SUE GORDON
The local branch of the SA Military History Society chose a beautiful summer’s day for their outing on Sunday 17 November 2024. Port Alfred SAMHSEC member Theo van der Walt did meticulous planning and chose as our rendezvous Cuylerville’s St Mary’s Anglican Church, a national monument, where local resident Adele Cutten shared its fascinating history.
That story begins with Bailie’s settler party, under Lieutenant John Bailie RN, the largest 1820 party (263 persons) and the first to leave the Tent Town at Algoa Bay in 1820. Colonel Jacob Cuyler, after whom the settlement was named, led the party to an area whose only occupants were a few Dutch farmers. Land was allotted at 100 acres/family (the Church is on one of these original allotments, currently used by a descendant of William Fletcher of the Bailie party).
Woeful stories of settler struggle are well known: by 1823 only 16 families – all destitute – remained of the original 86. There was much motivation to build a place of worship and a school; eventually in 1840 a chapel and school room were achieved under one roof: a building with loophole windows and a large porch to shield against assegais. John Bailie applied for funding for a priest/school master but the turbulent Frontier situation meant a10-year delay before the first schoolmaster arrived. Cattle theft and the burning of farmhouses were frequent and the church building was often used for refuge. No one was killed, however, although it was dangerous to venture to the stream for water unless escorted. In the 1850s, an uneasy peace prevailed, but the community was diminishing or scattering and church services were still irregular.
In 1947 an endowment was made to the church by Mr W W Whittal in honour of his family who had defended the church 100 years before. With these funds the prominent lychgate at the graveyard entrance was built as a commemoration, and dedicated in 1969. Local names synonymous with Cuylerville’s history, like Whittal, Clayton and Fletcher, appear on many gravestones. An important, more recent one is that of Edward Morse Jones, whose Lower Albany Chronicles left an incalculable legacy for local historical research.
On the 150th anniversary of the settler arrival, descendants in period costume undertook a symbolic trek ending at the Church. Interest in Cuylerville was rekindled and donations were raised to help with essential building renovations.
Services are still held at St Mary’s on the first Sunday of the month, with clergy from St Paul’s visiting a now very small community of mainly older folk who keep the legacy of Cuylerville Church alive.
During the time of settler immigration, the British colonial authorities instituted a series of frontier posts from which patrols could guard the drifts across the Fish River. The SAMHSEC group made its way from Cuylerville through the magnificent Kap River Valley towards two of these military sites and adjoining graveyards.
Cawood’s Post comprised a large tract of land on which a double-storey officers’ barracks and outbuildings ‘housed a strong cavalry force.’ (Robson & Oranje) The little that remains of Cawood’s Post today is covered by wattle, so we were unable to explore it. Cawood’s Post Cemetery is well signposted along the route to the field trip’s next destination.
K Drift Post is located on a strategically high position above the Fish River and formed the extreme end of the line of defence, 55 km from Grahamstown. The 16km of river flowing below to the mouth were then unfordable. SAMHSEC member Stephen Bowker (descendant of settler Holden Bowker) enjoyed a surprise moment with personal relevance when he was asked to read the plaque mentioning that Field Captain Thomas Bowker of the Grahamstown Levy had rebuilt and reoccupied the KD Post in 1846.
Water provision and the declining state of the buildings presented problems, and Cawood’s Post, 10km away, eventually replaced KD Post. Today the SA Police occupy buildings on the site, while the remains of the original brick and stone walls are almost wholly consumed by the roots of a spectacular old fig tree. A little further on at the KD Cemetery we paid our respects to unmarked graves, with a memorial obelisk naming the deceased.
The downhill drive on good gravel towards the Fish River mouth was scenic: on either side were colourful wildflowers or pineapple fields. Our day out ended at the Fish River Diner picnic spot for lunch and a short discussion on Waterloo Bay.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, December 5, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
