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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.

WIGGALL, Isaac, 1820 Settler

Written by Sue Mackay on .

National Archives, Kew CO48/46, 556

Painswick, Gloucestershire

October 23, 1819

My Lord

It is with humility that I come before your Lordship at this time to state my long expectation of an opertunity to go as a settler to the colony at the Cape of Good Hope.

Permit me therefore my Lord to say that I have been making prepareations nerely the whole of the time since the breaking up of Parliament. I have a Letter before me at this time date August the 13 from my corrispondant in London whos name is Thomas ROWLS, stating that he had attended the state office on that day, and that he was approved as my representative. In consequence of which statement, I have made every prepareation nesecary for the voyge and with the help of good friends have made up the deposit money.

I beg leav further to state to your Lordship that I have made away with my goods, and done my work, so that I shall be much disappointed if not totally ruined if I cannot be permited. The reason my Lord why I have not [obscured] before is because I have seen in the newspaper that the transports would leave this country November and have never found to the contrary.

I can recommend myself with confidence as a [obscured]ly person to be of use in that colony as I am Hous Carpenter, Millright or Wheelright and understands the farming trade. It is the ardent desire of my wife as well as myself to go to the cape. My family is 4 children 3 boys 1 girl all under fourteen years of age

I am your Lordship humbel servant

Isaac WIGGALL

P.S. The only thing remaining is what weight of tools or tunag [*tonnage] I may be allowed to take with me as I have many I should be loth to part with.

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