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GSSA
The 1820 Settler Correspondence
 as preserved in the National Archives, Kew
 and edited by Sue Mackay

pre 1820 Settler Correspondence before emigration

ALL the 1819 correspondence from CO48/41 through CO48/46 has been transcribed whether or not the writers emigrated to the Cape. Those written by people who did become settlers, as listed in "The Settler Handbook" by M.D. Nash (Chameleon Press 1987), are labelled 1820 Settler and the names of actual settlers in the text appear in red.

BAGLEY, Patrick, 1820 Settler

Written by Sue Mackay on .

National Archives, Kew CO48/41, 602/603

No.2 Cumberland Court

Tottenham Street

Tottenham Court Road

My Lord,

His Majesty's Government having held out an engagement to such persons who are in want of employment & who possessing the means are inclined to emigrate to the Cape of Good Hope, I humbly beg leave to offer myself to the authorities. I inform your Lordship that I have formed an association of 15 able bodied men of the above description for whom I am ready to make necessary deposit & I humbly request that your Lordship will be pleased to allow us the privilege of going out under the protection of H.M. Government & to participate in such grants of lands as shall be there defined. My service to my King and Country will I trust recommend me to your Lordship's favour, having been 8 years in His Majesty's service during the most active part of the Campaigns in Spain and Portugal in which time I was 3 times wounded, at the battle of Albuera when only 13 years of age, 2ndly at the storming of Badajoz and 3rdly at Salamanca, besides having been in may other engagement & skirmish with my reg't during the above period, for which H.M. Government have been pleased to give me an annual pension of 10£ which will be paid to me (as His Royal Highness the Duke of York informs me by letter) at the Cape in any way I please. I hope these circumstances will prove strong inducements for your Lordship to favor my application and should I become so fortunate to participate in the Grant I assure your Lordship that it will be my peculiar pleasure to study to conduct myself so as to merit & support the good character I obtained in H.M. service and to forward the priority of those associated with me to the utmost of my power.

Your Lordship's condescension and kindness will confer a lasting obligation on me

Your Lordship's humble and obed sevt

Patrick BAGLEY

PS I further beg leave to inform your Lordship that if further security be necessary it shall be forthcoming to the amount of £500. Your Lordship will be pleased to observe I belonged to the 40th Reg't of Foot.

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