Page 9 - Bulletin 18 2014

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While alluvial gold had been the main focus of the hunt, it was John Courtney, John

Delbridge’s partner, who is credited with finding the first visible surface gold reef in August
1886. Excitement intensified as more surface reefs were found and the feeling grew that gold

in vast quantities was there for the taking. Under pressure from the miners the Cape
Government proclaimed Millwood a goldfield in January 1887.

By May the Delbridges and John Courtney had floated the Courtney Pioneer Gold Mining

and Prospecting Company (Ltd.) (Fig. 1.4.) Speculators had happily bought up the full share

allocation for £15 000 with a 2 000 share over-subscription. Shares were trading at a
premium over their 10/- issue price.

South Africa was in the grip of a gold and diamond mining bubble at the time with
companies being floated from Kimberly to Barberton, in Natal and on the Witwatersrand.

Share brokers were writing regular reports and at Millwood the Courtney Pioneer’s prospects
were reported to be “second to none on the Fields.” In December 1887 the stamp mills

arrived from England and were brought to the site by 13 ox wagons – a remarkable feat in
itself. The shaft had reached 350 feet (about 100 m) and shares were trading at 22/6d. The

reporter confidently said:

“There is not the slightest doubt in my mind, but that time will prove that these

fields are as good as, and as worthy of attention, as any in the Transvaal.”

Although vast quantities of ore were mined and crushed there was insufficient gold in the
Millwood Gold Fields to make mining viable. It seems the Delbridges started to sell their

shares before this became fully apparent and no doubt left Knysna with a tidy profit. With the

sale of the Millwood gold mine the Delbridges were looking for other opportunities and in
1888 they moved to Wynberg.

The Wynberg Years

Speculators had been buying up tracts of land and building houses in Wynberg as the
population grew rapidly. The names of Farmer, Maynard, Morgenrood, Higgs and others had

become synonymous with a new breed of middle class entrepreneurs who saw opportunities