The Story of Melsetter (First Edition) Signed – Shirley Sinclair

R1,250.00

Melsetter village is beautifully sited in the hills facing the
Chimanimani Mountains on the Eastern border of
Rhodesia, about 90 miles south of Umtali the main town of
Manicaland. The name was chosen by Thomas Moodie
whose grandfather, the last laird of Melsetter in the Orkney
Islands, came to South Africa in 1 81 7. In 1 892 when the
Moodie Trek was on its way to Gazaland Thomas Moodie
wrote to the British South Africa Company: “I want to
suggest, for the approval of the Company, that the name of
my settlement be the Melsetter Settlement.”

The name is always pronounced here with the accent on
the second syllable, and recently Hugh Scatter of Melsetter
House, Melsetter, Orkney, Scotland, wrote that “when the
late Mr. Middlemore took over the place about 1 898 he
established the name ‘Melsetter’, and since then it has
been known as such although many local people still call it
by the old name ‘Melster’ verbally but never in writing. We
have been here for just over twenty years now, and intend
to keep the name ‘Melsetter’.”

Biography on Author :
On arrival in Gazaland Moodie chose a site for his family farm which he called Waterfall, and
most of the other members of his trek settled in the same area, today’s Chipinga district. In
1894 the Martin Trek reached today’s Melsetter district, which then became more closely
settled than Chipinga and during 1895 it was decided that the administrative centre should
be moved to Melsetter. The name moved too, and for many years Chipinga was called
South Melsetter and Cashel was termed North Melsetter: in this book the three areas are
referred to by their present names. Chipinga, named after a local chief, is roughly 40 miles
south of Melsetter, and Cashel, called after Major and Mrs. Cashel who later owned Thaba
Nchu, is about 40 miles north of Melsetter.

The book aims to tell the story of Melsetter itself but, as the three districts were originally
administered as one, people and developments in Chipinga and Cashel appear in the early
years. Their problems were similar and they were all close friends in spite of distance from
one another. Until the Sabi road was completed in 1 922 all Chipinga residents traveled
through Melsetter on their slow journeys to and from Umtali and the outside world; and from
1 908 when today’s Scenic Road was built all traffic from Melsetter went through the Cashel
Valley until the new main road was put through in the late 1 960s.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition:Fair covered in a protective cover, a few marks at the back of cover and wear and tear . 1st Edition. Signed by author to title page. 197pp. illus. on glossy art paper and unmarked. Boards clean. Binding tight. DJ has shelf wear. Signed by Author

Out of stock

SKU: 579 Category: Title: The Story of Melsetter (First Edition) Signed
Author: Shirley Sinclair
Publisher: MO Collins (Pvt) Ltd Salisbury
Year: 1971
Condition: Very Good
Format: Hardcover
Inventory No: 579

Description

Melsetter village is beautifully sited in the hills facing the
Chimanimani Mountains on the Eastern border of
Rhodesia, about 90 miles south of Umtali the main town of
Manicaland. The name was chosen by Thomas Moodie
whose grandfather, the last laird of Melsetter in the Orkney
Islands, came to South Africa in 1 81 7. In 1 892 when the
Moodie Trek was on its way to Gazaland Thomas Moodie
wrote to the British South Africa Company: “I want to
suggest, for the approval of the Company, that the name of
my settlement be the Melsetter Settlement.”

The name is always pronounced here with the accent on
the second syllable, and recently Hugh Scatter of Melsetter
House, Melsetter, Orkney, Scotland, wrote that “when the
late Mr. Middlemore took over the place about 1 898 he
established the name ‘Melsetter’, and since then it has
been known as such although many local people still call it
by the old name ‘Melster’ verbally but never in writing. We
have been here for just over twenty years now, and intend
to keep the name ‘Melsetter’.”

Biography on Author :
On arrival in Gazaland Moodie chose a site for his family farm which he called Waterfall, and
most of the other members of his trek settled in the same area, today’s Chipinga district. In
1894 the Martin Trek reached today’s Melsetter district, which then became more closely
settled than Chipinga and during 1895 it was decided that the administrative centre should
be moved to Melsetter. The name moved too, and for many years Chipinga was called
South Melsetter and Cashel was termed North Melsetter: in this book the three areas are
referred to by their present names. Chipinga, named after a local chief, is roughly 40 miles
south of Melsetter, and Cashel, called after Major and Mrs. Cashel who later owned Thaba
Nchu, is about 40 miles north of Melsetter.

The book aims to tell the story of Melsetter itself but, as the three districts were originally
administered as one, people and developments in Chipinga and Cashel appear in the early
years. Their problems were similar and they were all close friends in spite of distance from
one another. Until the Sabi road was completed in 1 922 all Chipinga residents traveled
through Melsetter on their slow journeys to and from Umtali and the outside world; and from
1 908 when today’s Scenic Road was built all traffic from Melsetter went through the Cashel
Valley until the new main road was put through in the late 1 960s.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition:Fair covered in a protective cover, a few marks at the back of cover and wear and tear . 1st Edition. Signed by author to title page. 197pp. illus. on glossy art paper and unmarked. Boards clean. Binding tight. DJ has shelf wear. Signed by Author

Additional information

Weight 0.75 kg
Dimensions 24 × 15.5 × 2 cm

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