Alexander Tennant
Encyclopedia
Alexander Tennant, born in Ochiltree
, Ayrshire
in 1772, was a leading British colonist in the Cape Colony
of the Cape of Good Hope
, an enterprising merchant, a brother to industrialist Charles Tennant
and a friend of Robbie Burns.
An’ Lord, remember singing Sannock, Wi’ hale breeks
, saxpence, an’ a bannock! , loosely translating to And Lord, remember singing Alexander, With whole trousers, sixpence and a bannock (food)
!
. His brother was emerging as one of the foremost experts on the sub-continent, a reputation cemented by the publication of Indian Recreations in 1808. Spotting opportunities in the Cape during his journey, Alexander remained there and took up a partnership with Donald Trail. The firm of Tennant and Trail then set about transporting convicts to Australia as well as moving slaves from Mozambique
to be sold at the Cape to members of the Dutch East India Company
(VOC). These dealings were frequently on the very edge of legality and it was alleged that, following the British Slave Trade Act of 1807, Tennant used a Portuguese flag to further his business. The Governor of the Cape, General Baird, had agreed to allow the sale of several hundred slaves before abolition but as Tennant took delivery after that date many of those slaves were left to fend for themselves on Robben Island
. In 1801 Tennant was involved in a High Court law suit over financial irregularities regarding ships that he had bought acting as middle man between a Brazilian merchant, Marcos da Costa Guimarains and Admiral Cornwallis, the British Commander in False Bay
.
and wrote Tennant's Notary's Manual for the Cape of Good Hope. His grandson, Sir David Tennant
, son of Hercules, was the Speaker of the Cape House of Assembly from 1874-1895.
Ochiltree
Ochiltree, spelt Uchletree in the Middle Ages, is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers....
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
in 1772, was a leading British colonist in the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
of the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, an enterprising merchant, a brother to industrialist Charles Tennant
Charles Tennant
Charles Tennant was a Scottish chemist and industrialist. He discovered bleaching powder and founded an industrial dynasty.- Biography:...
and a friend of Robbie Burns.
Early life
Alexander was the fourth son of John Tennant (1725-1810) and Margaret McClure (1738-1784). His father, a farmer, was well known in the industry. 'A worth, intelligent farmer, my father's friend and my own', was how Burns described the prolific John Tennant of Glenconner in a letter to his lover Clarinda, dated 2 March 1788. This work ethic was found throughout the family; his brother Charles becoming a highly successful industrialist, his brother William the Chaplain to the Honourable East India Company and a further brother, David, a noted privateer. In his Epistle to James Tennant of Glenconner, possibly referring to an entrepreneurial flair, Burns wrote of Alexander:An’ Lord, remember singing Sannock, Wi’ hale breeks
Breeks
Breeks is the Scots term for trousers, breeches and, as the Dictionary of the Scots Language has it, also underpants.From this it might be inferred that breeches and breeks relate to the Latin references to the braccae that were worn by the ancient Celts, but the Oxford English Dictionary gives...
, saxpence, an’ a bannock! , loosely translating to And Lord, remember singing Alexander, With whole trousers, sixpence and a bannock (food)
Bannock (food)
Bannock is a variety of flat quick bread. The word can also be applied to any large, round article baked or cooked from grain. When a round bannock is cut into wedges, the wedges are often called scones. But in Scotland, the words bannock and scone are often used interchangeably.-Scottish:"Bannock"...
!
Cape Colony
Around 1795 Alexander embarked on a voyage to visit his clergyman brother, William Tennant (1758-1813), in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His brother was emerging as one of the foremost experts on the sub-continent, a reputation cemented by the publication of Indian Recreations in 1808. Spotting opportunities in the Cape during his journey, Alexander remained there and took up a partnership with Donald Trail. The firm of Tennant and Trail then set about transporting convicts to Australia as well as moving slaves from Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
to be sold at the Cape to members of the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
(VOC). These dealings were frequently on the very edge of legality and it was alleged that, following the British Slave Trade Act of 1807, Tennant used a Portuguese flag to further his business. The Governor of the Cape, General Baird, had agreed to allow the sale of several hundred slaves before abolition but as Tennant took delivery after that date many of those slaves were left to fend for themselves on Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
. In 1801 Tennant was involved in a High Court law suit over financial irregularities regarding ships that he had bought acting as middle man between a Brazilian merchant, Marcos da Costa Guimarains and Admiral Cornwallis, the British Commander in False Bay
False Bay
False Bay is a body of water defined by Cape Hangklip and the Cape Peninsula in the extreme South-West of South Africa.- Description and location :...
.
Marriage and Respectability
Despite the questionable business arrangements and practices of his youth, at the time of his death in 1814, Tennant had gained an air of respectability. He married Cornelia Sandenberg in 1796, a member of an established Dutch/Norwegian colonial family and had built up a considerable land holding in Wynberg. His wife bore him eight children, many of whom would go on to hold positions of authority in the fledgling British administration of the Cape. His son, Hercules, was a civil commissioner and magistrate for UitenhageUitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
and wrote Tennant's Notary's Manual for the Cape of Good Hope. His grandson, Sir David Tennant
David Tennant (Cape politician)
Sir David Tennant was a Cape politician, statesman and the second Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cape Colony. He was in fact the longest serving parliamentary Speaker in South African history, holding the position for nearly 22 years.David Tennant was born in Cape Town on 10 January 1829...
, son of Hercules, was the Speaker of the Cape House of Assembly from 1874-1895.