Robert Mitford Bowker, 1820 Settler^{[1, 2, 3]}

1810 - 1892  (81 years)

• Name	Robert Mitford Bowker
  Suffix	1820 Settler
  Born	30 Aug 1810	Deckham Hall, Gateshead, Durham, England   [4]
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	4 Oct 1813	Parish Church of Saint Mary, Almer, Dorset, England   [5, 6]
  Parish of Almer BAPTISMS 1731 - 1879 These records have been transcribed from the Bishop's Transcripts.
  Residence	1816	Manor Farm, South Newton, Wiltshire, England   [2]
  Settler	7 Jan 1820	Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
  	Bowker's Party on the Weymouth
  Residence	25 Jun 1820	Olive Burn farm, Kleinemonde, Eastern Cape, South Africa
  Residence	Abt 1847	Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa
  Baptism	20 Mar 1857	All Saints and St Peter, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa   [7]
  Witness Role: Minister Name: Edmund Pain Role: Godparent
  1820 Lineage	Yes
  Settler ID	108
  Died	24 Aug 1892	Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa   [8]
  	DEATH NOTICE: MOOC 6/9/308 R2995
  		Bowker, Robert Mitford [138] ccd Caption Note: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ8-H9GD-F?i=1664&cat=331262 Media Date: 23 SEP 1892 Keywords: Death Notice
  Buried	Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa
  		Bowker, Robert Mitford(1810-1892) headstone Keywords: Gravestone
  		Bowker Gravestone at Criagie Burn Keywords: Gravestone
  Person ID	I138	master
  Last Modified	7 Oct 2021

  
  

  Father	Miles Bowker, 1820 Settler,   b. 1758, Deckham Hall, Gateshead, Durham, England ,   d. 25 Mar 1839, Tharfield, Kleinemonde, Bathurst District, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 81 years)
  Mother	Anna Maria Mitford, 1820 Settler,   b. 1782, Mitford Manor, Mitford, Northumberland, England ,   d. 8 Jul 1868, 'Kruisfontein', Alexandria, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 86 years)
  Family ID	F102	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Sarah Elizabeth Hart,   b. 16 Jun 1820, Somerset Farm, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 25 Aug 1875, Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 55 years)
  Married	19 Dec 1838	Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa   [9]
  Children	1. Anna Maria Bowker,   b. 18 Jan 1840, Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 1875  (Age 34 years) + 2. Ellen Tamplin Bowker,   b. 19 Mar 1841, 'Thornkloof', Fish River Randt, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 14 Nov 1920, Thomas River, Cathcart district, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 79 years) + 3. Anne Stretch Bowker,   b. 7 Feb 1843, Bedford, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 14 Mar 1928, Ettrick, Kokstad, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa  (Age 85 years)   4. James Frederick Fleischer Bowker,   b. 21 Feb 1845, Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 15 May 1909, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 64 years) + 5. Effie Mitford Bowker,   b. 7 Jun 1846, Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 14 Jul 1884, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 38 years)   6. John Mitford Bowker,   b. 1847 + 7. Robert Mitford Bowker,   b. 16 May 1848, Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 17 Feb 1934, Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 85 years)   8. Septimus Bourchier Bowker,   b. 27 Mar 1850, Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 8 Dec 1938, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 88 years) + 9. William Henry Bowker,   b. 25 Nov 1851, Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 2 Aug 1927, Berlin, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 75 years) + 10. Robert Hart Bowker,   b. 7 Mar 1853, Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 7 Mar 1936, Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 83 years)   11. Charles Lennox Bowker,   b. 19 Aug 1854, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 12 May 1934  (Age 79 years) + 12. Sarah Elizabeth Bowker,   b. 24 Jan 1856, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 14 Mar 1937, Middelburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 81 years) + 13. Oliver Osbaldiston Bowker,   b. 29 Sep 1857, Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 2 Aug 1951, Glen Craig farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 93 years) + 14. Miles Egerton Bowker,   b. 14 Jun 1860, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa ,   d. 5 Apr 1933, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  (Age 72 years)
  Last Modified	27 May 2020
  Family ID	F91	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

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  Born - 30 Aug 1810 - Deckham Hall, Gateshead, Durham, England 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 Married - 19 Dec 1838 - Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa Residence - Abt 1847 - Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa Died - 24 Aug 1892 - Glen Avon farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa Buried - - Craigie Burn farm, Somerset East, Eastern Cape, South Africa  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Settler Photos » Slide Show	2 Settler Photos
  	Bowker, Robert Mitford Keywords: Picture
  	Bowker, Robert Mitford Keywords: Picture

  
  

• Notes

  Initially thought that Robert was born at Morpeth in Northumberland, but then discovered that Miles and Anna and their sons must have moved to Charborough Park in Devon sometime in 1810, as I discovered that Miles was paying 'Land Tax' for rented lands at Lythchett Matravers from a William Trenchard, Esq. from 1811 through to at least 1816. Miles also paid £32 tax for the tithing of Charborough on 3rd May 1811, owned by the Earl Drax Grosvenor, Esq. When we found a transcription Robert's Death Notice, it stated that he was born in Newcastle, ie Deckhams Hall, which means that Miles and family would have only 'gone south' in the latter part of 1810. Robert married Sarah Elizabeth Hart of the farm Glen Avon, Somerset East. He farmed at Craigie Burn, Somerset East, which was formerly a part of Glen Avon. Craigie Burn was up in the Bosberg mountains above Glen Avon, and as it was isolated it remained unmolested throughout the many Kaffir Wars. It was used as a place of refuge for the rest of the family, and Robert's brothers often brought their stock, wives, families and left them there while they went to the wars. On our (Janet & Paul TT) trip to South Africa in May 2014, we stayed at Glen Avon, and managed to get up the pass to Craigie Burn. The original house was in the process of being renovated by the current owners, Petri and Suzanne Snyman. We had parked our hire car, a VW Polo, at the entrance gate to the farm, and walked down to the house, as the humps and gulleys on the drive would have left our car high and dry. We met Suzanne briefly, and she advised that any non-4wd vehicle would not get further up the road towards Glen Craig! Robert took part in the campaign against the M'fecani in 1828, and served in the war of 1850-1853. . Member of the House of Assembly from 1854 - 1873 and Member of the Legislative Council from 1879 to 1883. 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]:- Robert Mitford Bowker, J.P., M.L.A. and M.L.C., served with the Corps of Guides during the war of 1835-36 ; was at the taking of Murray's Kranz and other engagements until close of the war. Served in the Zuurberg and other points during the war of 1846-47. Volunteered for the rescue of Winterberg families in 1851, was at Balfour and taking of Fort Armstrong, carried out a wounded comrade under close fire. Elected member of the House of Assembly for division of Somerset East in 1854, and served in Parliament for over thirty-six years. [10]

  
  

• Sources

  [S6] "The Settler Handbook", M D Nash, (Chameleon Press ISBN 0 620 10940 8), p 47, 11 Feb 2003. [S444] BOWKER 1820 GEDCOM, Tanner - Tremaine, Paul, (http://www.geocities.com/settlers1820). [S6] "The Settler Handbook", M D Nash, (Chameleon Press ISBN 0 620 10940 8). [S243] Baptism Records - 1813, Parish of Almer, Dorset. [S2808] Parish of Almer baptisms. [S3124] Baptisms - Parish of Almer, Dorset. [S2181] Family Search website, (www.familysearch.org), https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TWM-9KV6 (Reliability: 3). [S2181] Family Search website, (www.familysearch.org), https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ8-H9GD-F (Reliability: 3). [S15] Grahamstown Journal, https://www.1820settlers.com/genealogy/documents\Grahamstown Journal 1832-1890.pdf#page=57. [S2127] SAG02, page 267+ (Reliability: 3).