Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony
[1] The Free Burgher population eventually devolved into two distinct segments separated by social status, wealth, and education: the Cape Dutch and the Boers.
[4] Beyond this, the Company filled its ranks with farm labourers, artisans and unskilled workers from both rural and urban areas who spoke a number of variations of French, Dutch, German and Scandinavian languages.
Contractors were obliged to remain in the employment of the Company for a minimum of five years excluding the six months that the journey could have taken and were not permitted to return home during this time.
Economists Ronald Findlay and Kevin H. O'Rourke attribute part of the Dutch ascendancy to its Protestant work ethic based on Calvinism, which promoted thrift and education.
"[8] In 1656, Commander Jan van Riebeeck considered the idea of freemen at the Cape, he was of the opinion that the cost of supplying housing and protection to such free households would be too great.
[9] By the time van Riebeeck left the Cape in 1662 the population of the colony consisted of 35 free burghers, 180 slaves, 134 VOC officials, 15 women, and 22 children.
European workers on several occasions asked permission from the Commander of the Cape at the time, Van Riebeeck, to be discharged from the service of the VOC, in order to cultivate the lands.
The VOC had built a corn mill which was operated by the use of horses, but after a short time it was decided to make use of river water as a motive power.
The tender for the construction of the mill was awarded to free burgher Wouter Mostert and when it was in working order he took charge of it and received income on shares of payments made for grinding.
His object was to cut timber for sale, all kinds of which prices were fixed by the council while Elbert Dirksen and Hendrik van Surwerden made a living as tailors.
The school fees were equal to one half shilling per month for each child of a burgher, enslaved and Khoisan children were taught free of charge or Pro Deo.
[9] The high ranking commissioner Mattheus van der Broeck of the Dutch East India Company arrived at the settlement in early 1670 accompanied with a fleet of fifteen ships.
After deliberation about the general functioning of the settlement, the high ranking officers issued several important written instructions which revealed the Company's position towards the free burghers.
[11] The authorities of the East India Company had endeavoured to induce gardeners and small farmers to emigrate from Europe to South Africa, but with little success.
Political refugees from the religious wars in France, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, they were settled at Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Franschhoek ("French corner") and Paarl.
