Documentary planned on the black countess from Bain Street
2010-03-25
MUCH has been written about Martha Solomons, the famous “Black Countess” from Wellington, who - it is said - first met her aristocratic British future husband Harry Grey (an Anglican clergyman, alcoholic drifter and “remittance man”) when he collapsed at the door of her Bain Street home, one stormy night in 1863. After she had nursed him back to health, they retained contact. Several years later, Harry asked Martha (by then a mother of six) to come and care for his ailing wife at their Wynberg home. After her death, Martha and Harry became lovers, eventually marrying. Three children were born of their union; a son John and daughter Frances (before the couple married), and thereafter, another daughter, Mary. In 1883, Frances died, and the same year - through many twists of fate - Harry inherited the title “eighth Earl of Stamford and 9th Baron of Groby”, making Martha (the humble, semi-literate, Dutch-speaking daughter of a freed slave) a Countess and Baroness of the British Realm. This caused a scandal in Victorian England - especially since tradition demanded that Queen Victoria kiss the wives of noblemen, when presented to her at court! Despite the huge ancestral estates, substantial income, and parliamentary seat in the House of Lords that accompanied the Stamford title, Harry never returned to the UK, instead building a large family home in Wynberg, and buying several properties in the Southern Suburbs. This sudden wealth and status had far-reaching repercussions for the couple, their children, and extended family. Mary Grey became “Lady Mary”, although John - deemed illegitimate by British law - was not permitted a title. On Harry’s death in 1890, his nephew William was made 9th Earl of Stamford (the lineage died out in 1976, with the death of the 10th Earl.) The Grey children later left for England, married, and never returned to South Africa. Their descendants are, to date, untraceable, although many of Martha’s direct relatives apparently live in both Wynberg and Wellington. Martha later married a Peter Pieterse(n) from Wellington, and died in Wynberg in 1916, aged 77. She lies buried alongside Harry and their daughter Frances, in Wynberg’s Anglican Church cemetery. Now, the extraordinary love story of these two people from impossibly different backgrounds is to be immortalised in a documentary feature film; “The Black Countess from Bain Street - never kissed by the Queen.” Wellington freelance writer (and erstwhile Cape Town TV scriptwriter/producer) Maggie Follett, of Potboiler Productions, is behind the project, which is being partially-funded by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). Maggie first became interested in the Stamfords after moving to Bain Street four years ago. “I discovered by chance that the long-vacant, dilapidated cottage opposite mine was supposedly the site where their extraordinary cross-cultural romance first blossomed. “This led to an abiding fascination with the story, which sums up for me - in a very poignant way - the complex and often uncomfortable history of South Africa as a Rainbow Nation.” She subsequently established that the Countess had also bequeathed a significant legacy. Despite her position, this “unsung heroine” never forgot her roots, or her rudimentary education at Isaac Bisseux’s mission school, outside Wellington. By donating property towards establishing a small institution for mixed-race children in Wynberg in 1891, she laid the foundation for the highly-reputable Battswood School and Teachers’ Training College - a fertile breeding ground for many of South Africa’s most illustrious academics, during the Apartheid era. Maggie recently interviewed the two foremost authorities on Lord and Lady Stamford: well-known Wellington historian Winnie Rust, author of the (recently translated) “Martha - ’n Verhaal oor Martha Solomons, Countess of Stamford”, and the esteemed Dr Dicky van der Ross, a past pupil of Batts- wood (and former UWC Rector) who penned the book “The Black Countess.” Says Maggie: “Although ‘Martha’ is creative non-fiction, ‘The Black Countess’ is a largely biographical work, and mine is a documentary (containing interviews, archival material and dramatic period reconstructions). We are united in our passion for this remarkable tale. I hope my visual tribute does justice to the priceless input of these wonderful writers.” ‘The Black Countess from Bain Street’ is a proudly Wellington-based initiative that aims to involve creatives, crew and cast members predominantly from the town (and surrounding Drakenstein Valley). “With additional funding and sponsorship, I believe we can create a benchmark South African production that will touch the hearts of people around the world!” Contact Maggie at 087-809-0358, potboilerproductions@gmail.com, or visit sites.google.com/site/blackcountessmartha.
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