1751 Jan van de Caab
This and the case 1752 Jacob van de Caab both concern Cape-born slaves who escaped to Europe on board ships in Table Bay, and who were only captured when they returned to the colony in the employ of the Company. There is no evidence that the two were connected, and they took place a year apart, but the second may well have been inspired by the first since such ‘disappearance acts’ would certainly have spread around the Cape Town slave grapevine.
They provide intriguing examples of innovative methods used by slaves to escape. Their mistake was to enrol in the Company as sailors once they had reached the Netherlands, presumably in the hope that they would be sent to the East Indies and not be caught at the Cape.1
Footnotes
-
This also indicates the poverty they would have encountered in the Netherlands without kin or resources of their own: employment by the Company was probably their only alternative. By the mid-eighteenth century, the VOC was short of a ready supply of sailors and was not discriminating about whom it took on. It also employed a number of Asians in this capacity, although usually they were contracted in Asia (Bruijn et al. 1987, vol. I: 151-52). For this and other examples of slaves escaping on board ships, see Ross 1983: 73-80. ↩
CJ 33 Crimineele Regtsrolle des Casteels de Goede Hoop, 1751, ff. 31-3.
Thursday, 18 February 1751, in the morning, present the honourable lord president Rijk Tulbagh, nominated governor of this place, and all the members, except for the honourable Willem van Kerckhoff, through indisposition, with the burgher councillors joining in.
The honourable independent fiscal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, in his official capacity, as eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate).,
contra:
Jan van de Caab, currently their honours’ prisoner and defendant in this case, because he did not scruple to brazenly leave his master, the farmer Hendrick Ecksteen, and, during the month of May of the past year 1750, to flee on the ship the Hof d’ Uno from here to the fatherland,1 where he remained until he recently arrived here again as a sailor, under the name of Jan Harmensz Grutter of St. Helena, on the ship Middelburg, whereupon he was delivered into the hands of justice.2
The honourable eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate)., having delivered his action orally, to the purport of what is mentioned in the presentation [i.e. eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document.], demands that, with certain judgment by your right honourable lord and the honourable members, the defendant in this should be severely whipped by the cafferscaffersTerm for the slaves and bandieten used as assistants of the executioner and who also acted as the ‘police force’ of the town under the leadership of the geweldiger. Both the function and word derived from Batavia., further to be riveted in chains for a period of two successive years, to return thus to his owner, provided he pays the costs.
The defendant gives as answer that he had come to the Cape with the wagon of his master, that he remained behind here, and moreover that he had got aboard ship with an English boat and could not return again to shore, and thus got to the fatherland and to Zeeland, where he had married a woman with children; further requesting pardon.
The honourable eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate)., refusing the defendant’s claim, persists with his eijsch en conclusie as rejoinder.
The defendant persists with his given answer as rejoinder.
The parties renounce producing any further evidence.
The Council, after considering the matter, practising justice in the name and on behalf of the high and mighty Lords States General of the United Netherlands, as well as his most serene highness the Lord Prince of Orange and Nassou, as hereditary Stadholder of the Republic, our chief Governor, Captain and Admiral General, concurs with the eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document. of the honourable eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate). and sentences the defendant to the costs.
In the Castle of Good Hope, the date as above.
In my presence, [signed] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretary.
Footnotes
-
Hof d’ Uno was a ship of the Chamber of Zeeland which visited Cape Town, on its way back from Batavia, between 26 April and 12 May 1750. Four sailors were recruited during this period, of which Jan was one, Bruijn et al. 1979, vol. III: 394-95. ↩
-
Jan van de Caab enrolled as Jan Harmensz Grutter van St. Helena (interestingly taking the toponym of a place where his colour would arouse no suspicion and which supplied men for shipping crews throughout the southern Atlantic world), and sailed back to the Cape on the ship Middelburg, also owned by the Chamber of Zeeland, which left on 18 October 1750, called at Santiago (on the Canary Islands) and arrived in Cape Town on 10 July 1751, Bruijn et al. 1979, vol. II: 530-31. The statement indicates that he had married a woman in Zeeland who had children, but this seems to have done nothing to improve his financial condition. He was employed at a monthly wage of 8 guilders, the standard wage for a sailor, and his wage book was debited with the costs of provision of two linen pakken (a standard form of shirt and trousers, Schoeman 2004: 72-6) at 6 guilders, 4 shirts at 8 guilders and 8 schellingen, and shoes at 2 guilders, VOC 13047, f. 154. The provision of clothes as part of an advance was necessary for many of the impoverished new recruits to the VOC. ↩
Donderdag, den 18e Februarij 1751, ’s voormiddaags, praesent den edelen heere praesident Rijk Tulbagh, geëligeert gouverneur deeser plaatse, en alle de leeden, dempto d’ edele Willem van Kerckhoff, bij indispositie, assumptis de burgerraden.
Den heer Independent Fiscaal Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, nomine officii, eijsscher,
contra:
Jan van de Caab, thans ’s heeren gevangen en gedaagden, over ende ter saake dat sig niet ontsien heeft sijn meester, den landbouwer Hendrick Ecksteen, moetwillig te verlaaten en, in de maand Maij des gepasseerde jaars 1750, met het schip ’t Hof d’ Uno van hier naar ’t vaderland te fugeeren, alwaar sig soo lange heeft opgehouden, totdat nu onlangs met het schip Middelburg voor mattroos, onder den naam van Jan Harmensz Grutter van St. Helena, alhier weederom aangeland zijnde, vervolgens in handen der justitie is overgeleevert geworden.
Den heer eijsscher, ter saake als in de praesentatie staat vermeld, bij monde eijsch doende, concludeert dat den gedaagden in deesen, bij diffinitive vonnis van u weledele gestrenge en edelagtbaarens mag werden gecondemneert: om door de caffers strengelijk te werden gelaarst, voorts voor den tijd van twee agtereenvolgende jaaren in de ketting geklonken zijnde, dus zijn lijfheer weederom te huijs gesonden te werden, mits betaalen de costen.
Den gedaagde voor antwoord segt dat hij met de waagen van sijn meester aan de Caab geweest zijnde, alhier agteruijt was gebleeven, en dat hij voorts met een Engelse schuijt aan scheepsboord geraakt weesende, niet weederom aan de wal had kunnen komen, en dus naar ’t vaderland en in Zeeland was gekoomen, alwaar hij een vrouw met kinderen had getrouwt, versoekende wijdersom gratie.
Den heer eijsscher, afslaande des gedaagdens voorbrengen, persisteert bij eijsch en conclusie voor replicq.
Den gedaagde persisteert bij sijne gegeevene antwoord voor duplicq.
Parthijen renuntieeren van verdere productiën.
Den Raad, naar overweeging van saaken, regt doende uijt naame ende van weegens de hoogmogende Heeren Staaten Generaal der Vereenigde Neederlanden, mitsgaders van sijn doorlugtigste hoogheid den Heere Prince van Orange en Nassouw, als Erfstadthouder van de Republicque, onser opper Gouverneur, Capitain en Admiraal Generaal, adjudiceert den eijsch van den heer eijsscher en condemneert den gedaagde in de costen.
In ’t Casteel de Goede Hoop, datum als boven.
Mij present, [get.] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretaris.