South Africa Emigration and Immigration: Difference between revisions

 

From 1795 onwards there were a few British residents at the Cape, many of whom were military personnel, but it was not until 1814 that Britain eventually gained formal possession of the Cape. Factors that prompted a substantial emigration of British settlers to South Africa 1819-1820, the most serious of which was the economic crisis in Britain following the Napoleonic wars which made emigration with promise of land and opportunity very attractive. Another was to settle the disputed eastern frontier of the Cape of Good Hope with a farming community to discourage the Xhosa tribe from crossing the colonial boundary. The British government also wanted to increase the English-speaking population of a recently acquired colony that was predominantly Dutch in its language and customs.

 

There are online resources for the British immigration to the cape. For example, there is a fantastic new website, "South African Settlers", for people who are tracing their ancestors in South Africa who emigrated from the British Isles. Although it covers mainly those who came in 1820, it is an on-going project with new names being added all the time. [[South African Settlers Website|More information]].