ABW Series - O'Neil's Cottage Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Knagur Green: Due to no response from the CO after the request to maintain or replace the cache, I am archiving it to, stop it showing on the listings and/or to create place for the geocaching community.

The Geocache Maintenance guideline explains a CO's responsibility towards checking and maintaining the cache when problems are reported.

Please note that if geocaches are archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ for lack of maintenance, they are not eligible for unarchival. This is explained in the Help Center

If the CO feels that this cache has been archived in error please feel free to contact me within 30 days, via email or message via my profile ,quoting the GC number concerned

Thank you for understanding

Knagur Green
Groundspeak Volunteer Reviewer

More
Hidden : 1/30/2010
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

O'Neil's Cottage

Site of the Peace negotiations between the Boer and British forces during the First Anglo-Boer War.

Unfortunately now in a state of neglect. And no longer as well maintained as it had once been.

Negotiations for it's restoration were underway but these seemed to have fallen along the wayside.

Enjoy and please post pictures of the cottage from the front so I can see if anything is done as regards maintenance...

Historical Background

O'Neil's Cottage is planned in the form of a cross and is built of stone. In March 1881 peace negotiations were conducted there after the Battle of Amajuba, and the treaty that brought the First War of Independence of 1880-1881 to an end was signed in this building. At that stage it belonged to R.C. O'Neil, known to his familiars as "Ou Gert".

On the night of 26 February Gen. Colley's troops started their climb of Amajuba mountain just behind this house. After the subsequent defeat of the British and the death of Colley, Sir Evelyn Wood concluded an armistice with Gen. Piet Joubert on the 6th of March. On the 15th of March Paul Kruger, Dr. E.J.P. Jorrissen and other Transvaal leaders arrived at the Boer camp at Laing's Neck and on the 20th of March President J.H. Brand of the Orange Free State joined them. Brand's function was to as act arbitrator at the negotiations.

The discussions were held in O'Neil's house at the invitation of Sir Evelyn Wood. The Transvaal was represented by President Kruger and Jorissen and at various times also by Gen. Piet Joubert, M.W. Pretorius, Jacob Maré, D.C. ("Swart Dirk") Uys, Karel Rood (interpreter), Gen Nicolaas Smit, C. Joubert, the Rev. D.P. Ackerman and J.O.H. Sluiter (recorder). On the British side there were Sir Evelyn Wood, Major Fraser, Major Clarke, Captain Roberts, Captain Thornbrugh-Cropper the Aide-de-Camp, and Lieutenant Hamilton. President Brand was present throughout the proceedings.

The meetings were held in the front room on the east side of the building. At times all except members of the government were sent out, and at other times the Boer leaders held informal consultations outside on the verandah. No full minutes of the discussions were kept. At the end of the meeting the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek regained its independence although it remained under the suzerainty of Britain for the time being.

The meeting of the group of people around the table in the front room forms the subject of one of the panels by the sculptor Anton van Wouw on the base of the Kruger statue on Church Square, Pretoria.

The cottage was built about 1870 by P.A. Hayward de Bary, a Roman Catholic, which explains why a white cross appears on the front gable, and was later bought by a certain O'Neil of Graaff-Reinet. In 1878 O'Neil transferred the house to his brother, R.C. O'Neil, who was living in it at the time of the Battle of Amajuba. Some of the wounded were cared for in the house and three of the men who died in it are buried in the orchard nearby.

This was originally going to be the final way point for my Tonteldoos X cache. I requested the "X" as a sign of making your signature ie: signing the declaration of peace. But due to the possibility of renovation I opted to leave the Tonteldoos cache on the mountain.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ybbx hc...

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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