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Muster Rolls introduction

The Muster Rolls (monsterrollen), preserved in the form of transcripts in the Cape Archives as VC 39-55 and 103, were apparently yearly lists of the inhabitants at the Cape, drawn up by Dutch East India Company (VOC) officials, and sent to the authorities in the Netherlands where they were preserved.

These are copies done by hand at the end of the 19th Century. to judge from the handwriting, presumably from the records preserved in the VOC archives at The Hague, Netherlands. So far I have been able to find no information on the transcriber or the circumstances.

In VC 39 part 3 of these transcripts there are lists for the years 1660 to 1666/7 for each year, 1670 to 1675 for each year, 1677, 1679, 1682, 1685, 1686, 1688, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1696, 1698 and 1700.

These records in the VOC archives are likewise copies, which were preserved in the archives of the Amsterdam Chamber of VOC. The originals must have been compiled at the Cape each year. Several copies were then made and forwarded to Batavia in Indonesia, headquarters of the VOC abroad, and the authority in charge of the Cape branch of the VOC. Other copies were presumably forwarded to the several Chambers of the VOC in the Netherlands. The originals, if they were kept at the Cape, did not survive.

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Title Author Hits
Cape Muster Roll 1657 transcribed by Richard Ball 11879
Cape Muster Roll 1658 transcribed by Richard Ball 10632
Cape Muster Roll 1660 transcribed by Richard Ball 13970
Cape Muster Roll 1661 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10550
Cape Muster Roll 1662 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 14932
Cape Muster Roll 1663 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 12448
Cape Muster Roll 1664 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 8980
Cape Muster Roll 1665 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9334
Cape Muster Roll 1666-67 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 8863
Cape Muster Roll 1667 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9479
Cape Muster Roll 1670 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10760
Cape Muster Roll 1671 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10026
Cape Muster Roll 1672 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9097
Cape Muster Roll 1673 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9218
Cape Muster Roll 1674 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9167
Cape Muster Roll 1675 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 8836
Cape Muster Roll 1677 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9936
Cape Muster Roll 1678 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9234
Cape Muster Roll 1679 transcribed by Richard Ball 9568
Cape Muster Roll 1682 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9600
Cape Muster Roll 1685 transcribed by Richard Ball 11316
Cape Muster Roll 1686 transcribed by Richard Ball 10600
Cape Muster Roll 1688 transcribed by Richard Ball 11388
Cape Muster Roll 1690 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10361
Cape Muster Roll 1691 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10953
Cape Muster Roll 1692 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 13959
Cape Muster Roll 1693 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 13513
Cape Muster Roll 1695 transcribed by Richard Ball 18962
Cape Muster Roll 1695 - Knechts transcribed by Corney Keller 11419
Cape Muster Roll 1696 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 13256
Cape Muster Roll 1698 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 14371
Cape Muster Roll 1700 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 10313
Cape Muster Roll of 1702 [for 1701] transcribed by Richard Ball 15503
Cape Muster Roll 1703 [for 1702] - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7685
Cape Muster Roll 1703 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6768
Cape Muster Roll 1704 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6815
Cape Muster Roll 1705 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6703
Cape Muster Roll 1706 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6994
Cape Muster Roll 1707 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6211
Cape Muster Roll 1708 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6153
Cape Muster Roll 1709 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 3895
Cape Muster Roll 1711 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 4068
Cape Muster Roll of 1712 transcribed by Richard Ball 29216
Cape Muster Roll of 1713 transcribed by Richard Ball 20045
Cape Muster Roll 1714 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7203
Cape Muster Roll 1715/16 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 8423