Jamestown, also known as Webersvallei (“Weber’s Valley”) in Afrikaans, is a quiet rural settlement in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, situated on the southern outskirts of Stellenbosch and along the R44 Provincial Route.
Jamestown falls within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, which is part of the Cape Winelands District Municipality.
The village is situated next to Blaauwklippen Vineyards, on the eastern side of the R44 Provincial Route from Stellenbosch to Somerset West and the Strand coastal resort. The main access from the R44 is via Webersvallei Road, the main road in Jamestown, with watererven – long, narrow agricultural plots on the south bank of the Blouklip River – on the north side of the road and residential plots on the south side of the road.
This rural settlement should not be confused with the town of Jamestown (officially renamed James Calata) in the Eastern Cape Province.
History
Over time, Jamestown has transformed from a subsistence farming village into a primarily residential area as residents have sought work elsewhere in order to survive. A heritage committee was established in 2010 to document the history of Jamestown for the benefit of future generations, to restore old buildings, and to facilitate increased involvement in local festivals and commemorative events.
The village was named after James Rattray (1859–1938), a Stellenbosch businessman who owned a butchery in Dorp Street. He was the grandson of Scottish teacher James Rattray (c. 1795–1864), who immigrated to the Cape Colony in 1822, one of several British people recruited to the colony by Scottish missionary George Thom at the request of the governor Lord Charles Somerset.
In 1902, Rattray and Rhenish missionary Jacob Weber (1856–1937), who was born in Lennep in Germany and sent to Stellenbosch in 1882, acquired a portion of the Blaauwklippen farm. The land was divided into plots and sold to coloured families, and most of the associated debt was paid off within twenty years. Street names such as Everbearing, Festival, Nared, Pajaro, Rolinda, Tiobelle, Titan, Torrey, Tribute, and Whiteheart in the residential area are based on strawberry varieties, after the main crop grown there since 1902. Other crops grown there include tomatoes, lettuce, beans, and potatoes.
Despite Weber’s role in the establishment of Jamestown, it is not a mission station per se. The Rhenish Mission Church, built in 1823, is situated next to Die Braak, the common in the Stellenbosch town centre. A small church was inaugurated in Jamestown in 1923, which initially also served as a school for the area.
Some of the villagers served in the Second World War.
In 1946, JGC Williams opened the General Dealer in Webersvallei Road, which closed its doors in 2012 when his sons retired. Jamestown was designated a coloured area under apartheid segregation laws, and the majority of the residents were not subjected to forced removals. The 1970s saw the first tarred road and the arrival of electricity for those who could afford it. Dominoes were traditionally played by the men in the village.
