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SOUTH AFRICAN HERALDIC WRITERS OF THE 20th CENTURY: ENTHUSIASTIC AMATEURS Robert A. Laing

Department of History and Cultural History University of Pretoria 0001 Pretoria Suid-Afrikaanse heraldiese skrywers van die twintlgste eeu: amateurs

entoesiastiese

Hierdie anikel poog om die omvang van die bydraes van die verskillende twintigsteeeuse heraldiese skrywers tot die mitologie wat heraldiek omgeef, vas te stel. Die term 'heraldis' word gebruik om hierdie stokperdjie-wapenkundiges te beskryf. Die meeste van die plaaslike heraldiste was entoesiastiese amateurs, vir wie heraldiek 'n tydverdryf was en wat familiewapens gebruilc het om werke wat hoofsaaldik genealogies van aard was, te iIlustreer. Daar sal aangetoon word dat 'n stadige neerslag van inIigting menertyd opbou soos heraldiste na mekaar op die werk van hulle voorgangers voonbou. Die anilcel gaan ook poog om die 'bronne' wat die heraldiste gebruik het, te evalueer sodat die juistheid van hulle gevolgtrekkings bepaal kan word. Dit lyk asof die vals, en in die algemeen misleidende bewerings wat SuidAfrikaanse heraldiese dokumentasie karakteriseer. toegeskryf kan word aan 'n gebrek aan formele opleiding aan die kant van die heraldiste.

This anicle anempts to eSlablish the elltent of the contributions of the various 20'" century heraldic writers to the mythology surrounding the perception of heraldry. The term 'heraldist' is used to describe these heraldry hobbyists. The majority of the local heraldists were enthusiastic amateurs who dabbled in heraldry and used coats of arms to illustrate works that were predominantly genealogical in nature. It will be shown that there is a process of gradual accretion that occurs over time as heraldists build on the work of their predecessors. The anicle will attempt to identify the 'source' material used by the various heraldists so as to assess the validity of the inferences they have made. There seems a strong possibility that the false and generally misleading statements that characterise the literature of heraldry in South Africa stems from a lack of formal training on the pan of the heraldists.

Introduction

The public perception of the use of heraldry in previous centuries. in South Africa, is an inaccurate reflection of the truth. This misperception is understandable when seen in the light of the mythology created by the majority of 20th century South African writers on the subject. The major myth is that if a coat of arms ever existed in the past it may be used in the present by anyone with the same or similar surname. The absence of legal provisions or other

S.A. Journal of CulJural History 13(2). November 1999

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57 regulatory measures before 1962 1 made it possible for the attribution of arms not only by mere peddlers but also by heraldists2 to become fairly widespread. The public at large was easily duped by the desire to believe in the possession of arms by families. The majority of the local heraldists were enthusiastic amateurs who dabbled in heraldry and used coats of arms to illustrate works that were predominantly genealogical in nature. Where they did fmd arms in use they retrospectively ascribed these to the original founding fathers that came to South Africa during the 17th and 18th centuries. When they could not fmd arms in use they attributed arms. These were generally derived from J.B. Rietstap's Amwrial General (or the Burke's publications)l and based entirely on a coincidence of the same (or similar) family name. Comelis Pama, who was in a privileged position to arrest the phenomenon, compounded the problem. He argued that the right to assume arms existed under RomanDutch law, but then attributed arms in the same questionable way. Most heraldists have used secondary sources, which they have then used uncritically, adding their own work and publishing it. There is a process of accretion that culminates in Pama's work. This article attempts to establish the extent of the contributions of the various heraldists to the mythology surrounding the perception of heraldry. There seems a strong possibility that the false and generally misleading statements that characterise the literature of heraldry in South Africa stems from a lack of formal training on the part of the heraldists. However, it has been difficult to establish the educational background of some of the heraldists. Formal training in history, law, science or the subject of heraldry may have prevented the traps many of the heraldists walked into. The first of these was to assume that the mere existence of arms signified that everyone bearing the same or similar surnames would be entitled to use the arms, despite there being no evidence of relationship nor direct primogeniture descent in the male line from the owner of the arms. The second trap was assuming that because, for example, a certain Adriaan van Jaarsveld used an armorial seall in 1783, this meant that his similarly named ancestor used the same arms eighty years previously. The probable reality is that the later Adriaan needed a seal as a function of his 9ffice as 'velt Commandant, Camdebo' and that he was therefore the first to assume arms.'

2 3

4

Heraldry Act no. 18 of 1962; H.M. Brownell, The origins and development of the South African Law of Heraldry (LLB minithesis, U.P., 1993). The term 'heraldist' is used to describe these heraldry hobbyists. This is in contradistinction with the term 'herald', which infers deep professional Icnowledge of the subject as well as the law of arms. The latter seems to be the case with Loxton's articles on .. British" arms and Mitford-Barberton's work on the 1820 Settler families. In the case of N. H. Theunissen he devised arms loosely based on Rolland's illustrations to Rietstap's Armorial General. Theunissen sold one of the writer's Laing relatives a scroll with the LEY genealogy out of C.c. de Villiers all changed to LAING and the arms of LAINEK out of Rolland. Unfortunately R.A. Laing's exposure of this fraud (circa 1970) resulted in the destruction of the evidence - Personal communication: Leon Laing to R.A. Laing, Parkhurst, 04-09-1999. These arms show a rider on horseback. Crest: A tree issuant from the wreath, between two flags. The arms are canting and represent a 'jager' on the 'veld' and echoes many of the other arms found at the Cape. These are the easiest kind to verify, as they are a visual 'pun' on the surname (or occupation) of the bearer. Working from Loxton, Pama identified the owner as Adriaan van Jaarsveld, baptised 20-061745; in C. Pama, Die wapens van die ou Afrikaanse families (Kaapstad, 1959), p. 168, endnote 646 "Afgebeeld deur Loxton, Afrikaner-Voorgeslag, p. 20. Ek het die seel nie in die Kaapse Argief kon terugvind nie." R.A. Laing, CtuaJogue of seals in Accession A1396 (No. 58 in the Object Register) in the Cape Town Archives Repository (Johannesburg, 1998) found the seal there as Seal 3.5; F.A. van Jaarsveld, Van Stamvader Adriaan tot Ernst Jacobus van Jaarsveid. reference 30, p. 115 mentions two unpublished dissertations written about his life.

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58 Major sources

The two major sources used by the heraldists have been the Armorial General and the BellKrynauw collection, in the South African Library. 5 These will be briefly discussed in the paragraphs that follow. 1.

Rietstap's Armorial General

The armorial6 compiled by J .B. Rietstap in the middle 1800s was first published at Gouda in 1861. It covers most of Europe, listing over 100 000 arms. Heralds generally consider it reliable even though it contains errors and is far from complete. The biggest drawback is that it seldom gives references. The information is limited to name (generally only the surname), origin (country or province) and arms (often with crest/s, supporters and motto). Victor Rolland illustrated all the arms in Rietstap and its' supplements and published these over the period 1903-1926 in six volumes. These only contain plates, illustrating some 113000 coats of arms (shields only). 2.

The Bell-Krynauw Collection

The earliest known investigation into the state of heraldry in South Africa is the 19th century Bell-Krynauw collection. Charles Davidson Bell (1813-1882) laid the foundation by making drawings of the arms that he found on tombstones and hatchments in the old Groote Kerk in Cape Town (prior to being rebuilt) as well as other sources. An unsuccessful attempt was made to publish this work in September 1861. When Bell returned to Scotland his research went to his brother-in-law Daniel Krynauw (1840-1912) who brought some order to the material. Krynauw was also responsible for making drawings of the seals associated with this collection. These seals were at one time in the Koopmans-De Wet house, but have subsequently been lost. The, still unpublished, manuscript collection is now in the S.A. Library, Cape Town (Accession MSB69). Pama partially fulfilled Bell's dream by including the illustrations and blazons from the Bell-Krynauw collection in his work on the Die wapens van die ou Afrilwanse families and its successors. However, this collection does contain errors. Three known examples are the arms ascribed to Laubscher, Meyer and Dreyer. 7 However, to date no one has done a scientific evaluation of the manuscript.

5 6

7

The latter collection consists of over 230 pages and merits scientific study in its own right. Armorials list family names alphabetically and then provide blazons (verbal descriptions) of the coats of arms. They differ from ordinaries, which list coats of arms analytically by their major features and then provide the name(s) of families who bore those arms. Both Rietstap's Armorial General and Burke's General Armory are examples of armorials. R.A. Laing, 'Popham. (Identification of the arms of Popham and an explanation why the arms given for Laubscher in the 8ell-Krynauw collection cannot be associated with the family.)' ARMA 64, 1973 and Meyer, Dreyer, et al. - Incorrectly attributed arms in the Bell-Krynauw Collection, ARMA, New Series 1(1), August 1995.

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59 South Mricao Heraldists 1.

C.G. Botha8

Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Graham Botha (1883-1973) was South Africa's first Chief Archivist. He was born at Knysna, where his father, the Reverend Michiel Christiaan Botha, was a Dutch Refonned Minister. Initially CGB9 wanted to become a magistrate, and attended law classes at the South African College (now the University of Cape Town). A meeting with the Reverend H.C.V. l..eibbrandt (1837-1911) was to change the direction of his further life completely. l..eibbrandt, at that time head of the Archives of the Cape Colony, showed him the oldest Cape documents. This gradually instilled in CGB an enthusiasm for archives that was to remain with him for the rest of his life. He voluntarily undertook to bring some order to the chaos of the archives of the Office of the Master of the Supreme Court. When l..eibbrandt retired in 1908 it was again CGB who, unpaid, kept the service going, after office hours and on weekends. By a stroke of luck his regiment was sent to London in 1911 to take part in the Coronation celebrations. Afterwards he secured half a year extended leave during which he visited archives in Britain and on the continent of Europe. In this way·he acquired a sound knowledge of the administration of archives. This made him the obvious choice to succeed l..eibbrandt, which he did in 1912. Like his predecessor, he had to tackle an almost superhuman task single-handed. It was his great achievement that by sheer hard work he built an excellent archives department. He understood the importance of good public relations and immediately set to work bringing the Archives to the notice of the general public. This he did through articles in various journals and newspapers. In 1960 these articles were reprinted in the three volumes of his Collected Works. Several of his other books were also reprin~ed. It was under his direction that the Archives started its well-known series Kaapsche Archiefstukken, Voortrekker Archiefstukken and the Archives yearbook for South African history. In 1919 the Union Government decided to amalgamate the four Provincial Archives and Botha was appointed the first Chief Archivist of the Union. He was sent overseas in 1920/21 to visit archives in Europe and North America. A year later he published an account of his research and proposals for a new unified national archives. These proposals were accepted and the Archives Act of 1922 was mainly his work. It remained practically unaltered till 1953. In 1928 he published The public archives of South Africa 1652-1910, still the definitive guide through this labyrinth; In 1934 CGB was responsible for acquiring the building of the University of South Africa in Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town to serve as a new home of the Archives. At that time they were still housed in the basement of the Houses of Parliament. The Cape Town Archives Repository (CT AR) has since moved to the site of the old Goal in Roeland Street, and the Queen Victoria Street premises are now part of the South African Library. Botha was affectionately called 'The Father of South African Archives' and there was every reason for it. The University of South Africa conferred an honorary master's degree on him, whereas the Universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand conferred honorary doctorates. He was a fellow, honorary member, corresponding member and ordinary member of many local and overseas societies including the Genealogical Society of South Africa. Last 8

9

C. Pama, Colin Graham Botha, ARMA 16, 1973 (I), no. 61; J. H. Davies, Colin Graham Botha, 18831973, Sowh African Archives Joumal 15, 1973, pp. 7-19; C.J. Beyers and J.L. Basson(eds.), Dictionary of Sowh African biography V, pp. 72-73. As the abbreviation CGB was one that Colin Graham Botha used personally it will also be used as such in this work.

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60

but not least he was a founder member and Life President of the Heraldry Society of Southern Africa. Colin Graham Botha's interest in heraldry is demonstrated by the collection of his papers in the CTAR (Accession A1813).1O This bears his name and contains numerous paper cuttings on the subject as well as copies of some of his later articles. None of his early work was found there. Pama thought that heraldic research in South Africa owed him a debt of gratitude. II In addition to his work for the Heraldry Society he also served on the honorary advisory board of The Amwrial. This was an international journal that dealt with genealogical and heraldic matters. The journal published an article by CGB in February 1960. (Possibly one of the last articles he wrote). The title was South African genealogy and heraldry. The earliest known heraldic article by Botha was published in the Cape Times in 1909. This was entitled An old escutcheon - Jacobus Moller, of the Cape of Good Hope 1697-1747. It dealt with an unidentified funeral hatchment, at that time hanging on the walls of the old Colonial Archives. Reverend Leibbrandt had rescued this hatchment and several others from the old clock tower of the Groote Kerk, where they had been stacked after the church was rebuilt. These hatchments were subsequently returned to the church. Of the twenty-five hanging there today, four are still unidentified. Botha identified the Moller batchment in 1909. In Accession A1396 (CTAR) is a workbook, which the Archives contend was compiled by CGB. This workbook contains two Moller seals. It seems significant that one of the seals is labelled "Hendrik Jacobus Moller, Batavia 1760, ook van Jacobus Moller, equipagemeester te Cabo .... " 12 CGB was also responsible for finding the beautifully sculptured tombstone of Baron van Aerssen in 1911. This has since disappeared. Although the workbook and the associated pieces only became an official accession in 1963 they have been in the Archives for a long time. They were in the Archives in 1933 when Loxton made use of them to write his articles on the old Afrikaner families. However, Loxton made no comment about either the origin or the possible compiler. Pama used the collection in the late 1950s when he was completing his book on the arms of old Afrikaans families. In an endnote he stated that the origin of the collection was unknown. He conjectured that it had been compiled in the nineteenth century by cutting the seals off letters and then sticking them down individually. He found that where comparison was possible [presumably with the BellKrynauw collection and the Amwrial General] this source was reliable and hence there could be no doubt that the rest of the collection was bona fide. He thought it possible that the archivist H.C.V. Leibbrandt might have been responsible. ll Leibbrandt died in 1911 at the age of 64. It is possible that he collected seals. However, the paper of the workbook is watermarked. There are two watermarks. The one has the initials GSB and the motto 'Pro Patria' together with a pictorial scene of a knight and a unicorn on a mound surrounded by a palisade. The second has the initials GR under a Royal Crown. The writer has had little success in establishing the papennaker. The cipher GR under a Royal Crown would indicate that the paper was not made before the succession of George V to the throne in 1910. This makes it unlikely that Leibbrandt played any part in the compilation of the workbook.

10

11

12 13

Colin Graham Botha received a grant of arms from the College of Arms, London, 6 February 1947; the present writer was able to purchase several books from Botha's collection, after his death. Two of these had letters inside indicating that CGB corresponded with L.G. Pine and A.R. Wagner. C. Pama, Heraldiek in Suid-Afrilw. inscription in a copy of the book given to CGB: "Aan Dr. C. Graham Botha aan wie die heraldiese ondersoek in Suid-Afrika soveel verskuldig is - van die skrywer. C. Pama. 14.11.1956." Now in the possession of Roben A. Laing, P.O. Box 81011, Parkhurst, 2120. R.A. Laing, Catalogue of seals in Accession AJ396 .... C. Pama, Die wapens van die 014 Afrilwansefamilies (Kaapstad, 1959), p. 166, endnote 576.

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61 The Archives contend that Colin Graham Botha was the compiler and the writer feels that there is sufficient evidence to support this contention. He compared the writing in the workbook with that in a manuscript article written by Graham Botha in the 1960s (Accession A1813 (101) in the CTAR). The writer is not a graphologist but spent time in his youth doing handwriting analysis. Although the writing was fifty years apart there were many points of similarity between the two. In particular, in both cases the capital letter A has a little curl starting the upright and there is a little knot in the centre. The capital letters P and R all have a little space between the upright and the top curve. The handwriting slopes downward, from left to right. This is very pronounced in the later manuscript. It may be worthwhile to have the comparison done by an expert. In addition to the attribution by the Archives there seems sufficient internal and external evidence that the compiler was Botha. He not only had access to the source material, but there are also notes to him and by him included in the miscellaneous material. In 1908 Botha was in the Master's Office. This would have supplied a rich source of letters and envelopes, which may have been the basis of the workbook. It is interesting to note how many of the seals are those of company officials, notaries, doctors and widows. In addition there are seals of the Orphan Chamber and other 'official' seals. Coupled with actual notes to and from CGB found in the accession, this all plays a part in providing internal evidence that he was the compiler of the workbook. 2.

A.W.B. Smuts

A.W.B. Smuts (1879-1944)14 was the author of 'Some old Cape families - their history and romance' . This article appeared in the Argus Union - pageant souvenir and Xmas number, 1910. Smuts used 35 coats of arms to illustrate a two-and-a-half page article that took a romantic look at some of the more prominent Cape families. Smith thought that the majority of these arms were from the Bell-Krynauw collection. All were drawn on what Smith refers to as an 'accolade' shield ll (Fig. 1 & 2). The writer feels that the arms are not so much derived from the Bell-Krynauw collection, but rather came directly from Daniel Krynauw (1840-1912). Not only is the style the same, but also when one compares the drawings with those in the genealogical charts compiled by Krynauw it is obvious that there is a direct correspondence. It seems meaningful that at least 14 of the 35 bear the same surnames as ancestors of Daniel Krynauw. The Van Breda arms have the same error in both Smuts and Krynauw. The Krynauw and Gie families (surnames of the parents of Daniel Krynauw) could hardly be placed amongst the more prominent Cape families, yet they appear in Smuts's article. The arms for Lombard (derived initially from the Bell-Krynauw tray) were labelled Jordaan in the Smuts' article!6 Smuts concludes his article by stating that that the "FAMILY ARMS, some of which are reproduced in the plates which accompany this article ... form but a modest group-culled from 14

IS

16

C. de J. Smith, Persoonlike wapens in Suid-AfrilaJ: 'n heraldiese studie (M.A.-verhandeling, U.P., 1995), pp. 15-16. The dates for Smuts, Loxton, Kannemeyer and Theunissen are given by Smith, who obtained this information from Pama - Personal communication: 04-02-1999. No biographical information has been traced on these four heraldislS. C. de J. Smith, Persoonlike wapens in Suid-Afrika. .. , p. II. The source of the word in an heraldic sense is obscure. The shield is straight across the top with two smallish triangles at each top comer, straight lines down and then gentle curved lines down to a point at the bottom. It was common in British heraldry in the 18th and 19th centuries with echoes into the 20th. It was not unusual to find it in Crockford's Clerical directory in the early 1920s. (Oral communication from F.G. Brownell: 09-041999.) R.A. Laing, The Bell-Krynauw tray, Africana notes and news 27 (I), March 1986, pp. 16-24.

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62

52

.Jlrgus Union - Pageant Souvenir and Xmas :J{umber. 1910.

~---

Figure 1. Anns of old Cape families. From: Argus Union - PagealU Souvenir and Xmas number. 1910, p. 52.

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63

.,Argus Union - 'Pageant Souvenir and X mas :J\[umber,

'9' 0,

Figure 2. Arms of old Cape famlhes. From: Argus Union - Pagealll SouI'enir and Xmas number, 1910, p. 53.

53

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64

a small collection in the possession of the writer. Many more could have been secured had I the time at my disposal to do so, but I trust that the few printed here will bear evidence to the fact that these early settlers were descendants of families of influence in their motherland. In those days armorial bearings were more thought of than nowadays, and the right to assume them by no means easily obtained. Perhaps some day a South African Burke or Debrett will take the collection of these interesting relics of ancient days in hand, and publish a complete list for our benefit. "17 The above mentioned comment reflects the perception that existed, and which still exists, that if a coat of arms is found in use it must have arrived here with the ancestor. Coats of arms have been assumed since time immemorial, yet the majority of writers seem to present a case for historical arms. 3.

A. Dreyer

The Reverend Andries Dreyer (1872-1938) was variously missionary, church historian and archivist of the Dutch Reformed Church, journalist and Africana collector. The University of South Africa awarded him an honorary doctorate in literature in 1937 in recognition of his publications on church history and source material and his valuable collection of Africana. 18 A collection of his correspondence, biographical articles and heraldic drawings was compiled by Comelis Parna and presented to the South African Library in Cape Town over the period 19821984. This forms the Dreyer Collection (Accession MSBI56). Pama included a memorandum with the archivalia when he made the final submission. 19 There he mentioned that what was less known [about Dreyer] was that he did genealogical and heraldic work on a limited scale, and for payment: he drew arms and compiled ancestral tables. In a certain sense he was the first professional genealogist and heraldist in South Africa. 20 The correspondence indicates that during the 19205 Dreyer had a lucrative income from providing 'family' coats of arms to interested parties. Two invoices in the collection show that Dreyer placed an order for 25 Malan coats of arms with the firm W.H. Armstrong on 1 May 1921 (Fig. 3). They were engravers, die-sinkers and ticket writers of 60 Plein Street, Cape Town. A further order for a dozen Le Roux arms was placed with the same firm on 23 May 1921. The latter cost £2/10. 21 As Dreyer sold hand-coloured sketches at a £1110 each, that made him a six hundred percent profit. Any of his customers who produced new orders earned a commission of 2/6. It has been difficult to establish where Dreyer obtained his heraldic information. It would seem that he used several sources. In the case of a Murray coat of arms supplied in 1922, Smith identified the source as Burke's lAnded Gentry.22 There seems to be evidence that Dreyer used both the Bell-Krynauw collection and the work of Smuts. Evidence for the BellKrynauw collection can be found in at least two examples. The arms of Maasdorp are similar 17 18 19

20

21 22

A.W.B. Smuts, Some old Cape families - their history and romance, Argus Union - pageant souvenir and Xmas number, 1910, p. 55. W.J. de Kock (ed.), Dictionary of South African biography /, pp. 256-257. C. Pama, Memorandum insake eerw. A. Dreyer se versameling. Kaapstad, 23-01-1984 (MSBI56). In the memorandum Pama equated Dreyer's work with the Bell-Krynauw Collection - this places undue emphasis on Dreyer, who was a minor player on the heraldic scene. "Minder bekend is dat hy op beperkte skaal en teen betaling ook genealogiese en heraldiese werk verrig het: wapens geteken het, afstamrnelinge opgestel e.d. In seker (sic) sin was hy die eerste professionele genealoog en heraldikus in Suid-Afrika. " C. de J. Smith, Persoonlike wapens in Suid-Afrika ... , pp. 12-13. C. de J. Smith, Persoonlike wapens in Suid-Afrika ... , p. 14.

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65

1l!l,.. l.,,;n Figure 3. Template of the coat of arms of Malan. Dreyer collection, South African Library, Cape Town, MSB 156.

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66

Figure 4. Drawing of the coat of arms of Maasdorp. Dreyer collection, South African Library, Cape Town, MSB 156.

to the seal drawn by Krynauw (BK325),23 whereas the Le Sueur arms as found in Dreyer's work are a copy of arms drawn in a letter that was sent to Bell 24 (Fig. 4-7). The 10rdaan arms are the same 'incorrect' arms as illustrated by Smuts. There also seems evidence that Dreyer used Rietstap. The arms of Hugo H are those of a similarly named family from Lorraine and appear in the Armorial General. Dreyer had no less than three different Le Roux coats of arms. One of these was from the Armorial General and was for a Catholic family who remained in France. 26 The more usual Le Roux arms, as popularised by Dreyer in the 1920's, seem to derive from information supplied by a member of the family. Dreyer implied that he had made inquiries overseas. In a letter, written to a Mr. George Ie Roux in 1926, he averred that as a result of his historic research into the Huguenot families in this country he had come into possession of the Le Roux coat of arms directly from Europe. 21 One is led to wonder whether these are the same arms,

23

24 25 26 27

This seal was unidentified by Pama and is not mentioned in the Memorandum; C. de J. Smith, Persoonlike wapens in Suid-Afrika ... , p.13, mentions an unidentified coat of arms which he presumes to be a Neethling variant or association's arms. This is incorrect as the inclusion of Neethling rests solely on a photograph of a snuffbox engraved with the Neethling arms. There is also a copy of a bookplate of 'Le Sueur des Fn!snes' in the Dreyer collection. Armorial General (p. 1(04) - arms of Hugo (Lorraine) as: Azure, on a chief Argent, two martlets Sable. Crest: a vol (un vol-banneret) Azure. charged with afess Argent. W.G. Ie Roux. Om aan te prow:, p. 88. W.G. Ie Roux. Om aan te prow:. p. 88 - "In verband met myn histories onderzoek omtrent de Hugenoten families in ons land. ben ik 'n tyd ge\eden in bezit gekomen direkt uit Europa, van het Le Roux-familiewapen. "

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67

FIgure 5. Sketcb of Maasdorp seal by D. Krynauw. BeU-Krynauw coUection, South African Library, Cape Town, MSB 69.

mentioned five years earlier, that an attorney and notary public from Hopefield, A.K. Ie Roux, wished to use to make a 'Notarial Seal' in 'brass', should the arms look good. 2I Most of Dreyer's customers were satisfied with the results. Dr. WiIIem G. Ie Roux stated that as a result of Reverend Dreyer's enthusiasm, the Le Roux arms (and he thought many other Huguenot arms) were prized possessions in many homes, where they appeared as framed adornment. 29 Not all the customers were as enthusiastic. Christo Smith mentions an

28

29

S.A. Library, Cape Town: Dreyer CoUection: A.K. Ie Roux, Hopefield - A.A. Dreyer, Cape Town, 20-05-1921; "Ik wil ook graag cen 'Notarial seal' in 'brass' wil laat maken als bet wapen goed voorkomt." W.O. Ie Roux, Om QQII Ie proux, p. 88. - "Danksy die ywer van eerw. Dreyer het die Le Roux-wapen (en ons neem aan ook baie van die ander Hugenote familiewapens) in vele buise as geraamde versiering kon pryk."

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68 4.

A.G. Loxton

A.E. Auret who, on 20 May 1921, returned both an Auret and a De Villiers coat of arms because they were shoddy. 30 Allen G. Loxton (1898-1969) first appeared on the genealogical and heraldic scene in 1933 when he published Die Afrikaner-voorgeslLJg met familiewapens. This was a genealogical work illustrated with 53 seals or coats of arms of old Afrikaans families. In the foreword the author stated that the greatest care was taken in establishing the arms. This was done in order to counteract the harm already done by forgers of coats of arms and family trees, by collecting authentic designs and publishing them. As there was no official South African heraldic authority these could get lost or be misinterpreted. 31 His statement could have applied to N.H. Theunissen who was to arrive on the scene a decade later. It may explain why Theunissen was so critical of Loxton's book. He mourned the fact that Loxton had not been very thorough in his research and in many instances only illustrated his work with reproductions of seals taken from documents.32 Loxton made extensive use of the seal collection in Accession A1396 (CTAR) in finding 'authentic designs'. No less than 33 of the 53 designs are to be found in this accession. The balance consis~ of designs found partly in the Bell-Krynauw collection and partly in Dutch works on the subject. 33 There is an instance where the arms for 'Ras' head an article titled 'Strydom·. However, the family Ras is handled on the same page and the table of contents clearly states that the arms are meant for Ras. l4 The writer feels that this work of Loxton is more honest in its approach than many of its successors. The success of this work may have been the reason that spurred Loxton to write a series of articles on Some Settler families. J5 The coats of arms and crests that were used to illustrate these articles were reproduced in H.E. Hockly's work on the 1820 Settlers. 36 Hockly reproduced them with the permission of both Loxton and,the Cape Argus, but added the rider: "Some of the families concerned, e.g. Shepstone, Robinson and Southey, can validly claim to be entitled to the armorial bearings here produced, but in many cases no such right probably exists ... 37 As a group, it is not possible to identify where these arms came from. Some probably carne from various Burke' publications. The arms of Moodie and Shepstone seem to be from bookplates and the Southey arms are as drawn by Daniel Krynauw. Some of these arms also appeared in Pama's Heraldry of South African families. Although Pama cited Hockley's (sic.) work in the bibliography the arms have not migrated as a group.

30 31

32 33

34 35 36 37

C. de J. Smith. Persoonlike wapens in Suid-Afrika. ..• p. 14. NOTE: There is a drawing of an Auret coat of arms in the loose material in accession A1396 in the CTAR. This is in the style of Dreyer. A.G. Loxton. Die Afrikaner-voorgeslag met familiewapens. Voorwoord: ·Veral wat betref die wapenontwerpe is die grootste noukeurigheid beoefen, want hierdie boekie het verder ten doel om in 'n mate die kwaad wat reeds gedoen is