Irish Women, the German Legion, and Marriage in the Cape Colony

This paper examines the state-sponsored migration of Irish women to southern Africa to marry the German Legion during the 1850s. The German Legion fought on behalf of Britain during the Crimean War. Following the end of the war, British officials sought to settle the mercenaries in the Cape Colony and its surrounding regions. In the wake of the 1856-7 Xhosa Cattle Killing and ensuing famine, relations between Africans and Europeans in the colony were tense. British officials hoped that the German Legion might provide assistance as well as protection for the settlers.

In reality, the plan failed from the start as the German soldiers struggled to integrate. To ease their transition, Colonial Secretary Henry Labouchere approved a scheme to transport single, Irish women to southern Africa as potential wives for the members of the German Legion. According to the Colonial Office, the plan promised to benefit both colonial sites. Ireland, officials argued, was home to considerable numbers of women of “good character,” many of whom were willing to emigrate in search of economic and personal opportunities. Southern Africa, on the other hand, needed additional female migrants to balance the settler population, and could provide “suitable employment” and marriage options on arrival. The Colonial Office quickly found its optimism tempered by realities, as it faced difficulties posed by religious and cultural differences before the migrant ship had even departed.  

This study not only addresses questions of migration and gender, but also reveals the multitude of encounters that took place within the imperial realm—exploring the interaction between metropole and periphery on a macro level and encounters between the German Legion, Irish women, and colonial officials on a local level.