Hercules Crosse Jarvis
Encyclopedia
Hercules Crosse Jarvis (18 June 1803 - 8 February 1889) MLC, MLA, was a mayor of Cape Town
and a powerful merchant of the Cape Colony
.
Born in Plymouth
, England
in 18 June 1803, he was a close relative of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
, the admiral who fought Napoleon. His father, also named John Jervis, was an army captain from Staffordshire
who died young, leaving his wife and six children.
After briefly visiting the Cape
in 1816, he decided to move to the colony permanently, and arrived in Cape Town
in 1821 with the intention of settling and making his fortune. He soon found a job as a clerk in the trading firm Hudson, Donaldson & Dixon and worked his way up to being its manager - a position he held until he retired from business in 1864. He was enormously influential in starting and developing the Cape's wine exports, and founded a distillery for that purpose in the vicinity of Paarl
.
Jarvis married an Afrikaans
woman, Elizabeth Maria Vos, joining the local Dutch Reformed Church
(where he was later made an Elder) in order to do so. They had five daughters. One of them, Elizabeth Maria, met and married the young JC Molteno, who was later to become the Cape's first Prime Minister
.
Hercules Crosse became a prominent fighter for the establishment of a representative Cape parliament, and when it was finally created he took a seat as the first minister to stand for Cape Town. In addition, the city of Cape Town was set up with a Board of Commissioners (later, Municipal Council) in 1840 and Jarvis was immediately elected onto it, soon becoming its chairman.
He went on to become mayor and first citizen of Cape Town
from 1848 to 1860, making him the longest serving of any first citizen of Cape Town. He was an impartial and influential spokesman of the city during the Anti-Convict Movement (1848-1850), holding public meetings and presiding over debates. This local movement had developed in response to an attempt by the British government to turn the Cape Colony into a penal colony
. In the end, it was Jarvis' resolutions on the matter that ended up being conveyed to the Governor and the Queen. He subsequently suggested a renaming of a portion of the Heerengracht to "Adderley Street
" - now the central street of the Cape Town CBD - after the man who had championed the opinion of the Cape citizens in the House of Commons. As mayor, Jarvis was responsible for much of the early development of Cape Town's harbour and other local infrastructure.
In the 1860s he joined the growing movement for responsible government
that was led by his son-in-law John Molteno.
Later in life, he took an avid interest in mining. He unsuccessfully prospected for coal in the city bowl area before setting up a mining venture for Manganese
, outside Paarl.
He died in Claremont, Cape Town, in 1889 and was buried beside his wife at Claremont St. Saviours Church.
Mayor of Cape Town
The Mayor of Cape Town is the head of the local government of Cape Town, South Africa; currently that government takes the form of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. In the past, the position of Mayor has varied between that of an executive mayor actively governing the city and that...
and a powerful merchant of the 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...
.
Born in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 18 June 1803, he was a close relative of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, the admiral who fought Napoleon. His father, also named John Jervis, was an army captain from Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
who died young, leaving his wife and six children.
After briefly visiting the Cape
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...
in 1816, he decided to move to the colony permanently, and arrived in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in 1821 with the intention of settling and making his fortune. He soon found a job as a clerk in the trading firm Hudson, Donaldson & Dixon and worked his way up to being its manager - a position he held until he retired from business in 1864. He was enormously influential in starting and developing the Cape's wine exports, and founded a distillery for that purpose in the vicinity of Paarl
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
.
Jarvis married an Afrikaans
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
woman, Elizabeth Maria Vos, joining the local Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
(where he was later made an Elder) in order to do so. They had five daughters. One of them, Elizabeth Maria, met and married the young JC Molteno, who was later to become the Cape's first Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
.
Hercules Crosse became a prominent fighter for the establishment of a representative Cape parliament, and when it was finally created he took a seat as the first minister to stand for Cape Town. In addition, the city of Cape Town was set up with a Board of Commissioners (later, Municipal Council) in 1840 and Jarvis was immediately elected onto it, soon becoming its chairman.
He went on to become mayor and first citizen of Cape Town
Mayor of Cape Town
The Mayor of Cape Town is the head of the local government of Cape Town, South Africa; currently that government takes the form of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. In the past, the position of Mayor has varied between that of an executive mayor actively governing the city and that...
from 1848 to 1860, making him the longest serving of any first citizen of Cape Town. He was an impartial and influential spokesman of the city during the Anti-Convict Movement (1848-1850), holding public meetings and presiding over debates. This local movement had developed in response to an attempt by the British government to turn the Cape Colony into a penal colony
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
. In the end, it was Jarvis' resolutions on the matter that ended up being conveyed to the Governor and the Queen. He subsequently suggested a renaming of a portion of the Heerengracht to "Adderley Street
Adderley Street
Adderley Street is a famous street in Cape Town, South Africa. It is considered the main street of the central business district of Cape Town...
" - now the central street of the Cape Town CBD - after the man who had championed the opinion of the Cape citizens in the House of Commons. As mayor, Jarvis was responsible for much of the early development of Cape Town's harbour and other local infrastructure.
In the 1860s he joined the growing movement for responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
that was led by his son-in-law John Molteno.
Later in life, he took an avid interest in mining. He unsuccessfully prospected for coal in the city bowl area before setting up a mining venture for Manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, outside Paarl.
He died in Claremont, Cape Town, in 1889 and was buried beside his wife at Claremont St. Saviours Church.