We are trying to compile a family tree. My husbands father was Peter Carl Barnato. Born 1899. We understand that he had connections with Italian nobility...Bardon de Bourbon (or similar) He was disowned by his parents for not marrying the chosen bride...and all the finer details went to the grave with him. He was born in South Africa, evidently registered in France, but because we do not have parental details we cannot pursue further. He spoke of the film Bitter Rice being shot in the grounds of his family home....this was shot in the Piedmont area around 1949. Anyone with ANY information...please speak up!!

What records do you have for him (like marriage information etc), I take it he stayed in SA. What makes you think he was registered in France?

No relation to the infamous Barney Barnato?

Barnett Barnato
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2007


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Barnett Barnato , 1852-97, South African financier, b. London. His name originally was Barney Isaacs; he first called himself Barney Barnato when he performed as a comedian. He went to South Africa in 1873 and made a fortune by buying worked-out diamond mines in the Kimberley area and mining the abandoned blue earth. He increased his fortune by speculation in diamond and gold mines until he was maneuvered by Cecil Rhodes into merging the Kimberley interests with Rhodes's De Beers interests. He was also plunged into Cape politics and served in the Parliament there. He committed suicide.