Fort Hare is an 1835 British-built
fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
on a rocky outcrop at the foothills of the
Amatola Mountains, near the present-day town of
Alice, Eastern Cape
Alice, officially Dikeni, is a small town in Eastern Cape, South Africa that is named after Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Princess Alice, the daughter of the British Queen Victoria. It was settled in 1824 by British colonists. It is a ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
History
Fort Hare was originally constructed by the British during the wars between the
British troops
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Gurkhas, 25,742 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,697 "other personnel", for a total of 108,4 ...
and the
Xhosa
Xhosa may refer to:
* Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa
* Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people
See als ...
of the 19th century.
In 1837, the British also built Fort Glamorgan on the West Bank of
East London
East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...
, which was annexed to the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...
that same year. It is part of a series of forts established by the British, including
Fort Murray,
Fort White,
Fort Cox, Fort Hare, and
Fort Willshire, in the region known as
British Kaffraria
British Kaffraria was a British colony/subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa, consisting of the districts now known as Qonce (King William's Town) and East London. It was also called Queen Adelaide's Province and, unoffici ...
.
On 29 December 1850, during the
Eighth Frontier War with the Xhosas, approximately 220 British troops were forced to retreat to Fort Hare following an unsuccessful attempt to relieve
Sir Harry Smith
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith, 1st Baronet, GCB (28 June 1787 – 12 October 1860) was a notable English soldier and military commander in the British Army of the early 19th century. A veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, he is a ...
, who was besieged at Fort Cox.
Present Day
Some of the ruins of fort Hare are still visible, including the graves of some of the British soldiers who died in service there.
[''Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa'' - NASOU 1971] Missionary activity (
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
) led to the establishment of a school for missionaries, in the early 20th century. This school gave rise to the
University of Fort Hare
The University of Fort Hare () is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to ...
. The university, guided by the Christian principles, offered low and heavily subsidised fees.
See also
*
List of Castles and Fortifications in South Africa
References
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...
Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality
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