| Richmond | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -29.8667°N 46°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | UMgungundlovu |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Richmond |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1850[1] |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.14 |
| Population Total: | 3349 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 62.7% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 9.6% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 16.8% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 9.9% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.0% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 49.2% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 38.2% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 3.3% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 2.0% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 7.4% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 3780 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 3780 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
Richmond is a town situated on the banks of the upper Lovu River in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The town is located within the Richmond Local Municipality, forming part of the Umgungundlovu District Municipality and incorporates the former township of Ndaleni on the opposite bank of the Illovo River. Timber, sugarcane, poultry, citrus fruit and dairy goods are produced here. It is approximately 38 km south-west of Pietermaritzburg on the R56 road.
Richmond was established in 1850 as Beaulieu-on-Illovo by British Byrne Settlers who were originally from New Forest/Beaulieu, in Hampshire.
Passages were obtained on J.C. Byrne and Co.’s Lady Bruce, and ‘the Duke’s people’, as they came to be known, were located on the Illovo river, not far from the Wesleyans’ Indaleni Mission Station This year
The expenses for wagon-hire to their allotments and survey fees were charges to the Duke's account by Moreland, and the Duke also met the costs of flour, tents, and seed. He even donated L100 to Pietermaritzburg's Anglican minister, the Revd James Green, to be used towards the construction of a church in their new settlement. Their rural allotments were on land which was given the name Beaulieu Estate, and Beaulieu was the name given to the village.
Because of the similarity of the names of the two entities, confusion arose with land titles, and before 1850 was out, the nearby village had been renamed Richmond, after the Duke's seat in Richmond, Surrey.
The arrival of the settlers brought about a slow return of various remnants of African people who fled the raiding Zulu armies. The Zulus called these refugees "amaBhaca", (people who hide). Although composed of elements of many different groups, the Bhaca have developed their own identity.
In February 1906 two British officers were killed at Byrne, near Richmond while involved in enforcing the collection of the hated Poll Tax from "recalcitrant districts". This incident, known as the Trewirgie Incident, precipitated the imposition of martial law and set off the Bambatha Rebellion.
One of Natal's greatest tycoons, Joseph Baynes, a Yorkshireman by birth, was a pioneer of the dairy industry. His Baynesfield Estate was bequeathed in his will to the nation of South Africa.
A good history of Richmond has been written by Coulson 1986.The town is controlled by the Dlamini family which have enormous wealth followed by the Mckenzies.