TOPIC:

Hi everyone:

I'm related to Sidney Albert Chittenden and James William McBean, both served and settled in Mossel Bay. I am trying to find James' father and I have a clue that he may have been a Constable at a Convict Station in Cradocks Bay in 1845.

Would anyone happen to know whether there is a list of personnel available for the Convict Stations anywhere?

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

There may be records in the Western Cape Archives in Cape Town but, unfortunately, they are closed because of the pandemic.

The name of the convict station was Cradock's Kloof. The government built a pass through the kloof in the 1840s, using convict labour.

Thank you so much Arthur. The name of the station is very helpful. As soon as things open up again I'll attempt to contact Archives in Cape Town and see if they can provide me with more information.

Hi There,

I can tell you that the reading room at the Cape Town Archives in Roeland Street in open daily, Monday to Friday from 10 am until 2 pm only. However, they are not open on Thursday evenings until 7 pm nor the 1st Saturday of every month as of yet.

Regards
Adrian

Thank you for the information Adrian. I guess I should have mentioned I'm in Canada. So a bit of a hike for me. I was hoping I'd be able to contact them through email. I'll have a look at their website and see how the process would work for long distance enquiries.

Have a great day ! Thanks