124.Old Maps and the Lei-Water
A Montagu History Snippet about early maps and the lei-water
From the grapevine
With reference to The Landscape and Architecture of Montagu by D & V Japha (notes added in an italic font)
MONTAGU TOWN – LEI-WATER
The village of Montagu was developed in 1850 in an area called Agtercogmanskloof. This area was inhabited by both the San hunters/gatherers and by Khoi herders prior to the colonial settlers.
Trekboere had reached the district around the 1750’s when the first grazing licenses were issued.
In 1806, Barrow wrote in his book about the hot spring waters.
Quitrent grants were made from the 1820’s onwards, but many farms had been loaned places before that time. The farm Uitvlugt was rented by a widow as a loan-farm with grazing rights from 1746. In 1786 it changed hands to Jacob Joubert and was granted in perpetual quitrent. In 1841 it changed hands to Pieter Swanepoel and nearly 100 morgen of land was being cultivated. The farm had buildings described as the “old house”, “new house” as well as a “wine cellar” and other buildings.
(NOTES…..On an old map below, there is a chief’s kraal with a name approximating Cogman (Kokmans), at the place where the current Ashton Wine Cellar is now in 2024. On a 1856 map showing the farm Uitvlught, farm buildings can be seen clearly as well as a water mill next to the water channel)
Old Map showing the Chief’s kraal
Extract from Map no. 572/1856
In 1844 Daniel Stephanus van der Merwe from Wellington bought the farm Uitvlugt with the intention of developing a town. In 1850 the town was laid out and he sold many of the water plots to friends from Wellington (Knipes, Du Plessis, Euvrards, Van Niekerks, Rossouws, Malherbes, Smits and other family members of Joubert).
Map1 from 1850
Map 2 of 1850
Looking at the roads on the above maps, we can see that wagons came through the kloof and on towards Burger’s Pass (R318), Zoubertspoort (past Ashbury), Zuberg Pass, Talana Road and along a road marked R62. There is also a road to the hot Springs and is marked as “warm water”. Montagu was a transport hub with fuel, feed/grazing and water with a wine cellar and Montagu South was the outspan (uitspan) area.
The Bath river now called Keisie, ran all year round whereas the Kingna only in summer.
The water conduits marked on the map indicates that there was a dam where Cape Dry (R318) is situated now. The conduits used to flow underneath where a road crossing is, underneath the rugby field, under the Vic Hotel, the tennis courts, 7 Church Street and ended at Joubert House. The land must have had a network of underground canals between the two rivers.
On the west side the Bath River was dammed up and water went into Montagu West. The conduit was in a similar place to where the current Sunday lei-water canal is.
Another canal flowed from opposite Rainbow Glen(Tanner Street) towards the present lei-dam and then past the farm stall joining the river again at the confluence of the two rivers. It is uncertain where the river was dammed – perhaps where the current access to Montagu West is. Today it would be 2,5meter higher.
The layout of the town was focused around water supply from the rivers and those plots were and are still more expensive than plots further away. The current ‘lei-dam’ position was critical as a starting point and the proposed Bath Street plots to the south of Bath Street were more expensive but viable for planting fruit trees and vegetables.
IF WE LOOK AT 1856 MAP
Map 2 from 1856
The canal was widened as it goes to plot/stand 117- current lei-dam. The conduit /water canal splits with the first branch going into the dam on the north side if the water was not required further along. However the main conduit leg continues and there was a water mill on Peter Sinovich’s property (property next to lei-dam in Bath Street) to the west of the lei-dam. After the mill, the water could be directed to the dam on the south side or left to flow further into the farm.
This evidence would suggest that plot 117 was a farm storage dam and later a ‘lei-water’ dam from the 1850’s.
P.S.
These old maps give us an added perspective to the written documents and you can still find the odd water mill on a map of Montagu area. Ashton, Rietvlei 2 and along the R318 at Die Stal, had outspan areas marked like we have petrol stations today and soon perhaps “car charging stations”.
Many people have written about the lei-water and it shows an appreciation for Montagu’s first architectural design and features. All the writers have added value for our appreciation of this heritage.
