months before the Berg China was to depart. A lot could happen in 3 months!
One of the names on this list is Susanne Regne, a 20-year-old unmarried woman. Her name appears on the list taken in Frankfurt and was re-recorded by the VOC before their departure. Even though there is no evidence available to confirm that she died during the voyage, we can only assume that this was the case- as she was not among the refugees who reached the Cape.
Susanne therefore married Pierre shortly before the departure and died before she could reach her destination. Again, there is no record of a marriage between Pierre Joubert and Isabeau Richard, but they arrived at the Cape as a married couple and were probably married by the captain of the ship. Other farms owned by Pierre Joubert: Beuinchamp, La Motte, Lormarins, Winterhoek, De Plaisante and La Roque.
It feels like it’s time to hit the pause button, or perhaps we should push forward more swiftly, but that’s impossible when these pieces are still adrift. Each one must be placed in its rightful position to ensure the story is told correctly, without the risk of it being misunderstood again and again
There’s something about the feeling of knowing where you come from. There’s something about walking out onto a field and feeling that sense of pride grow inside you at the thought that your ancestors stood here. However, there can be nothing in it at all if you’re standing on the wrong piece of grass and don’t know it!
For the current role players, it makes no difference, but if you do research on your ancestors, on where they lived and possibly were buried, it can turn into quite a mess.
This brings us to Jean Jourdan/Jordaan. Jean is also considered a previous owner of La Motte. Although there is never any direct reference to exactly which farm it is, he is still referred to as the owner.
He married Isabeau de Long in 1689 at the Cape and became the ancestor of all Jouberts in South Africa. With him, travelling on the Berg China, was his brother Pierre Jordaan. Pierre later married Johanna Adriana Junius in 1701 and died in 1716. He left behind only 2 daughters.
Jean’s recorded history is slightly distorted: He was never the sole owner of la Motte and it does not refer to the famous wine farm that we all know by that name. There is a farm, closer to Olifantshoek/Franschhoek, allocated to Jean, his brother Pierre and also Jacques Malan. Jacques was also one of the refugees who arrived onthe Berg China in the Cape, land was sometimes allocated to more than one person.
There are several reasons why this would have happened, but the more common reason was inexperienced farmers. Many of the refugees were not necessarily farmers in their homeland and first had to learn how to farm and look after animals. If someone was more experienced, he could train others. In this case, I think Jean was the one with more experience and he is still known as probably one of the most successful farmers of their time.
Jean was also not one of only 10 Huguenots who survived the journey: there were 28 refugees who boarded the Berg China and 20 arrived in the Cape. 2 men, 5 women and one child died during the journey. They were: Pierre Mallan, Marie Jourdanne-Rousse and her daughter, Jeanne Rousse, Paul Jourdan, Jeanne Marque, Marie Anthouarde, Louise Courbonne and Suzanne Reyne.
The list of numbers printed in “The Huguenots of South Africa 1688 – 1988” and published by Tafelberg Publishers is incorrect. They still refer to the 34 refugees, although all 34 who registered did not report with the departure of the Berg China.
Marie Rousse Jourdaan, who was one of the deceased, was the sister of Jean and Pierre Jordaan. This makes them the uncles of Marie and Marquerite Rousse (Roux) who were indeed on board the Berg China when it arrived in the Cape. They were minors at the time of their mother, Marie Rousse,’s death and on some lists they are included in the list of orphan girls sent at van der Stel’s request to stand in as possible wives for the colonists. There was a great shortage of women, especially women with experience in farming, and the girls were therefore chosen accordingly.
Another version is that Jean was the first refugee to set foot on land at the Cape. Francois Villion (Viljoen) was accepted as a refugee by the commander as early as 1671 and received the same help as the refugees after him. Several followed before the first official ship, the Oosterland, dropped anchor in Table Bay with refugees from the Netherlands on 25 April 1688. Four months before the Berg China.
The farm, La Motte, was farmed by Jean, Pierre and Jacques. If I had to guess or speculate, which shouldn’t really be an option, I would say that they collectively named the farm after the village of De la Motte d’Aigues, as a reminder of their origins.
Jacques Malan was married to Isabeau le Long, widow of Jean Jordaan who had died in 1698. Although the farm was granted to them in 1694, he only acquired ownership in 1714. Other farms that belonged to Jacques were De Faisante Kraal, Lanquedoc, Rhone and Morgenson. He also owned a fourth of the farm Welgelegen.
Here I must point out once again that Jacques Malan is not included as a refugee on the map with farms of “The Huguenot Memorial Museum – Franschhoek”. This is possible because a Mallan died during the journey to the Cape, but it was Pierre Mallan, the first husband of Isabeau Richard.
Entry in the roll of submission for Pierre Jordaan, Jean(Jan) Jordaan and Jacques Malan
The diverse stories of these different farms are a testament to the refugees’ legacy. While the farms may have changed over the centuries, history remains a timeless link between us and the French refugees who came to rebuild their lives here. They may have arrived empty-handed, but their hearts were still filled with hope and also faith in a better future.
The three La Motte farms and their locations relative to each other:
64 – La Motte (Daniel Nortje)
91 – La Motte (Pierre Joubert)
101 – La Motte (Pierre and Jean Jourdan with Jacques Malan)
Baie interessant. Ek het dit geniet om dit te lees, dankie.
Wow!! Dis in ons taal, Afrikaans, en lees baie gemaklik en maak alles mooi duidelik. Dankie Annemarie. Daar is nog so baie waaroor geskryf kan word. Dankie vir jou!!