192:," by an "apparent absence of all effort to devise or substitute a better system" than that which had characterised the previous regime. Shepstone had been summoned home to advise the Colonial Office on South African affairs and he reached England in May 1879; on his return to Natal he retired (1880) from the public service. In 1883, however, he was commissioned to replace Cetshwayo as king in Zululand. He was active in church matters in Natal, and was, prior to the Langalibalele "rebellion", a close friend of
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22:
114:, allegedly when he fled before an elephant, but more likely in childhood. The main line of his policy was to maintain tribal customs as far as consistent with principles of humanity, and not to attempt to force the civilisation. The result of his policy remained traceable for some time in the condition and status of the Natal peoples. While he remained in charge there was but one serious revolt—that of
165:, "will or can save the state, and nothing else can save South Africa from the direst consequences. All the thinking and intelligent people know this, and will be thankful to be delivered from the thraldom of petty factions by which they are perpetually kept in a state of excitement and unrest because the government and everything connected with it is a thorough sham" (
105:
and its organisation as an administrative entity, when
Shepstone was made (1845) agent for the native tribes. In 1848 he became captain-general of the native levies; in 1855 judicial assessor in native causes; and, in 1856, on the remodelling of the Natal government, secretary for native affairs and
357:
Donald Morris claimed that
Somtseu, the name of 'a famed Xhosa hunter', had been sarcastically conferred on Shepstone by Zulus when he ran from an elephant during his expedition to Port Natal with Major Samuel Charters in 1838. This cannot be true, for Shepstone signs with this name more than two
228:, 1899–1902, and became in 1909 secretary for native affairs (Natal) and secretary of the Natal native trust. A younger brother of Sir Theophilus, John Wesley Shepstone (born 1827), filled between 1846 and 1896 various offices in Natal in connection with the administration of native affairs.
203:
Although
Shepstone's life and work have at times been celebrated by Britons and South Africans, experts on the period such as South African historian Jeff Guy implicate him in building a conspiracy to promote the invasion of the Zulu kingdom and its dismemberment by forces from Natal and the
109:
Thus for over thirty years, he was the director of native policy in Natal. A man of strong will and pronounced views he gained a great influence over the indigenous people, by whom he was called "father old man," and given the nickname "Somtseu" (a famed black hunter) by the
133:
as his successor. Twelve years later
Shepstone attended the proclamation of Cetshwayo as king, the Zulu chief promising Shepstone to live at peace with his neighbours. In 1874 and again in 1876 Shepstone travelled to London on colonial affairs.
196:. The two men, though, became estranged following Colenso's gradual realisation that Shepstone exerted a malign influence on Zulu affairs. Shepstone opposed the grant of self-government to Natal. He died at
358:
years before his first encounters with either Natal or
Charters. ... Most likely the Oxford Dictionary of Biography is correct in stating that African playmates of his boyhood conferred the name on him ...
173:, ch. 18). Shepstone's action has been condemned as premature. He had, however, reason to believe that if Britain remained inactive, Germany would be induced to undertake the protection of the Transvaal.
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executive on the question of the federation of the South
African states, and given power, should he deem it necessary, to annex the country, subject to the confirmation of the British government.
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780:
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in
January 1877, and on 12 April issued a proclamation announcing the establishment of British authority over the Transvaal. Shepstone's force consisted of twenty-five men of the
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only, but no overt opposition was made to the annexation; the republic at the time was in a condition bordering on anarchy. "Nothing but annexation," wrote Sir
Theophilus to the
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307:
33:
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Transvaal. His motive seems to have been both to fill the increasing demand for labour in Natal colony and to win back the friendship of the
Transvaal government.
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might not have occurred. Shepstone remained in
Pretoria as administrator of the Transvaal until January 1879; his rule was marked, according to
220:; of the other sons H. C. Shepstone (born 1840) was secretary for native affairs in Natal from 1884 to 1893; Theophilus was adviser to the
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312:
69:. Young Shepstone was educated at the native mission stations at which his father worked, and the boy acquired great proficiency in the
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224:(1887–1891); and A. J. Shepstone (born 1852) served in various native expeditions, as assistant-commissioner in Zululand, in the
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Guy, Jeff. Theophilus Shepstone and the Forging of Natal. Scottsville: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2013.
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on behalf of Britain. This force was recalled in 1839 when Shepstone was appointed British resident among the
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Shepstone's influence with the Zulus was made use of by the Natal government; in 1861 he visited the
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Guy, Jeff. The Destruction of the Zulu Kingdom, Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal press, 1994.
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Orb and Sceptre: Studies in British Imperialism and Its Legacies, in Honour of Norman Etherington
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65:, England. When he was three years old his father, the Rev. William Theophilus, emigrated to
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
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a member of the executive and legislative councils. This position he held until 1877.
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to Britain in 1877. Shepstone is the great great grandfather of international artist
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In 1833 Shepstone married Maria, daughter of Charles Palmer, commissary-general at
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languages of South Africa, a circumstance which determined his career. In the
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335:. Melbourne, Vic., Australia: Monash University ePress. pp. 05.1–05.17.
329:"Shepstone in love: The other Victorian in an African colonial administrator"
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of 1835 he served as headquarters interpreter on the staff of the governor,
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216:; they had six sons and three daughters. One of his sons was killed at the
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37:(8 January 1817 – 23 June 1893) was a British South African
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316:. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 840.
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which he outlined in his annexation proclamation been carried out, the
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In 1838 he was one of the party sent from Cape Colony to occupy
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Hattersley, Alan F. "The Annexation of the Transvaal, 1877."
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Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
188:, who described him as "a singular type of an Africander
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British colonial governors and administrators in Africa
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Moreover, had the policy of self-government for the
142:When in London in 1876 Shepstone was entrusted by
118:in 1873 against a demand that guns be registered.
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41:who was responsible for the annexation of the
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327:Weir, Jennifer; Etherington, Norman (2008).
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144:the 4th earl of Carnarvon
609:W. C. Janse van Rensburg
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171:Life of Sir Bartle Frere
129:a public recognition of
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313:Encyclopædia Britannica
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409:21.81 (1936): 41-47.
331:. In Limb, P. (ed.).
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218:Battle of Isandlwana
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25:Theophilus Shepstone
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371:"Transvaal rulers"
347:on 3 November 2018
153:Shepstone went to
125:and obtained from
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226:South African War
200:on 23 June 1893.
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478:Lijdenburg
232:References
190:Talleyrand
91:Port Natal
71:indigenous
53:Early life
729:W. Palmer
724:A. Milner
717:Governors
645:O. Lanyon
214:Cape Town
167:Martineau
148:Transvaal
138:Transvaal
131:Cetshwayo
99:Kaffraria
75:Xhosa War
43:Transvaal
39:statesman
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654:Governor
375:Archived
351:2 August
256:28 April
250:Archived
155:Pretoria
407:History
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63:Bristol
520:Marico
411:online
381:10 May
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222:Swazis
208:Family
127:Mpande
178:Boers
112:Zulus
103:Natal
95:Fengu
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61:near
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353:2021
258:2024
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337:doi
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
