Addo Drift, Eastern Cape, South Africa: British 1820 Settlers to South Africa

Search | Advanced Search | Search Families | Search Site

Addo Drift, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Notes:
Addo Drift is the first convenient natural crossing point on the Sundays River when travelling inland from the sea, and was used by wild animals and earlier human inhabitants as a ford. Europeans followed the same route, outspaning their oxen at a point nearby.

The military post “Ados Drift” appears on the site maps dated 1815. In 1823 one William Wright, an 1820 settler, was given a grant of land near the drift. The earliest record of a license being issued to Zondagh’s River Inn, is the Cape Almanac of 1830.

Samuel Rowe and his wife Sarah arrived in South Africa on the “Belle Alliance” in 1820. He evidently remained in charge of Addo Drift Inn for some years. By the time that Edward Turnbridge bought the inn it was known as the “Elephant and castle”.

Mr. Charles Rowe speculated the origin of the name: It was not unusual to see elephants drinking on the far side of the Drift. On one occasion an elephant had slithered down and stuck in the mud. Having an injured trunk, he was unable to lever himself up again, so he could only cross to the other side where he stood on the bank. At that moment Samuel Rowe, innkeeper, returning from some farm festivity, which probably included good English ale, came face to face with the large and angry beast. Sam ran to warn the others. Armed with guns and lead bullets, they sallied forth for some sport. The elephant remained indifferent to the rain of lead bullets and only objected to the yapping of Sam’s dog, Sixpence.

Some steel bullets were then made, but by then the elephant had gone into the bush. Samuel started for home through the bush. Looking back, he suddenly saw the elephant within a few feet of him. He fled across the bush and never stopped running until he reached the inn, with the elephant at his heels.

Thomas and Fanny Turnbridge of Alkham, near Dover, had fourteen children. The second eldest, Edward, born in 1816, was the owner of the Drift Inn. He visited South Africa in a ship commanded by his friend Captain James Clarke, and evidently liked the country so much that he returned in 1843. He was accompanied by his wife and a younger brother Tilden, a sister Mary who was then married to Captain Clark and their three year old daughter Fanny, another sister Elize, married to a carpenter Hadlow, also from Dover. They are both buried at the Drift. He advertised in 1848 that he had taken over the “Elephant and Castle,” Sundays River. He was a carpenter by trade and started a wagon building business and it was here that the iron was first put on wagon wheels in this country.

The name Elephant and Castle was then dropped and the plan is marked “Turnbridge’s Hotel.” All the bedrooms bear the names of the Turnbridge family, living there. After the death of Turnbridge’s wife, he returned to England leaving his brother and sons to carry on the business.

The old homestead, with its extensive outbuildings, served for many years as an Inn and a defense post. The graveyard near the Inn was in use while the nearest mission was 20 miles away and the nearest church in Port Elizabeth.

Amongst the outbuildings of the Inn was a smallpox station. During 1866 there was a particularly serious outbreak of smallpox and many people died. Tilden built a Pont for crossing the river when it was too high to cross on foot. Tilden became a Justice of the Peace for the district. The cellar of the inn was often used to house prisoners awaiting trial, and it is believed that during the wars women and children also sheltered there. The inn flourished as time went on and coaches’ en-route from Port Elizabeth to the diamond diggings at Kimberley made their first night’s stop there.

It is said that two little ghosts in long white frocks and a lady in mauve used to haunt the house.

It seems that the flat let next to the main house was build on the foundations of the wagon sheds, smithy and married workmen’s quarters. In the garden there is a huge concrete block, which was used in the past for to putting the iron on the wagon wheels and for fitting horseshoe’s. It is now a water feature with elephants called the Elephant and Castle.

from : https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1K206_de-old-drift

Christening

Matches 1 to 1 of 1

	Last Name, Given Name(s)	Christening		Person ID
1	Naude, Christina Johanna	18 Mar 1900	Addo Drift, Eastern Cape, South Africa	I86398