In 1817, a young blacksmith, James Smith from Melsetter, Walls, Orkney, arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. He was one of 200 indentured men taken out to what to them was an unknown land by Benjamin Moodie, heir to the Melsetter Estate. Moodie’s scheme was an economic enterprise to relieve him from the estate debts he was to inherit. What became of the scheme and of the men is an incredible story at a time of Empire and colonial expansion.

After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte the Congress of Vienna in 1815 divided up the spoils of war. This resulted in Britain becoming the possessor of all the world’s colonies except for those still controlled by Spain and Portugal. One of those colonies was the Cape which was ceded to the United Kingdom in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814.

The British Government, still reeling from the loss of her American colonies, and the cost of the war with Napoleon, had lost interest in sponsoring emigration schemes via free passage and land grants. It viewed Cape Town as an important stop over trading post  on its lucrative route to India. White settlers had been established in the colony since 1652 as part of the exploits of the Dutch East India Company. When Britain took over it put in place its own Governor, Lord Somerset, and administration. 

The Melsetter Estate in Orkney was beset by large debts. An ailing Laird, James Moodie, living in Edinburgh, had handed over the management to his eldest son Benjamin.  In 1815 the estate trustees valued it at £47,000 with debts of £23,260. It was put up for sale. 

Benjamin Moodie, came up with a venture to take out to the Cape of Good Hope, a place he knew little about, a group of settlers from Scotland. In 1816 he approached the Government to sponsor his scheme.

“His Majesty’s Government have at no time given any special advantages or encouragement to persons proceeding as settlers to the Cape of Good Hope, and consequently cannot deviate in your favour from the established practice.” – Letter from Henry Goulburn, Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, to Captain Benjamin Moodie, October 1816. 

He failed to get the support from London but decided to go ahead with his plan. A previous project by Colonel John Graham of the 93rd Highlanders to take Scots from the Glens to the Cape came to nothing. Graham did, however, establish the town of Grahams Town, after a military scorched earth campaign against the indigenous peoples. Moodie was undeterred by the lack of success in Graham’s emigration plan. Moodie’s idea was to take out skilled men who he could hire out to the established settler community. 

“The Agricultural classes are the only part of our population fit for colonization, and of them the Scotch Highlanders, from being the least useful in this country and the most inured to hardship, are the fittest….the suppression of the Rebellion in 1748 broke the power of the Chieftains..”

-he reminded Lord Bathurst, and of his family’s role in being part of the Hanoverian forces during the 1745 Uprising and its aftermath. 

Benjamin Moodie now began the process of selecting men to take out. He had preferred to choose those from rural areas as he felt they would be easier to control, however, in the end most would be from Leith.   The men were mostly aged 18 – 25, the majority were single, and skilled. Out of 1,500 who applied, 200 were chosen. They had to provide references as to their character and having served apprenticeships. They were expected to pay for their own passage to the Cape, including their accommodation, and if they could not that would be deducted from any wages they should earn at double the rate. They were required to sign indenture papers which for the time were considered to be strict. 

Three batches of men departed for the Cape. The first group of 52 set sail on 14 March 1817 with the 28 year old Benjamin Moodie on the ‘Brilliant’. The Master of the ship was William Young and the voyage took 11 weeks. The Cape Town Gazette reported that the Brilliant arrived on 4 June 1817. The next two cohorts of men had already departed London by the time Brilliant docked in the Cape : The ‘Garland’ carried 49 and the ‘Clyde’ 89. 

As far as can be ascertained the indentured men on the Brilliant included:

1. George Anderson
2. Robert Anderson
3. Colin Bain, single, a Cooper, from Broughton Street, Edinburgh
4. William Baxter, a Lawyer
5. James Cameron, married with 5 children, a Saddler, from Methrin Street, Perth
6. Andrew Clark, single, from Johnston’s Land, Gibbet Toll, Edinburgh
7. Robert Crail
8. Alexander Cunningham
9. Alexander Davidson
10. Adam Davidson, a Blacksmith, married, age 17, from Begbie and Dickson’s
11. Archibald Dodds, a Blacksmith, married no children, from Broughton Street, Edinburgh
12. George Eliot
13. James Gordon, a Gardener, single, from Newbattle, Dalkeith
14. William Gray, a Carpenter, age 23, from Millar Hill, Dalkeith
15. James Hanton (Hauton) a Joiner, age 25, from 10 Port, Dundee
16. John Henderson, a Baker/ Cooper, single, Broad Wynd, Leith
17. John Hill, a Gardener, single, from Broughton Street, Edinburgh
18. Thomas Hunter, a Blacksmith, single, from Davison’s Close, Cowgate, Edinburgh
19. William Jarvis, a Cooper, single, from St Andrew’s Street, Leith
20. Charles Kincaid, a Saddler, single, from Prince’s Street, Edinburgh
21. John Laing, a Surgeon, from Scott’s Close, Cowgate, Edinburgh
22. Jeffray Lister, a Millwright, single, from Fell by Leslie, Fife
23. William Lyall, a Gardener, single, from the Adelfa Seed Ware Room, Edinburgh
24. Donald McDonald, a Blacksmith/Labourer, single, from Fairlie’s Close, 229 High Street, Edinburgh
25. Thomas McDonald, a Blacksmith, single, age 28, from Mr Dickson’s Leith Walk
26. John McLaughlin, a Jeweller, single, from Leith Walk
27. Murdoch McLeod, a Cooper, single, from 34 Charlotte Street, Leith
28. Donald McNeil
29. Alexander McPhail
30. James McPhail
31. Thomas Mitchell, a Millwright, single,  age 22, from Markinch, Kirkcaldy 
32. John Murchison, a Blacksmith, single, from Lady Lawson’s Wynd Upper Port, Edinburgh
33. George Neilson
34. James Parker, a Cooper, single, Broad Wynd, Leith
35. Archibald Paterson, a Cooper, single, from Head of Broad Wynd, Leith
36. James Reid, a Millwright, married with 3 children from Head of Atholl Street, Perth
37. John Sanderson
38. James Scoon, a Blacksmith, single.
39. Robert Scoon
40. James Scott, a Ploughman/Mason, married, from Surgeon’s Square, Edinburgh
41. William Scott, single, from Borthwick Brae, Hawick
42. Thomas Spence
43. James Stevens (Stephens), a Labourer
44. Scott Strath, a Cooper, single, from back of Canongate, Edinburgh
45. Alexander Tait, a Carpenter, age 25, from Northmains, Ormiston
46. Thomas Thater (Tait) a Gardener/Cabinetmaker, single, from Greentree Place, Leith
47. John Tester, a Gardener, single, from Broughton Street, Edinburgh
48. David Wallace, from Dundee
49. John Whitelaw, a Joiner, age 20 single, from Pinkieburn, Musselburgh
50. John Wright, a Carpenter, age 24, single, from Fishers Close, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh

What could possibly go wrong? Find out in Part 2.

Fiona Grahame

---