On 8 April, the Cape Town Heritage Foundation officially unveiled a Blue Plaque to pay tribute to Anna de Koning (sometimes written as de Koningh or de Coningh).
The famous high-society beauty, who was born to a slave, rose to grande dame status in late 17th and early 18th Cape society and eventually became the owner of Groot Phesantekraal that dates its origins to 1698, making it one of the Cape’s earliest farms.
Blue Plaques are internationally recognised historical markers erected to highlight the relationship between specific locations and people or events of historical importance.
Groot Phesantekraal has been in the Brink family since 1897 and has gone on to earn global recognition for its wines, cattle, sheep and wheatlands, and for its far-reaching sustainable agricultural principles. Says fourth-generation owner André Brink: “The farm enjoys an unusually long heritage. Whereas Durbanville as a town celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, our roots go back almost 330 years. While we have chosen to celebrate Anna with our signature cool-climate Chenin Blanc that is partially amphora and barrel-fermented, it is only one of several ways in which we honour our past.”
The Brink family is also preserving many long-standing agricultural traditions in the interests of eco-sustainability. Last year Brink was named Farmer of the Year by Agricultural Writers SA for his “pioneering and inspirational approach to agricultural sustainability and food security”.
“We have also restored our 18th century buildings, including our restaurant, where we serve dishes that carry the legacy of local culture and custom,” Brink describes.
The flagship Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc, made by award-winning Richard Schroeder, can be tasted at the farm during the special Durbanville bicentennial celebrations from 8 to 10 April. To mark the anniversary, the farm will remain open for each of those days right up until 21h00, welcoming visitors for tastings and meals.
Returning to Anna herself, Brink explains that she was not the first owner of Groot Phesantekraal. She inherited the property in 1724 on the death of her husband, Olof Bergh, along with several other significant farms, making her one of the wealthiest people of her day. She had married Bergh, a Swedish explorer and Dutch East India Company (DEIC) official, in 1678. He went on to amass a significant fortune. Even though along the way he suffered several setbacks, she endured, remaining by his side throughout.
She bore 11 (some say 12) Bergh children, making her the progenitor of the now widespread Bergh family in South Africa. While her beauty, wealth and status made her an extremely eligible marriage partner, she remained a widow from 1724 until she died in 1734. The estate she left included not only Groot Phesantekraal, but many other farms, including Groot Constantia.
Wine lovers can raise a toast to the steadfast Anna when the current vintage of the Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc is featured on the farm on this year’s #DrinkChenin Day, Saturday, 21 June. Made from vines established in Malmesbury shale atop a mixture of clay and iron soils, the flagship, limited-edition wine has been decorated for its rich and concentrated, honeyed and citrus notes but elegant profile and refreshing poise.
Also available for sampling will be the farm’s mainstream unwooded Chenin expression, perfumed and voluptuous, tamed by a hint of flint.
More on Anna de Koning
Anna’s remarkable life is in many ways emblematic of South Africa’s fluid and fascinating history and could explain why she has been the subject of two novels*.
Thought to have been born around 1661, she was the daughter of the slave known as Angela of Bengal (sometimes appearing as Bengale) from the Ganges Delta in India and possibly François de Koninck (de Coninck) of Ghent, now part of Belgium.
It has been deduced from some records that she, with her mother, Anna, formed part of the household of the Cape’s first Dutch East India commander, Jan van Riebeeck.
Although evidence from those 17th century times is scant, what can be confirmed is that in 1666, when her mother's owner at the time, Abraham Gabbema, was transferred to Batavia, he freed Angela, along with three of her children, including Anna.
We know Anna was extremely comely. Unusual for a person of slave origin, her portrait was commissioned. She features in a picture with her husband, thought to date from around 1685 and reported to be in the Iziko Museums collection.
While women’s lives were not documented to nearly the same extent as men in those days, we do know that during the time of Willem Adriaan van der Stel as Governor at the Cape (1699 to 1707, when he was dismissed for monopolistic and unethical conduct), Anna was famously reported to have stopped his wife, Maria, from committing suicide. This is according to a diary entry of Adam Tas, one of the farmers who objected to Van der Stel’s ways and took a leading role in his dismissal.
According to the Tas diary entry for December 24, 1705: “Fair morning. Our labourers were busy carting the corn to the homestead and cutting what corn was still standing. They tell me this day that the Governor's wife had, in a fit of despondency, tried to drown herself by jumping into the fountain behind the house at the Cape; however, Mrs. Berg was on the spot, and ran to help her, pulling her out of the water, to whom the Governor's wife lamented bitterly that her life had become one of terror for her on account of the many scandalous acts she must daily hear and witness. A singular affair, which gives reason for not a little thought ….”.
Says Brink: “I think we can deduce from this story that she was a compassionate woman.”
Anna also showed her steadfast nature when Bergh fell from grace. He had arrived at the Cape in 1676 to become a favourite of Governor Simon van der Stel (Willem Adriaan’s father). Tasked with retrieving the treasures from a local shipwreck on behalf of the Dutch East India Company (DEIC), he was accused of having kept the valuable goods for himself. He was found guilty and banished to Robben Island, where Anna accompanied him. After three years, he was freed and given the choice of keeping his former rank but away from the Cape or remaining at the Cape without any rank at all. He chose to keep his rank and take his family to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), also under the rule of the DEIC.
In 1695, after five years in Ceylon, Bergh returned to the Cape with his family.
Although we can’t know how Anna coped with the move to either Robben Island or Ceylon, we can assume that she was a constant and resilient woman, who remained loyal to her husband during his varied fortunes.
*Kites of Good Fortune - The story of Anna de Coningh by Therea Bernadé (2004) and Woman of Freedom: The story of Anna de Koning, by Lauren Jacobs.
To learn more about Groot Phesantekraal, go to www.grootphesantekraal.co.za. E-mail: restaurant@phesantekraal.co.za
Photo captions:
Photo 5: Natasha de Villiers (Durbanville Wine Route), Johann Theron (Groot Phesantekraal brand ambassador) and Richard Schroeder (Groot Phesantekraal winemaker)
Photo 6: Andrew Jones (Deputy Chairman Cape Town Heritage Foundation), Ian Pretorius (Chairman Cape Town Heritage Foundation) and André Brink (Groot Phesantekraal owner)