The Hon Charles Pritchard SV/PROG

Death Notice 1905 Sea Point Cape Town

Charles was the youngest son and was commissioned as an ensign in the English East India company at age 18 on 11 March 1833. On the dissolution of the Company in 1836, he was pensioned and migrated to the Cape Colony. He farmed in Langeberg, and was one of the pioneers of Beaufort West. Member of the Legislative Assembly by 1874 and for 25 years a member of the Cape Parliament.

The Pritchards can be traced back to Stephen Pritchard ( who was also known as James). He emigrated to St Helena after the Great Fire of London, 1666.

One of his descendants was Major Henry Huff Pritchard was adjutant to Lt Col. Sir Hudson Lowe, Governor of St Helena, when Napoleon was exiled there in 1815. He was expected to report to the governor on the activities of the Napoleon. Henry Huff Pritchard died on 11 January 1828, on the day that his promotion to Colonel was gazetted.

Charles was the youngest son of Henry Huff and Elizabeth Ann Eleanor Pritchard was born c. 1814. At about 18 he was commissioned as ensign in the service of the English East India Company on 11 March 1833. On the dissolution of the Company is 1836, Charles was pensioned and emigrated to the Cape, settling in Beaufort West.

He set off to Cape Town on horseback in order to commute his annual pension of 120 to a lump sum of 300. On the way he fell ill and stopped at Davit Hendrik de Villiers’s farm near Durbanville. He married one of the daughters, Johanna Hermina, in 1840.

Charles Pritchard, who died at Simonstown in 1905, first arrived in SA 1836 - farmed Langeberg, was one of the pioneers of Beaufort West and was a Member of the Legislative Assembly by 1874. For 25 years he was a member of the Cape Parliament.

He was married at Durbanville 12-5-1840 to Johanna Hermina DE VILLIERS, (born 5-11-1822, and died in Three Anchor Bay 16-9-1909) Both are buried in DRC cemetery, Beaufort West. She was the eighth child of David de Villiers (born 5-10-1787) lived on the farm where Durbanville was laid out – moved in 1836 to Beaufort West and died in BW 22-4-1860. Her mother was Anna Susanna RETIEF (12-1-1788 - 27-3-1845) a cousin of the Voortrekker leader Pieter Retief

They had thirteen children:

1. Elizabeth Anne Eleanore Pritchard, * 1842, m. George 1-1-1861 William Henry Auret, baptised 23-10-1831, seventh child of Abraham Auret and Anna Cornelia Fredrica Itzen; magistrate at Paarl; daughters Johanna Hermina * Paarl 5-12-1864 and Jacoba Maria * Paarl 1-12-1870. (William Henry Auret's sister Christina Hendrina married Charles St Leger Devenish; his brother Jeremias Benedictus married Marcella Susan Devenish and another brother Mynardus Petrus married Ellen Ann Devenish.)

2. Anna Susara Retief Pritchard, m. Rev. John Eedes

3. Henry Huff Pritchard

4. David Henry Pritchard

5. Maria Elizabeth Pritchard, married FOURIE, later magistrate of Fraserburg

6. Charles John Pritchard, surveyor, m. Louisa Christina Botha, * 24-3-1855, sister of Gen. Louis Botha

7. Benjamin Thomas Pritchard, never married, law agent and debt collector of Beaufort West. In 1921 he donated items of Napoleon's tableware, brought to the Cape by his father, to the Beaufort West municipality.

8. De Villiers Gurling Pritchard, prospector

9. Penelope Dora Pritchard died Beaufort West 21-5-1923 aged 67, so she was born about 1856. She was married to H. Kinnear, member of Beaufort West town council, son of William Kinnear, who was born in Stonehaven, England on 27-2-1807 and died in Beaufort West on 21-11-1872. He arrived in South Africa in 1827 and was a pioneer ostrich farmer in Beaufort West and a member of the first town council in South Africa - that of Beaufort West and a member of the Cape Parliament 1869-71. He was married in Cape Town on 22-7-1830 to Johanna Sophia Carolina ITZEN and in Cape Town on 21-6-1855 to Johanna Wilhelmina GANS. I have not established which of his sons married Penelope Dora Pritchard and therefore who the mother was.

10. Pieter Daniel Pritchard

11. John Gideon Pritchard

12. Johanna Hermina Pritchard married VAN BREDA, later magistrate of Fraserburg

13. William Henry Auret Pritchard (BW 13-1-1861 - Jhb 13-5-1947, surveyor, Rand pioneer, evangelist; named after his brother-in-law, the Aurets being his god-parents.

Death Notice 1905 Sea Point CT