NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COLONISTS |
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The 1820 Settlers
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Part 2 The idea of the Duke of Newcastle to send people to the Cape Colony was not purely one of helping to overcome the suffering of the Nottinghamshire framework knitters. To assist unemployed people out of parochial funds on this scale would have been extremely difficult indeed, so the government actively encouraged emigration as a means of reducing the burden of pauperism, and were prepared to make some funds available to help such people emigrate. But there was a deeper hidden agenda too. For some time, the government had been concerned about the Cape Colony in South Africa, and could not afford to keep a strong military presence there to protect the existing colony from Kaffir raids which were on the increase. Lord Bathurst, the Colonial Secretary and the Government at the Cape had the idea that if they were able to place more settlers in the area, and particularly in the "frontier" areas, the new settlers would act as a "buffer" to the raids. They could not only help solve the pauper problem and its associated economic problems, but also at the same time defend the Colony by using the pauper emigrants. A committee was set up in Nottinghamshire (and also in other counties), and working under guidelines from the Government, began work on planning the emigration of paupers from Nottinghamshire to the Cape Colony. The committee selected Thomas CALTON a surgeon from North Collingham, as the leader of the expedition. Two others involved particularly in the in the planning process were Edward SMITH GODFREY and the Rev. John Thomas BECHER, of Southwell. Thomas Calton was to be paid the sum of £200 for his leadership of the expedition, and the government agreed to set aside and assign land to the settlers. Calton himself was to be responsible for the division of the land between the settlers, and provision was made that if Calton should die, then there would be a vote amongst the settlers to appoint a new leader. The emigrants were bound to assist each other in the building of roads and their houses, and four acres of land were to be fenced off for each family. Any settler who refused orders from Calton would forfeit £20. A great many letters were received from Nottinghamshire people during October of 1819 applying to be included amongst the settlers. It is somewhat unclear whether all of these were from pauper families, as the list of those finally selected are from all over the county, and of many various occupations and not just those framework knitters in the town of Nottingham as was originally intended in the Duke of Newcastle's suggestion. One letter from the Chilwell families of John CROSS, William UNDERWOOD, John LANCASTER and a single man, John TOWLE, is seen to request further assistance to travel from Nottingham to the sea port. (Only the family of John CROSS were subsequently accepted as emigrants from these people). Another letter survives from one Thomas DRAPER, (who later became the leader after CALTON's death at the Cape).
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