William Macdonald Mackay ¹ ^,2

Born: 1769, , Sutherland, Scotland
Marriage (1): Maria Josina Magdalena Van Ryneveld on 27 Nov 1830 in Stellenbosch, Cape Province, South Africa
Died: After 1840

Family Links

Spouses/Children:

1. Maria Josina Magdalena Van Ryneveld

(+ Shows person has known children.)

bullet Birth Notes:

http://ancestry24.com/wp-content/uploads/pages/Dictionary%20of%20South%20African%20Biography/page_04937.pdf
I am very suspicous of this date as there is a very big age gap.

bullet Death Notes:

http://ancestry24.com/wp-content/uploads/pages/Dictionary%20of%20South%20African%20Biography/page_04937.pdf
Says after May 1831

His son Doanld James MacKay was born in 1835 therefore he died after 1835.

And

National Archives of South Africa

DEPOT KAB
SOURCE CSC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 2/1/1/45
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 28
PART 1
DESCRIPTION RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS OF ILLIQUID CASE. WILLIAM MACDONALD MACKAY
VERSUS MARIA JOSINA JOHANNA VAN RYNEVELD. DISSOLUTION OF BONDS OF
MARRIAGE.
STARTING 18400000
ENDING 18400000

bullet Sources of information or noted events in his life were:

• General Comment. M.'s career at the Cape began on 8.9.1808 as an ensign in the Cape Corps and he was commissioned in 1814. In 1815, when in command of the military post at Krugerspos, he received orders to accompany Lieut Frans Rousseau on 9.10.1815 with his (M.'s) pandours to the farm of Freek Bezuidenhout and place him under arrest. This incident was the prelude to the Slagtersnek Rebellion in which M. was closely involved. When Bezuidenhout refused to surrender, Rousseau gave the command to fire and Bezuidenhout was fatally wounded. M. was also present at the encounter with the rebels at Slagtersnek when most of them surrendered (18.11.1815) and under Major G. S. Fraser he pursued those who attempted to escape across the border. He was also present with his pandours at the skirmish (Madoersdrift) in which Hans Bezuidenhout was fatally wounded (29.11.1815). After the Slagtersnek incident M. was appointed (1817) lieutenant of the 55th Regiment.

He subsequently worked in the landdrost's office at Graaff-Reinet for a time and from January 1824 was deputy landdrost of Cradock. When the new district of Somerset East was established he was appointed landdrost (31.3.1825). In January 1828 he was made civil commissioner of the Cape district and Simonstown. Although not trained for his work, he devoted a considerable part of his life to local government.

M. earned himself a place in history by bringing the first major charge for libel in the history of South Africa. In his book Researches in South Africa Dr John Philip recounted that the landdrost of Somerset East, namely M., had ill-treated and taken advantage of a Hottentot. He was then sued for GBP1000. The judges of the Cape Supreme Court ruled Philip guilty of libel (July 1830) and awarded M. GBP200 damages, while Philip was ordered to pay GBP900 costs. The case caused a great sensation since the colonists objected strongly to the impression created in Philip's book of their treatment of the Hottentots and Bushmen.

On 27.11.1830 M. married Maria Josina Johanna van Ryneveld in Cape Town. They had one child but it died on 10.12.1832. After M.'s death his widow married James Lionel Truter.

http://ancestry24.com/wp-content/uploads/pages/Dictionary%20of%20South%20African%20Biography/page_04937.pdf

• Web Based Info. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=linsul&id=I1537

And

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=linsul&id=I1538

And

http://ancestry24.com/wp-content/uploads/pages/Genealogies%20of%20old%20South%20African%20Families/page_02856.pdf

• General Comment. ¹ William Macdonald Mackay was appointed Deputy Landdrost of Somerset in 1824 and C.C. in 1828 for the Cape and Simonstown District. In July 1830 he was involved with a libel suit against Dr. Philip of the London Missionary Society. Mackay was one of the officials charged with oppressive conduct against the Hottentots in his official capacity as Landdrost in Dr. Philip's book "Researches in South Africa" published in England in 1826.

The case aroused great interest as not only was Mackay's reputation at stake but that of the Government and the colonists. Somerset had already left but the charges where around the time he was in office 1814 - 1826.

For the case, the courtroom was densely packed with some of the most respected people in the country. Dr. Philip's counsel first pleaded that the court was not competent to try the case as "the book was not intended for circulation in the Colony". They then switched to saying that Dr. Philip had obtained the information from other people. But this didn't work and the judgment was given against Dr. Philip with damages of £200 and costs. Costs were considerable, £900, as many witnesses had been brought all the way from the frontier districts. In summing up the Chief Justice called the charges false and malicious libel.

The London Missionary Society remained undaunted and continued with their activities to expose activities in South Africa. Memorials were sent to the Secretary of State asserting that Dr. Philip was in personal danger and requesting protection. Public meetings were held to raise the money for the fine and costs, where people in high places asserted that Dr. Philip was being persecuted "on account of the noble efforts he was making to secure humane treatment for the oppressed natives in South Africa." Theal says that similar meetings were held by his supporters in South Africa, which strengthened the feeling that justice and moderation could not be expected from the so-called philanthropic party in England.

• General Comment. Maria's First Husband - William Macdonald Mackay
Re libel action against Dr. Philip see Theal after 1795 Vol 1 p 502
Dr. Philip in 1828 published 2 volumes entitled "Researches in South Africa". William Macdonald Mackay was among those charged in it (in his capacity as Landdrost of Somerset) with oppressive treatment of the Hottentots. William took an action of libel against Dr. Philip and won. The Chief Justice Sir J. Wylde, pronounced the statements against Mr. Mackay as a false and malicious libel. The money for damages (£200) and costs (£900) paid by Dr. Philip was raised in England by public subscription.
Mackay's reputation could not have suffered as the Government subsequently promoted him.
According to the Will of Daniel Johannes van Ryneveld (Maria's father) Maria and William Mackay had at least one son, Angus John Mackay.

• Occupation, 1830. Civil Commissioner of the Cape District

And

The first and only Landdrost of Somerset East.
http://www.somersetroyal.co.za/nearby/

William married Maria Josina Magdalena Van Ryneveld, daughter of Daniel Johannes Van Ryneveld and Magdalena Johanna De Wit, on 27 Nov 1830 in Stellenbosch, Cape Province, South Africa. The marriage ended in divorce in 1840. (Maria Josina Magdalena Van Ryneveld was born on 9 Apr 1814 in Stellenbosch, Cape Province, South Africa ² ^,3 ^,4, christened on 24 Apr 1814 in Stellenbosch, Cape Province, South Africa ¹ and died in 1873 in , Cape Colony, South Africa.)

bullet Sources of information or n events in their marriage were:

• Web Based Info. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=linsul&id=I1537

And

http://www.egssa.org/newspapers/index.php/south-african-commercial-advertiser/21-sac-1830-oct-dec.htmll

Wednesday 1 December 1830
MARRIED at Stellenbosch by Special Licence on Saturday the 27th instant by the Rev.B.C. Goodison AM, Acting Chaplain at Wynberg, William Macdonald MACKAY Esq, Civil Commissioner of the Cape District, to Miss Maria Josina Johanna, only daughter of Daniel Johannes VAN RYNEVELD Esq, Civil Commissioner of the District of Stellenbosch.

And

National Archives of South Africa

DEPOT KAB
SOURCE CSC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 2/1/1/45
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 28
PART 1
DESCRIPTION RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS OF ILLIQUID CASE. WILLIAM MACDONALD MACKAY VERSUS MARIA JOSINA JOHANNA VAN RYNEVELD. DISSOLUTION OF BONDS OF MARRIAGE.
STARTING 18400000
ENDING 18400000

And

National Archives of South Africa

DEPOT KAB
SOURCE CSC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 2/1/1/44
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 11
PART 1
DESCRIPTION RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS OF ILLIQUID CASE. WILLIAM MACDONALD MACKAY VERSUS MARIA JOSINA JOHANNA VAN RYNEVELD. ACTION TO RETURN TO HUSBAND.
STARTING 18400000
ENDING 18400000

Van Ryneveld Table of Contents | Van Ryneveld Surnames | Van Ryneveld Name List

There will inevitably be errors and omissions and the whole purpose of creating this online record, is to invite feedback and corrections.
The data is specifically for non-commercial use and my clear intention is to build family records. The data may, therefore, not be used in any way for the purposes of financial gain.

Caveat:- Throughout the project UK GRO birth, marriage and death index data appears. The GRO data appears in Quarters. Q1 = January, February and March, Q2 = April, May, June , Q3 = July, August and September and Q4 = October, November and December. Similarly, Mar Q = January, February and March, Jun Q = April, May, June , Sep Q = July, August and September and Dec Q = October, November and December. Where these dates occur, they represent the date of Registration of the event rather than the date of the actual event. Logically, registration occurs AFTER the event. In some cases this may be days or months or even years after the event. The important thing is that the event was recorded and a copy of the document of registration could be obtained if necessary. This also applies to South African NAAIRS records.

Similarly, the UK system is confusing to the uninitiated because registration districts can span several counties. Accordingly GRO locations may not record the true location of the event. They do record where the record is actually kept or recorded.

Caveat #2:- I have used URL's throughout the website as sources. The URLs are often from paid subscription sites so you may not be able to access them without an account. Inevitably there are broken URL's. I have been to every URL recorded here and at the time they were operational. In this regard, the Ancestry24 records are a problem. There are numerous references in the South African data citing Ancestry24 records. Unfortunately Ancestry24 has closed down and these records are no longer available on line.

The early South African records on this site would not have been as good as they are without the work done by Delia Robertson. Where there are website addresses containing http://www.e-family.co.za... I record the citation should read Robertson, Delia. The First Fifty Years Project. This website can be found at First Fifty Years

William Macdonald Mackay 1,2

William Macdonald Mackay ¹ ^,2