A changing rural economy and its implications for the Overberg, 1838-1872
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Authors
Wilson, Julianne Elizabeth
Issue Date
1990-11
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The Overberg, incorporating the present-day districts of
Swellendam, Caledon and Bredasdorp, forms a geographic microcosm
in the south-western Cape. The area, with its Mediterranean
climate and undulating hills of Bokkeveld shales and weathered
Table Mountain Sandstone, is well adapted for arable and pastoral
agriculture.
Original settlement was by the Khoi who by 1710 had succumbed to
cumulative disintegrative forces. They presented little
resistance to the vanguard of white settlers who by 1710 were
receiving land grants in the area. By 1838 the area was
optimally settled for the extensive ranching of that time and
pressure on the land was becoming acute. There was little scope
for British immigrants to obtain land among the Dutch settlers.
Grain farming offered little reward as the area was isolated from
the Cape Town market by hazardous mountain ranges.
The conversion of the indigenous hairy sheep to wool-bearing
Merinos which occurred during the 1830s provided the area with
an added income. Wool provided a product which modified Overberg
agriculture from its quasi-subsistence form to commercial
farming. The wool produced in the area was generally of a high
quality and it commanded a consistent price on the world market,
a factor which contributed to the financial stability of the
area.
The increased income from wool provided scope for unprecedented
commercial activity. The new found wealth which was diffused
among the white farmers raised their standard of living. Predial
labour did not, however, experience commensurate material gains.
The social and cultural milieu was not profoundly affected but
material prosperity fostered greater political awareness among
wool farmers, a factor which was to bolster Afrikaner national
movements after 1870.
Description
Citation
Wilson, Julianne Elizabeth (1990) A changing rural economy and its implications for the Overberg, 1838-1872, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/23135>