Peddie is a small town in the Amathole district of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.  Peddie is a historic little town which lies 50 km South-West of Bisho, on the Grahamstown road.

(prior to 1910)

The division of Victoria was established on 23 December 1847 on territory between the Great Fish and Keiskamma rivers, which had previously been annexed to the Cape in 1829. On 8 March 1848 the southern districts of Victoria were proclaimed a separate division known as Peddie, with Mr WM Edge as its first Civil Commissioner.

During the colonial era local agriculture was largely in the hands of indigenous farmers whose main product was grain. However, by the 1880s the influence of training institutions such as Healdtown was beginning to be felt and a number of individuals were beginning to enter the urban and industrial job market, both as labourers and as crafters.

The following census figures are available for the division:

1865 census: 18,796 residents, of whom 670 were literate

1875 census: 16,886 residents, of whom 1,482 were literate

1891 census: 16,525 residents, of whom 2,025 were literate

1904 census: 19,739 residents, of whom 3,384 were literate.

Fort Peddie was erected by the British military during the frontier war of 1834-35 for the protection of amaMfengu refugees evicted from Gcalekaland. It was named after Lt-Col John Peddie, Officer Commanding the 72nd Highlanders. In 1837 the mission of St James was established on a nearby site by the South African Missionary Society. Originally designed as an earth redoubt, the fort was built on the plan of an eight-pointed star with walls broad enough to allow for the movement of a 6-pounder cannon on the top. Because of its critical position in the defence of the Albany district, over the next few years it underwent a series of major improvements.

Its earthworks were gradually replaced by dressed stone walls with loopholed opening, and its square watch-tower, built in 1841, housed a cannon on its roof and, in an emergency, could be used as a fortified bailey. The fort came under fire in 1837, and again on 28 May 1846, when it was besieged by 9,000 amaXhosa tribesmen. On both occasions it proved equal to its task. When the Imperial troops were withdrawn in 1862, the property was given over to the Anglican Church.

By 1853 the name of the post had been abridged to Peddie and it had become the principal administrative centre for the newly-established division of Peddie. The 1875 census indicated that the village had a population of 299. By 1904 this number had risen to 473.The Historical Buildings and Artifacts of Peddie, include:

1) The Anglican Rectory: The building was once used as a military hospital and mortuary during the Frontier Wars. The Church itself was formerly part of the original earthwork fort.
2) The Cavalry and Infantry Barracks: The old cavalry barracks is now the residence of the magistrate of the town and the old infantry barracks have been converted into the town’s courthouse.
3) The Resettlement Memorial: A bronze plaque on a milk wood tree commemorates the resettlement of the Xhosa tribe, the Mfengo, who cooperated with the British during all nine Frontier Wars. Each year, on May 14, Mfingo descendants visit this site, honouring their ancestors.
4) The Watchtower: The old watchtower on its hilltop was built in 1841, just in time to withstand a 4 000-strong Xhosa attack.

 

 

Geolocation
-33° 11' 34.4078", 27° 7' 11.1653"
References
Further Reading
https://www.sahistory.org.za/.../eastern-cape-wars-dispossession-1779-1878
www.sahistory.org.za/.../hintsa-chief-xhosa-shot-while-allegedly-trying- escape-british-forces-start-6th-frontier
https://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/durban-timeline-1497-1990