British Kaffraria
Encyclopedia
British Kaffraria was a British colony/subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa
, consisting of the districts now known as King Williams Town and East London.
The term Kaffraria
stems from the word "Kaffir
". Kaffraria once denoted a wider region comprising British Kaffraria.
On 10 May 1835 the area was annexed to the British Cape Colony
as Queen Adelaide Province, but on 5 December 1835 the annexation was already disallowed by Cape Colony; on 10 December 1835 it was renamed Queen Adelaide Land district. Grahamstown
was its capital in 1835-1847
On 17 December 1847 it was again annexed to Cape Colony as British Kaffraria Colony; King William's Town
became its capital.
On 7 March 1860 British Kaffraria became a separate crown colony.
From 1853 to 1866 the territory used the stamps of the Cape of Good Hope, the mail being sent from Port Elizabeth or overland from the Cape.
Following the decimation by famine of the Xhosa tribes in 1857 it was finally incorporated into the Cape colony on 17 April 1866.
The area eventually formed the basis of the Ciskei
independent homeland.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, consisting of the districts now known as King Williams Town and East London.
The term Kaffraria
Kaffraria
Kaffraria was the descriptive name given to the southeast part of what is today the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kaffraria, i.e. the land of the Kaffirs, is no longer an official designation...
stems from the word "Kaffir
Kaffir (racial term)
The word kaffir, sometimes spelled kaffer or kafir, is an offensive term for a black person, most common in South Africa and other African countries...
". Kaffraria once denoted a wider region comprising British Kaffraria.
History
The African natives were ruled by Chiefs from a Rarabe offshoot of the main Xhosa line:- NgqikaNgqikaThe Ngqika are a tribe of the Rharhabe Xhosa whose homeland is in the former Ciskei area of the Eastern Cape.Their famous chief Sandile led most of the Rharhabe Xhosa in a series of the frontier wars with the Cape Colony....
(Gaika) , 1797 - 13 November 1829 - Sandile, 13 November 1829 - 1 June 1878
On 10 May 1835 the area was annexed to the British Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
as Queen Adelaide Province, but on 5 December 1835 the annexation was already disallowed by Cape Colony; on 10 December 1835 it was renamed Queen Adelaide Land district. Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
was its capital in 1835-1847
On 17 December 1847 it was again annexed to Cape Colony as British Kaffraria Colony; King William's Town
King William's Town
King William's Town is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The town is about 40 minutes' motorway drive WNW of the Indian Ocean port of East London...
became its capital.
On 7 March 1860 British Kaffraria became a separate crown colony.
From 1853 to 1866 the territory used the stamps of the Cape of Good Hope, the mail being sent from Port Elizabeth or overland from the Cape.
Following the decimation by famine of the Xhosa tribes in 1857 it was finally incorporated into the Cape colony on 17 April 1866.
The area eventually formed the basis of the Ciskei
Ciskei
Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
independent homeland.
Administrative chiefs
The successive administrative chiefs, with repeatedly changed styles, were:- AdministratorAdministrator of the GovernmentAn Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...
Harry Smith, 10 May 1835 - 5 December 1835 - Lieutenant-governors:
- Harry Smith (acting), 10 December 1835 - 13 September 1836
- Sir Andries StockenstroomAndries StockenstroomSir Andries Stockenström, 1st Baronet, was lieutenant governor of British Kaffraria from 13 September 1836 to 9 August 1838.-Life and career:...
, 13 September 1836 - 9 August 1838 - John Hare, 9 August 1838 - September 1846 (acting to 31 August 1839)
- Under direct rule from Cape Colony, September 1846 - 9 April 1847
- Sir Henry Young, 9 April 1847 - 4 November 1847
- Direct rule from Cape Colony, 4 November 1847 - 17 December 1847
- Chief CommissionerChief CommissionerA Chief Commissioner is a commissioner of a high rank, usually in chief of several Commissioners or similarly styled officers.-Colonial:In British India the gubernatorial style was Chief Commissioner in various provinces , the style being applied especially where an elected assembly did not exist,...
s:- George Henry Mackinnon, 23 December 1847 - October 1852
- John Mclean , October 1852 - 7 March 1860
- Lieutenant-governor (again): John Mclean, 7 March 1860 - 24 December 1864
- Governor's Deputy: Robert Graham, 24 December 1864 - 17 April 1866
See also
- TranskeiTranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
- CiskeiCiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
- Xhosa WarsXhosa warsThe Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa people and European settlers, from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa....
- KaffrariaKaffrariaKaffraria was the descriptive name given to the southeast part of what is today the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kaffraria, i.e. the land of the Kaffirs, is no longer an official designation...