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GSSA
The 1820 Settler Correspondence
 as preserved in the National Archives, Kew
 and edited by Sue Mackay

pre 1820 Settler Correspondence before emigration

ALL the 1819 correspondence from CO48/41 through CO48/46 has been transcribed whether or not the writers emigrated to the Cape. Those written by people who did become settlers, as listed in "The Settler Handbook" by M.D. Nash (Chameleon Press 1987), are labelled 1820 Settler and the names of actual settlers in the text appear in red.

BROWN, John and STUBBS, John , 1820 Settlers

National Archives, Kew CO48/41, 346/348

To the Right Honourable Earl Bathurst, the humble memorial of John BROWN and John STUBBS herewith

That your memorialists being possessed of s small capital which they are unable to employ with such advantage as will secure to their respective families either subsistence or the means of giving them such an education as they consider necessary to their future success in life have directed their serious attention to the liberal proposals of His Majesty's Government as contained in the Circular Letter to Persons desirous of emigrating to the Cape of Good Hope.

That availing themselves of considerable information they have been able to derive from persons who have been settled at the Cape and maturely reflecting at the same time on the difficulties which must naturally attend such an enterprize, they have resolved to form a Partnership Concern and beg leave respectfully to solicit such assistance as His Majesty's Government have determined upon granting.

Your memorialists humbly submit for your Lordship's approbation the annexed list of the names and such other particulars as they consider important of the individuals they have engaged on their proposed undertaking. That deeply impressed with the responsibility they take upon themselves your memorialists beg to state that their humble endeavours shall be faithfully exerted to second the Wise and Benificent Intentions of His Majesty's Government by securing to the individuals under them every comfort their situation can possibly admit. They have used every measure to make themselves acquainted with the different characters of these individuals and venture with much confidence to assert that they will be found ready to defend with their lives the Colony, whenever the Government may think their services can be of utility in repelling any attack thereon. Your memorialists will with gratitude accept whatever station may be assigned to them, but being ardently anxious to combine the pursuits of the Agriculturalist and Fisherman they respectfully hope your Lordship will not deem them presumptuous in soliciting every facility for this purpose that can be granted them consistent with the prior claims of other settlers and the public interest of the Colony.

That your memorialists are ready to answer any interrogations on the nature of their plans and to give every facility to any enquiry on their characters your Lordship may direct to be made as well as to fulfil every condition under which assistance can be granted to settlers, whenever permitted so to do, and they entreat permission further to represent that some of the families they have engaged are at present in great distress and anxiously waiting such communication as the honour of your Lordship's reply will [obscured] your memorialists to make them.

We have the honour to subscribe ourselves

My Lord

Your Lordship's most obedient humble servants

John BROWN

John STUBBS

48 Kenton Street, Bloomsbury, 10th August 1819

Names

Age

Profession

Single or
Married
Children
under 18
Children
under 14

Children for whom a deposit is required 18

Children for whom a deposit is required 14

John BROWN

28

Fisherman & Trader

Married

-

Two

-

-

John STUBBS

40

Agriculturalist

Do.

-

Five

-

Three

William MORICE

24

Schoolmaster

Single

-

-

-

-

William BRANSTONE

32

Husbandmen

Married

-

Four

-

Two

John BLAKEMORE

27

Do.

Do.

-

One

-

-

George BLAKEMORE

32

Do.

Do.

-

Three

-

One

Matthew MARSHALL

25

Do.

Do.

-

-

-

-

David DAVIS

42

Smith

Do.

One

-

One

-

John PARTINGTON

25

British Wine Maker

Do.

-

-

-

-

William DENHAM

31

Labourer

Do.

-

Two

-

-

Stephen DENHAM

26

Seaman

Do.

-

Two

-

-

John GUNNELL

20

Labourer

Single

-

-

-

-

Frederick STEVENSON

20

Do.

Do.

-

-

-

-

Samuel WEST

30

Carpenter & Agricultural Inst Maker

Married

One

Three

One

One

William WILLIAMS

40

Husbandman

Do.

-

Two

-

-

Benjamin SURMONS

 

Serv't to John BROWN

Single

-

One

-

-

Ann KEAY

 

Do. to John STUBBS

Single

-

-

-

-

 

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The following letter is filed under D for DANIEL (CO48/42)

National Archives, Kew CO48/42, 722

No. 190 Strand

London

27 August 1819

The humble Memorial of John BROWN and John STUBBS respectfully states

That since they had the honour of submitting their former memorial to Your Lordship's consideration an Application has been made to them by an intimate Friend Mr. Henry DANIEL to join them at the proposed settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, himself as a Partner and nine individuals as labourers.

That deeply impressed with the conviction that their individual success and the general Prosperity of the Settlement may be greatly promoted by an increase of their Commercial Strength and disposable Capital having also every Confidence in Mr. DANIEL's Integrity they humbly request that upon his fulfilling the conditions under which assistance is granted them that he may obtain your Lordship's approbation [to] be allowed with his followers to strengthen [those] of your Lordship's Memorialists, who beg to Subscribe themselves My Lord,

Your Lordship's most obedt. & Humble [Servants]

John BROWN

John STUBBS

alt

 

The following letter is files under H for HOLMES (CO48/43) as it is written to W. HOLMES Esq, MP

National Archives, Kew CO48/43, 857

190 Strand

London

11th October 1819

Sir,

The Anxious state of Suspense in which Mr STUBBS and myself are placed by the unexpected Contents of the letter we lately received from the Colonial Office will, I hope, be deemed a sufficient Apology for again intruding upon your Attention. It is now generally known among those Persons we had engaged that we have had an unfavourable Communication from Government and as after the Interview we had the Honor to have with you we thought ourselves fully justified in assuring them we were accepted, several of them now refuse to have any further connexion with us, saying that they have been deceived by us, while those who are stilling willing to abide by their Agreement are calling upon us almost hourly to know if we relieve them from their present uncertainty and to remove the despondency they are sinking into, we are under the necessity of telling them we expect a favourable answer every Moment.

Mr STUBBS whose life has for some years been a continuous scene of laborious Drudgery and severe Privation had so arduously set his Mind upon our Speculation that his Family are in fearful Apprehension of the Effect such a Disappointment may have upon him. To relate however every Trouble which threatens to involve us by a frustration of our intended Scheme would be an unwarrantable trespass upon your valuable Time and humbly hope unnecessary to induce you to Honor us by the exertion of your Influence in procuring a Confirmation of those Hopes your former Condescension first created in the Mind of, Sir

Your much Obliged and most Obedient Humble Servant

John BROWN

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