For the first forty-five years of Port Elizabeth’s existence, Market Square was the focal point of trade in farmers’ produce in Port Elizabeth.  During 1865, the Municipality relocated the Market close to the Law Courts’ Building, but subsequent civic pressure forced them to relent. This was a temporary repieve as it ultimately had to be permanently relocated elsewhere. 

This blog covers the period to 1868 when the Market was held in Market Square. 

Main picture: Market Square and Castle Hill circa 1860 painted by Mrs J Clark. The free-standing house was the original dedicated Post Office

The Market Square is probably the most significant urban space in the City. Originally, the landing beach was nearby and much of the goods arriving at or leaving from Port Elizabeth did so via Market Square. The Square became the focal point for the buying and selling of goods by the local and district farmers. As the first settlers clambered ashore near where the Campanile is situated, 250 metres in front of them is where the Market Square was located. Scattered around were a few houses and plenty of sandhills covered with tents which would be their temporary accommodation until they departed for Albany.

Initial operation

Like flowers pushing through the earth after the first rains of the season, so it was with the first market which was probably held shortly after the arrival of the first settlers. When the local farmers became aware of the existence of the tented camp that held potential customers, their entrepreneurial instincts came into play. On that unknown day probably sometime during April 1820, the first market came into being.

From its bleak origins, it gradually became a focal point and the town’s produce market. With this came rules and its first bureaucratic activity, a bell ringer. Trains of oxen would enter into this space from early in the morning waiting for the bell ringer to announce the commencement of trading.

Per JJ Redgrave, “At the corner of Market Square stood the old bell with its rusty chain suspended between two stout poles surmounted by sloping boards to protect it from the rain. Faithful old Jonas rang that bell for many a long year. Every morning at an early hour, it would peal forth to warn all and sundry that the sale of produce was about to commence.

Its clanging at any other hour of the day or night indicated that a fire had erupted in some part of the town. This would bring an inquisitive mob onto the streets all agog with excitement at the prospect of some event that would break the monotony of their daily routine.

Rules and Regulations

It is not recorded when this market became subject to various rules and regulations in order to control and facilitate business. Nonetheless by 1868, the book by William Fleming entitled Algoa Bay. Trade and Statistics of Port Elizabeth, the Sea-Port of Algoa Bay, records what the existing rules and operations were in that year.

These are stated as follows: “The Market at Port Elizabeth is held every morning, Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day excepted. The market commences precisely at 7 o’clock during the summer months, and at 8 o’clock in the winter months, and continues until every article is sold. All sales are for Cash, except when a departure is made at the special request of the vendor, who in that case, bears responsibility for payment. For all cash sales the Municipality is responsible – payment to be made to the vendor at 2 o’clock daily, at the Market Office.

Wool and Produce Sales

Held at 12 o’clock every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Fees: 1 per cent on Wool, 2 per cent on other Produce; on Wool and other Produce withdrawn, half fees.

Morning market in the 1880s

In his recollections of the 1880s, Lionel Cripps described the morning market as follows: “The morning market was early established and was well patronised by farmers of the surrounding district as well as those from distances as great as Graaff Reinett, Uitenhage, Gamtoos River from which fruit came. The hardier kind were sometimes in sacks, but grapes and stone fruit were well packed in boxes and arrived in good condition. Dried fruit from the hands of framers’ wives came packs in sacks and, though no equal in appearance to present day samples, were good in quality and flavour after the sun drying homely process to which they were subjected. All produce was brought in by ox wagons which were drawn up on the market square, where the oxen lay at rest at the yokes during the long hours  while produce was being disposed of, and until they were roused to take the long trail back rom whence they had started, it might have been the day before. Cookhouse was the rail-head. Beyond that, all transport was done by ox wagon.“

Sources

Algoa Bay. Trade and Statistics of Port Elizabeth: The Sea-Port of Algoa Bay by William Fleming (1868, Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange, London)

Port Elizabeth in Bygone Days by J.J. Redgrave (1947, Rustica Press)