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- 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]
Hougham Hudson.
2. Captain Campbell's successor in office as Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Albany was Mr. Hougham Hudson, " a man of Kent," from Canterbury, who came with Mr. Dyason's party in the Zoroaster, as a young man twenty-six years of age, with a wife and one child. He found farming in the Zuurveld unsuited to his tastes and habits, and obtained permission to leave the location, and removed to Graaff Reinet in 1821. A clerkship in the Landdrost's office happening to be vacant, he availed himself of the opening, and was appointed thereto. I5y dint of industry, zeal and integrity he was successively promoted to the office of District Clerk and Magistrate at Port Elizabeth.
He was much esteemed by Sir Benjamin D'Urban, Governor of the Colony, and at the close of the war of '34-35, when the settlers were permitted to return to their homes for the purpose of getting in crops of grain, an arrangement was made whereby a little assistance was given to those who were utterly ruined. Of the money lent by Lord Charles Somerset to the sufferers by the flood of 1822, a portion had been repaid. Sir Benjamin D'Urban appointed Mr. Hudson a Commissioner to lend this fund again, which amounted to £6792, in small sums to the most distressed of the settlers. This fund was augmented by £9019, received for captured cattle sold by auction, and these amounts were distributed in proportion to losses sustained. After this Mr. Hudson was appointed Agent-General of the New Province of Queen Adelaide, stationed at Graham's Town, where he was also to perform the duties of Resident Magistrate, which office he ceased to hold in 1836, when he was appointed Secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor (Stockenstrom) of the Eastern Districts ; and finally, on the retirement of Captain Campbell, became Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Albany, which office he held till his death in 1860.
In all these positions of trust and importance Mr. Hudson proved himself an active, faithful public servant, discharging his duty effectively, and to the entire satisfaction of his superiors.
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Hudson, Hougham, from Canterbury, Kent, by the Zoroaster, v. a. p. He was retired from the office of Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Albany owing to ill-health, 1st October, 1852, and placed on the pension list. In a letter addressed to him by His Excellency Sir George Cathcart, Governor of the Colony, dated 18th September, 1852, this sentence occurs: "I sincerely regret the cause which has induced you to resign an office which you have so long and so ably filled in most difficult times. But it must be satisfactory to you to know that though you are unable to perform service as Civil Commissioner of Albany you contribute to the public service in another generation of your family a Civil Commissioner for the district of Somerset (his eldest son), than whom no officer in that capacity carries on his duties more entirely to my satisfaction." Mr. Hudson had altogether twelve children— nine boys and three girls.
His first child was born at Bathurst and died in Graaff Reinet. He died at his son's residence, Hougham Park, Coega, near Port Elizabeth, 5th July, 1860, aged sixty-seven years, leaving the following children: (1) Hougham, who became Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Graaff Reinet, was retired on pension January, 1890, and is living at Graaff Reinet. He was twice married, first to Helen Maria Currie, sister of Sir Walter Currie, by whom he had six children, two of whom survive ; second, to Fanny Carlisle, widow of Joseph Currie, by whom he has one son. Dr. Hudson, the present district surgeon at Graaff Reinet. (2) Andries, who died at his farm, 1893, s p (3) Charles, who served in the Crimea, and attained the rank of colonel in the army, died in England. (4) Mary, who married Matthew Woodifield, Assistant Colonial Engineer and died in England ; (5) George, who married a daughter of Mr. Wm. Smith, of Port Elizabeth, and at one time was British Resident at Pretoria, South African Republic, and afterwards head of the detective department at Kimberley, retired on pension January, 1895, and now living in England. And (6) John, who married Dora, daughter of W. Gilfillan, Esq., Civil Commissioner of Cradock; at the time of his death, in 1893, was Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Oudtshoorn.
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Name: Hugham Hudson
Gender: Male
Baptism/Christening Date: 09 Jun 1793
Baptism/Christening Place: St. Peter, Thanet, Kent, England
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: Hugham Hudson
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Mary
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I06875-4
System Origin: England-EASy
Source Film Number: 1737005
Reference Number: it 2
Collection: England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
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"Now I know where the name Hougham Park comes from. It is just beyond Coega on the Sundays River side (east of the new harbour) and as far as I am aware, was more recently owned by Grey High School because they used to send their pupils there for student camps. There doesnt seem to be a signboard there anymore but I remember where it was - just as you climb up the incline from Coega, on the right hand side. Maybe the farm has been taken over by Coega as you said. I also know that there is a prawn and shrimp farm on that, or an adjacent site, called SeaArk. Maybe they are on the old property - because they are definitely just to the east of Ceoga harbour and plan to use up most of that land for expansion". { Marion Mangold}
from an email from Robin Griffiths: Harradine has this:
HUDSON, Hougham, born Broadstairs, Kent, died 5 Jul 1860 Hougham Park,married Elizabeth Ann (WALKER) 6 Nov 1819, Houghham is pronounced "Huffam"
Quoting from Daphne Child's work on the Hudsons ... The deaths of Elizabeth and Sarah:
"Hougham took overseas leave in the second half of 1844, and he and his wife sailed for England, accompanied by Sarah and several of their other children. Elizabeth had long been suffering from a 'pulmonary affection' and it was hoped that her health would benefit from the change of climate.
On arrival, the family went to stay with their relatives in Kent, and it was there that Sarah, 'a fine girl in her fifteenth year', collapsed and died unexpectedly of heart failure on 20 October. The shock proved too much for Mrs Hudson in her weak state, and she too died suddenly, only 24 hours after her elder daughter. A report of these tragic events appeared in the 'Grahamstown Journal' on 23 January 1845."
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