Lindley

History

Leghoya huts or Sedan Beehive stone huts belonged to the first primitive mining people who came to the Rand but they are also found in several towns in the Lindley District including Heilbron and Arlington. Because of the materials used to build these huts, great skill was required, especially when dealing with the roof. The architecture used to create these huts was unique and could be compared to that of the Inuit. They set the scene for the passing of the Stone Age in the Free State. The Lindley affair was a controversial and embarrassing event (for the British) of the Boer War. The 13th battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry led by Col Basil Spragge departed by rail to join Gen Henry Edward Colvile's column. Owing to the delays in supplying the Spragge's battalion with forage, it was not possible for Spragge to join Colvile. Instead his battalion proceeded to Kroonstad where it arrived on 25 May. The route taken caused a division in the battalion: The 47th Company forded the Sand River since the railway bridge was destroyed and marched to Kroonstad, while the 45th, 46th and 54th Companies, departing a day later, crossed the river via the deviation bridge and proceeded directly by rail to Kroonstad. Spragge, was handed a telegram, the origins of which are still a mystery. Spragge told the Court of Inquiry which investigated the Lindley affair: "I was shown a telegram to the Commandant Kroonstad from General Colvile directing me to join him with my regiment at Lindley”. Colvile denied ever having sent the telegram. It is possible that the Boers had tapped the telegraph lines and sent a bogus message to lure the Imperial Yeomanry into an ambush. It is more likely that bad staff work by British headquarters who issued the order to Spragge but did not tell Colvile.…

Most-observed species

• Cape Wagtail

  Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  145
• African Stonechat

  Saxicola torquatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  86
• White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

  Plocepasser mahali A.Smith, 1836 · Aves
  84
• Southern Anteater-Chat

  Myrmecocichla formicivora (Wilkes, 1817) · Aves
  84
• Egyptian Goose

  Alopochen aegyptiaca (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  83
• Long-tailed Widowbird

  Euplectes progne (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  82
• Southern Masked-Weaver

  Ploceus velatus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  81
• Southern Red Bishop

  Euplectes orix (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  81

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2023-09-09
  10 km ENE of Koppies, South Africa
• M 4.2 — 2015-03-20
  25 km ESE of Ventersburg, South Africa
• M 4.2 — 2001-07-24
  12 km S of Hennenman, South Africa