Charles Rawden Maclean [John Ross]
This man died on the s.s. Varne in 1880 when heading to Southampton and is buried in Southampton Old Cemetery. The unmarked grave in fact holds the life and story of a remarkable pioneer entwined with the history of Durban in South Africa.
Maclean was born in Fraserburgh, Scotland in 1815 the son of a retired sea captain. He was apprenticed at the age of 10 to James Saunders King master of the Mary and set sail for Africa.
The ship was wrecked off the Natal coast and the boy survived and settled at Port Natal [later known as Durban]. With his red hair and Scottish accent he was soon noticed by the Zulu chieftain Shaka kaSenzagakhona and he befriended him. Charles remained in the community until 1828 and then returned to a life at sea. Prior to that he set out on a trek which was to last for 6 months from Port Natal to the Portuguese settlement of Delagoa Bay. The settlers at Port Natal were struck down with sickness and lacked supplies and medicines. Maclean escorted by 30 warriors from the tribe set out with ox carts on the 300 mile journey each way. It is fairly certain that without this help that the small community of settlers would not have survived.
Later in 1836 Maclean's experiences were recounted by one of the settlers Natheniel Isaacs in a series of tales of his experiences at the settlement. It is said that Isaacs could not remember Maclean's name and used the name "John Ross" for his hero. Oddly though his memory lapsed on the name he gave the boy's age as about 15 years which in reality seems more probable against a 12 year old undertaking the trek. The book sold well particulary back in Maclean's homeland in Scotland but Maclean himself never relished the hero status or his assumed identity of John Ross.
After 10 years at sea, Maclean gained his master's certificate but unfortunately on his first command his ship went onto rocks when he fell asleep at the wheel after long deprivation of sleep. He survived and continued his sea career and was noted for his anti-slavery views.
courtesy Kleinz1 fkickr.com
In Durban there is a large commemorative statue to John Ross, a large commercial building and a highway are named after him. There was a famous salvage tug built 1976 [at the time one of the most powerful tugs in the world] named John Ross. It is open to question as to which John Ross the ship took its name as Sir John Ross RN the famous arctic explorer [Ross Strait] is an equal contender.
At the Old Cemetery there appears that there was no headstone and the Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery and the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre have worked closely together to raise funds for a commemorative headstone to be placed on the grave. On 2nd May 2009 a service of rededication of the grave was held, the unmarked grave was draped with the flag of South Africa and the new headstone with the flag of Scotland, The Sea Cadets attended and a kilted bagpiper played a lament and the Mayor Councillor Brian Parnell introduced the event.
Congratulations to the Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery and Fraserburgh Heritage Centre for arranging this historic commemoration.
[imagss courtesy FoSOC and FHC]
The newly erected headstone on the grave of Charles Rawden Maclean
[images courtesy FoSOC and FHC]
