Stallard, Charles Frampton /Papers

Charles Stallard was a barrister, a soldier, a politician, and in his spare time, a farmer. Born on 4 June 1871 and educated in England he volunteered for service in the South African War (1899-1902), at the cessation of which he started to build up a practice at the bar in Johannesburg. In 1910 he not only took silk, but at the first election for the Transvaal Provincial Council, he won the Turffontein seat. After serving in the First World War (1914-1918) he founded the Dominion Party in 1934 and served as Minister of Mines from 1939 to 1945. In between these activities he commuted to his farm "Hope Woolith" on the southern outskirts of Johannesburg whenever he could. He had acquired the farm in 1901. His farm manager and friend was Basil Ritchie who was born in 1868 and who in 1909 married Hilda Goldney. Stallard extended his farming activities, with Ritchie, first living on "Goudkoppies", later "Kloof", "Hope Mensil" and "Vesta" were also incorporated into "Hope Woolith" and the farming became more diverse. Originally the farming was mainly for forage (i.e. "mangels") with market outlets in Johannesburg. In the 1920s Stallard and Ritchie were experimenting with wool persians and black-head sheep and had fine herds of cattle. Ritchie died in 1935. Stallard built a church, St. Cuthbert's, on his farm where he often conducted services for his farm workers and his friends. He left the bulk of his estate to St. Martin's Anglican School in Johannesburg, while half of his farm was left in trust for the school. Stallard, who never married, died a week after his hundredth birthday on 13 June 1971.