Caledon Papers: Caledon Cape Papers

Repository: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Identity Statement

TitleCaledon Papers: Caledon Cape Papers
Archive ReferenceGB 0255 PRONI/D2431
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/caledon-papers-caledon-cape-papers
Creation Dates1796-1830
Extent Mediumc 70 volumes + c 5,500 letters

Context

Creator(s): Alexander, Du Pre, 1777-1839, 2nd Earl of Caledon, Governor of The Cape and Good Hope

  • Administrative History ↴

    Lord Caledon (1777-1839) was not, literally, the first British civil governor of The Cape, having been preceded in that capacity by Lord Macartney and Sir George Yonge, successive holders of the office between the first conquest of The Cape, and its cession back to the Dutch under the terms of the Peace of Amiens of 1802. Rather, Lord Caledon was the first civil governor after The Cape's reconquest from the Dutch by General Sir David Baird in 1806. The question of the relationship between the civil and the military authorities of the colony, personified in Lord Caledon's relationship with the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Henry Grey, was the most troublesome of the former's period of office as Governor, and the issue on which he resigned in June 1811. Lord Caledon maintained an interest in Cape affairs after his return to the UK. -Extracted from a full account of the complete Caledon Papers in the PRONI catalogue: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni

  • Archival History ↴

    Deposited by the Trustees of the Caledon Estates

  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Donation

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Alexander, Du Pre, 1777-1839, 2nd Earl of Caledon, Governor of The Cape and Good Hope ↴

    PRONI D2431 The Caledon Cape Papers are the papers of the 2nd Earl of Caledon (1777-1839) as Governor of The Cape and Good Hope, 1807-1811. They consist of c.70 volumes of MS and printed material (minutes of judicial proceedings, copies of The Capetown Gazette, etc), c.5,500 letters in loose or letter-book form, and a number of patents, maps, plans and architectural drawings, 1796-1830, but mainly 1807-1812. They constitute a reasonably complete, albeit not unique, record of his administration at The Cape.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention

  • Arrangement ↴

    The collection is arranged as follows:
    Printed proclamations 1807-1811
    Schedules of papers laid before the Governor 1807-1811
    Official ‘Diary’ 1807-1811
    Dispatch books 1806-1811
    Letter books 1795-1831
    Capetown Gazettes 1807-1810
    African Court calendar 1807-1811
    Appeals, civil cases 1807-1811
    Criminal sentences 1808-1811
    Instruction book for Court of Justice etc. 1806-1809 Extracts from minutes of Court of Appeals, etc. 1807-1811
    Various court and legal papers 1802-1811
    Dutch ordinances 1805
    Commissions to Sir George Yonge and Lord Caledon 1799-1807
    Cash book of Lord Caledon as Governor 1807-1811

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions The collection can be consulted in the reading room in PRONI in accordance with PRONI guidelines.
Conditions Governing ReproductionItems may be copied for personal research use only. If a researcher wishes to publish any documents from this collection, a request must be submitted in writing to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Creation Dates1796-1830
Extent Mediumc 70 volumes + c 5,500 letters
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Finding Aids A full descriptive list is available to search online at: http://www.proni.gov.uk/ Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Copies InformationCopies of the papers are available on microfilm MIC228 and MIC527
Related MaterialPRONI holds a number of collections relating to the Earls of Caledon: D2432 Caledon East India Company Papers of the 1st Earl D2433 Caledon Papers: Estate, Business, Family and Political Papers of the Alexander/Caledon and related families 1639-1951

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NotePRONI Archivist
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000. National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names. Chippenham: National Council on Archives, 1997. UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT)
Date of Descriptions41699