Biggar family

The Biggar family described in the historical record consisted principally of Alexander Harvey Biggar and his sons Robert and George, pioneer traders and settlers connected with Port Natal, the frontier settlement that later developed within the Colony of Natal in present-day South Africa. Their story belongs to the turbulent period of the 1830s, when British settlers, Voortrekkers, African communities, missionaries, hunters, and traders competed and negotiated across the eastern South African frontier. Alexander Harvey Biggar was born in Kinsale, Ireland, in 1781. Before emigrating, he served as a paymaster in the British military and took part in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. His military career ended after he was convicted of misappropriating War Office funds and repaid the money. In 1820 he travelled to the Cape Colony with the wider body of settlers sponsored under the British government's settlement scheme. Biggar paid deposits for a number of other settler families, although most of those contractual arrangements broke down soon after arrival. His family reached Algoa Bay aboard HMS Weymouth in May 1820, and the younger son George was born during the voyage. The family later received the Woodlands farm near Bathurst. Alexander moved to Port Natal in 1836, initially accompanied by George, and established himself as a trader in the small frontier community. In 1837 he helped form the Port Natal Volunteers, an early white settler military organization, although it was short-lived. The family also reflected the complex and unequal social relationships of the frontier: Alexander had thirteen children, including a son with a Zulu woman, a relationship recorded in the context of the period's settler society. The Biggars became directly involved in the violence that followed the killing of Piet Retief's delegation and attacks on Voortrekker camps in early 1838. George, then eighteen, was inland with the Voortrekkers when the Blaauwekrans and related attacks took place. Alexander attempted to warn him by sending Dick King from Port Natal, but the warning arrived too late to save him. Robert subsequently led a small group of European traders and approximately 1,500 Zulu defectors in retaliatory expeditions against forces associated with Dingane. After an initial cattle seizure, the party advanced again but was surrounded near Ndondakusuka on 17 April 1838. Robert was killed during the defeat, while Dick King and a limited number of other survivors escaped to Port Natal. Following Robert's death, Alexander joined the Voortrekker Wenkommando led by Andries Pretorius. He participated in the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838 and was later present with the commando during its movements in Zululand. On 27 December 1838, while searching for cattle, Alexander and a small party were ambushed in the Opathe gorge. Historical accounts state that he could potentially have escaped on horseback but remained with his African servants and died alongside them and several Voortrekkers. The family's historical significance rests less on commercial continuity than on its connection with the formation of early settler networks around Port Natal and the violent political transformation of the region in 1838. Alexander's grandson John Dunn later became a prominent Natal pioneer, extending the family's presence in regional historical narratives. The name also survives geographically in Biggarsberg, or Biggars Mountain, a range whose traditional name was associated with an accident involving Alexander's cart during travel with the Voortrekkers.

Alexander Harvey Biggar was born in Kinsale, Ireland, on 29 October 1781, to Major Harold Robert Biggar and Ann Harvey. He married Mary Straton in Brechin, Scotland, on 3 March 1799. His early career was connected to the British military: he served as a paymaster, fought in conflicts associated with the Napoleonic era and the War of 1812, and attained the rank of captain. His service ended after a conviction for embezzling £1,300 from War Office funds; he repaid the money and was discharged. Biggar later joined the 1820 settler movement to the Cape Colony. He paid deposits on behalf of thirteen settler families, who were expected to work under indenture and eventually receive agricultural land. Most of those arrangements failed by July 1820, when the settlers had either left or sought release. Biggar, his wife, and their children nevertheless proceeded to southern Africa. The family sailed from Portsmouth aboard HMS Weymouth on 20 January 1820 and arrived at Algoa Bay on 15 May. George, Alexander's younger son, was born during the voyage. The family was later allocated Woodlands farm near Bathurst, on 6 September 1826. In May 1836 Alexander moved to Port Natal, a frontier trading centre on the southeastern coast, initially taking George with him. He worked as a trader and became involved in the settlement's limited defensive organization. In 1837 he founded the Port Natal Volunteers, described as the first white military group in the area, although the unit disbanded almost immediately. Alexander had thirteen children, and the surviving accounts also record a son born to a Zulu woman, illustrating the diverse personal and social relationships present in the frontier settlement. The family's decisive historical episode began after the killing of Piet Retief's delegation and the subsequent attacks on Voortrekker camps in February 1838. George was inland with the Voortrekkers. Alexander sent Dick King to warn him, but King arrived after an attack had begun near the settlement associated with the Rensburg group. George died on 17 February 1838. Robert then became involved in an expedition organized by Port Natal traders. On 13 April, roughly twenty to thirty European men under Robert's command crossed the Tugela near its mouth with approximately 1,500 Zulu defectors who had broken with Dingane. They captured a large herd of cattle and returned to the bay, but then launched a second expedition toward Dingane's kraal. The second expedition reached Ndondakusuka on 17 April. A Zulu force commanded by Mpande, Dingane's brother, and the general Nongalaza surrounded the party. The Europeans divided their force while attempting to resist the encirclement, allowing the opposing force to separate and overwhelm them. Robert was killed, while Dick King, several other Europeans, and about five hundred Zulu allies escaped. The surviving European residents of Port Natal sought refuge for nine days aboard the vessel Comet. After the opposing force withdrew, only Alexander, Dick King, and a small number of others returned to the settlement. Alexander's daughter Ann Dunn and her children left aboard the Comet with missionaries, hunters, and other traders returning toward the Cape. Having lost both sons, Alexander joined the Wenkommando, the Voortrekker commando led by Andries Pretorius in the campaign against Dingane. He was accompanied by approximately one hundred African servants, although some accounts give a smaller figure. He was present at the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838, where the Voortrekker force reported no deaths, and later appeared on a roll of participants at uMgungundlovu. On 27 December he joined Hans de Lange in a search for Dingane's cattle. A Zulu decoy led the party into the Opathe gorge, where it was ambushed. Alexander was mounted and may have been able to flee, but tradition holds that he remained with his amaCele servants. He died at the age of fifty-seven alongside five Voortrekkers and several servants. The name Biggarsberg is associated with an incident during the family's travel with the Voortrekkers, when Alexander's servants overturned his cart at Heuningberg. The mountain was subsequently known as Biggarsberg, or Biggars Mountain. Alexander's grandson John Dunn later became a noted Natal pioneer. The family's legacy therefore encompasses early settler migration, frontier commerce, military organization, and participation in the violent political struggles that reshaped Natal and Zululand during 1838.

• 1838

  Deaths of George and Robert Biggar

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  George died during the February attacks on Voortrekker camps, and Robert was killed on 17 April during a retaliatory expedition near Ndondakusuka.

• 1838

  Death of Alexander Biggar

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander died on 27 December in an ambush in the Opathe gorge while accompanying the Wenkommando.

• 1837

  Formation of the Port Natal Volunteers

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander helped establish the Port Natal Volunteers, an early settler military organization that soon disbanded.

• 1836

  Move to Port Natal

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander moved from the Bathurst area to Port Natal and entered the frontier trading community.

• 1826

  Allocation of Woodlands farm

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  The family received the Woodlands farm near Bathurst on 6 September.

• 1820

  Migration to the Cape Colony

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander and his family sailed with the 1820 settlers aboard HMS Weymouth, arriving at Algoa Bay on 15 May.

• 1781

  Birth of Alexander Harvey Biggar

  [1]Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander Harvey Biggar was born in Kinsale, Ireland, on 29 October.

Not a commercial consumer brand; the Biggar family is a historical family subject associated with settler trading, frontier activity, and the early colonial history of Natal.

1. 1Biggar familyen.wikipedia.org