The First Vryburghers

The First Vryburghers May 1656

Early Land Grants and Entrepreneurship at the Cape

In 1655, the Lords Seventeen decided to reduce the Company's expenses by settling free families (not in VOC employ) on land above the fort. This initiative was further developed in May 1656, when the council at the Cape resolved to grant families as much land as they could cultivate.

This period also saw the emergence of early private enterprise. In May 1656, both Annette de Boerin and the wife of Sergeant Jan Harwarden were granted licenses to open boarding houses for visitors.

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