Francis Turner Hulley 3
- Born: 1819, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England 3
- Marriage (1): Elizabeth Wright on 26 Dec 1842 in Bathurst, Cape Province 3
- Died: 12 May 1901, Willowdam, Mafeking District at age 82 3
General Notes:
Francis Turner Hulley (1819-1901)
He was the 4th child of Richard William Hulley, the 1820 Settler patriarch of the South African Hulleys . Born 1819 - Sheffield, Yorkshire. Died 12 May 1901 - Willowdam, Mafeking district. Father Richard William Hulley Mother Ann Brangan
Francis Turner Hulley, the second son of Richard William Hulley spent his youth in the Trappe's Valley of the Albany district, and took up arms at the early age of 15 and fought in all the "kaffir" wars.
From the Albany district, Francis moved to Somerset East and in due course married a Clumber girl, Elizabeth Wright. From here he and his family moved to the Transvaal and settled on the farm Olivedale near the Johannesburg suburb of Braamfontein. When his wife eventually died she was buried on their farm, Olivedale.
When the Boer War was imminent, Francis with his family, including a number of nephews and other British refugees crossed the Transvaal border to Mafeking, then British territory. Four of his sons, two nephews, two grandsons and a son in law took part in the defence of the town when attacked, while several others of the family of whom two were killed, fought on the side of the British in various parts of the country.
Colonel C.B. Vyvyan took a great interest in this old Settler and after the trying times of the investment was over, the Colonel placed Francis's family in charge of the Government Dairy Farm which supplied milk and other dairy requirements for the military hospital in Mafeking. Here Francis lived until his death on 12 May 1901 at the age of 82. Some days before he died, he predicted the war would end in a very short time. He was not destined to see his prophesy come true. He expressed a wish that his body be taken to his farm Olivedale in Johannesburg for burial, after peace was declared.
His last wish was carried out and his remains were laid to rest at Olivedale, Braamfontein. His body was taken across country from Mafeking on an ox wagon in the charge of two grand sons, Lorimer W J Hulley and Francis David Thomas Hulley. The route was by way of Lichtenburg and Potchefstroom.
Obtained from:- The History of the Hulley's of the 1820 Settlers - 4th Edition. Compiled by Frank E Hulley. Umtali, Southern Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe.
The siege of Mafeking.
Mafeking's beginning was during a period of considerable frontier instability. The Rolong people who lived in the area were divided into two factions. Both sides recruited European mercenaries, and some wild individuals, known as freebooters, joined the fray. Rewards for services rendered consisted of farms, and the result was the creation of a miniature republice named Goshen, with Rooigrond, 20 km from Mafeking as its capital.
There was considerable uproar. The British government sent a force to occupy the area and the commander, Sir Charles Warren, annexed what became known as the British Bechuanaland - later Botswana. An administrative centre was established at mafeking. This was the foundation in 1885 of Mafeking.
The great glory of the town came with the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. Mafeking was besieged by the Boer forces from 14 October 1899 until 17 May 1900.
Colonel R.S.S. Baden-Powell was the British commander, and it was during the siege that he conceived the idea of the Boy Scouts.
The siege of Mafeking captivated the British public. It was not particularly violent. The Boer forces completely outnumbered the defenders of the town but they were content simply to besiege Mafeking, with an occasional shelling, and no attempt at a massed onslaught was made. There was seldom any fighting on Sundays and apart from the monotony, short rations, shell dodging, sniping, periodic patrols, raids and minor clashes, the whole siege was a singularly civilised example of warfare, with polite notes exchanged between the opposing commanders on such matters as the status of non-combatants.
The relief of Makeking was a great delight to the British people. London enjoyed a night of celebration. So many odd little stories had reached the outside world about the siege - escapes and tragedies of individuals, tales of heroism and cowardice, and of personalities of the besiegers and the besieged - that the siege of Mafeking will always be remembered and discussed. 3
Francis married Elizabeth Wright on 26 Dec 1842 in Bathurst, Cape Province.3 (Elizabeth Wright was born in 1824 3 and died on 11 Jan 1897 3.)
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