NG Kerk Swartland - Malmesbury
Built: 1751-1771 : 1831
Architect: Samuel Stonestreet (original church in 1860), Charles Freeman (extentions in 1899)
Style: Gothic Revival
Status: Extant
The congregation, then known as Zwartland, was founded in 1745. As early as 1743, Governor-General Baron van Imhoff had instructed that a church be built in the Zwartland district. However, disagreement over the location of the village delayed progress. In 1744, an important meeting of local residents was held on the site of present-day Malmesbury to settle the matter. The farm Welvergenoegd originally belonged to the widow of Pieter van der Westhuizen, who agreed to exchange it for another property together with compensation of £175 sterling for the existing buildings. The arrangement was accepted, and Wietse Botes, a “comforter of the sick,” was appointed to establish a school in the area.
- Wietse Botes (c.1712 Netherlands - 1785 Malmesbury) was a sieketrooster (comforter of the sick). Botes, his wife and three children arrived at the Cape in 1744 on the ship Ruyter. The functions of this office were to comfort the sick, prepare those condemned to death for their end, read sermons in the absence of a minister, and provide education in the local church school. He also served as koster (sexton) but was dismissed in 1753. Botes' career as a comforter of the sick ended after 30 years in 1774 at his own request. He was the progenitor of the Botes family tree.
The church was formally founded on 27 June 1745 as Het Zwartlandskerk, when Rev. F. Le Sueur inducted the first minister, Rev. R.A. Weerman. It is the fifth oldest congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. In 1755, the congregation consisted of only 55 members. The area retained the name Zwartland—probably derived from the dark colour of the soil—until 1829, when it officially became known as Malmesbury, named after the father-in-law of Governor Sir Lowry Cole. In church affairs, however, the original name continued to be used.
Upon arriving, Rev. Weerman intended to visit members of the congregation, but the high cost of travel made this difficult. The congregation numbered fewer than 400 members, scattered across a wide area. At the same time, a church, parsonage, and residence for the minister or reader still had to be built. Construction proved to be a continual struggle, with setbacks ranging from foundation problems to issues with the church gable.. Despite these difficulties, Rev. Weerman remained until 1748, when he was transferred to Batavia.
Rev. Voltelen
He was succeeded by Rev. C. B. Voltelen. At the time Rev. Voltelen assumed duty, the church grounds of the Zwartland congregation—which was proclaimed as a town named Malmesbury in 1829—were still without a church building and a proper minister's residence, and only about five houses stood around the church building under construction. During his ministry, work began on a proper minister’s residence, funded by a loan of 4,000 guilders from the Cape Town church council. Repayment later placed a heavy burden on the congregation.
- Christiaan Benjamin Voltelen (1723 Suriname - 1758 Cape Town) studied theology at Leiden University starting in 1743. He first married Anna Christina Rasch (?-1750). Following the death of his wife in 1750, stricken by grief and bound by his VOC contract, Rev. Voltelen boarded a ship for South Africa later that same year. He was remarried to the youthful local Cape girl Geertruij Súsanna Mijboom (or Geertruy Susanna Meyboom) in February 1752 in Malmesbury.
The comforter of the sick, Botes, Rev. Weerman, and Rev. Voltelen initially lived in the house of the Van der Westhuizen family, whose family farm had been purchased for the purposes of a church site and town. In the judgment of the Political Council, the former farmhouse was "large and suitable enough to accommodate a minister." The house also temporarily served as the first church.
Through his zeal and perseverance, Rev. Voltelen succeeded in getting the church building erected, on which work had already been underway for years by the time of his arrival. In August 1752, after the dedication and commissioning of the completed church building, the Church Council, under the strong leadership of Rev. Voltelen, decided to make an active start on building the parsonage.
The marriage of Rev. Voltelen to a young Cape lady and the arrival of the first minister's wife to settle in the new congregation on the Zwartland church grounds probably also hastened the decision to build a proper parsonage. However, the Voltelen couple did not have the privilege of being the first occupants of the elegant and comfortable new parsonage, as Voltenen and Rev. Croeser of Cape Town decided to swop congregations in 1755. Voltelen pass away soon after in 1758.
The ministers who followed were Rev. G. Croeser (1755-1770), D. Goldbagh (1774-1783), P. J. van der Spuy (1786-1806), M. C. Vos (1810-1811), J. Scholtz (1811-1827), and J. Spyker (1829-1833).
First church
The first church was built in 1750-1752, and was enlarged in 1831. It eventually served as a public school, and in 1850 Mr Albertus N. Rowan was appointed as headmaster. Located near the mineral hot springs, it was demolished in the late 1850s.
Rev. Moorrees
The longest-serving minister was Rev. Moorrees, who served from 1834 to 1881. During his ministry, an important dispute concerning church rights in the sale of plots was resolved favourably for the congregation through his intervention.
In addition to his pastoral work, Rev. Moorrees devoted considerable effort to education. The old church school eventually gave way to a public school, and in 1850 he succeeded in securing the appointment of Mr Albertus N. Rowan as headmaster.
Mission work also received attention under Rev. Moorrees. Shortly before his arrival, the congregation had resolved that “coloured people shall share equally in their Christian privileges with whites; Holy Communion shall be administered to all members without distinction of colour or descent.” Rev. Moorrees regarded this arrangement as unsatisfactory and believed that the coloured community should have a separate church building in which to exercise these privileges. Although difficult to achieve, the change was eventually implemented.
As the population increased, the vast size of the congregation made it nearly impossible for a single minister to serve all its members effectively. Outlying districts could only be visited every two or three years. Several new congregations were consequently established: Hopefield in 1851, Darling in 1855, Riebeek West in 1858, Riebeek Kasteel in 1863, and finally Moorreesburg in 1880, the latter named in honour of Rev. Moorrees.
Rev. Moorrees retired with honour in 1881 and died in Malmesbury on 20 June 1885. An Afrikaner by birth, he was the brother of Rev. H. A. Moorrees of Riversdale and Kruisvallei (Tulbagh), and the father of Prof. A. Moorrees. While studying at the University of Utrecht, he and fellow Afrikaner student Philip Faure joined the Volunteer Student Corps during the “Ten Days’ Campaign” against Belgium, for which both received the Metal Cross.
Rev. C. Rabie succeeded him, arriving in 1880 during a period of serious division within the congregation caused by the liberal minister Kotzé. Kotzé preached separately in Malmesbury, creating significant unrest and controversy. Rev. Rabie retired in 1912.
New church building
The present church building, built in 1860, was erected during Rev. Moorrees’s ministry. It originally only consisted of a long central structure. One side of the building collapsed in 1862. It was restored, a tower added, and re-opened in 1864. In 1877 the new tower collapsed. It was replaced and the church was re-inaugurated in 1880.
In 1899 architect Charles Freeman added side wings and a gallery which added 300 seats. The roof covering material has been replaced many times - a 1905 tornado led to the disappearance of many gabled and thatched buildings. The organ was first used in 1938.
The church was declared a national monument in 1979.
- Dreyer, A. (1924) Eeuwfeest-Album van de Nederduits Gereformeerde-Kerk in Zuid-Afrika.
- Rex, H.M. (1974) Hervormde Predikantsvroue in Suid-Afrika vanaf 1652. Die Hervormer, Jan 1975.
- Wietse Botes on Geni
- Swartland NG Gemeente
- Rex, H.M. (1974) Hervormde Predikantsvroue in Suid-Afrika vanaf 1652. Die Hervormer, Aug 1975.
- Murphy, C. (2019) Some Reminisces of Malmesbury. The Heritage Portal.
- Voltelen, Christiaan Benjamin
- Christiaan Benjamin Voltelen
- Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek. Deel 8.
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