ABSTRACT

This chapter aims to locate settler demography in its regional and economic settings with a view to gaining a stronger understanding of the nature of colonial settlement and expansion. The abundance of primary documents and much genealogical research make it possible for the characteristics of the early white population to be reconstituted in some detail. The research strategy involved classifying the settler population at the time of each census, according to marital status. The white population continued to increase, but largely by natural increase. The new population expanded the area and economic activity of the Colony. In Cape Town a settler population of traders, innkeepers, and artisans made a living catering to calling ships and an expanding rural hinterland. A decline in immigration and a slow down in economic activity substantially slowed the settler population growth rate.