| 3. | Charlotte Whitfield, 1820 Settler was born in Feb 1789 in London, England; was christened on 17 Mar 1789 in St. Paul’s Church, Covent Gardens, London, England (daughter of John Whitfield and Mary Lane); died on 21 Jun 1875 in Gum Grove, Fort White,Eastern Cape, South Africa. Other Events and Attributes:
- 1820 Lineage: Yes
- Settler ID: 839
- Name: Charlotte Whitfield 1820
- Settler: 13 Dec 1819, Gravesend, Kent, England
- Residence: 1820, Clay Pits, Coombes Valley, District Grahamstown, South Africa
Notes:
On a London newspaper, the Morning Chronicle, dated May 21, 1806, Charlotte Whitfield had an advertisement for a clothing store. She would have been about seventeen years old. (Issue 11547)
“Miss Whitfield’s Rooms on 151 New Bond Street. The numerous favours that Miss Whitfield has experienced from the Nobility and Gentry inducing her to solicit their future patronage and to offer for their inspection the TURKISH ROBE AND HAT, which in elegance, she flatters herself will surpass every wished for idea, including a variety of new millinery.” Also included was a notice to hire an apprentice and person of improvement.
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1820 Settler (Clark's Party). Travelled unaccompanied. Became common law wife of John Brown after he dumped his wife Anne. All 5 of their children retained the surname Whitfield. Charlotte's descendants were mainly traders and farmers in the Eastern Cape and Transkei. They have since spread throughout Southern Africa and to places like Australia, New Zealand and England.
WHITFIELD - Charlotte Whitfield went to the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope in 1820 and was married in or about the year 1836 at Gahamstown to William Henry TURKINGTON, and died at Fort White, Cape Colony on 21st June 1876
- Lloyds Weekly 22/05/1898
Travelled unaccompanied. Became common law wife of John Brown after he dumped his wife Anne. All 5 of their children retained the surname Whitfield. Listed as BROWN, but believed to be Charlotte Whitfield who settled near John Brown and bore him 5 children between 1822 and 1829.
She and John Brown were not married.
Described as Spinster on Marriage to TURKINGTON
Charlotte Whitfield 1790 - 1875
Born in London during Feb 1790. A son Leo Africanus was born to her near Zwartskop River in 1822, a daughter Mary Margaret in 1825 and another daughter Charlotte Belinda was born at Bathurst in 1826. (D/N 264/1897)?? [perhaps 204/1897]
On the 16th Jan 1827 Miss Charlotte Whitfield was granted permission to leave the Cape Colony (got off records Permits to leave the Country 1826/7). On the 9th Feb 1827 Charlotte sailed in the English Schooner "Ann" bound for Rio de Janeiro (got off Records Ships Arrivals & Departures). Another son was born to her on 28th Feb 1828 in London. (D/N 204/1897 & John's D/N 2677).
She left England from the "Downs" on the 12th June 1828 in the "Barbara" and arrived at Table Bay on the 15th Sept 1828. The passenger list records her as Miss Whitfield but no mention is made of her son John (Chamber of Commerce Records CC 45. Ships Arrivals)
Her last child William Henry Lancaster was born on 16.1.1829 ??
She married William Henry Turkington on the 25th July 1835 at St Georges Church Grahamstown by the Rev John Heavyside acting Chaplain of Grahamstown. The witnesses were G Blakemoore, Harriet Blackmore and I H Dixon. Charlotte being recorded as Spinster and William as bachelor.
According to records William Turkington was an independent settler who came to the Colony with his son George aged 6 and who was granted a permit to return to England on the 10.7.1823 (1820 Settler Asc Office East London). It is known that sometime between 1827 - 1835 he contributed &1 towards defraying the expenses of procuring a Roman Catholic Clergyman for the Frontier. In 1832 he was living in the Bathurst district and was a shareholder in the Bathurst Church Building. He died about 18?6.
Mrs Charlotte Turkington was present at the wedding of her son John Whitfield to Ann Wallis on 2nd Sept 1862 at Cuylerville.
According to her daughter-in-law Ann, wife of John, Charlotte was an autocratic and cultured person, tiny in stature and always calm. She came from a wealthy and aristocratic family with whom she quarreled and came out to the Cape Colony.
Ann was often frightened of her and once overheard her mother-in-law remark that Ann's parents were "in trade".
Charlotte educated her children and was held in great esteem by both relations and her friends.
In later life she lived with her son Leo Africanus Whitfield and his family at Gum Grove Farm on the slopes of Taba Ndoda near Fort White where she died on 21st June 1875 and was buried in the small private cemetery on the farm.
She died intestate and although left no removable or immovable property, her death notice, made out and filed some 22 years later by her son John, recorded that a sum of about £3800 was being held in Chancery. This money was left to Charlotte or her heirs possibly by her brother Henry Whitfield who it was thought at one time owned sugar estates in Jamaica.
CHARLOTTE WHITFIELD SHIPS OUT TO SOUTH AFRICA
Charlotte Whitfield, a spinster, came out to South Africa with the British Settlers, and landed at Algoa Bay in 1820.
However she travelled, or rather voyaged, as Charlotte Brown, sister of John Brown, who was on the same ship, "Northampton" and in Clarke's party. John Brown was married. His wife, Ann and their 2 small daughters aged 4 and 2 respectively, were also in the party. No one seems to know what happened subsequently to John Brown's wife, but at one time she lived with John at the "Clay Pits" in the Coombes Valley approx. 30 miles (48kms) from Grahamstown. Charlotte Whitfield too lived with them. It has been said that the Clay Pits were bought with Charlotte's money. She came from a good family which had means.
John Brown was a man with considerable education for those times.
John and Charlotte were romantically involved and because his wife Ann was Catholic, divorce was out of the question.
The upshot was that Charlotte Whitfield and John Brown had five (5) children. Their names were as follows :-
Leo Africanus Whitfield
John Whitfield
Henry William Lancaster Whitfield
Mary Ann Whitfield, who married Henry Blackbeard
Charlotte Whitfield, who married a Mr Thomas, and when she was widowed, she married a Mr Manley.
John Brown was killed at the Clay Pitts when he went to parley with the rebel Hottentots. [Wyndham informed PBW that this is not so - apparently John Brown sold/gave the Hottentots some cattle and these were taken back by other whites accusing the Hottentots of stealing the cattle. These Hottentots then called John Brown out and killed him believing that he was responsible.]
Charlotte was left with five young children. I understand that her children were embarrassed by the circumstances of their birth, and one can quite imagine the cruel things that were said in those old days. One feels, however, that Charlotte is to be admired for sticking to the man she loved.
After John Brown was killed, Charlotte, in due course, married a Mr Turkington who was probably in the army. [He was a bricklayer].
There were no children of that marriage.
The three sons of Charlotte all distinguished themselves, and showed great courage and bravery in the wars on the frontier.
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On departure to SA Charlotte's age was given as 23 in which case she would have been born in 1796 or 1797
Settler:
Clark's party on the Northampton
Children:
- Leo Africanus Whitfield was born on 18 Jun 1822 in Swartkops, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was christened on 31 Oct 1841 in Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 24 Oct 1887; was buried in Debe Nek, King William's Town district, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- 1. Mary Margaret Whitfield was born on 7 Mar 1825; was christened on 27 Nov 1842 in Cuylerville, Bathurst district, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 28 Feb 1917.
- Charlotte Belinda Whitfield was born on 27 Jul 1826 in Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 2 Aug 1919 in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- John Whitfield was born on 28 Jan 1828 in London, England; died on 5 Sep 1909.
- William Henry Lancaster Whitfield was born on 16 Jan 1829 in London, England; was christened on 27 Nov 1842 in Cuylerville, Bathurst district, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 18 May 1872.
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1825 - 1917 (91 years)
