Beaufort Slave List 1816 - 1838

Beaufort West Slave Lists 1816 - 1838 Database

! 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.

This database primarily contains records of slave registrations that were made mandatory by the British from 1816 onwards. Founded in 1818 from parts of Graaff-Reinet and Tulbagh, the Beaufort ward was created as a buffer between the Cape Colony and the lawless interior. The area encompassed the farms on the northern border of the Colony and extended southward to the Zwartenbergen, whilst the area from west to east stretched from the Dwika River to the Pramberge. A small rural community was established on the farm Hooivlakte in this new sub-district. The town was also originally called Beaufort by Lord Charles Somerset who named it for his father. The name was later changed to Beaufort West to distinguish it from a military fort with the same moniker. Flat, panoramic plains and blue mountains cover the harsh environment like a gigantic fossil. The area to its north was the gateway to the area beyond the Orange River, and was a haven for runaway slaves, social outcasts (e.g. the Griquas, and those banished to the area after the Slagters Nek fiasco), and for smugglers of weapons, ammunition and alcohol. Big game hunters and explorers used the district as a thoroughfare between the interior and the sea ports. 

Designated as a sanctuary for nomadic Coloured residents, the short lived Kookfontein reserve was created in November 1818 in the rugged valleys of the Nuweveld Mountains in the Beaufort district to stem migration beyond the Orange River. Overseen by the Beaufort ministry, it provided both religious education and practical skills training. To regulate local trade and combat smuggling, an official market was introduced at Kookfontein, enabling Griqua communities to barter northern game produce for colonial commodities.

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.

Source: George McCall Theal: The History of South Africa 1795 - 1872 Vol. 1, London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1915

Slave records - South African National Archives

Archive copying by Lara Seaward

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