| 8. |  William Monkhouse Bowker, 1820 Settler was born on 10 Mar 1803 in Mitford Hall, Mitford, Northumberland, England; was christened on 18 Apr 1807 in Mitford Church, Mitford, Northumberland, England (son of Miles Bowker, 1820 Settler and Anna Maria Mitford, 1820 Settler); died on 3 Feb 1876 in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Other Events and Attributes:
- 1820 Lineage: Yes
- Settler ID: 111
- Baptism: 4 Oct 1813, Parish Church of Saint Mary, Almer, Dorset, England
- Residence: 1816, Manor Farm, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
- Settler: 7 Jan 1820, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
- Residence: 25 Jun 1820, Olive Burn farm, Kleinemonde, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Notes:
William and his younger brother, Miles Brabbin Bowker, showed their quick assimilation to a South African way of life - they were young men in their late teens when they made the voyage on the 'Weymouth' - by marrying Ooosthuizen sisters, daughters of a friendly Dutch wagoner who transported the Bowker family to their first farm 'Oliveburn' which was soon rejected for 'Tharfield'. This is regarded as the original Bowker homestead in South Africa.
Tharfield', steeped in tradition now belongs to Mr. Thomas Guard Webb of Bathurst. The house in which the Webbs live was built in 1835, and not much has been changed since then as it was built in stone. The farm is situated in the undulating countryside between the Riet and Kleinmond Rivers, near the coast. The Webb family acquired it in 1925. It is at 'Tharfield' that Miles Bowker and his wife are buried. The small cemetery is still there.
He was also a member of the 1828 campaign against the M'fecani. He was Commandant, Corps of Guides in the war of 1834-1835, being mentioned in despatches and appointed Commisioner for Native Locations. He was Commandant, Thorn Kloof Station in the war of 1846-1847 and Field-Commandant, Somerset Volunteers in that of 1850-1853. He was Field-Cornet , North Fish River in 1858 and Member of the House of Assembly from 1864 to 1865.
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Grahamstown Journal, Saturday 12 February 1853
A DANGEROUS PICNIC
A party of juveniles, about 50 in number, attended by 10 gentlemen, went out on a picnic excursion to the waterfall at Mr. HART’s house at Glen Avon. Tho of the gentlemen, Messrs. W. BOWKER and R. HART, having their guns with them ,proposed going a little further up the kloof to look for a bush buck, but they had gone only a few yards when they found the fresh spoor of Kafir.
Following it in silence for some distance they saw a Kafir seated about 40 yards from them, occupied in brushing the flies off his face. BOWKER was going to shoot him at once but HART persuaded him to try and get a little nearer, and in doing so the Kafir caught sight of them and instantly bolted.
At this moment perceiving that there were two Kaffirs, both armed with guns, BOWKER fired, and heard one of them fall heavily to the ground, while HART fired and wounded the other. On reaching the spot where the man had fallen they found that he had got up and made off. After following his spoor a short distance, HART turned into a hole under the krantz, where the Kaffirs had made an almost inaccessable lurking place by piling up immense quantities of wood; only one person could get in at a time, and then had to climb up a very steep place, so that two or three fellows could have defended this stronghold against a host. Nothing daunted by his surprise at unexpectedly finding such a place close to his father’s homestead, HART climbed the steep pathway which terminated in a sort of cave, and there discovered, comfortably wrapped up in his kaross and fast asleep, a huge Kafir, whom he instantly shot dead. We presume this picnic party terminated rather abruptly, and the following day a different party visited the spot, and led by BOWKER and HART they followed the blood spoor of the wounded men for about 3 miles, to a place where an ox had been killed by them, but could not trace it any further. The whole number of Kaffirs seen on the previous day amounted to six, whereof two were wounded and one killed. We much require a rural police to assist in routing out such nests of thieves and murderers.
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Lost, found and installed, . . . at last
The history of the four magnificent stained glass windows recently installed in St David's Church, Bushman's River, reads like a comedy of errors, writes Peter Bowen.
Well over a hundred years old, the windows were originally built into the walls of St Michael and All Angels chapel, a family church on the farm Middleton, near Carlisle Bridge. Mrs Hessie Bowker had donated one window in memory of her husband William Monkhouse Bowker, and another in memory of Bourchier Bowker, who had supervised the erection of the church. Early in the 1950s the church began slowly to disintegrate, and the windows were removed and stored over the years in a variety of "places of safety". Well-known Carlisle Bridge farmer, the late Beresford Manning, moved to Bushman's River where he became, at various times, Chapel-warden and Lay Minister. Remembering the lovely windows and, judging the East Window at St David's to be rather plain, he approached the Bowker family who were only too pleased to donate the windows to a "living church". Time had not been kind to the windows and they were taken to a lady in PE who claimed to be an expert restorer of stained glass.
from :- http://www.pechurchnet.co.za/.
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Grahamstown Journal 7 February 1876:
DIED at Thorn Kloof, District of Albany, on 3rd February 1876, William Monkhouse BOWKER Esquire JP, in the 73rd year of his age.
Grahamstown Journal 11 February 1876:
In the death of Wm. Mitford [sic] BOWKER mentioned in a recent issue, the colony has lost one of its most enterprising farmers, enthusiastic colonists and valuable citizens. Coming to this Colony at an early age as one of a large family of sons, he and his “band of brothers” soon found that in a new country, occupied by a people with little respect for law, their own right arm was necessary in order to help them along in the difficult path they had to tread. Yet in no case has one of this family been charged with abuse of power or ill-treatment of Native servants, of whom this gentleman to the last employed so many, who now regard his loss as that of a parent. The name of Mr. BOWKER has too often “come to the front” to need that the public be told how he served the country of his adoption. As early as 1828 he formed one of the band of colonists who accompanied Col. SOMERSET (then Captain) on the “Fetcani Commando” which was called out for the punishment of the Pondo Tribes, as they are now called, for aggression on our later most formidable enemy, the Gaikas. Later on he took part in the famous Kno Commando. In 1830 he figured in the Corps of Guides, a body of young colonists formed by the late Sir Harry SMITH, and during the whole of that war he did hard and useful service to the colony. At the close of that war, changing his residence from Albany and his pursuits from agriculture to sheep-farming on the Fish River Randt, he there patiently endured all the loss resulting from the system of plunder carried on by the Kaffirs, which culminated in the disastrous war of 1846. While taking no very conspicuous part in the commando, he with a number of his brothers and neighbouring farmers had to resist some furious onslaughts from large bands of Kafirs determined upon getting possession of the fine herds of cattle of these colonists. Many of these combats, about which little was publicly said, were quite as violent as many engagements fought by general officers, and therefore emblazoned in General Orders. In all these, and subsequent similar larger engagements, his bravery and coolness were conspicuous. Courage was a family trait of the BOWKERs. Weary of this harassing strife, the close of this war found him a very considerably impoverished man, longing only for rest and quiet, that he might devote himself to the improvement of his family growing up around him. But these hopes were not to be realised yet. Rumours of war again were heard, and only two years after the close of the so-called war of 1846, the famous rebellion and general war of 1850 burst upon this unhappy colony. Mr. BOWKER, with PRINGLE, Walter CURRIE, DELPORT, ZIERVOGEL and others appointed Commandants for their various divisions, soon took the field, and after some slight skirmishing, joined in the difficult assault on Fort Armstrong. There again Mr. BOWKER gained credit for bravery and judgement, and, with the other chiefs, was greatly instrumental in the success of the undertaking. During the whole of this protracted war and long absence from his family and flocks, which trekked in any direction promising safety and pasture, he suffered heavy losses. Yet under all these sufferings he never wavered in his conviction that in spite of bad government and ill-treatment, the colonists would yet be victorious, nor ever seriously thought of abandoning the land of his adoption. A more settled and peaceable condition of things prevailing, with prosperity restored, and his family settled around him, he accepted a requisition to fill one of the seats for Albany in the House of Assembly. But a very few sessions convinced him that his tastes and ability lay in other than a legislative direction; nor could he brook the injustice done to the East by the abuse of power held by the West. He therefore resigned his seat and retired into domestic life, where, in pursuit of his quiet peaceable avocation, he spent the remainder of a long and useful life, dispensing hospitality freely to all – black and white alike sharing in the bounty of his hand. His spare hours were often devoted to the production of letters on general matters. These, the outcome of the feeling operating on his mind at the time, sounded like the views of one out of harmony with his fellow man, but in reality were far from being the result of his calm judgement or the feelings of his heart, which was kindness itself. Strongly attached to the English Church, of which he was a member, he yet possessed the large-heartedness which enabled him to associate freely with members, clerical and lay, of all churches, and, by support and sympathy, showed the real interest he felt in all their work. He died at his residence on the 3rd inst, aged 72 years, loved and lamented by all who knew him, as a firm friend, a loving parent, and a good citizen; and, in losing him, the colony has lost one of its most useful men.
from:British South Africa
A History of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope from its Conquest 1795 to the Settlement of Albany by the British Emigration of 1819 [A.D. 1795 - 1825] WITH NOTICES OF SOME OF THE BRITISH SETTLERS OF 1820
BY
COLIN TURING CAMPBELL [Residient at Graham's Town, 1845-1871]:-
William Monkhouse Bowker, J. P., M.L.A., Commandant of Burghers, Eastern District, served in the Fikani Expedition in 1828, was Commandant of the Bathurst Corp of Guides during the war of 1835-36, served in the Kei patrol under Sir Benjamin D'Urban, and through the war of 1846-47. He was the first to raise the Somerset Volunteers in the war of 1851-52, and go to the rescue of families in the Winterberg, and was in command of burghers at the battle of Balfour and taking of Fort Armstrong.
Baptism:
Parish of Almer
BAPTISMS 1731 - 1879
These records have been transcribed from the Bishop's Transcripts.
Settler:
Bowker's Party on the Weymouth
Died:
DEATH NOTICE:
MOOC6/9/134 R2591
Name of Deceased: William Monkhouse BOWKER
Place of Birth: England
Parents of Deceased: Miles BOWKER
Anna Maria BOWKER
Age at Death: 73 years
Married
Date of Death: 3rd February 1876
Place of Death: 'Tharkloof', Albany, Cape of Good Hope
Names of Children:
Miles Robert BOWKER
Nellie Johanna CURRIE
Anna Maria CLOETE
Mary Elizabeth MORTON
Wilhelmina CURRIE
Hester Francina BOWKER Minor
Signed by M.R. BOWKER
William married Hester Susannah Oosthuisen on 9 Sep 1836 in United Church of England and Ireland, Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Hester was born on 4 Jul 1816 in 'Rietvlei', Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 6 Aug 1911 in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Aug 1911 in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1914 - 1994 (79 years)
Miles Robert Bowker was born on 25 Dec 1837 in Tharfield, Kleinemonde, Bathurst District, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was christened on 29 May 1838 in Commemoration Church, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa (son of William Monkhouse Bowker, 1820 Settler and Hester Susannah Oosthuisen); died on 23 Aug 1913 in Oliphant's Kloof, North Fish River, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa. 
Emma Beddoe was born in 1834 (daughter of John Beddoe and Emma Child); died on 2 Nov 1882 in Olifant's Kloof farm, Carlisle Bridge, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried on 3 Nov 1882 in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa. 
Hester Susannah Oosthuisen was born on 4 Jul 1816 in 'Rietvlei', Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 6 Aug 1911 in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Aug 1911 in Thorn Kloof, Albany, Eastern Cape, South Africa. 
