The Cape Diaries of Lady Anne Barnard 1799-1800; Vol. I

LADY ANN SE VROEË GESKIEDENIS

Lady Anne Barnard is in 1750 in Skotland gebore as Anne Lindsay, die dogter van James Lindsay, die verarmde 5de graaf van Balcarres, en sy vrou Anne Dalrymple. Anne se ma was 40 jaar jonger as haar man, en sy het wrewelig gevoel dat sy gedwing was om met ‘n man te trou wat oud genoeg was om haar oupa te wees. Sy het hierdie ongelukkigheid op haar kinders uitgehaal, veral Anne.

Anne het grootgeword met ‘n hunkering na die goedkeuring wat haar ma nie aan haar gegee het nie en was beslis versigtig vir ‘n huwelik soos haar ma s’n.

Toe Anne in haar vroeë twintigs was, het sy na Londen gegaan om by haar weduwee suster, Margaret, te bly. Die twee susters het vir baie jare saamgebly. Hulle was gewilde persoonlikhede in hul tyd te danke aan Lady Margaret se skoonheid en die sjarme en interessante geselskap van Lady Anne, wat deur ‘n tydgenoot beskryf is as een van die mees fassinerende vrouens van haar tyd. Bekende literêre en politiese figure van hul dag het graag by die twee susters se huis bymekaar gekom.

Andrew Barnard

Lady Anne Barnard (Miniature deur Mrs Mee, nee Anne Foldsone)

Lady Anne Lindsay het nie ‘n tekort gehad aan mans wat in haar belanggestel het nie, maar sy is eers op die ouderdom van 43 getroud. Haar man, Andrew Barnard, die verarmde seun van die biskop van Limerick, het nie geld of konneksies gehad nie. Sy het steeds haar titel as die dogter van ‘n graaf gebruik, en het bekend gestaan as Lady Anne Barnard.

Anne het haar politiese konneksies gebruik om ‘n regeringsaanstelling vir haar man te verkry. In 1797 het die Barnards in die Kaap van Goeie Hoop aangekom saam met die nuwe goewerneur, Lord Macartney. Macartney se vrou het hom nie vergesel na die Kaap nie, en dus het Lady Anne as sy amptelike gasvrou opgetree. Hulle het die weermag offisiere en die Nederlandse koloniste sowel as besoekers aan die Kaap onthaal.

HIERDIE PUBLIKASIE

Toe die Barnards in Mei 1797 in die Kaap aankom, was Andrew Barnard, as koloniale sekretaris, die tweede hoogste amptenaar in die Kaap en het hy ‘n noue werksverhouding met goewerneur lord Macartney gehad. Macartney het die Barnards die beste huis in die Kasteel aangebied, en later is hul toegelaat om ‘n afgeleefde kothuis in die Nuwelandbos op te knap as ‘n wegbreek huis wat hulle “Paradise” genoem het. Macartney het in 1798 afgetree weens swak gesondheid en het teruggekeer Engeland toe. Die bevelvoerder van die troepe, Luitenant Generaal Francis Dundas het oorgeneem as waarnemende goewerneur en hiermee saam het die Barnards se situasie dramaties verander. Die offisiere het Andrew Barnard van die begin af beny. Hulle het geglo dat sy hoë salaris en sosiale aansien was ag gevolg van sy vrou se titel. Hulle het Barnard sover moontlik probeer ondermyn en het die Barnards probeer uitwerk uit hul woonplek in die Kasteel.

Generaal en Mev Francis Dundas speel skaak

Macartney se opvolger, sir George Yonge wat in Desember 1799 in die Kaap aangekom het, was swaksinnig. Hy het meer aandag geskenk aan prag en praal, en ander onbenullighede in plaas regering sake. Die Barnards was verskrik oor die onreëlmatighede en korrupsie wat die nuwe regime deurdring het. Andrew Barnard se voortdurende navrae oor wanpraktyke van die regering het sir George so ontstel dat hy probeer het om van sy eerlike sekretaris ontslae te raak.

Die dagboeke wat Lady Anne in 1799 geskryf het was dus tydens ‘n tydperk waar die Barnards se situasie aansienlik anders was as in die tyd van lord Macartney. Tydens hierdie tydperk hou Lady Anne ook toesig oor die uitleg en bouwerk aan hul huis “The Vineyard”, wat later die kern van die hedendaagse Vineyard Hotel word.

“The Vineyard”

Ons bediendes: Hudson, Pawell, Revell

Lady Anne se dagboeke het ‘n unieke waarde vir die lig wat die werp op vele sosiale aspekte van die Kaapse lewe tydens die 18de eeu. Nie net is die dagboeke ‘n belangrike geskiedkundige bron, maar hulle is net so waardevol as outobiografie. Hulle bied ‘n kykie na ‘n uitsonderlike persoon se fassinerende lewe. Die dagboeke is ook ‘n huishoudelike rekord met gastelyste en spyskaarte, verslaggewing van die bou, versier en meubilering van ‘n nuwe huis, en van die bediendes en hul eie lewens

UITTREKSEL VANUIT DIE TEKS

Paradise, Jan. 31st, 1799, Thursday; Friday, Feb.1; Sat., Feb.2

I am obliged you see to pack up half a week in one page, for want of time at the moment prevents individuality… Heavens what a fine long word from me! —but added to other business already too much almost for me — I am upper boy at present, my Dutch¹ pickle having lately askd my permission to go to the Cape for a night . . . I gave it & a little money to boot — he dressd himself in his new cloaths — hat etc — left us in good faith and is gone off — probably has embarked on board of some of the ships now sailing & we shall never hear more of him.

I am not sure if I am tight in making myself so very great a Slave to saving the money of my dear Secretary, without Cook (two black slaves excepted who understand nothing above the roast and boil that I dont teach them) — without housekeeper — Ladys Maid — butter-dairy maid — as I have much of all this to do myself, the leisure for all the little elegancys or singularitys which by drawing or describing I coud fix on my paper & on my memory for the amusement of others are lost, nor am I sure that what I save him is equal to what I lose to myself— on the other hand, tho there is trouble & some fatigue to me there is peace — no quarreling amongst upper servants, no one to find fault with for omissions, as I have to do all, it is done however and pretty well done. Mr B. seems quite Happy & delighted to see his table well furnished his dinner good & well served, & altho I cook part of it & put it down myself, I am rewarded by his sweet words. I save too at least 100 per ann. of wages to him and in this world if one is usefull & not unhappy while being so it is ones business & certainly wisdom to think it much the same whether one spends time in one way or another. . . to sit light on circumstances which hobble beneath one is the best way of not being hurt by them.

Cousin Anne woud feel herself sadly demeaned by many of the acts I am in some degree necessitated to perform; she is not aware, nor is any one aware who see me trudging about a Housekeeper, that it is philosophy which assists me to carry the keys & that in my mind I feel myself rising by every circumstance which is beneath what I perhaps feel myself entitled to, but which I surmount; how easy & how right it is to be proud and conceited privately while bending to what must be endured.

Anne proposes to be a good wife to her poor Col by starving, eating chops for ever and ever, off the cleanest table cloth, the best wine, the best cooked chops & perhaps a soup: but that no one is to eat one along with her & him — I tell her she is proposing a Life of self indulgence instead of activity & attention, that she is shutting the door to his friends, and with the same money she shoud have to pay for the chops & clean table cloth washed out by the laundress and nice wine woud give them a little joint at home, a clean table cloth washd by her maid, Cape wine — & two or three friends. She is preferring the other way of living because it gives her no trouble — but all this I hope a little time will bring right — at 23 young people must be unutterably elegant and supinely dignified! it provokes me a little who am certainly as well born a woman as any of the Elegantes and who know and feel what is best, but the most generous people in large matters are often selfish in trifles & have a false high minded sett of notions which they despise those for not having who have them not, & which the other party recognises by returning secretly the sentiment tho on a still prouder Key.

Doctor Hare & Capt Holmes dined with us the 31 of Jan., Col Craufurd the first of Feb. — & on Saturday the 2nd, inspite of the most extraordinary deluge of rain which I ever saw, it occupied Mr B the whole morning in placing and emptying buckets & pails put judiciously under the parts of our old thatched roof where the water found its way; had we saved the Hogsheads full of wine instead of water (renderd the color of Madeira by the old thatch) we shoud have had enough for more than one years consumption tho that is of common wine 22 gallons per week — by B’s vigilance he prevented it from getting thro to the rooms below but all was a sea above & the clay of the floors mixing with the rains we were so many pigs in our stys.”

Edited by Margaret Lenta and Basil Le Cordeur
Margaret Lenta works in the Department of English at the University of Natal, Durban. Her research interests are eighteenth-century prose, especially by women, and twentieth-century South African writing.

MARGARET  LENTA  grew  up  in  the  north of England. She took her first degree at Manchester University, and later taught in Nigeria and Kenya before coming to South Africa. Since 1973 she has worked in the Department of English  at the University of Natal,  Durban,  where she is now a professor. Her research interests are eighteenth century prose, especially by women, and twentieth century South African writing. Besides having published a variety of articles in these areas, she is co-author, with MJ Daymond and JU Jacobs, of Momentum: On R ecent South African Writing, has edited Olive Schreiner’s Thoughts on South Africa and is an editor of the journal Current Writing. She has five children.

BASIL LE CORDEUR was until his retirement King George V Professor of History at the University of Cape Town, where he also served as head of the Department of History. He is the author of numerous books, papers  and  articles on the history of the Cape and Natal in the nineteenth century. Besides The Kitchingman Papers and The War of the Axe, 1847 which he co-edited with Christopher Saunders,  he  has  published The Politics of Eastern Cape Separatism, 1820-54 and edited The Diary of Charles Lennox Stretch. A past President of the South African Historical Society, General Editor of the Brenthurst Series and Editor-in-Chief of the South African Historical Journal, he is currently working on a social and economic history of the British army at the Cape in the first half of the nineteenth century.