Cornish Pioneers in South Africa

[Tinker]

I discovered this rather interesting book in our local library on my most recent visit. It's written by Richard D. Dawe M.A., and is good background reading for anyone who has Cornish ancestors who ended up in South Africa. The main bias is on mining, although Cornish folk in other trades and professions do feature. Having spent roughly 16 years in the Cape, it was fascinating for me to discover that names familiar to me, such as Stuttaford (large department stores in various parts of South Africa), Bishop Colenso, Higgo and Baragwanath, to name a few, were all of Cornish stock.

[Jan1954]

Hi Tinker - have you had a look at what is available in the Parish Chest Bookshop? You could get lost in there for hours......

[Yeates]

It is appreciated you took the time to list this book. Thank you. I have looked it up on our interlibrary loan service, and I can get it through the University Library.
I had a 2x great uncle from Linkinhorne who fought in the Boer War----at least, I think he did. Family stories are sketchy. I assume he went to SA for work when the copper mining industry started collapsing in Cornwall, and then became involved in the war.
Also, only last week, I found out our family has a through-marriage connection to the Stuttafords (I will be interested if the book mentions a Charles Baker family, also a major retailer—1st in SA; also in London.) As this would be the family of my grandmother’s second husband (a marvelous man, but no relation….) I will read this book for the history and further insight into the Cornish emigration to South Africa.
A book I benefited from, was The Cornish Miner, An Account of his Life Above and Underground from Early Times by A.K. Hamilton Jenkin.
Regards,
Yeates

[Tinker]

I'm glad you're finding my post useful, Yeates! There are chapters on both the First and Second Boer Wars, so you should be able to get a fair bit of background, once you know which one your 2xg-uncle was involved in. My one and only Cornish ancestor was one of the Natal Settlers in the 1850s (possibly by default, as there is some debate about whether the emigrant ship she was on was bound specifically for South Africa or just stopping on the way to Australia.)

Jan, you're absolutely right. There are several books that my husband would enjoy reading, in there, too!