The first inhabitants of the Maclear district were the San: correct spelling Xan with a click for the X. Many years later when the European settlers arrived, they called them the Bushmen. According to the Standard Encyclopedia for Southern Africa they were a short, predominantly hunting and food gathering people whose remnants today are only found in die Kalahari Desert. Archaeological remains indicate that they appeared 12 000 years ago in South Africa and specifically 5 000 years ago in the Maclear area. They were related to the Negroid branch of mankind and especially to the Sandawe of Tanzania in Central Africa.

The San are small of stature and classed as being of pygmy size. Most notably of their stature is a hollowing of their backs, big buttocks and thighs. The abdomen prominent, the skin folded and of a yellowish colour. Flat noses, small or no earlobes, small hands and feet. The hair arranged in isolated tufts. They adjusted themselves to the circumstances where they lived. If game was abundant they hunted with bow and arrow. Otherwise they gathered berries, roots or other food from the veld. If they stayed near the sea, they gathered seafood like oysters. In the Maclear area, game as well as food from the veld, were plentiful. They roamed through the rolling green hills and the rocky mountains and found shelter in the numerous caves. Plenty firewood and numerous streams with clean and fresh water. They loved to paint under overhanging rocks and caves and in doing so left a record of themselves and the way in which they lived.

They did not marry. Child-bearing started early, commonly before the girl was old enough for her wisdom teeth to have erupted. According to their paintings they did not wear any clothes. The men were usually painted with a big and erect penis. A stick was pierced through the skin in die centre of the penis so that sexual intercourse could not be practiced freely and could be controlled.

They also painted figures, part animal-part man, their gods and shamans. The most popular game painted by them was the eland [Taurotragus Oryx]. They believed that these animals were the strongest of all game and that their strength were stored in their fat, especially that of the old bulls. They also believed that the eland knew where their creator was and that they always gathered in his vicinity so as to answer on his call. On the farm Chamisso there is a painting of a ship being wrecked on the rocks. On the farm Craigmore there is a painting of a wagon drawn by oxen and driven by white people. Possible the arrival of the first white settlers. On the farm Rockwater there is a painting of a donkey. The first donkeys were brought to Maclear in 1862 by the Griquas. This painting is possible one of the last painted by the San in the district. Because the last of them were seen in that area was during 1873.

During 1932 big stone blocks with San paintings were removed from caves on the farms Linton and Zamenkomst for display in the South African Museum in Cape Town. Many paintings are today still to be seen in the district, especially on the farms like Boncourt, Chamisso, Chillingly, Craigmore, Forest Reserve Mooi River, Glen Cullen, Labyrinth, Lancelot, Maclear Commonage, Madonel, Northam, Riverside, Roseg, Serengia and Weatherley.

The San language had five clicks: c = tongue against the back of the front teeth: q = tongue against the palate: q! = tongue down after lower front teeth: x = in the right corner of the mouth and x! = in the left corner of the mouth. The river flowing past the present town of Maclear was called by them the Nx!anx!aghu. This means the place where the zebras, Burchell's species [Equidae Burchelli] grazed. This in fact was also the first name for the later village eventually called Maclear.

The Mpondomise [meaning the warriors with the straight/erect horns] an isiXhosa speaking tribe of the Nguni people, who emigrated from Central Africa, crossed the Drakensberg round about 1420 and settled along the tributaries of the Ndenxa River in the present district of Maclear. Ndenxa relates to the bubbling sound made by a pot of boiling water. Water running over rocks in a stream resembles the sound. Decendants of the Mpondomise later on changed the name of the river to Mbisa, meaning a pot. When the white people arrived in the area the river became known as the Pot River.

The Mpondomise gradually spread throughout the whole of the present district of Maclear. But they were not happy with their newfound country. It was too cold in the winter, too wet in the summer. The crops planted by them failed. The grass was too sour and not edible for their cattle. They gradually left the higher plateau of the area and moved down to lower lying, warmer and more fertile country in the vicinity of Tsolo and Qumbu. Only a small number of them stayed in the area at Joelshoek, the origin of the Little Pot River.

In the IsiXhosa language there are three click sounds: c = with the tongue against the upper fore teeth: q = with the tongue against the palate and x = in the right corner of the mouth. Their "r" sound is pronounced similar to the Afrikaans "g". The name and meaning of the river next to the town of Maclear was kept to a large extent identically to the San by them. In their language the spelling changed to Nqanqaru.

During 1832 Ncapayi, an outcast of the isiXhosa speaking AmaBhaca tribe, and his followers roamed through the present Mount Fletcher, Maclear and Elliot districts and stayed up to 1853 at several places in the area. The part where they lived then became known as Kapaailand. Afrikaans and English speaking whites could not pronounce the click sound of the "c" in his name and changed it to Kapaai.

The word Ncapayi is derived from the AmaBhaca dialect of IsiXhosa phrase "ukuthi Chapha", meaning the first rays of the rising sun. He was born at that time of the day and named as such by his grandmother, who was the midwife.

When the Mpondomise left the plateau at the foot of the Drakensberg the British Government annexed the area on 14 July, 1873 and created a separate colony known as St. John's Territory. It was divided into two districts namely GATBERG [Afrikaans meaning a mountain with a hole in its top] and TSITSA [isiXhosa for water oozing from the ground on the rocks].

The main administrative centre of the colony was situated at Chevy Chase near Katkop, half-way between Maclear and Mount Fletcher. Mr. F. W. Rutters had a shop there. Mr. J. M. Orpen, well known surveyor and inhabitant of Barkly East, was appointed as Chief Executive Magistrate. The district of Gatberg had two magistrates - one at Chevy Chase [Mr. F. P. Gladwin] and one at Nqanqaru, later Maclear [Capt. John Rodger Thomson]. Tsitsa also had two - one at Old Tsolo [Mr. A. R. Welsh] and one at Qumbu[Mr. Hamilton Hope].

The name St. John was derived from the Portuguese ship, San Joâo [St. Johns] that was wrecked on 8 June 1522 at the mouth of the Mzimvubu River [isiXhosa meaning the home of the hippopotamus, at present the town called Port St. Johns. After the incident the Portuguese called the river Rio de San Joâo [St. John's River]. The river originates in the Maclear and Mount Fletcher Drakensberg and flows through the districts of Tsolo and Qumbu i.e. the whole area covered by the colony.

On 12 June 1876 the British Government decided to annex the whole area between the Mtata and Mzimkulu Rivers [excluding Pondoland] and to attach it to the Cape Colony. This area consisted of New Griqualand, Bhacaland and St. John's Territory and became known as Griqualand East. It was divided into eight districts namely Gatberg [the present Maclear and Mount Fletcher districts], Tsolo, Qumbu, Mount Frere, Mount Ayliff, Matatiele, Mount Currie and Umzimkulu.

Although Griqualand East was legally part of the Cape Colony it was administrated as a separate entity with a Chief Executive Magistrate at Kokstad. On 31 May 1910 it joined the Union of South Africa as part of the Cape Province. By means of an Act of 1913 and Proclamation Nr. 37 of 1914 the District of Maclear was cut off from Griqualand East and became in full part of the Cape Province on 23 January 1915.

The Griquas were a small independent nation, descendants of the Khoi-khoi from the west coast of Southern Africa and of mixed blood due to people from shipwrecks, fleeing criminals and freed slaves who joined them. During 1800/1825 they moved and founded the country Griqualand, round about the present city of Kimberley. When diamonds were discovered in the area they got involved in a dispute with the British Government.

After the Mpondomise left the present Maclear district, Sir George Grey, at that stage the British governor of the Cape Colony claimed the vacant area to his disposal. He negotiated with Adam Kok, leader of the Griquas and offered them the land in exchange for their country near Kimberley. He convinced them to move eastwards and to create a new Griqualand. During 1861 Kok sent a commission to investigate the offered country. He accepted Grey's offer and moved. They settled in die present districts of Matatiele, Mount Currie and Mzimkulu. In doing so the present Kokstad was founded in 1862 in the Mount Currie district and it became the capital of New Griqualand. Old Griqualand then became known as Griqualand West.

The Griquas always quarreled amongst themselves. While moving to Kokstad a group broke away and settled in the present Maclear district, mainly at Ugie, at that stage known as Inxu Drift and partly at Maclear - at that stage known as Nqanqaru.

Due to the continuous disagreements between the different groups of Griquas the leader Adam Kok III, asked the British Government for an administrator. They yielded to the request and took New Griqualand on 25 March 1875 under guardianship.

[a]. Portuguese. On 24th March, 1593 the Portuguese ship Sao Alberto, on it's way from Cochin, East India to Lisbon was wrecked on the East Coast of S. A. on the rocks near the mouth of the Mbashe River. The captain of the ship Nuno Pereira, the pilot Rodrigo Migueis, 125 Portuguese men and women and 160 slaves survived the accident. The next day they decided to walk toe Lourenco Marques, now Maputo, in Mozambique where there was a Portuguese settlement. Two Portuguese priests, one carrying a wooden cross, led the company. After 121 days of hardships and difficulty, 115 Portuguese and 65 slaves reached Maputo.

The route followed by them passed a few miles south of the present Maclear. According to all historical records they were the first Europeans ever to enter the area. A portrayal of this procession was painted by the San in a cave on the farm Ben Strachan in the Inxu Gorge ward of the present Maclear district. During 1895 this and adjoining farms were cut off from Maclear and incorporated into the Tsolo district. It is not known if the painting is today still visible and accessible.

[b]. Sir Thomas Maclear, His Majesty the King of England's Astronomer at the Cape Colony, while remeasuring and extending the arc of the meridian, arrived during November 1843 at the Nqanqaru River. See Why Maclear?

[c]. Dutch/Afrikaans Frontiers. Die Dutch/Afrikaans speaking frontiers of the Cape Colony were dissatisfied with the way they were treated by the British Government and they sent an expedition to the present Kwazulu Natal province of the RSA to investigate the possibility of leaving the Cape Colony and to settle there.

On 14th January, 1834 a party under leadership of Piet Uys left Grahamstown in fourteen ox wagons. On 30th January they passed Gatberg and spent the night of 31st January at Nqanqaru[Maclear]. Uys named the river the Mooi [pretty] River and up to date it is known under that name.

A member of the San painted one of these ox wagons under an overhanging rock on the farm Craigmore. With the permission of Mondi Paper Co. the spot can be visited.

[d]. English. The first white man to settle in the present Maclear district was the medical doctor and missionary Rev. William Murray. He was born on 15 July 1837 at Newdeer near Tillinamoult, New Pitsligo in the county Aberdeenshire in Scotland. He was the son of John and Isabella Murray., John was a shoemaker and farmer who rented a small plot on the banks of the Ugie River.

William started school in New Pitsligo and eventually became a medical doctor. He gave his heart to God when he was still very young and always dreamt to do missionary work in Dark Africa. He was a member of the Congregational Church of Scotland but after being qualified as doctor, studied for minister of the Church of Scotland. With the assistance of the London Missionary Society he was sent to the Cape Colony to do mission work under the Griquas.

William married Ann Elliott on 20 April 1861 and their first child Ann Isabella was born on 1 February 1862. On 27 July 1862 Dr. Murray, his wife and child left by steamer of the Union Line from Southhampton for the Cape. On 24 August they arrived at Port Elizabeth. Via Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort they traveled by ox wagon to Hackney in the Queenstown district. On the way in the Katberg they were caught in a snowstorm. Due to all the hardship they went through the Murray's' daughter Ann died the same night of their arrival at Hackney on 9 September and Mrs. Murray the following day. The death of his family was a heavy blow to this young man.

Griquas from Inxu Drift came by ox wagon to fetch Rev. Murray at Hackney. They arrived back at Inxu Drift on 8 March 1863. While standing on the banks of the Inxu River Murray became homesick and as the river, the mountains and vegetation reminded him of his birthplace he changed the name of his missionary to Ugie. He was the first white man to settle permanently in the area called Kapaailand at that stage.

In Scotland the name Ugie is pronounced as "Oogie". The name comes from the word "oorie" or "ougie" from the Vikings of Iceland and means to get cold, literally "to shiver of the cold". In isiXhosa it is pronounced as Dyoki.

As stated before, the Griquas moved from the Kimberley area to the present Kokstad during 1862. A small group of them broke away and settled the same year in the present district of Maclear.

Due to the foundation of New Griqualand and especially Kokstad a new country with new prospects was opened. Traders were interested to open shops and other businesses. Ox wagon traffic from the Cape Colony via Dordrecht increased. The wagon tracks eventually became roads. The wagons used to stay over for a night at Inxu Drift or Nqanqaru Drift. When the rivers were in flood they had to stay over for even a week or longer. Horse and Scotch Carts had to do the same.

Griqua craftsmen settled at the drifts. They repaired wagons and carts, supplied fresh oxen or horses, draught material and harnesses, supplied meat and vegetables, mended sails and canvas etc......The settlements gradually developed in villages.

In 1863 Rev. William Murray arrived at Inxu Drift to start a missionary. A house was built for him. A church had to be built. He started the first school. The name of the Griqua village was changed to Ugie. In 1872 the second white man, in the person of Henry Dugmore settled there and opened the first small hotel - in fact, more a liquor shop than a hotel. In 19 February 1874 the Allen brothers from Cradock arrived. William opened the first trading station at Ugie and Richard at Nqanqaru Drift. White, English speaking, farmers started to settle in the area.

The year before, namely 1873, when the Colony called St. John's territory was created, magistracy was opened at Nqanqaru Drift. In 1882 the name of the village was changed to Maclear.

Gradually the two villages developed into townships.

The annexation of the area between the Mtata and Mzimkulu Rivers [that became Griqualand East] by the British Government brought no peace to the area. The inhabitants, especially the Mpondomise tribe, were dissatisfied with the hut tax they had to pay to the Cape Colony. Their outlook of life and their customs differed from that of the white man. All the magistrates of the different districts were British and they tried to force their ideas from "home" on the primitive people.

After a few years of British government the table was laid for rebellion. On 23 October 1880 Mr. Hamilton Hope, magistrate of Qumbu and his two assistants messrs. Charles Henman and Robert Warren were murdered at Sulenkama, halfway between Nqanqaru and Qumbu.

Mr. A. R. Welsh was attacked at Old Tsolo on 24 October. He, the few white inhabitants and the black police had to flee and took shelter in the prison, the only building with stone walls and an iron roof, in the village at that stage. They kept the Mpondomise at distance till they were relieved eight days later by Colonial forces. All the other buildings in the village were burnt down. After the war the town of Tsolo was rebuilt - not at the old site - but where it is situated at present. Tsolo, isiXhosa, means sharp i.e. a mountain with a sharp top.

The magistracy and trading station at Chevy Chase was attacked. Fortunately all the buildings had stone walls and iron roofs. Messrs. Gladwin and Rutters successfully defended the site in two battles namely 25 October and 4 November.

After several white traders were murdered in the district, Nqanqaru was attacked on 6 November [see chapter on the siege of Maclear] and the village of Ugie on 8 November.

The white inhabitants of Ugie and a few loyal Griquas fled to the liquor store of Mr. A. R. Muggleton, the only building in the village with stone walls and an iron roof. All the other buildings in the village were burnt down including the liquor shop of Mr. Mark Bodley. Before the latter was burnt down the Mpondomise removed all the liquor and started to celebrate. That night while all of them lay drunk, the white and Griqua fugitives could flee, at first to the trading store at Nelani and afterwards to Nqanqaru.

When the message came through that the Mpondomise were on their way to attack Ugie, the trader William Allen and his son seized their horses and chased to Dordrecht, a neighboring town about 120 kilometers away, to call for help.

When the Mpondomise attacked Nqanqaru on 6 November 1880, Capt. J. R. Thomson, magistrate, ordered all whites, their servants and loyal Griquas to flee to the magistrates office. The attack was warded off successfully but all the buildings in the rest of the village were burnt down.

The Mpondomise besieged the fugitives in the magistrate's office. As the inhabitants of Ugie and surviving traders from the district joined them their number grew up to 51 whites and 35 non-whites.

Toilet sessions and the preparation of food were held outside the building under the watchful eyes of a few armed men. At night a few brave men took turns to slip through the links of the Mpondomise to gather water in buckets, vegetables from raided gardens and to steal back some of their own sheep captured by the Mpondomise for provision of meat.

A message for help was sent by horseback to Dordrecht but by some or other misunderstanding the Colonial forces went to the wrong place. When the fugitives' supply of ammunition was almost exhausted and they were already desperate and gave up all hope of being saved, shots were heard on 28 December in the distance. They immediately knew that help was eventually on way. They rushed out of the building and each and everyone who could handle a rifle fired shots with the remaining ammunition at the Mpondomise. Joy overwhelmed them and they embraced the soldiers of Cmdt. B. Jenner from Queenstown on their arrival.

Cmdt. Jenner immediately started with preparations for the relief of the people besieged in the magistrate's office at Nqanqaru and to remove them to Dordrecht. On 30 December they left the office in every possible coach, carriage or vehicle they could lay their hands upon and that were not destroyed. There were ox wagons, scotch carts, horse carts, spiders, gigs and sledges. Minutes after they left the place the Mpondomise rushed to the offices, plundered them and burnt them down.

On 2 January 1881 the procession neared the drift in die Xuka River about 45 kilometers from Nqanqaru, the Mpondomise followed them at a safe distance. They planned to attack the fugitives at the drift which was situated in bushy surroundings at the foot of a steep mountain. They hid in the surroundings and awaited their time.

When the gig driven by Mrs. Thomson entered the drift one of the wheels got stuck between two rocks. The delay confused the Mpondomise and some of them attacked too early as planned. A heavy and bloody battle followed. The Mpondomise, most of them still armed with assegais [short spears] were shot down and killed in dozens by the Colonial soldiers. Those of them who had guns got so frightened that they fired their shots in the air. None of the Colonial soldiers were killed. Only a few were wounded. The Mpondomise fled. They were followed by the Colonial soldiers and more of them were killed. At sunset the pursuit was ceased. After about two weeks the fugitives reached Dordrecht safely.

The battle at Xuka Drift was followed up by several other battles.

When the Mpondomise under leadership of Mhlonthlo were defeated at Xuka Drift they returned to Joel's Hoek, near Nqanqaru, where a lot of their comrades were staying. By this time the government of the Cape Colony realized that the rebellion was a serious matter and should be ended. They asked for volunteers under the Dutch speaking farmers of the Cape Colony. Cmdt. D. C. S. van der Merwe from Graaff Reinet collected a number from that and the Murraysburg districts. Other came from the Burgersdorp and Barkly East districts.

On 8 January 1881 the Mpondomise were attacked and defeated at Mapassas Nek on a mountain ridge between Ugie and Maclear. On 13 January they were attacked and defeated in Joel's Hoek near Nqanqaru. This battle broke Mhlonthlo's power altogether. He fled from the area and settled for some time in Lesotho. His army broke up in small groups.

In the meantime Mditshwa, leader of the other wing of the Mpondomise, was attacked at St. Augustines near Tsolo. On 14 January 1881 he surrendered. He, two of his sons, sixteen of his councilors and 1159 of his warriors were taken as prisoners. A number of 3 050 assegais [short spears] and 51 guns were laid down. The following day the warriors were released and sent home. Mditshwa, his sons and councilors were tried in court. Mditshwa sentenced to three years and his sons and councilors to two years imprisonment.

This battle greatly ended the war. Small groups of Mpondomise still wandered through the area and plundered remains of white property. Gradually everything calmed down. There were no official dates of surrendering or for any peace agreement.

Capt. Henry Usher was placed in command of a division called "Baker's Horse". It was his task to follow up the plunderers and to facilitate them. A number of them found shelter in a cave on the farm later called Usherwood in the Pitseng ward of the present Maclear district. Usher could by no ways find a method to drive them from the cave. Occasionally they slipped out of the cave at night to collect food but always returned to the safety thereof.

On one of these occasions Usher left his patrol in the hands of his assistant Lt. M. Boswell. Man alone he entered the cave and built him a shelter in the cave with loose lying stones and shooting holes in the walls. He waited inside for the Mpondomise to return. On their return he fired at them. Against his expectations they did not flee but attacked his shelter. He shot at them till his ammunition was up. When they entered his shelter he struck them with his gun. He fought for his life till his gun was broken. They overwhelmed him and murdered him.

When Boswell realized that something happened with Usher he called his men and attacked the Mpondomise. He killed all of them, recovered the body of Usher and buried him.

After the war when the district was surveyed and divided into farms this specific farm where the cave is situated was named Usherwood. After the first World War 1914/18 the name was changed to Delville Wood, a place in France where a number of South African soldiers were killed.

Most of the white people who fled from the area stayed under critical bad conditions at Dordrecht. They lost everything and were impoverished. They had to live on donations.

On 1st March, 1881 Capt. J. R. Thomson returned to Nqanqaru and resumed his duties. As all buildings were burnt down he and his wife had to stay in a tent. His office was also arranged in a tent. Soldiers who escorted him also stayed in tents.

On 14 May 1881 the Allen family who had a shops in the area returned. William reopened his shop at Ugie and Richard his at Nqanqaru. They were followed by other traders and farmers.

One of the first things Thomson did after his return was to address representations to the authorities of the Cape Colony in Cape Town to divide the Gatberg district into two districts namely Nqanqaru and Mounr Fletcher. At the same time he asked that the name of the village to be rebuilt, be changed from Nqanqaru to Maclear and the name of the district be changed from Gatberg also to Maclear in honor of Sir Thomas Maclear. His request was granted on 11th September 1882.

Unfortunately Thomson did not live to see his wish come true. He died of a heart attack at 23.40 the night of 12th April 1882.

As written in the paragraph on The San, the name of the river flowing past Maclear namely Nqanqaru derives from Nx!anx!aghu in their language - meaning the place where the zebras, Burchell's specie [Equidae Burchelli] grazed.

When the Mpondomise entered the area round about 1420 they took over the name but pronounced it as Nqanqaru in their language. The word Nqanqaru in isiXhosa is pronounced as follows: the Q is a click with the tongue against the palate. The R is pronounced as the Afrikaans G. The U is pronounced as OE in Afrikaans.

On 31 January 1834 Piet Uys, leader of a group of Dutch speaking frontier farmers, slept over at the drift in the river. In his diary he named the river the Mooi [pretty] River. Up to date this name is still used by Afrikaans and English speaking South Africans.

On 14 July 1873 the British Government proclaimed the area as a colony called St. John's Territory. A sub-magistracy of the Gatberg district was opened at Nqanqaru Drift. That was the beginning of a new village.

On 11th September 1882 the name of the Gatberg district and the name of the Nqanqaru village was changed to Maclear in honor of Sir Thomas Maclear.

Question: Why was the name Nqanqaru Drift changed to Maclear?

Answer: As seen in the profile of Sir Thomas Maclear he remeasured and extended, between the years 1840 and 1847, the arc of the meridian as it was previously surveyed by N. L. de la Caille. He removed a long-standing discordance and provided a sound foundation for a trigonometrical survey of the Cape Colony.

In doing so he traveled during October/November 1843 to the furthest or utmost eastern point of the Cape Colony and even a bit further. He reached the Nqanqaru River during November. On a hill away from the western bank of the river he made a survey. He marked the spot with a steel pin and an inscription in wet cement. Such a point is called a merridor. He then turned back to Cape Town.

The British Colony called St. John's Territory was created on 14 July, 1873. Capt. J. R. Thomson was appointed as one of the assistant magistrates for the Gatberg district with his seat at Nqanqaru Drift. He was called from Grahamstown to Cape Town to be sworn in his new capacity.

While in Cape Town he met Sir Thomas Maclear. They had long discussions and even became friends. Sir Thomas informed him of his visit to Nqanqaru Drift and the observations he made. As soon as Thomson, after his arrival at Nqanqaru Drift, had time he set out to look for Sir Thomas's observation point. He found it and during another visit to Cape Town during 1877 he reported back to Sir Thomas. Thomson- not aware of the ship wrecked Portuguese and Dutch speaking frontier farmers- was convinced that Sir Thomas was the first white man to enter that area and that he should be honored as such. That was the reason why Thomson, after his return to Nqanqaru Drift after the Mpondomise rebellion asked the authorities to change the name to Maclear, in honor of Sir Thomas who died on 14 July 1879.

After the rebellion the Maclear district was surveyed 1882/86 and divided into farms disposed to loyal Griquas and white soldiers who fought on the British side. When surveying the farm Ranscombe the surveyor discovered the point from where Sir Thomas Maclear made his observations. He pointed it out to Mr. L. C. Cole, who was the magistrate at that time.

During 1927 the farm Ranscombe was subdivided. Mr. Robert Viedge became the owner of the subdivision on 19 June 1928. He called his new farm Merridor.

Sir Thomas Maclear was also the man who made the first complete survey of Table Mountain, overlooking the City of Cape Town. He planted a beacon on the highest point of the Eastern table of the mountain. Up to date this beacon is known as Maclear's Beacon.

Sir Thomas also loved an isolated beach near Cape Point on the Cape Peninsula. During the hot and dry summer months he often got up early on a Sunday morning and took his family by horse cart from the Observatory to this beach for a picnic. In course of time the beach became known as Maclear's Beach and the name lasts till to-day.

The main street of the town Elliot is called Maclear Road. There is also a Maclear Street in Lone Hill, Sandton, a suburb of the City of Johannesburg.
Near the Observatory in Cape Town several streets were named after Sir Thomas namely in the suburbs of Bishop's Court, Belhar, Edgemead and Ruyterwacht.

The first government school in Maclear was opened during 1875 and Mr. Conor was the headmaster. From January 1892 the school was classified as a primary grade 3 school. In the year 1900 it was attended by 41 pupils - most of them English speaking. Over the years the school was housed in different buildings. The present building was started in 1914 and enlarged several times.

Since 1916 the number of pupils increased rapidly from 110. In 1920 - 294: 1930 - 301. In 1922 the school became a High School i.e. for pupils from grade 1 to grade 12.

The Department of Public Works of the old Cape Colony started in 1884 to build a road from Dordrecht via Elliot, Ugie and Maclear to Kokstad. During 1886/87 a road was built from Maclear to Tsolo and 1889/90 from Maclear over the Drakensberg to Rhodes. Bridges were built across the Inxu River at Ugie [Ugie Bridge opened 6 November 1898] and the Nqanqaru [Mooi] River at Maclear [Sivewiright Bridge opened 17 January 1899]. Both bridges still exist but were replaced when construction on tarred roads started. The Sivewright Bridge was replaced in 1960 by the C. E. Kirk Bridge and the Ugie Bridge in 1981.

The Maclear Divisional Council responsible for the building of roads and bridges in the district was formed on 1 March 1915. This resulted in the building of more and better roads throughout the district.

The Divisional Councils of Maclear, Elliot, Barkly East, Lady Grey, Aliwal North, Dordrecht and Indwe combined on 1 January 1980 to form the Drakensberg Divisional Council. This resulted in still better roads. The old dirt roads were replaced by tarred roads - opened between Elliot and Maclear 1981, Maclear and Tsolo 1992 and Maclear and Mount Fletcher now under construction.

The Government of the Cape Colony during 1902 took over a private railway line from Sterkstroom to the Indwe coalfields and extended the line to Maclear - opened 29 August 1906. The trains were hauled by steam engines. The last steam engine left Maclear on 6 September 1982. Since then the trains were hauled by diesel locomotives. Due to the increase in transport by road the Maclear railway was closed in 2002.

A Village Management Board for Maclear was established on 1 January, 1913. On 26 August, 1915 it was replaced by a Municipality. The first Mayor was Mr. J. F. Hulley and the first Town Clerk Mr. A. E. Busby the present Municipal Building was built in 1934. The adoption of the Coat of Arms was promulgated on 26 July, 1963. The eight pointed stars are an illusion to the astronomer Sir Thomas Maclear. The two fish are rainbow trout which abound in the nearby rivers. The red ring is a ring of Jan van Riebeeck, founder of the Cape Colony. The motto: Sidus Adsit Amicum - means a friendly star is near us!!! The main street of Maclear was tarred during 1964, the first tarred street in the town.

The first Post Office was opened in 1881 with Mr. R. F. Cumming as postmaster. A new and efficient post office was built in 1962.

He first police stationed at Maclear during 1882 were members of the Cape Police. During 1911 after the foundation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May, 1910 they became members of the S. A. Police. A new and efficient police station was built in 1954.

Farming in the Maclear district was one of the most difficult opportunities in South Africa. The area experienced a very high rainfall - an average of 950 mm. per year in some parts. Drizzles that lasted up to fourteen days were common. During the winter snowfalls fell freely. The grass was sour and towards the end of the summer full of rust. Cattle and sheep had difficulty to graze on it. The soil was poor and hardly any kind of crop could be cultivated. Large quantities of fertilizer had to be used.

During droughts farmers from the drought stricken areas of the Mid Cape fled with their stock to the green Maclear district. By times the area was totally overstocked. This drained the wetlands, shortened the grass. The rainfall changed from drizzles to thunderstorms. To-day the Maclear district is a progressive farming district. Large herds of sheep and cattle. Maize and potatoes flourish. South Africa's largest potato farmer [Farrington] farms on Pomona near Ugie.

During the year 1891, Mr. Henry Schumke started to plant tobacco on the farms Delemont, Sandhurst and Sanda. It failed. In 1912 a company, "The Maclear Farms Syndicate Pty Ltd.", was formed to plant fruit trees on the farms Elephant Rock, Deep Valley and Lonely Glen. It failed. In 1972, Mr. Bill Walker started to plant chicory on his farm Greendale. He was followed by "Daviott Pty. Ltd." on the farms Ben Voirlich, Mount Elton, Glen Cullen, Glen Orchy and Feltham. For about six years good progress was made. Then suddenly the company was declared insolvent.

During 1888 coal was discovered on the Maclear Commonage and also elsewhere in the district. The St. Johns Land and Colliery Syndicate was formed. Attempts were made to mine the coal but due to the low grade it was dropped.

During 1890 gold was discovered on the farms Glen Rowan and Rocky Dell.
A gold rush took place and at a stage 163 farms in the district belonged to the goldmine company "The New Transvaal Gold Farms Pty Ltd". As the gold could not be mined economically the whole scheme was dropped. The last farms of the company, namely Boncourt, Hutton, Mapassas Neck and Montana was sold on 22 October 1924.

On 26 October, 1976 Transkei, a black territory and part of the Cape Province, became an independent republic with its own government. Transkei adjoins the district of Maclear. As Transkei was rather a poor country big developments could not take place. Maclear benefited greatly by the situation. The Transkeians from the Tsolo, Qumbu and Mount Fletcher districts crossed the border to do all their business in Maclear. This resulted in a boom for Maclear. A large number of new shops, retail as well as wholesale, were opened, bakeries, fisheries, butcheries, hardware shops and related businesses were opened.

On 27 April 1994 South Africa became a democratic republic and was joined by Transkei. Since then the trade in Maclear cooled down and became more stable.

During 1902 Mr. N. Tarr, farming on Fahy near Ugie started a trout fishing project in the Maclear district. He stocked the Inxu [Wildebeest] River with ova of the rainbow trout from the Pirie Hatchery, near Kinwilliamstown.

It was a great success and followed up by the Nqanqaru [Mooi] River in 1906, the Ndenxa [Pot] River in 1908 and the iTsitsa in 1927.

Soon the Maclear district became a popular destination for trout fishing and ranked as the premier trout fishing district of South Africa.

A detailed report of this project appears in the Historical Record of Maclear written by Mr. A. L. Johnson, magistrate, in 1932. If you are more interested in the project, copies of the report can be made.

Two of the most important persons ever to fish trout in the Maclear waters were Lord Herbert John Gladstone on 18 May, 1913 and the Earl of Clarendon on 16 April, 1933. Both of them were Governor-Generals of the Union of South Africa and traveled with their personnel in their white trains up to Maclear station.