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Arthur Douglass
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The Hon Arthur Douglass, of Heatherton Towers, Grahamstown, C.C. and of
the Civil Service (C.T.) and rand Clubs, was born at Market Harborough,
Leicestershire, Jan 1843, the 5th son of James Ley Hegar Douglass, Solicitor, Market
Harborough.
He was was educated at Leicester Collegiate School and served as
midshipman in the Royal Navy. He went to the Cape as a land surveyor in
1864 and started farming and the domestication of ostriches. He was one
of the first commercial Ostrich farmers at Heatherton Towers, near Grahamstown.
He was elected in 1875 as a non residential fellow of the Royal Colonial
Institute, Strand, London.
A Captain of the "Rovers" in the 'K war' of 1878(1), he was present at the Peri Bush engagement(2). In the Morosi campaign of 1879(3), he was a Captain
in the 1st Cape Yeomanry Regiment and served in the Boer War as Major
and O.C. the Mounted Albany Troops.
He entered the Cape Assembly as member for Grahamstown, at the general
election in 1884, and represented that constituency with slight
intermission from that time until, in Feb 1904, the Progressives
rejected him at general election. He is a moderate in politics and was
associated with the Anti-Suspensionist party. He joined Sir Gordon
Sprigg's Cabinet as Minister for Railways and Commisioner of Public
Works. He was was M.L.A. for Graham's Town for 20 years
Arthur Douglass, the Commissioner of Public Works in Sprigg's cabinet,
contested Woodstock as an 'Independent Progressive' after being defeated
by Dr. Jameson and R.H. Wood in his constituency of Grahamstown. Prior
to his nomination, the Political Labour League had fielded two
candidates, Andrew. Corley and Thomas Gibson, but the League asked
Gibson to withdraw in favour of Douglass so as to avoid splitting the
'Anti-Progressive' vote between three candidates. Gibson refused to
comply and he was accused of 'ratting' to the Progressives, but his
refusal was understandable as Douglass had not been noted for his
sympathy towards the urban working man.
Douglass was actually a farmer and tended to throw in his lot wjth the
Bondsmen when the commission voted on specific proposals.
During Sir Gordon's absence in England, in the summer of 1902, he acted
as Premier of the Colony.
Arthur Douglass married in 1867, Martha Emily, 2nd daughter of Joseph
Perkins of Laughton, Leicestershire. Their children were: Francis
Wingfield Douglass, Clara Emily Douglass, James Hilton Douglass, Edward
Wingfield Douglass, Percy Archibald Douglass, Charles Heatherton
Douglass and Arthur Wingfield Douglass.
He died on 11th October 1905 in Wynberg, Western Cape, South Africa and
is buried at Heatherton Towers.
• Francis Wingfield Douglass: On leaving (St Andrews)
served two years in the Customs Office, since that a farmer. Major,
Scots Fusiliers (21st Foot) 1891. Served six months at Lieutenant in
Gorringe's Flying Column 1901, first in E Squadron and then in the
Scouts, and afterwards as private in the Fort Brown Troop of the C.D.F.
Possible son>>>?
• Percy A. Douglass, Esq., School of Mines, Kimberley:
(At St Andrews College) Jan 1889 - June 1895. Passed Elem. Exam 1891,
Sch. Higher 1893, Matric. 1895. Joined the School of Mines.
• Edward Wingfield Douglass K.C. who was appointed Attorney- General of
the Cape Province in December last (1915), had his origins in the
Eastern Districts of that province. He was born in 1873 at the farm
"Hilton" near Grahamstown, the first real ostrich farm. His father was
the Hon Arthur Douglass M.L.A. His mother Mrs M.E. (Martha Emily)
Douglass is now living in Wynberg. One of a family of eight children,
young Douglass spent his boyhood at "Heatherton Towers" on great Fish
River, to which farm the family moved in 1875. At the age of 12 he went
to St Andrew's College, Grahamstown, where he remained until he was
nineteen. In June 1892, he went to England, and entered Keble College,
Oxford, with the object of reading law, and being called to the Bar,
graduating in June 1895 with honours.
• James H. Douglass, Esq., Heatherton Towers,
Grahamstown
(attended St Andrews College) April 1890 to June 1899. Passed Elem.
Exam. 1893, Scg. Higher 1895, Matric. 1896, Survey (Theoretical) 1899,
Practical 1901. Government Surveyor. trooper in Co;. Def Force, with
Scouts of Gorringe's Flying Column, Severely wounded. Zamenkomst, 3 July
1901.
• Charles Heatherton Douglass Esq, born about 1875 in
Grahamstown, South Africa; Heatherton Towers, Grahamstown: (At St Andrews College) April 1890 to June 1897. Passed
Elem. Exam. 1893, Sch. Higher 1894, Matric. 1897, Law Cerif. June 1900,
Final Law and Conveyancers' Exam, Aug. 1900. Articled to Messrs. van Zyl
and Buuissinne (Cape Town) 1897 to 1900. Register to Hon. Justice Jones.
Col Def. Force 1901: Lieut. Nesbitt's Horse, with Gorringe's Flying
Column(4).
• Arthur Wingfield Douglass was the eldest son. No
biographical details have been located.
Notes:
1. Nine so-called "Kaffir Wars" which took place
on the eastern border of the Cape. They are now referred to as The
Frontier Wars (1779-1878).
2. Anglo-Pedi War (1878-1879) (2nd Sekhukhune War)
After the British annexation of the Transvaal the Pedi again began to
act independently. British operations against him were delayed by the
Zulu conflict but in November 1879 British troops stormed Sekhukhune's
stronghold and deposed him.
3. Morosi (or Moorosi; died 20 November 1879) was
a Baphuthi chief in the wild southern part of Basutoland. He led a
revolt against the Cape Colony government in 1879, in defence of his
independence south of the Orange River.
Three Victoria Crosses were won in the battle to dislodge him from his
lair in the Drackensberg Mountains, where he and many of his family and
supporters were killed.
4. Gorringe's Flying Column were raised by Lt Col
G F Gorringe in 1901 and served in Cape Colony against numerous Boer
Commandos.
See also:
• Heatherton Towers
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Source
Sources for this article include:
The Anglo African Who's Who. Walter H Willis, T.J Barrett, 1905Ostrich Farming in South Africa, by Arthur Douglass, 1881
Images: Illustrated London News
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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