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University of Cape TownHOUSEHOLDS OF THE CAPE, 1750 TO 1850

INVENTORIES AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD

ANTONIA

MALAN

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

1993

University of Cape Town

The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author.

HOUSEHOLDS OF THE CAPE, 1750 TO 1850

INVENTORIES AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD

ANTONIA

MALAN

Thesis presented for the Degree

of

Doctor of Philosophy

in the

Department

of Archaeology

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

1993

The of Cape Town has been given

the to reproduce thi.:; thesis in whole or io part. Copyriuhr is held by the author.

HOUSEHOLDS OF THE CAPE, 1750 TO 1850

INVENTORIES

AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD

Antonia Malan Department

of Archaeology University of Cape Town

7700 ·Rondebosch

1993

ABSTRACT

The purpose

of the research was to study changes that occurred in the material culture

of the Cape during the period when the British took over control of the colony from the Dutch. There were three phases for investigation: the colony under the Dutch East India Company in the 18th century, twenty transitional years

of interim British and Netherlands governments between

1795 and 1815, and the Cape as a British colony after 1815.

An historical archaeological approach was applied to material remains surviving from those years, such

as excavated artefacts, documents and buildings, that assumed these sources of material culture reflected the larger cultural, or cognitive, contexts in which they were conceived, made and used. Particular emphasis was placed on examination of

household inventory manuscripts (lists of fixed and moveable properties, goods and chattels). Selected information from the inventories

of more than

800 households was recorded, and further detailed analysis made of

seventy-nine documents. Room-by-room appraisals indicate the layout (house plan), room numbers (house size), room names and activities (functions

of spaces) within the house. These probate records thus provided invaluable information about houses, their contents and the placement

of objects within the household, and could be investigated from the level of individual rooms on the day of appraisal to a range of houses over a number of years. By constituting the documentary evidence in a form compatible with assemblages of excavated artefacts, as a series uf space and time blocks, integrated information provided en.ltanced material cultural detail. Patterns were observed through time and across a range of regional and socio-economic situations. The first period covered a

II Dutch II Cape under the control

of the eastern arm of the Dutch East India Company, but households were organised in a way distinctive to the Cape. Then there

was a short period of relative freedom from governmental control,

as transition was made from Dutch to British colonial status and trade options broadened, resulting in the wealthier urban households reflecting fashion, and to the benefit

of many farmers. Finally, the Cape was fully incorporated into the networks

of the British Empire, undergoing widespread adaptations to colonial society and changes in the material culture

of households.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The motivation and encouragement received from members of the Historical Archaeology Research Group provides

an indispensible foundation to my work. I am particularly grateful to Professor Martin Hall, my supervisor, and greatly value our association over the past seven years -since we all started excavating at Paradise -and the stimulating environment

he has created for historical archaeology research. Those who have directly contributed to this thesis gave welcome comments and constructive criticism. Constant support

has

also come from the Spatial Archaeology Research Unit and other members of the Archaeology Department at the

University of Cape Town. Thank you, everyone.

I owe a great debt

of gratitude to James Deetz for teaching me what historical archaeology should be, and also to Patrice Jeppson for her patient coaching and confidence

in my work. When learning my way into the world of the Archives and the language of the inventories I was . helped enthusiastically by Margaret Cairns, while Carolyn Woodward's work provided a model of thorough scholarship. My thanks, too, to Dutch-speaking friends for their·advice. The support of my family and friends has been crucial: thank you for being so understanding, undemanding and encouraging.

The financial assistance

of the Institute for Research Development towards this research is hereby gratefully acknowledged. Opinions expressed in this work, or conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not to be attributed to the Institute for Research Development.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLES & FIGURES

page 1

INTRODUCTION 1

2

SETTING THE SCENE: CONTEXTS FOR RESEARCH 6

THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL CONTEXT 6

Culture and context: theory 6 Material

culture, documents and probate records: methodology 10 Historical archaeology in the Cape Probate record research

HISTORICAL CONTEXT 16

Historical background 16

Interpretive periods and regions 19

3

RESOURCES: SOURCES, RECORDS AND ANALYSIS 25

Cape archival sources 26

Probate records and the Orphan Chamber Inventories

Auction lists Exchange rates Initial

research 31

Current research 32

Selection

of inventories recorded

Glossary Genealogies and architecture

Contemporary accounts Selection

of inventories transcribed in detail

Computer methodology Analysis

of recorded documents 40

Room names

Voorhuis and galdery

House sizes and distribution

Status

45

Summary 61

J4 A SEPARATE IDENTITY: THE CAPE COLONY

UNDER THE VOC BETWEEN 1740 AND 1780 62

Early Cape settlement 62

Table Valley 64

Rural households 73

Summary 79

Js

CAPE COLONIAL BLOSSOMING, 1780 TO 1800 83

Table Valley 83

Rural households 88

Summary

94

6 INTERACTION AND ADAPTATION, 1800 TO 1815

Table Valley

Rural households

The nineteenth century dorp

Summary

7 FROM COMPANY TO EMPIRE, 1815 TO 1850

Table Valley

Residences

Suburban villa

Rural households

Small towns and villages (dorpe)

Summary

8 FAMILIES AND DWELLINGS

Table Valley

Farm houses

Summary

J9 T ABLEW ARES: ACQUISTION, DINING AND DISPLAY

1740-1780

1780-1815

1815-1850

Summary

10 CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

A B c D E F G H I

Glossary Abbreviations

Indexes

of recorded inventories:

Cl date

C2 location

C3 deceased name

C4 spouse name

Transcribed documents:

01 date D2 name

D3 location

Household contents

Wealth:

F 1 net wealth

F2 transcribed, appraised & net estate F3 wealth and occupation F4 slave numbers and valuations

House sizes:

Table Valley

vs Rural houses: house size by period Table Valley: private vs hire houses by period

House plans

Contents of retail stores

97
97
100
103
105
106
111
115
118
119
122
124
126
126
139
146
148
152
155

167 172

174
193
209

222 228

229
247
263
279
295
296
297
298

299 314

315
318
320

322 324

325
328
.330 336

TABLES & FIGURES

TABLES

page

3.1 Room by room inventories:

number of MOOC8 documents by decade 33

3.2 Selected transcribed room by room inventories:

numbers & house types by decade 39 3.3

Selected transcribed room by room inventories:

numbers & house types 18th vs 19th century 39 3.4 Symmetry: houses with voorhuise, houses with voorhuise and flanking rooms 42 3.5

Symmetry: rural v town houses 42

3.6

Room by room inventories:

Table Valley and farmsteads,

number of MOOC8 documents recorded by quarter 43

3.7 Room by room inventories:

Table Valley, private vs hired houses 44

3.8

Houses in

Table Valley:

house size and wealth 50

3.9 Rural houses: house size, slaves and wealth 51

3.10 Inventories with evaluation and auction record 52

3.11

Large houses from the recorded inventories 53-55

3.12 Household investments:

fixed property, moveable goods and categories of possessions 56-57 3.13

Average value

of inventoried slaves between 1762 and 1833 58

3.14 Average value of a best bed

for each decade between

1750 and 1850 58

3.15

Tableware valuations 59

3.16quotesdbs_dbs24.pdfusesText_30

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