Individual Details

The 1820 Settlers were several groups or parties of white British colonists settled by the British government and the Cape authorities in the South African Eastern Cape in 1820.

Many of the Settlers were very poor and encouraged to settle in an attemptby the Cape government to close, consolidate and defend the eastern frontier against the neighbouring Xhosa peoples, and to provide a boost to the English-speaking population. It was one of the largest stages of British settlement in Africa, forming the British cultural hot-spot Albany, and thus a milestone in the forming of the British diaspora. For many years, Albany remained an "Anglo-Saxon island" in a predominantly Xhosa and Afrikaans-speaking country - with its own distinctive local culture.

James McDonald 31, Blacksmith, together with his wife Mary Welsh 23, and their child were members of Biggar's Party of 55 Settlers on the Weymouth. Alexander Bigger paid deposits for 13 of the settler families who were indentured to him for three years and would receive 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land which they could cultivate on weekends, and receive title after three years. Despite theirsigned Article of Agreement, by July 1820 all except George Pollard had deserted him or applied for release from their contracts. - So far no indication that the McDonalds were on these 13 families.

Party originated from Hampshire, where they departed Portsmouth, Hampshire on 7 January 1820.

They arrived at Table Bay, Cape Town - 16 April 1820. Around 60 parties (in all about 4000 settlers) arrived in the Cape between April and June 1820. Their final port was Algoa Bay, reaching Port Elizabeth 15 May 1820.

The Settlers were granted farms near the village of Bathurst and supplied equipment and food against their deposits, but their lack of agricultural experience led many of them to abandon agriculture and withdraw to Bathurst and other settlements like Grahamstown, East London and Port Elizabeth, where they typically reverted to their trades.

The Bigger party was allocated the area at Brak Rivier (editor's note: this seems suspect, as Brak River is far away - some 350 km from PE and 518 km from Bathurst).

These settlers are commemorated in Grahamstown by the 1820 Settlers National Monument, which opened in 1974. A living monument, it hosts plays, musical performances and cultural events, and is supported by the 1820 Settlers Association which was founded in 1920 by Sir Walter Stanford and other descendants.