Skip to main content
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.

SHAW, James

Written by Sue Mackay on .

National Archives, Kew CO48/45, 765

Antrim

July 26th 1819

Memorial of James SHAW

May it please your Royal Highness your memorialist having seen a publication in the publick newspapers of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent emigrating unemployed workmen to the Cape of Good Hope, your memorialist hopes through the good recommendation your Royal Highness will find enclosed in this memorial that as your Royal Highness his ever been the friend of children you will have the goodness to emigrant your memorialist to that place above mentioned as your memorialist has no employment to soport his family in this place. The prayer of your memorialist is that your memorialist fought under your Royal Highness good and gracious comand eight years on the continent and in 1799 was severely wounded on the 6th October near Altmar where your memorialist was rendered incapable of service at that time, was discharged and recommended for the benefit of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea and his small alowance of 6d per day and this being all that your memorialist has to soport his small family & therefore hopes that your Royal Highness will send your memorialist to that place. Your memorialist is about 41 years of age and of a helthy constitution.

In hopes this will meet with your approbation the prayers of your memorialist will ever [obscured]

Pardon if I have ofended as the want of employment urges me to use the freedom of addressing your Royal Highness with this memorial

And disires to remain yours faithfully

James SHAW

Out pensioner of Chelsea Hospital 27th Foot

  • Hits: 5497