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This first part of Cockney Liz's story is true and was confirmed by various people
who were there at the time.
Cockney Liz arrived in Barberton by mail-coach in June 1887, apparently to try and find her fiance, who had come to the gold fields to seek his fortune.
We don't know who the man was,but on her arrival she received the news that he had tragically passed away.
She was not told however that he had been shot for stealing his partner's savings.
Stafford Parker, who amongst other things was the proprietor of the European Hotel, took pity on her and offered her money or a job.
Cockney Liz who is described as "a tall and beautiful girl"
would not accept charity.
Although she had no training in any occupation she approached the owner of the Red Light Canteen, a Ms. Fernandez and offered to help at the bar as well as to sing and dance.
Her very first performance was a great success which we are told, "Brought the house down" and after that Liz was one of the star attractions in town.
Even though she had no professional training Liz gave a lot of people pleasure with her singing and her
dancing.
She certainly must have had a
vivacious personality, combined with the ability of knowing how to handle men.
Like her rival, the‘Golden Dane’, Cockney Liz would not become involved in any permanent relationship
Her sole aim was to make as much money as fast as she could and get away to a better place to live.
She eventually rose from
being an entertainer to being the owner of not only the Red Light Canteen but also of the Royal Albert Hall, with its
fake ceiling of the night sky with stars and all. |
COCKNEY LIZ 
STAFFORD PARKER
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She achieved fame by putting herself up for auction every evening to the highest bidder.
One successful bidder bid 100 Kimberley Imperial shares valued at £2000. He over-celebrated his good fortune and passed out alone on the bar floor. He did not get his shares back.
Cockney Liz was a remarkable woman and the talk of the town, her hairstyles and mannerisms and songs were copied by many young teenage girls, much to the consternation of their mothers,
who thought her a "Brazen Hussy".
In truth Cockney Liz must have had a major effect on Barberton’s social life and
morals, for the three years that she was there.
The saucy look that she was famous for,( just look at the photo), must have caused many of those strong men to yearn to be the man in her life.
It is told that Stafford Parker, was her friend and
confidant and nothing more.
Parker never divulged Liz's story, so we do not know for sure if she sank into the gutter or rose to be a lady and wife of some aristocrat.
Liz left town and disappeared. Stories went around that she went to the Witwatersrand, where she died in poverty. No one knows the true story and so she remains a legend and an unsolved mystery.
According to a 1888 issue of the Goldfields Times, in the Barberton museum, Cockney Liz married an Alfred Percival Scribbens.
There is a romantic side of me that would like to think that she did not just fade away into quiet obscurity
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THE GOLDEN DANE:
During the rough and ready early days of the gold rush there was a shortage of women who were prepared to live under those conditions.
So for "Ladies of the night" or "Soiled Doves" there was a thriving need for their business amongst the rough and tough diggers who came to seek their fortunes.
Girls, like The Golden Dane, Cockney Liz, Florrie and Trixie to name a few who were prepared
to sell their services to the local diggers, were in great demand.
Trixie was a very popular Barberton barmaid, because- it is told - she used to push
her customers home in a wheelbarrow if they became too inebriated.
One of the most attractive ladies in Barberton was a blonde bombshell of great beauty, known only as the "Golden
Dane".
To all purposes she appeared to be the main rival of Cockney Liz.
Where she came from or who her real name was no one knew,
except that she regularly
mailed letters to Denmark in Europe, hence her nickname.
Many of the men and diggers tried to win the attention and hands of these girls in marriage.
Like Cockney Liz, The Golden Dane kept her options open and as broad as possible and would not be coerced
into any permanent relationship.
If they allowed this to happen it would have ruined their business.
There is an urban legend that at one stage, a Jewish man spread a rumour in town that he had won her hand and that he was engaged to her.
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THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL 
THE INTERIOR ROYAL ALBERT HALL
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When she heard the story, The Golden Dane armed with a shambok, found him as he was drinking in one of the local saloons.
She confronted him and made him take back his words in front of all the witnesses in the bar.
She further informed him that for no amount of money would he ever
make use of her services again. The story goes that he meekly complied.
Although these girls were considered "Brazen Hussy's" by the local more staid ladies of the community, they did contribute a lot of their own time and money to
help the miners and diggers as well as the community.
Nearly all of them did volunteer work at the local hospital, helping to keep their client base and others healthy.
During one bad time of malaria fever in the digging camps, the Golden Dane attended to the diggers in their tents. She tried to bring them comfort, as they
suffered and in some cases lay dying of the fever.
She never accepted any money and in fact used some of her own money to help the diggers during their battle with malaria.
She had not been seen or heard of for a few days,so some diggers went to find out what was wrong.
They found her in her room in a coma as she was suffering from malaria. The diggers then took turns at nursing her, but two days later, she died of malaria
When her belongings were checked, not a single clue as to her real identity or any next of kin was found.
The Golden Dane passed away into legend and history without anybody ever knowing who she
really was.
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FRENCH BOB
The most resolute and persevering of prospectors in the Kaap Valley also known as "The Valley of Death", were three men, Ingram James, Magnus Jefferies and a Frenchman August Robert, known as "French Bob".
French Bob was born in France in 1848 and he became an engineer. He joined the Kimberly diamond rush without success. He then moved to Pilgrims Rest, also without any major success. He fought in the Sekhukhune war, fought for the British in the Zulu war and for the Transvaal at Majuba.
These three prospectors had arrived at Duiwels Kantoor now known as Kaapschehoop in 1882 and had wandered down into the Kaap valley.
People soon saw that they were having some success because they were able to pay for supplies in gold as well as banking the odd nugget or so.
The crowd of diggers at Kaapschehoop were in a frenzy of curiosity as to where these finds were made and many attempts were made to find out.
Tom McLachlan who is considered to be one of the greatest of South African prospectors went down in "Digger History" with the following tale. In September of 1882 he paid his last visit to Duiwels Kantoor. Mclachlan found that the diggers there would do anything for information of somebody else's discovery. They fed him copious amounts of strong drink to get him to divulge his activities, of which he refused to breath a word. He did however inform them that he knew where French Bob and his two companions were finding gold. After being fed much drink, he agreed to lead them there after he had tied up his business.Two hundred diggers packed their things waiting to be shown the way. Mclachlan finished earlier than they realised and left a note telling them to meet him at a certain spot on October 2nd. When they got there they found a note under a stone leading them to another spot, with another note and so on. This went on for days through really rugged country and the diggers gradually exhausted by now, returned to Duiwels Kantoor knowing that they had been duped.
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FRENCH BOB
TOM MCLACHLAN |
Mclachlan despised what he called vultures waiting for other men to do the work and then descend on their findings, had led them a merry chase but he wisely never went back to Duiwels Kantoor.
The actual site of French Bob and his companions find was along the banks of the Ngwenyana stream known as the North Kaap. Ingram James had been responsible for the first discovery. They worked in secret but in early 1883 Henry Culverwall stumbled on their site and pegged out a claim. The news spread and within days there was a rush to what became known as Jamestown in honour of Ingram James. This rush was short lived and French Bob and his companions worked the length and breadth of the Kaap Valley and found many traces of gold, but a water shortage put them off working many of their finds, including what was to become the Sheba Reef. French Bob wandered along what became known as Queens River after the Swazi queen Moyo of the Mjindini Kraal. He found traces of "Rotten Reef" that he described as the best find yet.
A man named Wylde tried to double cross everybody by getting a concession from the queen on what became known as Concession Creek.
French Bob called Mr Ziervogel the mining Commissioner to settle the dispute. Even though the findings were on Moodies grant nothing was settled. Most of the prospectors left in disgust. However on Sunday 3 June 1883 French Bob at the head of the Creek found what was then the greatest gold find in Southern Africa "The Pioneer Reef".
The three prospectors agreed to inform Moodie and started working on a six mile water race. Once they started work on the race all secrecy ended and a rush started. Very soon news had spread not only throughout Southern Africa but right around the world.
The greatest rush since the discovery of diamonds ensued and this was to establish the Transvaal Republic as the the greatest producer of gold in the world.
He was a prospector of courage , patience, resourceful and held in high esteem by his fellow diggers. |
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