| Notes |
- Groot Catrijn, was also known as Catharina van Bengale. She was a slave woman from Paliacatte, on the Coromandel Coast, India. Paliacatte is situated in the present day Indian province of Tamil Nadu, north of Madras. From 1609 until 1795 it was a VOC trading post.
In 1656 she was recorded as a slave in Batavia belonging to the free woman Maria Magdalena ("«i»vrije vrou ende juffrouw ten desen stede«/i»"). Her lack of surname indictaes that Maria Magdelena was also not European.
Catrijn was sexually assaulted on 8 October 1656 by her lover, the slave Claes van Malabar, in a stable at Fort Rijswijck. In the altercation, she hit Claes with a ladder across his stomach. Claes died four days later due to a burst bladder from the blow he received. Catharine then faced charges of murder and received the death sentence. She was however pardoned, being banished as a slave to the Cape. She arrived at the Cape on 21 February 1657 on the ship «i»Prins Willem«/i». This ship was part of the return fleet which left Batavia on 4 December 1656. Catrijn was the first recorded female slave convict at the Cape, and in 1657 is recorded as one of the colonies 15 women. She was recorded as a prisoner along with the Chines convict «i»'tSincko.«/i»
Groote Cathrijn then was baptised as an adult with her fellow slave friend Mooij Ansela on 29 April 1668. Mooij Ansela arrived on the same ship as Catrijn and through her marriage to Arnoldus Willemz she became the stammoeder of the Basson family.
Catijn bore a child by the well-connected Pieter Everaerts - who left f150 to his unborn child in a will he made just before he died ion March 15, 1664. The child, Petronella, was baptised on September 6, 1665 ("«i»Noch van de Slavinnen kinderen der Ed. Oostjndesche Compangie,
de Moeder Catharina, diens kind is genaamt Petronella «/i»")
The soldier Hans Christoffel Snijman had an illicit relationship with Groot Catrijn. He was convicted for leaving his post to sleep with her ("«i»te slapen sigh ten woonplaets van sekere bekende swarte meijt«/i»") and sentenced to be banished to Robben Island. From this relationship was born Christoffel Snijman. Christoffel Snyman was baptised on 9 March 1669 ("«i»een soontje van Groote Catrijn wiert genaemt Christoffel tot getuyge stont Step Angila «/i»"). It is not clear what happened to Hans Christoffel Snijman - he dissapears from the record. Perhaps he left the colony, perhaps he deserted.
Groot Catrijn married the free black (mardijker) Anthonij (Jansz) van Bengale on 20th December 1671. In a letter dated 6 January 1672 it is mentioned that Groot Catrijn was freely pardoned. THe family (Catrijn, Anthonij, Christoffel and his half-sister Petronella, lived in Cape Town, on the «i»Zeestraat«/i» and later on the «i»Bergdwarssstraat«/i». A tragedy must have taken place since the whole family died between December 1682 and February 1683, the only one who did not die was Christoffel Snijman, who inherited his stepfather's estate.
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Abt 1631 - Abt 1682 (51 years)
d. Abt 1682 (Age 16 years)