Mary Anne Gilfillan

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Name: Mary Gilfillan

Notes:

unmarried.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Burial: St Peter's Church, Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa
• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Occupation: a Surveyor

John married Georgina Louise Heathcote about 1865. Georgina (daughter of Captain William Lovell Heathcote and Mary Ann Goodwin, 1820 Settler) was born on 23 Dec 1838 in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was christened on 7 Jul 1843 in Grahamstown Church (St George's - Anglican), Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa; died on 10 Nov 1874 in Middelburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Name: Georgina Louisa Heathcote

Notes:

Daughter of William and Mary Heathcote. The Gilfillan Family Tree data from Wendy Bloy / J A Blair has her death date at 6/11/1874, at Middleburg, Cape. Possibly correct, and the 10/11/1874 the date of burial?

Description: Rev John Heavyside

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 3698
• Name: William Frederick Anderson (Lt) Gilfillan
• Occupation: an Army Officer
• Religion: the Protestant Church
• Residence: Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, The Downs, Deal, Kent, England
• Residence: 1826, 'Glenfillan', Kariega River, Eastern Cape, South Africa
• Occupation: Between 1837 and 1851, Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa; a Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate

Notes:

The first Gilfillan to come to South Africa was William Frederick Anderson, second son of Lieutenant John Gilfillan and Elizabeth Bridges. He was born on January 27, 1796, at the time his father, Lt. John Gilfillan, of Major Grant's Company of Invalides, was in charge of the garrison of Elizabeth Castle, Jersey Island. Some weeks later, the second son of King George III of England, Prince William Frederick , Duke of York, who was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, made a tour of inspection of Jersey Island and attended the christening of the new baby on February 20, 1796. There is a story in the family that the Duke agreed to be a godfather and as a christening present, gave the baby a commission in the Duke of York's Own Rifles which afterward became the 60th Rifles Regiment. Certainly the boy was to bear the names of William Frederick after the Duke of York and Anderson after another godfather, Major Robert Anderson. In 1812, at the age of 16, William came to South Africa as an ensign with his regiment, the 60th Rifles, and returned to England with the regiment at the end of 1818.
South Africa evidently had attractions for William and on November 4, 1819, when residing in Regent Street, Westminster, London, he applied to the Secretary of State for Colonies for a free passage in one of the transport ships about to convey English settlers to the Cape. His letter reads as follows: Sir I, having served for many years in the frontier of the Cape of Good Hope as an officer in the Army, since when I have been placed on half pay , and being desirous of returning to the Cape to settle in the interior, for which my funds are altogether inadequate, I beg you may be graciously pleased to grant me a passage with the settlers now on the point of going. I have the honour to be, etc. W. Gilfillan, H. P. Lieutenant 60th Regiment.
The request was granted and so William and his younger brother Adam left England and their family for ever. Adam had been persuaded to come out by his brother and he was a genuine settler-member of the Thornhill party while William as a half-pay ex military officer, does not appear in the official settlers list. They spent over three months on the voyage out, in the company of the Thornhill family who were the leaders of the settlers party in the Zoroaster sailing ship in 1820. The leaders of the party, Christopher Thornhill Thornhill, 47, of Thornhill, Yorkshire, left estates in Cumberland and brought with him his wife, Dorothea Mounsey, 35, their two sons, Christopher, 8, and John, 15, and their two daughters , Mary Francis, 10, and Anna Margaret , 13. During the long voyage out both William and Adam had fallen in love with the young Anna and she returned William's affections much to the disappointment of Adam who swore that he would marry the first pretty girl he saw after landing. Transferred, once more, to small boats and rowed ashore, they lived in tents near the beach until wagons, hired from the Dutch farmers in the Zwartkop Valley, arrived and the party was moved from Reed River Post by way of Kowie Pass and Bathurst to it's location between the Kowie and Rufane rivers. William and Anna were married in May 1821 at Bathurst by the Rev. William Shaw and set up home on land which William acquired adjoining the Thornhill property. They built a house and started farming in 1822 while in that year their first child was born, subsequently followed by 12 more children, all of whom with the exception of one who died in infancy, married and had families of their own. When the Albany Levy was formed in Grahamstown in October 1822, for the self-protection of the settlers, Lieutenant W. F. A. Gilfillan was one of the officers. In 1826 William was granted a farm on the Kariega river, he named it 'Glenfillan'. The house was burned down at the commencement of the 6th Kaffir War in December 1834. In 1837 William was appointed the first Resident Magistrate and Civil Commissioner at Cradock. In the Kaffir War of 1850 William was on the board of Defence and later took the field in command of the Cradock Burghers. In 1852 William was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly for the District. The bridge over the Fish River at Cradock was named the Gilfillan Bridge in his honour and retains the name till this day although a second bridge over the Fish River has recently been opened. William died in 1855 and the inscription on his tombstone in the Cradock cemetery reads: Sacred to the memory of William Frederick Anderson Gilfillan born 27-1-1796 died 4-9-1855 The deceased came to this country in 1812 an ensign in the 60th Rifles. Returned to England about 1819 and in 1820 came out as a military settler on half pay. During the war of 1855 he commanded a company of Levies and at it's conclusion was appointed Commandant and Resident Magistrate of Cradock which office he held until his death. and of his widow Anna Margaret Gilfillan (born Thornhill)

Gilfillan Bridge in Cradock was named after him - see extensive notes in DFT

Did not come with Thornhills party. Landed in Cape Town from the "Importer", in March 1820 and applied for a grant of land for his Army Service.
A Lt. William Glifillan seen in Morse Jones, E. Lower Albany Chronicles. Part 1 1806 - 1825, p14. in 1817 of 60th Regiment

1820 Settler and member of Her Majesty's 60th Rifles and afterwards Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate at Cradock. Lived at Thornhill, Port Alfred on the Kariega River, Farm Glenfillan

MILI:
Description: 60th Regiment

Settler:
Independant on the Zoroaster

William married Anna Margaret Thornhill, 1820 Settler on 10 Jun 1822 in Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Anna (daughter of Christopher Thornhill Thornhill, 1820 Settler and Dorothea Mounsey, 1820 Settler) was born on 1 Jul 1807 in Thornhill, Sunderland, Co Durham, England; died on 13 Feb 1879 in Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa; was buried in Cradock Church (St Peter's - Anglican), Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 774
• Name: Anna Margaret Thornhill 1820
• Religion: the Protestant Church
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, The Downs, Deal, Kent, England

Notes:

see Toposcope 6:12 of 1975

Settler:
Thornhill's party on the Zoroaster

Notes:

Microfilm #1886513
Matrimonial Court Minutes and Special Marriage Licenses: 1821 - 1884
Albany/Grahamstown, Cape, South Africa
Item 7
Entry #16
Husband: William GILFILLAN, 26, Protestant, Isle of Jersey,. England
Wife: Anna THORNHILL, 15, Protestant, England
Date: 6/10/1822

Married:
Bathurst by Rev. William Shaw

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: William Lovell Heathcote
• MILI: 1826

Notes:

MILI:
Description: His Majesty's Cape Corps Cavalry

William married Mary Ann Goodwin, 1820 Settler on 27 Jun 1823 in St George's Cathedral, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Mary (daughter of John Foulis Goodwin, 1820 Settler and Mary Ann Beeston, 1820 Settler) was born est 1802. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 1047
• Settler: 13 Dec 1819, Gravesend, Kent, England

Notes:

Settler:
Bailie's party on the Chapman

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: John (Lt) Gilfillan

Notes:

John was Lieut. in 83rd Regt of Foot or possibly 78th. He was Lieut. in 1796 of Major Grant's Company of Invalides and was in charge of the garrison, Elizabeth Castle, Jersey, Channel Islands.

Johan Gilfillan has his dod as 21.11.1808, ie before the birth of the last two children.

John married Elizabeth Bridges in 1792 in London Church (St George's, Hanover Square), London, England. Elizabeth (daughter of Captain John Bridges and Agnes Thompson) was born in 1775; died in 1826. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The Bridges family originated from the lands of the Solway, Kirkbean, Dumfries, Scotland

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 775
• Name: Christopher Thornhill 1820
• Occupation: a Merchant
• Residence: Sutherland, County Durham, England
• Emigration: 12 Feb 1820, England
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, The Downs, Deal, Kent, England
• Occupation: 17 Nov 1823; an Assistant Magistrate

Notes:

The family emigrated to the Cape Colony on board the Zoroaster, which left Downs Harbour on 12/2/1820. They were part of the 1820 Settler scheme and Christopher appears to have been the leader of a party. His occupation on the ship's passenger list is given as merchantman. They arrived in Algoa Bay after transferring to the Albury in Cape Town. The leaders of the party, Christopher Thornhill Thornhill , 47, of Thornhill, Yorkshire, left estates in Cumberland and brought with him his wife, Dorothea Mounsey, 35, their two sons, Christopher, 8, and John, 15, and their two daughters, Mary Francis, 10, and Anna Margaret, 13.

Christopher THORNHILL was the leader of a small 1820 Settler Party which settled on the east bank of the Kowie River, on the farm which is still known as Thornhill.

He was born Christopher Thornhill CAMM and changed his name after receiving permission to do so by King George III. The THORNHILL's and CAMM's were related by marriage and were wealthy families living in the same area.
DEPOT Cory Library for Historical Research
TYPE Manuscript
REFERENCE MS14448
DESCRIPTION Thornhill family.
STARTING 0000
ENDING 0000
REMARKS 2 items. MS (Photocopies).
SUMMARY + Papers: granting Christopher Thornhill Camm the right to the surname Thornhill and to the Thornhill arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thornhill was made head of a party of his own, comprising sixteen men, including two of his nephews, Adam Gilfillan and Philip Camm. His labourers signed an agreement similar to Wait's, binding them to six years of service at a daily wage equivalent to the value of half a bushel of wheat. Working hours were to be from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, and each man would be entitled to 'a suitable habitation' and half an acre of garden ground. Three of Thornhill's party deserted before the 'Zoroaster' sailed, but a late replacement, William Stokes, was allowed to board the ship while she was detained in the Downs awaiting a favourable wind.

The 'Zoroaster' left the Downs on 12 February 1820, and reached Simon's Bay on 30 April. Here her charter terminated, and the settlers were transhipped to the 'Albury' for the voyage to Algoa Bay, which they reached on 15 May. Thornhill was granted a plot of land at Algoa Bay for the erection of a prefabricated wooden house which he had brought with him, as its size made it difficult to transport to his location in Albany.

Thornhill's party - described by one of the colonial officials as 'the best regulated of any yet landed here' - was located between the Kowie and Rufane Rivers, and the location was named Thornhill. Lieut William Gilfillan (half-pay, late 60th Regt), a brother of Adam Gilfillan (nephew of Christopher Thornhill), also lived at Thornhill after his marriage to Christopher Thornhill's daughter Ann. William Gilfillan did not, as is popularly supposed, emigrate with Thornhill's party; he landed in Cape Town from the 'Importer' brig in March 1820, and applied for a grant of land by virtue of his seven years' army service at the Cape." The Lower Albany Chronicles - Part 1

LIST OF THORNHILL'S PARTY
ANNANDALE, George 20. Smith.
BROOKS, William 31. Farmer. w Ann 40. c Elizabeth 12, William 10, Ann 9 Joseph 6.
BRUTON, Thomas 27. Smith. w Charlotte 24. c Charlotte.
CAMM, Philip 20 Clerk.
DELL, Edward H. 38. Cooper. w Hannah 38. c John 10, Stephen 8, Edward 6, Samuel 3.
GILFILLAN, Adam 20. Merchant.
HOWARD, William 30. Chemist. w Sarah 25. c Jane 6, Richard 4.
MILDENHALL, Joseph 26. Husbandman.
SOPER, Robert 24. Carpenter. w Ellis 22.
STOKES, John 26. Husbandman. w Mary 26.
STREAK (or STREET), James 18. Husbandman.
STREAK (or STREET), William 27. Husbandman. w Elizabeth 22.
THORNHILL, Christopher 47. Merchant. w Dorothea 35. c John 15, Ann 13, Mary 10, Christian 8.
WHITE, Thomas 29. Husbandman.
*HOWARD, John Hassall 27. Chemist, druggist and apothecary. w 27. 2 children under 4.

Main sources for party list
Agent of Transports' Return of settlers under the direction of Messrs Wait, Thornhill and Dyason (Cape Archives CO 6138/2,98); Return of settlers under the direction of Christopher Thornhill (Cape Archives CO 6138/2, 56). The name Streak is given as Street in the official lists.



1820 settler on Zoroaster. Came from Yorkshire. Lived at Thornhill, Port Alfred on the Kariega River - Farm Glenfillan.

Emigration:
the Uk to the Cape Colony on board the Zoaster
Into Place: South Africa

Settler:
Thornhill's party on the Zoroaster

Christopher married Dorothea Mounsey, 1820 Settler on 2 Apr 1804 in Saint Cuthbert, Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Dorothea was born on 21 Jan 1785 in Yorkshire, England; died on 21 Aug 1835. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 576
• Name: Dorothea Mounsey 1820
• Settler: 12 Feb 1820, The Downs, Deal, Kent, England

Notes:

1820 settler on Zoroaster

Settler:
Thornhill's party on the Zoroaster

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Henry Heathcote

Notes:

MILI:
Description: Royal Navy

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 1046
• Occupation: Agriculturist
• Settler: 13 Dec 1819, Gravesend, Kent, England

Notes:

They travelled independently under Capt. Hutchinson on the Medusa, arriving in Simon’s Bay 17th June, 1820

Settler:
Bailie's party on the Chapman

John + Mary Ann Beeston, 1820 Settler. Mary was born about 1781 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• 1820 Lineage: Yes
• Settler ID: 1050
• Settler: 13 Dec 1819, Gravesend, Kent, England

Notes:

Settler:
Bailie's party on the Chapman