History of the Berea

Once upon a time, The Berea was a natural and picturesque eden, overlooking a tranquil bay sheltered from the sea by an ancient sandbar.  The bay was home to crocodiles, hippo's and
a variety of birds.

Then, on a warm Christmas day in 1497, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, passing on his flotilla of four small ships, San Gabriel, San Rafael, Barrio, and a stores ship (which was later burnt), named this stretch of coast line "Terra Natalis" in reference to the day being Christmas.

Related Links
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

The bay was lined with mangroves beyond which lay a ridge of hills on which elephant, hyena and lion could be regularly found.

As the years passed, and because the bay provided a natural shelter to weary mariners, the bay was visited by a variety of passing traders.

The First European Settlers
 
In 1823, Lt. James King commander of the British vessel, Salisbury, which was chartered by a Lt.George Farewell to trade up and down the South African coast, took shelter near the river mouth, but it's accompanying ship, the smaller "Julia", sailed over the sandbar to survey the bay.

King went back to England and tried to muster support for a settlement at the bay. He was unsuccessful and returned to the bay which by now being called Port Natal.

Click images to enlarge

---

Relations with Zululand

King was befriended by Shaka, king of the Zulu's, who granted him land around the bay. King, accompanied by two of Shaka's chiefs, then attempted to sailed to England to re-petition for a settlement, but the party got no further than Port Elizabeth.

These failed efforts and his worsening relationship with Farewell further discouraged King who eventually moved off to the Bluff, across the bay.

Despite the efforts of his 15 year old apprentice, John Ross, who walked 900 kilometers to Delagoa Bay (Maputo) through the dangerous wilderness to fetch medicine, King died of dysentery in 1828.

Thereafter, uncertain future of Port Natal diminished it's number of settlers to only
six at one point.

The Era of King Dingane

A few months later, in the same year, Shaka was killed by three assassins, his half-brothers, Dingane and Mhlangana, and an induna called Mbopa.  Historian Donald Morris holds that it is somewhere on Couper Street in the village of Stanger.

Dingane assumed power and embarked on an extensive purge
of pro-Shaka elements and chieftains, running over several years, in order to secure his position.  A virtual civil war broke out.  Dingane was, to a great extent, a popular leader who came into power at a very challenging time.

One of Port Natal's the earliest settlers was Captain Allen Francis Gardiner who attempted to convert the Zulus to Christianity but was spurned by Dingane.

Feeling like St. Paul, who had been similarly spurned by the Thessalonians and had retreated to Berea, he founded a small church on the hills above Port Natal and called it Berea. 

Durban in 1898

Click on image to enlarge.

---