When the Huguenots fled from religious persecution in France and landed in Table Bay in 1687, they changed the face of South Africa forever. With vigour and tenacity they established businesses and farms across the new Dutch East India Company colony at the Cape of Good Hope, and these dynamic dynasties went on to play a vital role in developing our great country.
The full title translated from the French, reads “General Map of the Kingdom of France, Showing Important Places during the Religious Wars of the XVI and XVII centuries, as well as the Names of Certain Huguenots who Fled from France and who Established themselves at the Cape of Good Hope. ”
This legend is framed in a cartouche depicting the Muses of History and Poetry paying tribute to the symbols of the Reformation, viz., the Huguenot cross, the seals of Calvin and Luther and the armorial shields of Henry of Navarre and Gaspard de Coligny.
At lower left is a representation of the statue by Coert Steynberg at the Huguenot monument at Franschhoek, flanked by the figures of Jean Calvin, Martin Luther, Henry IV, Jeanne d’Albret and Coligny.
0n the map itself are views of the Port of la Rochelle and of the church of St. Thomas and the Cathedral at Strasbourg. 0n the right, between the armorial shields is a list of the names of 72 of the founders of well known Cape families, the year in which each arrived, his place of origin in France and the present form of the surname.
The title translated from the Dutch, reads “New Map of the Cape of Good Hope showing Certain Farms in possession of the Huguenots in the Table Valley, Fransche Hoek, Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Pearl, Wagenmakers Valley, Daljosaphat and the Land of Waveren.” This legend is framed in a cartouche surmounted by a shield bearing the Huguenot emblem flanked by two herald angels with, below, an allegorical figure with anchor and cornucopia signifying Hope and Abundance. The cartouche is further embellished with wild animals, vines and grapes. At lower left is a view of Table Bay as seen from the anchorage – a common feature of old maps – and on the right a group of refugees, officials and aboriginals set against the background of the Simonsberg and an old Cape manor house, at present the Huguenot museum in Paarl.
At the top centre and on the right are the armorial shields of a number of well known Cape Huguenot families with lists of names. Next to each name on the right are one or more numbers and dates; these numbers correspond to the numbers of the farms on the map and the dates indicate the year in which the farms were allocated. 0n the left are the names of other Huguenots with an indication of their calling or profession as well as a list of land grants in places outside the borders of the map. On the map there are also a number of “unnumbered” farms which are, or were at some period, in possession of Huguenots or their descendants. On the sea are representations of ships with the names of the 14 vessels known to have carried refugees to the Cape.
Frankryk
Die volle opskrif lui as volg: “Algemene Kaart van die Koninkryk van Frankryk met Belangrike Plekke tydens die Godsdienstige Oorloë van die XVI en XVII eeue, sowel as die Name van Sekere Hugenote wat uit Frankryk gevlug het en hulle in die Kaap die Goeie Hoop Gevestig het.”
Dié opskrif word bevat in ’n krultablet wat versier is met voorstellings van die Muses van die Geskiedenis en van die Poësie wat hulde bring aan die simbole van die Hervorming, nl., die Hugenote-kruis, die seëls van Luther en Calvyn en die wapens van Hendrik van Navarre en van Gaspard de Coligny.
Links onder is ’n voorstelling van Coert Steynberg se beeld by die Hugenote-Gedenkmuseum op Franschhoek met die figure van Calvyn, Luther, Hendrik IV, Jeanne d’Albret en Gaspard de Coligny. 0p die kaart self is daar tekeninge van die hawe van La Rochelle en van die kerk van St. Thomas en die katedraal van Strasbourg.
Aan die regterkant tassen die wapenskilde is ’n lys van die name van 72 stamvaders van bekende Kaapse families, die jaar waarin elk hier aangekom het, sy plek van herkoms en die huidige vorm van sy van.
Kaap die Goeie Hoop
Dié opskrif is geraam in ’n krultablet bekroon met die Hugenote-embleem met boodskapper-engeltjies aan elke kant. 0nder is ’n allegoriese vrouefiguur met anker en horing van oorvloed, en wilde diere met wingerdranke en druiwe. Links onder is ’n uitsig op Tafelbaai met skepe – ’n algemene kenmerk van ou kaarte – en aan die regterkant ‘n groep vlugtelinge, amptenare, en inboorlinge teen die agtergrond van Simonsberg en ’n ou Kaapse herehuis (tans die Hugenote-museum in Paarl).
Bo aan die kaart en regs is die wapenskilde met naamlyste van etlike bekende Kaapse Hugenote-families. Langs elke naam aan die regterkant is een of meer nommers en datums; dié nommers stem ooreen met die nommers van plase op die kaart, en die datums dui op die jaar waarin die plase toegesé is. Aan die linkerkant verskyn die name van ander Hugenote met ’n aanduiding van hulle beroep of ambag en datums van aankoms. Verder is daar ’n lys van grondtoekennings op plekke buite die grense van die kaart. 0p die kaart self is daar ook ’n aantal “ongenommerde” plase wot op een of ander tyd aan Hugenote of hulle nasate behoort het, en op die see is voorstellings van skepe met die name van die 14 vaartuie wat van die eerste vlugtelinge na die Kaap gebring het.