Albany Save List 1816 - 1838

! Sensitivity : It is crucial to handle this database with care and a strong sense of responsibility. Many of the terms used were originally assigned by the VOC (Dutch East India Company) and often do not reflect how individuals and groups identified themselves. The terms themselves can be misleading, as they oversimplify the complex social realities experienced by people at the time.

This database may also contains terms that are considered derogatory, offensive, or harmful. The concepts within it are deeply connected to a history of colonial violence, enslavement, and racism that persisted both during and after the VOC's existence.

The database primarily contains records of slave registrations that were made mandatory by the British from 1816 onwards. Slavery was abolished by the British at the Cape on 01 December 1834 but slaves had to serve a four year "apprenticeship".  On 01 December 1838 all forms of forced labour was ended and slavery officially came to an end. Where no exact birthdate is given, the stated year of birth is an approximation by the slave owner. The transcribed date of birth may differ by a year due to slave owners registering birth dates with half a year added to most dates. 

Situated between the Sundays and Fish Rivers, the district was named for Albany in New York by Jacob Cuyler (an American by birth), Landrost, and one of the founders of Uitenhage. Known for its dense woodlands and biodiversity, the area formed a buffer between the British Cape Colony and the Xhosa lands to the east. Albany became the new home of the largest wave of British Settlers to arrive in the Colony in 1820. The villages of Grahamstown, Port Alfred and Bathurst were established by these settlers.

Slave records - South African National Archives

Archive copying by Lara Seaward

Usage Terms for Website Content

This applies to all databases on this website.

You are welcome to copy facts, names, and dates for your own use, subject to the terms of our license. Please click on the link provided to view the full terms.

However, please be aware that you may not copy and paste sentences from my histories or introductions, and Blog, onto your own website, as these are protected by copyright.

All images and photographs on this site are either AI-generated, open source, or copyright protected.

Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.