Hobhouse is a small rural farming and homesteading town situated along the R26 Provincial Route in the Free State province of South Africa. The town is a small centre of maize, wheat, cheese, and livestock production.
Overview
| Country: | South Africa |
| Province: | Free State |
| District: | Thabo Mofutsanyana |
| Municipality: | Mantsopa |
| Established: | 1912 |
| Named After: | Emily Hobhouse |
| Total Area: | 12.6 km² (4.9 sq mi) |
| Population: | 244 (2011) |
| Population Density: | 19.4/km² (50.2/sq mi) |
| Time Zone: | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal Code (street): | 9740 |
| PO Box: | 9740 |
| Area Code: | 051 |
About Hobhouse
Hobhouse is located approximately 39 km north-east of Wepener, 51 km south-west of Ladybrand, and 123 km south-east of Bloemfontein in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.
The town is the ending point of the R709 Regional Route, at a junction where it meets the R26 Provincial route.
Hobhouse was founded and laid out on the farm Poortjie in 1912. The town attained municipal status in 1913.
The town was named after Emily Hobhouse (1860-1926), a British author and philanthropist who looked after Boers in the Anglo-Boer War and brought to public notice abuses in concentration camps during the war.
Irrespective of heavy criticism from her own people, Emily Hobhouse worked tirelessly to improve conditions in the concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War. She was so dedicated to her cause that she cancelled her engagement and wedding to help Boer women establish a livelihood after the Anglo-Boer War. After her death, her ashes were brought to South Africa and were interred at the foot of the “Vrouemonument” (National Women’s Monument) in Bloemfontein.
