Jantje van Batavia1

M, #13545, b. circa 1665

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Last Edited29/10/2021
Birth*Jantje van Batavia was born circa 1665 in Batavia.2
 
Lovers*In 1694 Jantje van Batavia and Adriana van Jaarsveld were lovers Stellenbosch, de Caep de Goede Hoop. Adriana was a 13-year-old in the care of the couple Jacoba Kiggelaar and Johannes Mulder and Jantje a former Asian slave. When the affair was revealed, Jantje was tried under the Statute van Indië which outlawed sex between whites and heathens, moors (Muslims) and other non-christians.

In the normal course of events, Jantje would have been executed, but because it was revealed at the trial that at the time he and Adriana had been engaging in sex, she was pregnant by a white man, it was decided to delay the sentence until after the birth of child.

In December Adriana was delivered of an apparently white daughter, and Jantje's sentence was commuted to flogging, branding and twenty years hard labour in chains and he was deported to Mauritius.

In September 1699 he asked to be relieved of his chains and received excellent recommendations.2,3 
Duplicate?*It is possible that Jantje van Batavia and Jantje van Bengale are the same individual. Jantje van Batavia was around 22/23 when he was emancipated in 1688. Jantje van 'Bengale' does not appear again in the record after his sale to Klinckenberg in 1665 and would also have been 22/23 in 1668. 
Slave EmancipationsOn 23 June 1688 Jantje van Batavia was emancipated by Hans Ehrentraut de Caep de Goede Hoop, was manumitted by the orphan-masters at the behest of his deceased owner.4,5,6,7
Slaves owned by individualsBefore 23 June 1688 Jantje van Batavia was owned by Hans Ehrentraut.8,9

Citations

  1. [S205] Mansell G. Upham 'Keeping the gate of Hell… 'subliminal racism' & early Cape carnal conversations between black men & white women', First Fifty Years, Uprooted Lives Unfurling the Cape of Good Hope's Earliest Colonial Inhabitants (1652-1713), (http://e-family.co.za/ffy/ui66.htm), 18 October 2012. "...the shepherd Jantje van Batavia..."
  2. [S205] Mansell G. Upham 'UL06 Keeping the gate of Hell…', Uprooted Lives Unfurling the Cape of Good Hope's Earliest Colonial Inhabitants (1652-1713), "In 1694 the shepherd Jantje van Batavia, a manumitted slave and free black, had sexual relations with Adriana van Jaarsveld, a girl aged thirteen living at the home of Jan’s employer in Drakenstein, the landdrost Jan Mulder and his wife. . . .
    At his trial, the fiscal demanded death on the gallows, but Jantje, in self-defence, said that Adriaantje had been pregnant before he had sexual intercourse with her. Having heard his defence, the Council of Justice decided that they would delay their final judgement until the child was born. If the child was black, they would send Jantje to the gallows. If white, as it happened to be, the sentence was to be commuted to flogging, branding and a life-time in chains … It was noted in December that:
    … Dezen Adriana van een blanck kind verlost zijnde, is de sententie verandert in geselen, brandmercken en ad vitam in de kettingh …
    Though there was evidence of the girl’s general promiscuity, the court sentenced Jan to be scourged and sent in chains to Mauritius for twenty years’ hard labour.
    ...
    In September 1699, word was received from Mauritius concerning Jantje van Batavia. He had petitioned the Cape authorities for clemency begging … that he might be relieved of his chains, and received a very good character and strong recommendation …. "
  3. [S545] J.L. (Leon) Hattingh Die Eerste Vryswartes van Stellenbosch 1679 - 1720, Wes-Kaaplandse Instituut vir Historiese Navorsing, Tygerberg, Cape Town, (1981) 0-909075-65-4 "Die fiskaal het die aandag daarop gevestig dat hulle meermale verkeer het en dat die Statute van Indië uitdruklik bepaal "dat enig heijden, moor of ander onchristen persoon, bij een christen vrouw, 't zij getrouwd of ongetroud boeleerende, sonder enige remissie met de dood gestraft sal werden"."
  4. [S205] Mansell G. Upham 'UL06 Keeping the gate of Hell…', Uprooted Lives Unfurling the Cape of Good Hope's Earliest Colonial Inhabitants (1652-1713), "He had been the slave of Hans Erentraut and was freed …de gewenschte en dierbare vrijheijt … by the orphan masters at the age of 22/23 on 23 June 1688 in accordance with the wish expressed by his master before his death."
  5. [S545] J.L. (Leon) Hattingh Die Eerste Vryswartes van Stellenbosch 1679 - 1720 "In die hofstukke [1694] word gemeld dat Jan van Batavia ses jaar vantevore as 'n 22 jarige met die afsterwe van Hans Ehrentraut, ingevolge dié se testament, deur die Weeskamer vrygestel is."
  6. [S418] Anna J. Böeseken, Slaves and Free Blacks at the Cape 1658-1700 (Cape Town: Tafelberg, 1977), p.153. 23.6.1688, pp. 136-137: Jantje from Batavia (22/23), freed by orphan-masters in accordance with the wish expressed by Hans Erentraut before his death. As expressed in the will: " ... de gewenschte en dierbare vrijheijt".. Hereinafter cited as Slaves and Free Blacks at the Cape 1658-1700.
  7. [S606] J.L. (Leon) Hattingh, "A.J. Böeseken se Addendum van Kaapse slawe-verkoopstransaksies: Foute en regstellings", Kronos (Foute en regstellings) 9 (1984): Op die volgende bladsy (153) van die addendum word nog twee dokumente onnoukeurig opgesom en voorgehou. Die eerste een lees:

    "23.6.1688, pp. 136-137: Jantje from Batavia (22/23), freed by orphan-masters in accordance with the wish expressed by Hans Erentraut before his death. As expressed in the will: '…de gewenschte en dierbare vrijheijt'."

    By die tweede onder dieselfde datum, is dit weer Petronella van die Kaap (23/24) wat ooreenkomstig Erentraut se voordoodse wens deur die Weeskamer vrygestel word. Lees ons egter die betrokke dokumente self blyk dit anders te wees. Daarin verklaar die verteenwoordigers van die Weeskamer uitdruklik, dat ondanks die feit dat Erentraut nie genoeg tyd voor sy oorlye gehad het om voor geloofwaardige getuies sy laaste wens bekend te kon maak nie, hulle nietemin besluit om die twee slawe vry te stel. Die Stellings: "As expressed in the will" en "in accordance with the wish expressed" is dus toevoegings van Böeseken wat glad en geheel nie strook met die letterlike inhoud van die dokumente wat dit voorgee om te rapporteur nie. In werklikheid het die Weeskamer op eie houtjie gehandel omdat daar juis geen getuienis was dat dit die wens van Erentraut was nie.. Hereinafter cited as "Foute en regstellings."
  8. [S205] Mansell G. Upham 'UL06 Keeping the gate of Hell…', Uprooted Lives Unfurling the Cape of Good Hope's Earliest Colonial Inhabitants (1652-1713), "In 1694 the shepherd Jantje van Batavia, a manumitted slave and free black. . ."
  9. [S545] J.L. (Leon) Hattingh Die Eerste Vryswartes van Stellenbosch 1679 - 1720 "In die hofstukke word gemeld dat Jan van Batavia ses jaar vantevore as 'n 22 jarige met die afsterwe van Hans Ehrentraut, ingevolge dié se testament, deur die Weeskamer vrygestel is."
 

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