| Notes |
- PRIVATE
- Frederik (Friedrich) Botha or Both was born on 4th March 1653 in Wangenheim in the Province of Thuringia in Germany. He joined the VOC and arrived at the Cape as a soldier in 1678.
Five years later he obtained burgher rights and pursued his original occupation as a farm hand on various farms or as he put it, he was an assistant at one or another farmer - "landbouer bij den een en den ander geweest te sijn".
Maria Kickers arrived in Cape Town as an orphan from Holland and married Jan Cornelisz on 11 July 1683.
From 1686 he remained at the farm of Jan Cornelisz where he farmed for a quarter of the profits - "oom voor een vierde part met hem te zaaijen en te bouwen". This is the oldest example of the application of the French "métairie" system in South Africa. This métairie system originated from a loan or quitrent system which was possibly imported by the Romans into Galilea (Colonus partiarius). Métayer out of medietatarium, from medietate, half, originally means: He who farms for a half; the profit sharing foreman on a farm, small farmer, almost translated as tenant farming for part of the profit; métairie, the farm itself. Per JLM Franken - "Die Franse Vlugtelinge, Huisgenoot" 16 July 1926.
He laid out the 64 morgen farm he called «i»Zandberg«/i» in 1689 and the farm was later renamed «i»Scholtzenhof«/i». «i»Zandberg«/i» was transferred in 1694 from loan farm to freehold property in the name of Frederik Bothma. The farm with its thatch roof and gables is located on the right hand side of the road between Stellenbosch and Somerset-West and its position can be seen on the map of the area. Wine is still produced on the farm today and the current owner also has a web site "Ken Forrester Vineyards".
The homestead was originally built in a T-shape and the front walls are about a meter thick and were most probably built by Frederik Botha himself. There are fine yellowwood ceilings all through with a clay brandzolder a foot deep, above them. The house was later extended into a H-shape and recently restored by the architect, G. Osler.
In 1692 he signed his name as Both, but in 1699 he signed as Botha. In the "opgaafrolle" the surname is spelt Both, Boot as well as Botha.
All the Botha children are shown in the Church christening registers as being the offspring of Jan Cornelisz and Maria Kickers. At their divorce proceedings the following information is given (per JLM Franken - "Die Franse Vlugtelinge, Huisgenoot" 16 July 1926, footnote):
Jan Cornelisz van Oudbeijerland in cas van divortie contra Maria Kickers: "den eijscher, doende eijsch bij monde alsoo de gedaagdese haar niet en schaamd hem eijr niet alleen met slaan en stooten ende verdere onbetaemelijckheeden gestadig te bejeegenen, maar oock bovendien haren echt met de persoon van frederick Boot in overspel te buitjen te gaan . . . . " "De gedaagdese antwoordende, segt en bekendt alle hare kinderen, staande huwelijk niet bij den eijr haren man (vermits desselvs onbequaamheijdt) maar bij een ander; te weeten den voorn. fred. Boot, te hebben geprocrëeert; en dat haren man haar daar toe selfs aanleijding soude hebben gegeeven." (Crim. en Civ. 1689-1701, 22 Jan. 1700, p. 77) Fred. Botha en Maria Kickers word vir oorspel, aanhouding en verberging van vee, geweld aan persoon van Claas Das, tien jaar verban na Mauritius. Hul moet "separatelijk" gebanne bly en word verder veroordeel tot 100 Rds. boete en restitusie van aangehoue goedere (Crim. en Civ. 1701-'08, 16 Nov. 1706. f.47).
The period of banishment may be different as the following is also quoted (per HCV Leibbrandt - "Precis of the Archives, Journal of VD Stel" 16 November 1706):
The Court of Justice sentences a freeman and a woman in a criminal case to banishment to Mauritius for two years and fines each Rds. 100, the half for the Landdrost and the half for the Court.
In 1706 he stayed at the farm «i»Moddergat«/i» with Maria Kickers who was working for Matthys Greef in Stellenbosch.
In 1710 the loan farm "Eendracht" was registered in the name of Theunis, his eldest son. The farm lay in the southern part of the "Land van Waveren" over the Breede River and beneath the Witsenberg and adjacent to Jan Stevensz Botma. By todays location between the Breede River Station and the Waaihoek Mountains.
In 1712 a younger sister of Theunis, Maria, married Coenraad Scheepers, who farmed immediately north on the farm "De Liefde".
In 1714 the 64 morgen 482 sq. roods farm became his freehold property and was operated as a cattle farm.
On 21 June 1717 at 64 years of age Frederik Botha married Maria Kickers, an orphan from the Netherlands and the divorced wife of Jan Cornelisz.
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