Charles (or Carel, Carl) Philip Watermeyer was the son of Frederick Stephanus (Joubert) Watermeyer* and his wife Anna Maria Ziervogel. He qualified as a government land surveyor in the Cape Colony in May 1861. The next year he was the co-compiler, with F. Skead*, of a chart of Mossel Bay and its harbour. In 1872-1873 he commenced a triangulation in Namaqualand for the Cape government. The survey was connected to the three northernmost stations of T. Maclear's* arc of meridian survey and was intended to extend to the Orange River from its mouth to Pella. He built 26 permanent beacons; observed to as far north as Kosiesberg, some 22 km north-west of Steinkopf; fixed the positions of the mining centres Okiep, Springbok and Concordia; and computed the latitudes and longitudes of five stations. However, the survey remained uncompleted as he was given other work in 1873.

From 1878 Watermeyer did survey work in East Griqualand and by 1886 was stationed at Kokstad. During these and later years his surveys were used to compile maps and plans (with publication dates) of East Griqualand (1879-1885); plans of the villages of Ugie (1884, 1904), uMzimkhulu (1884), Port St Johns (1887), Mount Frere (1896), Tsolo (1897), Kokstad (1900), and Maclear (1904); a divisional map of Mount Currie (4 sheets, 1891); and maps of the districts of uMzimkhulu (1891, 1902) and Mount Currie (4 sheets, 1902). He was listed as a land surveyor in the Civil service list of the Cape Colony until 1894.

Watermeyer was married in 1863 to Maria Jacoba de Smidt, with whom he had several children.

List of sources:

Cape of Good Hope. Civil service list, 1887, 1891, 1894: Lists of land surveyors.

Cape of Good Hope. Report of the Surveyor-General, 1879, 1880.

FamillySearch: Carel Philip Watermeyer. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ8-HSX7-L?view=index&personArk=/ark:/61903/1:1:QP7T-X9Y3&action=view&cc=2517051&lang=en&groupId= AND https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/KHRC-95D

My Heritage: Charles Philip Watermeyer. Retrieved on 12 April 2021 from https://www.myheritage.com/names/charles_watermeyer

De Villiers, C.C. Geslagsregisters van die ou Kaapse families. Hersien en aangevul deur C. Pama. Kaapstad: Balkema, 1981.

General directory and guide book to the Cape of Good Hope and its dependencies..., 1886, list of government land surveyors.

Heaton, J.R. Francis Skead, hydrographer. Africana Notes and News, 1975, Vol. 21(7), pp. 281-285.

National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAAIRS). http://national.archives.gov.za/naairs.htm Documents relating to Watermeyer, C.P.

Compiled by: C. Plug

Last updated: 2026-02-23 11:46:40