Die storie van die Drostdy - Blog | Anna Basson Properties Stellenbosch
Die storie van die Drostdy
n Historiese foto van die Drostdy – nou die kweekskool.
Ek was gisteraand so bevoorreg om na die argeoloog Hennie Vos te luister oor sy opgrawings by die Stellenbosch teologiese fakulteit (die kweekskool). Die Heemkring, ‘n plaaslike belangegroep vir die dorp se erfenis, bied elke twee maande ‘n aanbieding aan oor Stellenbosch se geskiedenis. (Te danke aan die wonderlike ooms en tannies was daar ook koek, tee en lekkernye na die tyd…)
Drostdystraat – gebou op ‘n tuin
Die Eersterivier het destyds ‘n vertakking gehad wat voor die Drostdy verbyloop – daarom moes die inwoners oor ‘n brug loop om die voordeur te bereik. Voor die Drostdy was daar ‘n plein wat die ‘beplante plein’ genoem is, waarskynlik omdat daar bome of ‘n groentetuin geplant is.
Hierdie plein het later Drostdystraat geword.
Een van die belangrikste argeologiese areas in Stellenbosch is die grond van die ou Drostdy. Die eerste drostdy is in 1687 gebou, wat dit naas Kaapstad byna die oudste ontwikkelde grond in die Wes-Kaap maak. Daarby was dit ook op ‘n stadium die kantoor waaruit die hele binneland regeer is.
Daar is ongelukkig baie min van die vroeë bouplanne beskikbaar, maar uit skilderye en ou fotos kan ons aflei dat die drostdy ‘n paar keer herbou en verander is, en later die tuiste geword het van die twee teoloë, Hofmeyer en Murray, en hul gesinne. (Vandag is dit die kweekskool).
Sommige van hierdie die ou fotos en dokumente word vandag uitgestal in ‘n klein museumversameling op die boonste vloer van die Kweekskool – dit is definitief iets om te besoek! (lees hier www.sun.ac.za)
Sommige van die artefakte wat Vos gevind het kom uit die tyd van die landdroste (1700’s), en ander uit die tyd van die seminarium (na die 1850’s). Van die items wat gevind is is:
Oester- en mosselskulpe, pypstele, heelwat Chinese porselein asook skaars Japannese porselein, ‘n vishoek, ‘n slot, medisynebotteltjies, naaldwerkgereedskap uit London en ‘n ‘tessie’. (Dit is ‘n keramiekbakkie vir warm kole wat gebruik is om ‘n pyp mee op te steek. Vos en ander geskiedkundiges meen dit is te danke aan een van hierdie lampies wat die verwoestende brand in 1710 ontstaan het).
Dis interessant dat daar heelwat Oosterse items gevind is, iets wat mnr Vos in sy navorsing ondersoek. Baie van die slawe het uit lande soos Jakarta, Java, Bali, Timor en Maleisië gekom. Die Kaapse hawe was werklik ‘n kosmopolitaanse plek – ‘n samesmelting van Europese-, Oosterse- en Afrika-invloede.
Nog interessante feite en teorieë:
Die opgrawings onder die kweekskool se kafeteria suggereer dat een van die Eersterivier se vertakkings eens daar deurgeloop het.
Die area langs die ou ringmuur (aan die agterkant van die kweek), was blykbaar die weggooigate van die Hofmeyer en Murray gesinne. Murray was lief vir skryf, en daar is heelwat inkpotjies gevind. Ook griffels waarmee die ander inwoners geskryf het (voor pen en papier het mense lei en griffel gebruik).
Die eerste drostdy het 3 verdiepings gehad!
Daar is ‘n pypsteel gevind wat vermoedelik aan Ds Murray behoort het, dit het ‘n inskrywing met die woord “Glasgow” en die Murray broers was gebore in Skotland.
Daar is baie keramiekbakkies gevind. Baie van die diensmense/servants/slawe was lief vir rys eet, omdat hul uit die ooste gekom het.
Die landdros se vrou was gewoonlik die een wat ‘n horlosie en ‘n bos sleutels gedra het, sy was die bestuurder van die huis en moes sorg dat alles gedoen word.
Teen 1707 het die rivier so woes onder die drostdy se fondamente begin inspoel dat die hele boonste verdieping ingesak het.
As jy meer wil weet oor die drostdy, besoek gerus die uitstalling by die kweekskool!
Lees hier oor die eiland in die Eersterivier.
Lees hier oor die opgrawings by Bosman’s crossing.
Artikel: Y Coetsee 2016, Foto: www.sun.ac.za
Hennie Vos, aanbieding by die heemkring (Erfurthuis, 9 Nov 2016)
Last night I was fortunate enough to listen to a presentation by the archeologist Hennie Vos, relating to the excavations made at the Stellenbosch Theological seminary (kweekskool). The Heemkring, a local society for remembering Stellenbosch’s heritage, hosts such a presentation every two months (and thanks to the wonderful ooms and tannies there were plenty of tea and cake afterwards…)
The site of the old Drostdy is one of the most important archaeological sites in Stellenbosch. The first drostdy was built in 1687, which makes it, apart from Cape Town, one of the oldest developed pieces of land in the Western Cape. This was also the seat of local management and justice, at one stage for the whole of the country’s interior.
Unfortunately few early floor plans were drawn, but from paintings and old photographs we can surmise that the drostdy was rebuilt and altered quite a few times. It later became the home of the theologians Hofmeyer and Murray, and their families. (Today it is the theological seminary).
Some of the old documents and photos relating to the drostdy’s history is now exhibited in a small museum exhibition on the upper floor of the Kweekskool – it seems worth a visit (see www.sun.ac.za).
The artifacts that Vos found came from the time of the landdroste (1700s) and from the period of the theological seminary (after the 1850s).
Among the items that were found were:
Oyster and mussel shells, pipe stems, a lot of Chinese porcelain as well as some very rare Japanese porcelain, a fish hook, a rusty lock, medicine bottles, needlework tools from London, and a ‘tessie’ (a ceramic vessel for hot coals used to light a pipe. Vos and others believe it is thanks to such an item that the devastating fire of 1710 broke out in the Drostdy).
It is interesting that many of the artifacts are Eastern in origin, something that Mr Vos explores in his work. Many of the slaves came from countries such as Jakarta, Java, Bali, Timor and the Malay peninsula. The Cape of Good Hope was truly a cosmopolitan melting pot of Eastern, European and African cultures.
Here are some more interesting facts and theories:
The excavations beneath the kweekskool cafeteria suggests that one of the branches/side streams of the Eerste River once flowed there.
The area along the outer wall (at the back of the kweek), seems to have been the garbage piles of the Hofmeyer and Murray families. Murray was fond of writing, something that is seen in the number of ink pots discovered there. A number of slate pencils were also found, (a “lei” and “griffle” was used before pencil and paper).
The first drostdy was three stories high.
A pipe stem presumably belonging to Ds Murray was found, complete with the name of a Glasgow brand on it. The Murray brothers were originally Scottish.
A large number of ceramic bowls were found. These could have been the tableware of the workers/servants/slaves, who often came from the East and was fond of eating rice.
The wife of the landdros was known to have carried a watch as well as the house keys – she was the ‘manager of the house’ and had to make sure everything ran smoothly.
By 1707 the river had carved away at the foundations of the drostdy to such an extent that the whole building started to sink in.
If you want to learn more, visit the museum at the seminary.
Read here what happened to the island in the Eerste River
Read here about the archeological excavations at Bosman’s crossing
Article: Y Coetsee 2016, Photo: www.sun.ac.za
Hennie Vos, presentation at heemkring (Erfurthuis, 9 Nov 2016)
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