Sir George W. Cox’s 1888 biography; The Life of John William Colenso, D.D., Bishop of Natal (2 vols)
This copy of Sir George W. Cox’s 1888 biography, The Life of John William Colenso, D.D., Bishop of Natal, is an extraordinary association copy. The two inscriptions tie the book directly to the deep-seated political, legal, and linguistic histories of KwaZulu-Natal.
The James Stuart Provenance
The inscription reads: "J. Stuart, 31 May 1922. Hastings."
This is almost certainly the signature of James Stuart (1868–1942), the legendary colonial official, magistrate, and oral historian of the Zulu people. Stuart is famous for compiling what became the James Stuart Archive—an unparalleled, multi-volume collection of oral testimonies from over 180 Zulu informants regarding their history, customs, and succession crises.
The context of this signature is highly poignant:
The Location (Hastings): Stuart left South Africa in 1922 to settle permanently in England, where he spent his final decades preparing Zulu oral histories and praise poems (izibongo) for publication. The date on this book (31 May 1922) places it precisely at the monumental turning point of his life—his departure from Natal and arrival in the UK.
The Intellectual Link: Stuart's interest in Bishop Colenso was profound. Colenso was one of the very few colonial figures who treated Zulu oral testimony with absolute seriousness, famously translating the Bible and documenting the language. For Stuart, owning a detailed biography of Colenso while in exile was an essential tool for his ongoing linguistic and historical work.
The Robertson Stoney Signature
The faint, elegant hand in the second image reads: "C. Robertson Stoney".
Charles Robertson Stoney was a prominent colonial figure deeply entangled in the legal and administrative apparatus of late 19th-century Natal. He served as a magistrate in regions like Richmond and was a contemporary of both the Colenso family and a younger James Stuart.
In the tight-knit, highly litigious world of the colonial Natal civil service, books of this nature passed through very specific hands. This signature suggests a clear line of provenance: the biography was likely owned first by Stoney during the height of post-Colenso colonial administration, and later acquired by Stuart as a crucial reference text for his historical research.
The Subject: The Heretic Bishop who Defied an Empire
The biography itself covers one of the most explosive figures in Victorian religious and South African colonial history. Bishop John William Colenso (Sobantu—"Father of the People") caused an international uproar on two fronts:
The Theological Crisis: While translating the Old Testament into Zulu with local assistants, the critical questions asked by his Zulu companion, William Ngidi, caused Colenso to publicly question the literal truth of the Pentateuch (such as Noah's Ark). This led to Colenso being tried for heresy and excommunicated by the Bishop of Cape Town in a massive legal battle that captivated the British Empire.
The Imperial Defiance: Colenso became a fierce advocate for the Zulu people. He vehemently opposed the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, exposed British geopolitical deception, and personally traveled to London to defend King Cetshwayo after the fall of Ulundi.
A Fine Detail on the Title Page
Notice the neat, tiny ink notation next to the title: "(b. 24 Jany 1814 — d. 20 June 1883)".
This meticulous correction of Colenso’s exact birth and death dates is characteristic of a rigorous researcher or archivist. Given Stuart’s legendary, fastidious obsession with chronological accuracy in his own field notes, it is highly likely that these small, precise numbers were penned by Stuart himself to amend the title page.
Each vol: 155mm x 230mm
Both volumes are complete but in a poor state; binding shaken and splitting; some scattered foxing; in need of repairs.
R3,000
