“Oh Africa, long and much-neglected Africa, to what a state of misery art thou sunk?”: a study of the archival and household remains of the Wesleyan Missionary, Thomas Hodgson AD 1823
Date
2021
Authors
Moshe, Karyn
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Abstract
The arrival of missionaries in southern Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was a new
experience for both the African people and the English mission representatives. While the effects
of Christian missions on indigenous people are explored at length, there is a dearth of literature
exploring household archaeology and lived experiences of individual missionaries at mission
stations in southern Africa. This research examines the household archaeology of and possible
individuals, agents, actions, activities, gender relations, and politics within Hodgson’s Cottage
during its period of occupation between May of 1823 and February of 1824. Reverend Thomas
Hodgson arrived in southern Africa in 1821 as a representative of the Wesleyan Methodist
Missionary Society. He spent five years with the Seleka-Rolong under chief Sehunelo, from 1823
until the chief’s death in 1828. The Seleka-Rolong were displaced from their residence by the
Difaqane and were still in search of a new home when found by Hodgson in February of 1823.
After much urging by the missionary, Sehunelo established a permanent residence at Matlwasse in
mid-1823, where a mission was started. Here Hodgson built a cottage which he, his wife, Ann, and
their daughter, Mary Ann, occupied from May of 1823 until February of 1824. Subsequent to their
departure, the cottage was occupied by African groups whose identity has yet to be established.
Hodgson’s Cottage was excavated by Revil Mason in 1964. A weatherproof structure was erected in
1975 to protect what remained of the cottage. By 1999, however, the property was completely
vandalized and destroyed. Most of the artefacts recovered during Mason’s excavation are kept at the
University of the Witwatersrand and were unsorted and unstudied until the commencement of this
research. This study will use extracts from Hodgson’s journals, letters sent by Ann to her family in
England as well as selected academic books and papers to interpret the material culture, gender
relations, and household archaeology of the site.
Description
A research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science to the Faculty of Science, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021