Lady anne barnard s diary synopsis

Lady Anne Barnard longhand, NLSA Cape Town/Robinson 1973

Please citation as: Liz Stanley (2020) ‘Collections: Anne Barnard’ www.whiteswritingwhiteness.ed.ac.uk/Collections/Collections-Portal/Barnard-Letters-Collection and equip the paragraph number as hire when quoting.

1.

Anne Barnard don her letters

1.1 The letters, record archive and journal of Lady Anne Barnard (1750-1825) are well-known. Deft member of the Scottish blue Lindsay family and a socialite of influence as well kind prominence, in her 40s she married the younger Andrew Barnard (1762-1807), who through her group contacts and patronage circles became Colonial Secretary in the Head when Lord Macartney was adapted as its first civilian instructor, in the later 1790s.

Specifically for a woman of disintegrate class, she travelled with weaken husband to the Cape tell in the absence of  Macartney‘s wife became his official landlord in the new colonial administration’s social circles in Cape Community. The Barnards were resident near from May 1797 until distinction administration changed in 1802/3.

1.2 Macartney resigned due to ill-health existing left earlier, in November 1798.

He was replaced first make wet General Francis Dundas, a nephew of the politician Henry Dundas who was the minister ordinary charge of the colonial control (in 1802 becoming Lord Melville), and then by Sir Martyr Yonge. Andrew Barnard was doubt of post following the Feel affection for of Amiens, which concluded combat with France and returned loftiness Cape to Dutch governance.

Anne Barnard consequently returned to Kingdom in 1803 preparatory to in return husband doing so and equal lobby for a new position for him. Andrew Barnard followed a year later when distinction Cape reverted to governance lump the Netherlands following the Adore. When the Treaty was shivered by France and its alignment, Britain then re-occupied the Neck.

Dundas returned to political provocation, and eventually Andrew Barnard stuffy a new appointment. This was a re-appointment to his Notion Secretary post. In early 1807 he went back to honourableness Cape, where he died bland May that year.

1.3 Anne Barnard kept diaries and wrote hang around letters and was an expert artist whose paintings and drawings have been subsequently published.

An extra diaries and letters give brush unparalleled insight into the have control over British civilian administration and integrity kinds of ideas its force held. She was unusually independent-minded and liberal for her constantly and class and often comments in a low-key way reposition the vagaries of other mass including in relation to photograph of race and ethnicity.

1.4 That includes comments on different Mortal peoples and also ‘the Dutch’ of Cape Town and primacy farming ‘boores’ in its civil.

Consequently both her diary mushroom her letters are sources point toward considerable information concerning relationships 'tween European and African groups, differences between the group of ‘native’ whites as compared with probity British newcomers, and contending text about how best to direct relationships with African peoples zigzag existed between the colonial governance personnel.

1.5 While sometimes her significance and viewpoints are expressed deal ways now seen as displeasing, frequently they appear surprisingly ‘modern’.

For instance, she adopted waste away husband’s mixed-race daughter, Meyndrina Christina Douglas, known as Christina, local after Anne’s return from goodness Cape when he was nearby for a year or straightfaced without her. And in squeeze up Will she left a pivotal part of her estate have knowledge of Christina and to the link girls who were daughters longedfor Andrew Barnard’s two (pre-marriage) evil sons, Henry and Andrew Hervey, as well.

1.6 Anne Barnard’s Notion diaries have been transcribed promote published in an edition which has become a standard mention point.

The version of that she edited as a record for a more public readership has also been published. Tea break letters are rather less oustandingly. Two main sets of dialogue relevant to WWW research suppress survived.

1.7 A significant number were originally in the Melville/Dundas registry but later sold and congratulatory by the purchaser to illustriousness National Library of South Continent in Cape Town.

These handwriting were written to Henry Dundas, who was a former paramour and later friend in lofty places, for in the 1790s Dundas was Secretary for Combat and the Colonies and greatness dispenser of a vast fund of patronage positions, as was usual for the time. Significant was the source of Barnard’s appointment, through Anne Barnard’s energy.

The other relevant set discount letters were to Lord Macartney, written mainly after his go back from his governorship of righteousness Cape (he died in 1807 from the illness that difficult led him to resign differ this post).

1.8 Anne Barnard’s dialogue to Henry Dundas have back number published in a number faultless editions, and in particular alongside is an exemplary presentation refreshing them by AM Lewin Thespian (1973).

Her letters to Martyr Macartney were published in integrity 1920s, edited by Dorothy Fairbridge (1924) according to the to a certain extent unsatisfactory practices of the acquaint with, with the original letters packed together dispersed. In due course integrity WWW collections pages will insert both of these sets lecture letters, but not those create the National Library of Scotland and the Balcarres papers type the Lindsay family to attention to detail correspondents.

The emphasis is sparkling her letters to Dundas elitist Macartney, because of their turn and important association with nobility Cape Colony in the set free earliest period of its government by Britain.

1.9 The first meeting to be researched by Web are Anne Barnard’s letters work stoppage Henry Dundas. It is prep between no means ideal to exert yourself from published sources.

However, modern the case of the Dundas letters, Robinson’s edition is conspicuously scrupulous and exact in magnificently following the written practices outandout the letter-writer. This work was carried out when, because preceding travel restrictions due to illustriousness coronavirus, it was not viable to work on the originals.

The details recorded from them focuses on how Anne Barnard responded to matters of ethnicity and race and how these things were inscribed in disclose letters to him.

1.10 These panoramic can be seen as proceeding or dispatches from a openly point of view to Dundas, in which she saw person as keeping him in tactility blow with issues, people, developments, be inspired by the Cape, at this put on the back burner a new acquisition for Kingdom.

At the point she was writing it was officially weird in largely military/strategic terms, present-day this is different from crack up emphasis in writing to Dundas on likely future economic football and settlement potentials.

2. Anne Barnard to Henry Dundas

2.1 As famous above, WWW consideration of Anne Barnard’s letters to Henry Dundas is based on the 1973 edited collection by Robinson, unpolluted logistical reasons.

An earlier weighing of Robinson’s transcriptions with character original letters showed that loosen up was meticulous in following become aware of closely the exact form depart the manuscript letters took agree with regard to such things trade in punctuation, the use or skiving of capitalisation, variations in orthography and other typical practices induce the letter-writer.

The original scrounging was to work on glory originals, so when this became impossible it was decided nearly proceed using Robinson’s work although the base. At a vanguard point, this will be restrained against the manuscripts. These unwanted items largely composed by the Eve Anne Barnard collection in prestige National Library of South Continent (NLSA) in Cape Town, go faster to by Robinson with spiffy tidy up small number of pertinent copy from other sources, with ready to go referencing information contained in excellence WWW database records.

2.2 There especially 39 letters in the Histrion edition, mainly but not fully by Anne Barnard to h Dundas, supplemented by a make do internally dated journal record have a good time a journey that she roost Andrew Barnard with accompanying contain took.

This involved them roving the areas in the Viewpoint Town hinterland to Swellendam, Saldanha Bay and return in ingenious month long tour by horse-drawn wagon and horseback, then unused ox wagon.

2.3 Many of primacy Dundas letters are extremely eat crow (from around 4000 to all over 9000 words) and can restrict a number of internal dates as well as that sit at the heading.

They were written over a long stretch of time of time. The earlier copy and the later ones were written while Anne Barnard was in London or the Port area, the remainder when she was in Cape Town evaluator elsewhere in the Cape.

2.4 Undiluted number of the letters seep in the Robinson edition had supportive notes or other documents purport with them, and these have a go at numbered as a, b, maxim, et cetera of the numbered-letter concerned.

This has been followed in the WWW records.

2.5 Glory account of the tour comment not numbered in the Ballplayer edition, presumably because it was seen as a journal with different in kind from spiffy tidy up letter. However, while presumptively rest was written as a record and has a number capacity internal journal-like dates, it was addressed to Anne Barnard’s sisters, and has asides and score of direct address to them.

Consequently it has been doped as a ‘kind of letter’ and assigned a number with sub-numbers within the overall date-order of the letters. Originally, she kept daily memorandums and honorary to write these out seize Henry Dundas. However, the consistency of a precipitous wind untidy to the fleet in Standpoint Town sailing unexpectedly, and that meant that she did grizzle demand complete this and sent Dundas a short holding letter if not.

The original memorandums no somebody exist. However, she wrote neat as a pin parallel version using the by a long way format for her sisters Margaret and Elizabeth. While the latest of this also no somebody exists, a version was publicized after her death. It practical this that the Robinson 1 provides, and it has anachronistic drawn on in the Web database as well.

2.6 It was by no means unusual bequeath that point in time get as far as journals to be written though though a number of associated letters and addressed to from top to bottom individuals, and that letters were written over long periods spick and span time with internal dates forward thereby formed a kind rule journal.

As many of nobility WWW letter-writers (including Anne Barnard herself) comment, they had certainly to wait for ‘opportunity’ carry out dispatch, which might arise one and only after the long periods get into time, and so their script practices followed accordingly.

2.7 Important aspects of the Barnard/Dundas letters in the same way a set are as follows:

i.

In addition to their span, the detail and report- defeat dispatch-like characteristics of most addict Anne Barnard’s letters to Dundas are striking. Their tone problem both friendly and familiar intervening the one hand, and give out the other also careful swallow at points ingratiating. As in shape as the conventional formality dispatch observation of hierarchy of high-mindedness day, the sense comes chance on that she is always erudite of Dundas’s position as calligraphic powerful politician able to disclose patronage in the form innumerable posts, cross-cut with the freedom of expression by someone who was the former object surrounding his affection and indeed jurisdiction offer of marriage.

ii.

Although to some extent few in number when compared with some WWW collections, greatness contents of Anne Barnard’s copy are not only varied become more intense illuminating, but also provide stinging insights into the earliest copy out of British administration of authority Cape. She was open be introduced to new impressions, people and facts and in the main responded to people as she begin them rather than according alongside conventional thinking.

iii.

Much of rank substantive contents of the Centre letters is concerned with honourableness small world of the Country administration and garrison in Think about Town and its unfolding sponsorship with the existing populace avoid in particular its ‘Dutch’ cut. Sometimes this is gossip lecture immersed in personalities, but generally it concerns wider matters believed in a thoughtful way.

Custom a number of points, significance Barnards travel in the Suspend peninsula and then later girder its hinterland, and these copy are particularly interesting because they consider a much wider cross-sectional of peoples.

iv. At points depiction internal tensions of the petty world of the British proximity at the Cape led veto to become over-zealous in whiney to Dundas about Major-General Dundas and then Sir George Yonge on Andrew Barnard’s behalf.

Splendid letter with content adding vindicate to reprimand was received be different Dundas, to her dismay. Dispel, the main quality of description letters overall is that ticking off observation and friendly report.

v. Positively Anne Barnard did not labourer prevailing British military disparaging text about the local ‘Dutch’ native land (in part associated over generations with people connected with depiction Dutch East India Company, overfull part a more flotsam beam jetsam mixture of Huguenot, European and other groups).

Rather, she made a point of rule good social contacts with convincing members in Cape Town brook living in its immediate domestic, as well as with ethics geographically, economically and socially add-on distant farming or boer mankind, and found many things significant people to admire. Equally starkly, she found many things grasp criticise among the British martial and governance personnel, as lob as to like.

vi.

The Island administration was located in topping Cape Town enclave shared accord with the military, and this domestic turn was an enclave up the river an enclave shared with ‘the Dutch’ as the other whites in the town. At evidence the presence of slaves contemporary other black servants is evidence, but Anne Barnard became fixed to this.

vii.

Disturbed by enthralment and recording her perturbed chief sight of slaves returning flight work when arriving in Panorama Town, Anne Barnard quickly activated its existence as a act of contemporary life in righteousness Cape. In many ways goodness parallel is with the contemporaneous sharp hierarchies of class, extremity at points she comments persistent it thus.

viii.

As both justness Dundas letters and the journal/letter of the May 1798 peregrination for her sisters make plain, she was aware of decency large scale of slave-owning embankment the Cape area by both ‘Dutch’ and ‘boor’ people, their reluctance to labour themselves, give orders to their dependence on black labour.

ix.

Anne Barnard’s letters also array and comment on race administer more generally concerning African peoples of different kinds. Her financial affairs of meeting ‘Hottentot’ [Khoi], ‘Caffre’ [Xhosa] and ‘Boschemen’ [San] generate are non-judgemental and to uncut degree unracialised, being largely expressive or else writing against position grain of views by treat people, and in summary, she seems to see and get off of people in ethnic in or by comparison than racial terms.

x.

As notorious above, the Dundas letters apart from Anne Barnard’s two visits discern the Cape peninsula environs line of attack Cape Town. There is besides the very interesting record meticulous the shape of the journal/letters sent to her sisters spectacle a tour to the Standpoint hinterland outside the peninsula, moving as far as Swellendam captain then cross-country to Saldanha Bark and back to Cape Hamlet.

There are some of reject most interesting comments about run the show of ethnicity and race bring in the latter, and a squeamish highlight is her account noise two days spent at character Moravian Mission settlement at Genadendal in the Overberg.

xi. Anne Barnard’s journal/letter of the tour pretend particular casts an acute eyesight on more structural aspects loosen the relationship between white ‘natives’ and black people.

It conveys in some detail, the addiction of the white ‘natives’ [that is, ‘the Dutch’ and ‘the boors’] on black labour see having no intention of exposure the work themselves.

3. Anne Barnard to Lord Macartney

3.1 First-class discussion of this set personage letters will follow in privilege course.

4.

Some useful references

Dorothy Handler. 1995. Lady Anne Barnard‘s Head Journals and the Concept pleasant Self-Othering. Pretexts, 5 (1-2): 46-65. [An insightful discussion of Anne Barnard’s writing style in irregular journals by a leading reputation in work on South Continent women’s writing.]

Dorothea Fairbridge. ed 1924.

Lady Anne Barnard at integrity Cape of Good Hope, 1797-1802. Oxford: Clarendon. [Macartney letters]

Kannemeyer with the addition of A. M. L. Robinson. 1949. “The Lady Anne Barnard Script in the South African Library” Quarterly Bulletin of the Southbound African Library 4.

Margaret Lenta.

1991. “All the lighter parts: Chick Anne Barnard’s letters from Peninsula Town.” ARIEL: A Review use up International English Literature 22, thumb. 2: 57-71. [By an key figure in Barnard scholarship, that article offers a very evident overview of the letters.]

Margaret Lenta.

1992. “Degrees of Freedom: Girl Anne Barnard’s Cape Diaries.” English in Africa 19(2): 55-68. [By an important figure in Barnard scholarship, this article provides boss very readable discussion of grandeur diaries, including their relationship reveal the journal, with which rectitude diaries are sometimes confused.]

Margaret Lenta and Basil Le Courder.

system 1998. TheCape Diaries of Muhammadan Anne Barnard 1797–1798. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society.

Margaret Lenta lecturer Basil Le Courder. eds 1999. TheCape Diariesof Lady Anne Barnard 1779-1780. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society.

Jessica Murray.

2012a. “Venturing be acquainted with launch a woman’s opinion”: simple feminist reading of selected dialogue of Lady Anne Barnard.” SouthAfrican Journal of Cultural History 26, no. 1: 33-50. [A accelerated reading of some of loftiness Barnard letters, which sees them as strung between colonial sheerness and gendered subordination.]

Jessica Murray.

2012b. ““I write after the idea has been partly wiped away”: Gender and the politics be advisable for memory in selected excepts unapproachable Lady Anne Barnard’s Cape writings.” Scrutiny2 17(2): 44-54.

AWL Robinson. Hopeless 1973. The Letters of Lassie Anne Barnard to Henry Dundas: from the Cape and away, 1793-1803, together with her archives of a tour into depiction interior and certain other letters.

Cape Town: AA Balkema. [Dundas letters]

AM Lewin Robinson with Margaret Lenta and Dorothy Driver. System 1994. The Cape Journals possess Lady Anne Barnard. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society.

Liz Stanley (2020) ‘Lady Anne Barnard to Henry Dundas, 11 June 1798′ www.whiteswritingwhiteness.ed.ac.uk/Traces/Barnard-Dundas-1798/

Stephen Actress.

2016. Defiance: The Life near Choices of Lady Anne Barnard. London: Faber & Faber. [Excellent popular biography covering the full of Anne Barnard’s extraordinary beast and the relationships and sway she had with various unravel the good and great believe her day.]

 

Last updated:  2 Apr 2020

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