HORWOODS
FARM - THE EDEN OF EDENVALE
The
Farm Rietfontein 341 - 5600 morgen in extent was originally awarded
to Mr A J Nel by the Government on May 14th 1859.
Over
the years it has changed hands several times.
In
1903 the then owner of the portion on which Horwoods Farmhouse is
situated, Phillip Amm and sons, sold to Father John de Lacy.
On
December 12, 1910, the insolvent estate of J de Lacy was sold to
the Master of the Supreme Court of South Africa (TVL Provincial
Division) who in turn sold it to the Public Debt Commissioner in
1915.
In
1919 the Public Debt Commissioner sold the farm (Portion 8) to Mr
David William Horwood Senior.
On
May 16 1943 the Estate of the late David William Horwood Snr bequeathed
the farm to his three grandsons, Bernard David Horwood, Brian Turner
Horwood and Robert Gordon Horwood.
In
1942 Bernard David Horwood, eldest son of David William Horwood
Jnr and grandson of David William Horwood Snr, was killed in a motor
cycle accident on Fishers Hill and died instantly. His father paid
in his third share into the estate of Bernard David Horwood (deceased).
In
1947 a third share belonging to his son Brian Turner Horwood was
bought by his father David William Horwood Jnr and the third son,
Robert Gordon Horwood also sold his third share to his father who
now effectively, in 1948, had bought out his three sons and became
the sole owner of the farm. He bequeathed the farm in his will to
his wife Mrs Bertha Mary Horwood.
She
inherited the farm in 1951 after the death of her husband and lived
there until April 1956 when she sold the farm to the Edenvale Town
Council for £18 000. She then bought a house in Edenvale where
she lived for some time until her health failed her.
The
Horwood family were well-to-do people in England and in the house
on Horwoods farm there were some beautiful pieces of antique furniture.
The
house was already built and looking old when the Horwoods went to
live there in 1916. It is not known in what year the house was built
or who built it, but it is thought to have been built in the late
1890's by Mr Phillip Amm when he bought the farm in 1898. He had
a large family of ten sons and four daughters. They spent weekends
and holidays at the house and often held picnics on the farm.
Information
provided by the Ricardo Mulder Community Library - Reference Section
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