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Muster Rolls introduction

The Muster Rolls (monsterrollen), preserved in the form of transcripts in the Cape Archives as VC 39-55 and 103, were apparently yearly lists of the inhabitants at the Cape, drawn up by Dutch East India Company (VOC) officials, and sent to the authorities in the Netherlands where they were preserved.

These are copies done by hand at the end of the 19th Century. to judge from the handwriting, presumably from the records preserved in the VOC archives at The Hague, Netherlands. So far I have been able to find no information on the transcriber or the circumstances.

In VC 39 part 3 of these transcripts there are lists for the years 1660 to 1666/7 for each year, 1670 to 1675 for each year, 1677, 1679, 1682, 1685, 1686, 1688, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1696, 1698 and 1700.

These records in the VOC archives are likewise copies, which were preserved in the archives of the Amsterdam Chamber of VOC. The originals must have been compiled at the Cape each year. Several copies were then made and forwarded to Batavia in Indonesia, headquarters of the VOC abroad, and the authority in charge of the Cape branch of the VOC. Other copies were presumably forwarded to the several Chambers of the VOC in the Netherlands. The originals, if they were kept at the Cape, did not survive.

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Title Author Hits
Cape Muster Roll 1657 transcribed by Richard Ball 11886
Cape Muster Roll 1658 transcribed by Richard Ball 10637
Cape Muster Roll 1660 transcribed by Richard Ball 13980
Cape Muster Roll 1661 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10556
Cape Muster Roll 1662 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 14949
Cape Muster Roll 1663 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 12455
Cape Muster Roll 1664 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 8987
Cape Muster Roll 1665 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9341
Cape Muster Roll 1666-67 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 8870
Cape Muster Roll 1667 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9486
Cape Muster Roll 1670 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10767
Cape Muster Roll 1671 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10037
Cape Muster Roll 1672 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9104
Cape Muster Roll 1673 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9223
Cape Muster Roll 1674 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9172
Cape Muster Roll 1675 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 8846
Cape Muster Roll 1677 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9942
Cape Muster Roll 1678 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9244
Cape Muster Roll 1679 transcribed by Richard Ball 9573
Cape Muster Roll 1682 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9609
Cape Muster Roll 1685 transcribed by Richard Ball 11326
Cape Muster Roll 1686 transcribed by Richard Ball 10606
Cape Muster Roll 1688 transcribed by Richard Ball 11395
Cape Muster Roll 1690 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10369
Cape Muster Roll 1691 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10960
Cape Muster Roll 1692 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 13977
Cape Muster Roll 1693 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 13519
Cape Muster Roll 1695 transcribed by Richard Ball 18972
Cape Muster Roll 1695 - Knechts transcribed by Corney Keller 11425
Cape Muster Roll 1696 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 13263
Cape Muster Roll 1698 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 14378
Cape Muster Roll 1700 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 10321
Cape Muster Roll of 1702 [for 1701] transcribed by Richard Ball 15508
Cape Muster Roll 1703 [for 1702] - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7693
Cape Muster Roll 1703 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6773
Cape Muster Roll 1704 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6823
Cape Muster Roll 1705 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6716
Cape Muster Roll 1706 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6998
Cape Muster Roll 1707 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6220
Cape Muster Roll 1708 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6160
Cape Muster Roll 1709 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 3899
Cape Muster Roll 1711 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 4076
Cape Muster Roll of 1712 transcribed by Richard Ball 29248
Cape Muster Roll of 1713 transcribed by Richard Ball 20063
Cape Muster Roll 1714 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7210
Cape Muster Roll 1715/16 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 8430