Auction records, consumer culture and social networks in the Cape Colony, 1701-1825

By the early nineteenth century, the Cape had evolved from a small VOC outpost into a sprawling colony of over 100,000 square miles, integrated into global trade and migration networks. Its population included colonial officials, European settlers, enslaved people and indigenous groups, but everyday life in this society remains underexplored in the economic history literature. This article draws on a newly digitised source, the auction records (vendurolle) of the Cape Orphan Chamber from 1701 to 1825, to analyse patterns of kinship and material culture. As records of estate sales, these data reveal who bought what, and at what price, offering rare insight into household possessions and social networks. The article shows how these auctions can deepen our understanding of the economic and social fabric of life at the Cape.

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Auctions, Cape Colony, transcription, material culture, family networks