| Notes |
- 18th century:
Permanent settlement of the valley began in 1743, when the Company established Simon's Bay, 3 kilometres south of Visch Hoek bay, as a winter anchorage.
Governor-general Gustav van Imhoff granted three farms at the western end of the valley, probably to supply fresh produce to Simon's Bay. They were:
- Slangkop ('Snake Peak'),
- De Goede Hoop ('Good Hope'),
- and Poespaskraal ('Hotch-potch kraal').
Half a century later, in 1797, when the colony was under British military occupation, a fourth farm was established, at Visch Hoek, but it was only on loan and the lease ended when the lessee died in 1808.
- Christina Diemer, widow of Frederik Russouw of Steenberg, has already had a cattle post achter de Steenberg on loan for quite a while when governor Swellengrebel, with the approval of commissioner Baron von Imhoff, gave the land to her at her request on quitrent tenure in 1743.
The size of the property was 60 morgen 1 219 rood.
It was already called "de Goede Hoop" and was located at:
N ten W tegens de zee (N to W along the sea)
W ten Z tegens de zoutpan (W to S along the salt pan)
(Z ten O) en Oos ten N tegens de woeste gebergtens (S to E
and E to N along the wild mountains)
She was allowed to sow, cultivate and plant, but where trees or bush were cleared, young oak trees had to be planted. One tenth of the grain harvest had to be paid to the Kompanje, together with 24 riksdalers as rental monies for the year.
If she did not cultivate the land properly, the Kompanje had the right to take it back.
Christina Diemer was the granddaughter of Albert Diemer, who had arrived in 1657 as solder and table servant of Van Riebeek.
Her aunt, also called Christina, was married to the bailiff Johannes Blesuis, which placed her in a privileged position. However, Christina Diemer had to be an intelligent and well organised woman, because as a widow she handled her own affairs for a long time.
Her husband, Frederik Rossouw, who was eleven years older than her, did not only own Steenberg, but also Harmanskraal en Raapekraal.
They had twelve children.
10.12.1765
After Christina?s death her estate was divided and it transpired that she also owned her husband's farm Swaanswyk, as well as a plot in the Caapse Vlek. Her property was transferred as follows:
- Swaanswyk (62 morgen 445 V rood) to Nicholaas Russouw (her son)
- Imhoffsgift (62 morgen) to Jacobus van Reenen
- De Goede Gift, Simonsbaai, 2 morgen to Jan Volraad
- Part of plot in block B, Tafelvallei, to Johan David Storm
- De Goede Hoop to Johannes Bruyns.
Johannes Bruyns was the son of Andries Bruyns of Amsterdam and Anna Elisabeth Bockelenberg of Mauritius. Johannes married Margaretha du Plooy, widow of Jacob de Vries. He therefore had no clear family relationship to Christina Diemer.
Johannes' widow inherited the farm from her deceased husband. In 1752 De Vries had 30 000 vines from which he and his 12 slaves made 30 leaguer of wine.
Johannes Bruyns was clearly a wealthy man and it might be him that started to develop the farm Goede Hoop by putting up buildings and planting vines.
After he had sold his properties in Rondebosch in 1771 he most probably went to live on de Goede Hoop where his sons, Johannes, Andries and Willem, helped him with the farming. The botanist Carl Thunberg met him there and described him as a very good marksman and exemplary man.
23.01.1782
After 17 years Johannes Bruyns sold "Goede Hoop" to Gideon Joubert Jr., who was first married to Hester du Toit and later to Martha Maria Möller.
Joubert paid 13 500 gulden for the farm and made many improvements.
On a sketch drawn by Robert Gordon in the 1780's a house with a triangular front gable, an informal barn, two outbuildings and another small building behind the house is shown. There are cultivated lands against the mountain slope and a small dam in the front yard, as well as two wagons.
It is not possible to say how many of the buildings were erected by Joubert and Bruyns. But the sketch shows a very well-developed farm, probably already with vines on the mountain slopes.
01.09.1798
Gideon Joubert owned Goede Hoop for 16 years and then sold it for 65 000 gulden (a good profit) to Johannes Pieter Kirsten, retired commissioner of civil and matrimonial matters. He was married to Johanna Jacoba van der Poel. Kirsten's dad already owned Imhoffs Gift. Johannes Kirsten was a wealthy man who grew up on Alphen with his seven brothers and sisters. The well-known Swedish botanist Anders Sparrman tutored these children. [13]
- GPS: De Goede Hoop -34,0944388 18,3753959
- Gideon bought the Pont on the Breeriver from his father's estate after his death in 1776 for 13 000 gulde. His father Pieter Joubert (Jaubert), son of Pierre Joubert (SV/a1), bought the Pont over the Berg River in Tulbagh from Johannes Booyens in 1761 for 7 500 gulde, and apparently had a lot of problems retrieving his fees from the pont users.
- Gideon bought De Goede Hoop four months before his death in April 1782. His will was also filed in 1782, probably after this acquisition and because he might have been aware of a health condition. His wife Martha Maria MÖLLER married Jacobus ROSSOUW two years later and it was sold 16 years later in 1798.
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1730 - 1782 (52 years)
