Dr. Petrus Franciscus Melchior Briers, SV/PROG

Briers House, Stellenbosch

The former Methodist (Wesleyan) parsonage around 1910. The last surviving curvilinear gable in Stellenbosch, belonged to this dwelling which was demolished to make way for the present Town Hall. Although the house was older, the gable was the work of Petrus Franciscus Melchior Briers who came to live here in 1775. It is elaborate holbol, enriched with strapwork on its face and belongs to a style of the late 1780's. Door and casement windows shown here are the originals, but later they were altered. The oblique situation of the house, well back from Plein Street, corresponds with the course of the northern tributary of the Mill Stream. The house became a parsonage in 1838. Courtesy Cape Archives Depot. (Arthur Elliott).

Source: Stellenbosch Three Centuries: Official Commemorative Volume, Stellenbosch Town Council, 1979

Image: https://www.google.co.za/search?q=methodist+parsonage+briers+stelle...

This was one of the earliest Stellenbosch farms, initially adjacent to the village, but now incorporated. The surrounding wall and buildings date from the late eighteenth century and were recently restored. Facing the street, a replica of the 1762 front gable of the Briers house (demolished to make way for the City Hall) was erected by the City Council as an "act of contrition."

BIRD STREET, STELLENBOSCH

A late 17th Century farm within a town.

Together with Mostertsdrift, Krommerivier, Oude Molen and Vredenlust, Bergzicht enjoys the rare distinction of being a late 17th Century farm situated in the middle of a town. Like many of the older farms, it has a descriptive name which undoubtedly derives from the magnificent view its owners have of the Simonsberg mountains. What the facade of the first gabled house on Bergzicht looked like is not known, as the earliest pictorial record of the present house is a relatively late photograph taken at the turn of the century. It depicts a Victorianised dwelling stripped of its former gables. The walls had by then been raised to accommodate a corrugated iron roof which covered the entire H-plan house. A painting done in the same period shows the werf wall with an entrance gate along Bird street and also a well- planned garden. In 1969 Bergzicht's owners, the Municipality of Stellenbosch, finally thwarted the many attempts to demolish the old house and its outbuildings by undertaking its renovation which was completed in 1970. As no record of the back and front gables existed, Hans Fransen, then curator of the Stellenbosch Museum, suggested that the design should be based on the cellar gable of Groenrivier which Arthur Elliott had fortunately photographed before its demise. It was in the neo-classical style which became popular at the time [1794] when Jacobus Groenewald sold off the bulk of Krommerivier and was presumed to have built his new home at Bergzicht. After the disastrous fire of the evening of the 8 July 1992 an intensive study of the ruins was undertaken by the Stellenbosch Museum's historic archaeologist, Hennie Vos.This revealed the exact position of the original entrance hall and that of the kitchen plus its hearth. It also became evident that the house had been built about 15 years before the previously estimated date of 1795. In 1993 the Municipality decided to undertake a more historically correct reconstruction of the gutted homestead. The choice of the front gable was, however, problematic and it was eventually decided to reproduce the florid gable [c1780] that once graced Briers House. This homestead, later the Wesleyan Church parsonage, was tragically demolished in 1939 to make way for the present town hall.

Source: Our threatened heritage: a plea for the conservation of South Africa's meagre vernacular heritage, both Euro- and Afrocentric by André Pretorius, 01 Jan 1997

Briers, Petrus Franciscus Melchior

A surgeon from Hasselt, he acquired the house in Plein Street later known as the Wesleyan Parsonage in 1775. The house was drawn by Schumacher in 1776 and, as it was T shaped by the time he sold, Briers was possibly the author of the florid gable. He subdivided and sold the property in 1811 at the time Andringa and Ryneveld Streets were extended across the farm.

His later farms have not been established but in 1824 he won a trophy for the excellence of his wine. He married Clara Susanna Groenewald in 1775 and had 3 children 1775-79. (Van der Bijl 1963:36a-37a, Vos et al 1994:6-9, De
Villiers and Pama 1981:222-3, Smuts 1979:108, 194). See Stadshuis block 4.2 et seq.

Petrus Franciscus Melchior Briers was die derde seun van Petrus Franciscus Briers en Barbara van Gindertaelen. Hy is in 1732 in Hasselt in die prinsbisdom van Luik en die graafskap Loon gebore en op 03 Desember 1732 daar gedoop. Hy arriveer op 11 April 1773 met die skip, die Azië, aan die Kaap. Hy was "n chirurgyn (opperchirurgyn) van beroep, in diens van die VOC.

Pieter Briers (dit blyk sy noemnaam te gewees het volgens "n oorspronklike dokument) is op 19 Februarie 1775 op Stellenbosch met Clara Susanna Groenewald getroud. Sy is op 1 Desember 1743 gedoop en was die dogter van Christoffel Jacobus Groenewald en Anna Hasselaar. Pieter het waarskynlik kort na sy huwelik, begin boer, alhoewel hy amptelik Vryburgerstatus net op 3 Oktober 1789 ontvang het. Moontlik het hy sy beroep nog privaat beoefen, alhoewel 1782 se opgaafrolle hom as boer in die Stellenbosch-distrik aandui.

Volgens sy opgaaf het hy ook drie slawe en twee slavinne besit, en het hy 30 000 wingerdstokke gehad. Daardie jaar het hy 6 lêers wyn geproduseer. In 1794 besit hy 40 000 wingerdstokke en produseer hy 25 lêers wyn.

Op 25 Januarie 1814 het Pieter Briers en sy vrou Clara, "n gesamentlike testament voor die "Sekretaris van"t Drostamp, fungeerde als Notaris publicq" op Stellenbosch laat opstel. Die dokument is deur beide hom en sy vrou onderteken. Pieter is drie dae later op 28 Januarie 1814 op Stellenbosch oorlede. Pieter se vrou, Clara, is op 26 Augustus 1817 in die ouderdom van 73 jaar oorlede - haar boedel inventaris is gedateer 3 September 1817.

KINDERS:

b1 CHRISTOFFEL JACOBUS Hy is op 26 Desember 1775 op Stellebosch gedoop. Op 1 September 1799 is hy getroud met Helena Josina WOEKE.

b2 ANNA MARIA Sy is op 28 Desember 1777 op Stellenbosch gedoop en op 13 November 1796 met Petrus Johannes WESSELS op Stellenbosch getroud. Hulle het in die Joostenbergvlakte gewoon en sy is op 13 Desember 1811 oorlede.

b3 BARBARA CHRISTINA Sy is op 2 Mei 1779 gedoop en was met Isak Johannes DE MILANDER getroud.

Bydrae deur Gert Briers

Gert.Briers@debeersgroup.com

Navorsing deur Marthinus Brand

P. F. M. Briers, a chief surgeon of the Company, who used his title when he signed certificates at Stellenbosch during the years 1774-92, appears to have been in private practice there, unless he was signing them on behalf of the Company.

Source: South Africa: its medical history 1652-1898: a medical and social study by Percy Ward Laidler, Michael Gelfand, C. Struik, 1971

History of Andringa Street, Stellenbosch

Andringa Street was made in 1811 when the grid of the village was extended northwards across the
two farms which lay there. The 1762 homestead of one of the farms (later the Wesleyan Parsonage,
on the site of the Town Hall) consequently lay at an angle to the new street. At the Plein Street end,
the north branch of the Millstream was bridged over. Further up Andringa Street a new homestead was built in 1814 (on the site of Eikestad Mall). This was the Briers homestead which is demolished but has been “recreated” at the Pretoria Open-Air Museum.

By 1859 there was still only modest development along Andringa, though Victoria Street had been
linked into it. On the west side near Plein Street there were buildings both sides of the Millstream’s
north branch. Much further up the street, beyond the Briers house, there were a couple of buildings on
this side – perhaps still largely rural in function. At just about this time urban fabric started creeping up
the east side of Andringa Street in the form of a terrace (incorporated in the Liquor Store).
Over the rest of the century both sides of the street became lined with buildings. There was also
urban densification, particularly on the east side: gaps between buildings were filled in, the ones at
the corner of Plein Street were raised to two storeys (one survives as the Catwalk) and buildings were
converted from storage to retail use. The Briers house, for example, was given a shopfront under its
gable.

Briers, Petrus Franciscus Melchior

A surgeon from Hasselt, he acquired the house in Plein Street later known as the Wesleyan Parsonage in 1775. The house was drawn by Schumacher in
1776 (left) and, as it was T shaped by the time he sold, Briers was possibly the author of the florid gable (right). He subdivided and sold the property in 1811
at the time Andringa and Ryneveld Streets were extended across the farm.

His later farms have not been established but in 1824 he won a trophy for the excellence of his wine. He married Clara Susanna Groenewald in 1775 and had 3 children 1775-79. (Van der Bijl 1963:36a-37a, Vos et al 1994:6-9, De Villiers and Pama 1981:222-3, Smuts 1979:108, 194). See Stadshuis block 4.2 et seq.