by Mansell G. Upham ©
10 September 1661
My double ancestor (paternal as well as maternal), the intrepid Danish explorer and later lawfully wedded husband to Robben Island-relegated Cape indigene KROTOA of the Goringhaicona – baptised EVA (c. 1643-1674):
Peter Meerhoff (c. 1637-1667) from Copenhagen, Denmark
draws up his will at the Cape of Good Hope:
In den Naeme onses Heeren Amen. Op huijden den 10en September anno xvi C een en’t sestigh [1661], compareerde voor mij Hendrick Lacus secretaris van den E.[dele] Commandeur ende Raet van’t Fort de Goede Hope &a aen Cabo de Bonne Esperance ende de getuijgen naergenoempt Pieter van Meerhoff van Coppenhagen hier te lande gecoomen den 22en Maert anno 1659 met ‘t schip de Princes Roijael voor soldaet ende jegenwoordig ondercherurgijn deser Fortresse sieckelijck te koij leggende …
Peter (van) Meerhoff from Copenhagen
His Danish origins have been questioned on the basis that Meerhoff is not an existing Danish name and has not yet been found in Danish records. In his will (dated 16 September 1661), he signs his name pieter van meer hoff.
This will states quite clearly, however, that he was born in Copenhagen and mentions his father by name – then serving (so he thought) in the garrison across the Sound (Øresund) at the castle at Helsingborg (in Scania) called Kärnan – electing him as his soul and universal heir.
Scania – the southern part of present-day Sweden – had already been lost by Denmark to Sweden in terms of the Treaty of Roskilde (1658).
The origins of Helsingborg fortress are disputed but Danish legend places its origin to the reign of legendary King Fróði. The legend is not, however, supported by archaeological studies with dendrochronological dating showing that the core was built (1310s), when Eric VI of Denmark is King of Denmark.
Surrendered to Sweden along with rest of Skåneland (Scania) as part of the Treaty of Roskilde (1658), the fortress is retaken by Danish forces (1676) during the Scanian War and the capture is celebrated by flying a giant Flag of Denmark (Dannebrog) above it – the flag is later captured by Swedish army and preserved in Army Museum (Armémuseum) in Stockholm.
The fortress returns to Swedish control by the Treaty of Lund (1679). Charles XI of Sweden orders most of it demolished fearing it to be too exposed to a sneak attack from Denmark – the only thing saved is the old medieval tower core which continues to serve as a landmark for shipping through the Øresund.
The castle is restored (1893-94) under instructions from Oscar Ferdinand Trapp, Swedish businessman & engineer (1847–1916) and the architect for the restoration is Josef Alfred Hellerström (1863–1931), Helsingborg city architect (1903-1928).
The name Meerhoff
Was the name merely a netherlandised version or translation of a well-entrenched Danish family name: Haugaard, Havgaard, Hougaard, Hovgaard?
High German – Hoch Deutsch – being the language of the Royal Court in Copenhagen, was it not the norm for educated and literate people to germanise local vernacular (Danish) names?
Was the family originally from further afield in what is now the Federal Republic of Germany?
Did he descend from a German immigrant who found his way to Copenhagen?
We know that the name Meerhoff exists as a place name in at least two instances. There were also Dutch and German parishes in Copenhagen (such as Frederiksbergs Sogn and Skt. Petri Sogn) allowed by Frederik III (1648-1670). These confirm the type of people that were drawn to the Copenhagen designed and modernised by the king’s father, Christian IV.
Attempts to locate Van Meerhoff’s baptism in Copenhagen have produced the following possibility:
Peter Jacobsen: son of Jacob Jenssen, baptised (23 July 1637) at the the parish of Holmen – Holmens Sogn, København.
Bearing in mind that Meerhoff’s eldest son was named Jacobus, this may well be the record of his baptism. Jacobus, however, was initially illegitimate. Pieter van Meerhoff, if not the biological father, was at least the adoptive father to Jacobus. We are, however, confronted with the peculiar mention of Pieter Meerhoff’s father by name in his will:
… stellende ende nomineerende wijders tot sijn eenigh ende universeel efrgenaem sijnen vader genaemt Aug Ede … woonde op’t casteel Elsenborgh …
Aug is a peculiarly Norwegian first name. Then there are the names Augh, Aughe, Aage or Åge, and Auwe or Ove, peculiar to the Danes. The Ede, which followed by a long hyphen – if not the rare name Ede (perhaps as a patronymic) – could perhaps be an abbreviation for edele (ie ‘the honourable’). The Danish accent of Peter Meerhoff himself … sieckelijck te koij leggende … may have influenced the scribe writing up the will when rendering the father’s names phonetically.
PIETER VAN MEERHOFF’S WILL – verbatim transcription
In den Naeme onses Heeren Amen. Op huijden den 10en September anno xvi C een en’t sestigh, compareerde voor mij Hendrick Lacus secretaris van den E.[dele] Commandeur ende Raet van’t Fort de Goede Hope &a aen Cabo de Bonne Esperance ende de getuijgen naergenoempt Pieter van Meerhoff van Coppenhagen hier te lande gecoomen den 22en Maert anno 1659 met’t schip de Princes Roijael voor soldaet ende jegenwoordig ondercherurgijn deser Fortresse sieckelijck te koij leggende doch sijn verstant redenen memorie ende spraecke seer wel hebbende ende volcomentlijck gebruijckende soo opentlijck scheen ende bleeck ende wij secretaris met de getuijgen niet anders bemercken conden te kennen gevende de broosheijt des menschelijcken levens ene datter niet seeckerder is als de doot ende niet onseeckerder als de uijre derselver willende daeromme van deser werelt niet scheijden sonder alvooren van sijn tijdelijcke goederen hem bij Godt almachtig verleent te suolen hebben gedisponeert, bevelende eerst sijn ziele uijt den sterffelijcken lichame verscheijden wesende in de grondlose barmhertigheijt Godts ende sijn doode lichaem de Christelijcke begravinge der aerden ofte de zee soo als de gelegentheijt des tijts mede brengen sal, revocerende ende tenet doende alle sodanige testamenen ende codicillen ede alle andere acten van uijtterste wille die bij hem voor dato deses soude mogen gemaeckt wesen niet willende dat eenige derselver in’t minste cracht hebben ofte effct sorteren sullen, maer nu van nieuws ter dispositie van sijn naer te laten goederen coomende, begeert hij testateur om redenen sijn gemoet daer toe porrende ende moverende dat naer sijn overlijden alle sijn naer te laten goederen die alhier bij hem bevonden sullen worden als oock alle sijne te goed ene verdient hebbende maentgelden van d’Oost Indische Comp[agni]e. sullen coomen ter dispositie van den armen deeser Fortresse die hij aen deselve bij desen is legaterende en makende, versoeckende dierhalven hij testateur ootmoedelijck aen d’Ed.[ele] Heeren Bewinthebberen der generale Nederlantsche G’Octroijeere Oost Indische Compe. in wiens dienst hij testateur is datse over desen gelieven te staen als executirs ende’t vooren aen der armen te doen hebben, stellende ende nomineerende wijders tot sijn eenigh ende universeel erfgenaem sijnen vader genaemt Aug Ede, woonde op’t casteel Elsenborgh in alle vordere goederen waer en hoedanigh die oock souden mogen wesen ende gelegensijn, geen altoos uijtgesondert, die hij metter doodt ontruijmen ende achterlaten sal ende bij afflijvigheijt van de voorsz sijner erffgenaem begeert hij testateur ‘t voorsz sal coomen aen sijn naeste vrienden ab intestato.
Alle ‘ t welcke voorsz staet verclaerde hij testateur te wesen sijn testament, laetste ende uijtterste wille, willende ende begerende dat ‘t selve naer sijn doodt volcoomen cracht hebben ende effect sorteren sal ‘t sijn als testament, codocil, gifteonder den levende ofte uijt saecke des doots, soo ende sulx best naer rechten ende gewoonte stadt grijpen ende sal mogen bestaen alwaert dat hierinne eenige obmissive waere g’obmittert ende alle solemniteijten van rechten naer behooren gerequireert maer versuijmt to dien eijnde renunchierende alle prejudiciable rechten waermede tegen desen eenigsints soude mogen gedaen worden.
Aldus gedaen ende gepasseert in’t Fort de Goede Hope, dato voorsz ter prentie van Jan Duijnbergen ende Jasper de Boij getuigen van goeden gelovehier toe versocht ende geroepen.
Ons present als getuigen:
[signed] pieter van meer hoff
J. Duinsbergen t’oirconde [signed] H.[endrik] Lacus, 1661
Jesper de Boije
Two places at the Cape of Good Hope named Meerhofs Casteel after Pieter Meerhoff
There are two castle-like hills at the Cape of Good Hope named in my ancestor’s honour, both being called:
Meerhoff’s Casteel / Casteel Meerhoff…
Note on Havgaard
No record exists of Peter Meerhoff ever being named Havgaard (and Havgård in modern Danish) as possibly his original family name on the presumption that it may have been Netherlandized to `Meerhoff` during his time at the Cape.
This common Danish family name was originally suggested by myself to author Dan Sleigh many moons ago and when I first shared my research on Eva / Krotoa with Sleigh – even before he finally completed his novel Eilande (also translated into English as Islands) in which he also acknowledges me specifically for this contribution.
The subsequent `discovery` of Peter Meerhoff’s will and signature (which I wrote and published (Capensis no. 4/November 1998), however, make it more plausible that Meerhoff was indeed his family name and that his antecedents at some point may have originated at some earlier if not even more recent stage from one of the two existing places in Germany still named Meerhoff – in any case Meerhoff as a family name is still in existence in Europe. Peter Meerhoff’s father (mentioned by name in his will), however, is not named Meerhoff and it may well even be possible that he himself came from one of the places called Meerhoff in present-day Germany.
Muatze 