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Muster Rolls introduction

The Muster Rolls (monsterrollen), preserved in the form of transcripts in the Cape Archives as VC 39-55 and 103, were apparently yearly lists of the inhabitants at the Cape, drawn up by Dutch East India Company (VOC) officials, and sent to the authorities in the Netherlands where they were preserved.

These are copies done by hand at the end of the 19th Century. to judge from the handwriting, presumably from the records preserved in the VOC archives at The Hague, Netherlands. So far I have been able to find no information on the transcriber or the circumstances.

In VC 39 part 3 of these transcripts there are lists for the years 1660 to 1666/7 for each year, 1670 to 1675 for each year, 1677, 1679, 1682, 1685, 1686, 1688, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1696, 1698 and 1700.

These records in the VOC archives are likewise copies, which were preserved in the archives of the Amsterdam Chamber of VOC. The originals must have been compiled at the Cape each year. Several copies were then made and forwarded to Batavia in Indonesia, headquarters of the VOC abroad, and the authority in charge of the Cape branch of the VOC. Other copies were presumably forwarded to the several Chambers of the VOC in the Netherlands. The originals, if they were kept at the Cape, did not survive.

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Title Author Hits
Cape Muster Roll 1657 transcribed by Richard Ball 12584
Cape Muster Roll 1658 transcribed by Richard Ball 11267
Cape Muster Roll 1660 transcribed by Richard Ball 15147
Cape Muster Roll 1661 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 11163
Cape Muster Roll 1662 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 15943
Cape Muster Roll 1663 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 13166
Cape Muster Roll 1664 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9540
Cape Muster Roll 1665 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9885
Cape Muster Roll 1666-67 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9456
Cape Muster Roll 1667 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10107
Cape Muster Roll 1670 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 11369
Cape Muster Roll 1671 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10585
Cape Muster Roll 1672 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9619
Cape Muster Roll 1673 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9729
Cape Muster Roll 1674 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9729
Cape Muster Roll 1675 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9376
Cape Muster Roll 1677 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10504
Cape Muster Roll 1678 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 9801
Cape Muster Roll 1679 transcribed by Richard Ball 10125
Cape Muster Roll 1682 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10206
Cape Muster Roll 1685 transcribed by Richard Ball 12248
Cape Muster Roll 1686 transcribed by Richard Ball 11174
Cape Muster Roll 1688 transcribed by Richard Ball 12008
Cape Muster Roll 1690 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 10988
Cape Muster Roll 1691 - free men transcribed by Richard Ball 11641
Cape Muster Roll 1692 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 15155
Cape Muster Roll 1693 - Free Men and transcribed by Corney Keller 14274
Cape Muster Roll 1695 transcribed by Richard Ball 20711
Cape Muster Roll 1695 - Knechts transcribed by Corney Keller 12077
Cape Muster Roll 1696 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 14067
Cape Muster Roll 1698 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 15229
Cape Muster Roll 1700 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 11021
Cape Muster Roll of 1702 [for 1701] transcribed by Richard Ball 16320
Cape Muster Roll 1703 [for 1702] - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 8376
Cape Muster Roll 1703 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7369
Cape Muster Roll 1704 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7487
Cape Muster Roll 1705 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7343
Cape Muster Roll 1706 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7611
Cape Muster Roll 1707 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6826
Cape Muster Roll 1708 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 6648
Cape Muster Roll 1709 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 4394
Cape Muster Roll 1711 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 4725
Cape Muster Roll of 1712 transcribed by Richard Ball 31555
Cape Muster Roll of 1713 transcribed by Richard Ball 21242
Cape Muster Roll 1714 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 7899
Cape Muster Roll 1715/16 - Free Men transcribed by Corney Keller 9339