It was here that Colonel Jacob Cuyler's camp stood when he supervised the settlement of the 1820 settlers on their allotments. Proclaimed: 02-08-1968. (Richardson, D. 2001:9)
Wording on information plaque
THIS TOPOSCOPE WAS ERECTED
IN 1968 BY THE 1820 SETTLERS
NATIONAL MONUMENT COMMITTEE. TO
SHOW THE DIRECTION, & THE DISTANCE
FROM THIS SITE. OF THE LOCATIONS
OF THE PARTIES IN THE SETTLEMENT
MILES
LOCATION
LEADER
COUNTY
SHIP
INFORMATION ON PLAQUES
HIERDIE TOPOSKOOP IS IN 1968
DEUR DIE 1820 - SETLAARS - NASIONALE
MONUMENTKOMITEE OPGERIG OM DIE
RIGTING AAN TE DUI. ASOOK DIE
AFSTAND VANAF HIERDIE TERREIN. VAN
DIE PLEKKE WAAR DIE GESELSKAPPE
IN DIE NEDERSETTING GEVESTIG IS
MYL
PLEK
LEIER
GRAAFSKAP
SKIP
INLIGTING OP GEDENKPLATE
_____________________
Wording on directional plaque
6½
NEW GLOUCESTER
BRADSHAW
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
KENNERSLEY
_____________________
Wording on Historical Monuments Commission plaque
CLOSE TO THIS SITE IN 1820 COLONEL JACOB
CUYLER MADE HIS CAMP WHILE SUPERVISING
THE PLACING OF THE SETTLERS ON THEIR
LOCATIONS. WHILE CAMPED HERE AT THE SAME
TIME SIR RUFANE DONKIN CHOSE THE SITE FOR
THE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE TO BE NAMED
BATHURST. THE BEACON WAS ERECTED BY CAPTAIN
W. BAILEY AS AN OBSERVING STATION DURING
HIS SURVEY OF THE EASTERN DISTRICTS, 1855-1859.
HISTORICAL MONUMENTS COMMISSION
1968
NABY HIERDIE PLEK HET KOLONEL JACOB CUYLER
IN 1920 SY KAMP OPGESLAAN. DAARVANDAAN HET
HY TOESIG GEHOU OOR DIE PLASING VAN DIE
SETLAARS OP HULLE STANDPLASE. SIR RUFANE
DONKIN SE KAMP HET TEGELYERTYD HIER GESTAAN
TOE HY DIE PLEK VIR DIE ADMINISTRATIEWE SETEL,
WAT BATHURST GENOEM SOU WORD, AANGEWYS HET.
DIE BAKEN IS DEUR KAPTEIN W. BAILEY AS 'N
WAARNEMINGSPUNT OPGERIG TOE HY DIE OOSTELIKE
DISTRIKTE IN 1855-1859 OPGEMEET HET.
HISTORIESE MONUMENTEKOMMISSIE
1968
_____________________
Wording on Inauguration plaque
THIS TOPOSCOPE WAS
INAUGURATED ON
SETTLERS DAY 2 SEPTEMBER 1968
BY IA MACKENZIE ESQ. D.S.O
_____________________
Wording on plaque
THIS TOPOSCOPE HAD
ITS ORIGIN IN THE
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
OF E. MORSE JONES ESQ
2018 (See adjacent newspaper article)
After some years of neglect and vandalism, the Toposcope has been restored, celebrated recently during the fiftieth anniversary of the monument. The original plaques were bronze but many of them had been feloniously chiseled off and sold as scrap metal. These have been replaced by granite. The monument has also been enlarged to include six cairns with plaques naming the Xhosa king and five chiefs who, with their clans, resided in the area at the time of the arrival of the English Settlers.
Transcript of the 2018 Commemorative granite plaque:
ELI THALA LAKHIWE NGOMNYAKA WAMAWAKA AMABINI
ANESHUMI ELINESIBHOZO (1028) LISISIKHUMBUZO SEE
NKOSI AZAZIHLALA KWELI LE MPUMA KOLONI NGEXESHA
LOKUFIKA KWABEMI BASE BRITANE NGOMNYAKA WE WAKA
ELINAMAKHULU ASIBHOZO ANAMESHUMI AMABINI (1820)
ELI LITYE LICHAZA AMAGAMA, AMAKOMKHULU, IINDLELA
KWAKUNYE NEMIGAMA YEMAYILE ESINGISE KWII NTLANTI
ZEZO NKOSI. NGELO XESHA.
___________________________________
THIS TERRACE WAS BUILT IN 2018 TO COMMEMORATE THE
XHOSA CHIEFS WHO LIVED IN THE EASTERN CAPE AT THE
TIME OF ARRIVAL OF THE BRITISH SETTLERS IN 1820.
THE PLAQUES INDICATE THEIR NAMES, CHIEFDOMS, DIRECTION
AND THE DISTANCE IN MILES TO THEIR KRAALS AT THE TIME.
___________________________________
THE WORK WAS CARRIED OUT BY THE HISTORIC BATHURST
AND THE ROTARY CLUB OF PORT ALFRED WITH FUNDS
AND MATERIALS DONATED BY LOCAL BUSINESSES AND
RESIDENTS.
Books that reference Bailey's Beacon and 1820 Toposcope | Oberholster, JJ. 1972. The historical monuments of South Africa. Cape Town: Rembrandt Van Rijn Foundation for Culture at the request of the National Monuments Council. pg 151 | | Richardson, Deirdré. 2001. Historic Sites of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. pg 9 |
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