Cock Tales on the Kowie

Sue Gordon and her husband Neville purchased Richmond House, aka Cock’s Castle, on the top of Wesley Hill in Port Alfred in 1999. For Sue, this was the beginning of a fascinating journey into the history of the house and its original owner and builder, 1820 Settler leader, entrepreneur, politician, and, most famously of all, the man who shifted the Kowie River and created a harbour, the Honourable William Cock.
Sue began collecting artefacts, stories and documents about the house and William Cock, and in 2007 established the Richmond House Museum in the grounds of Richmond House.
Then, ably assisted and encouraged by fifth-generation William Cock descendant, local dairy farmer Ed Cock, she began the monumental task of researching the history of the house and the Cock family.
This eminently readable and meticulously researched book is the result.
“Cock Tales” offers the reader, whether descended from the 1820 Settlers or otherwise, a sense of place and circumstance, a fascinating glimpse into our collective past and a most welcome addition to the existing body of literature on the 1820 Settlers.
Pat Irwin, Professor Emeritus in Education, Rhodes University

About the author

Sue Laburn Gordon
Sue (nee Laburn) Gordon, born and raised in Johannesburg, has always loved history – which started with a crush on her high school history teacher,…
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