Orange River Colony

The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Union of South Africa as the Orange Free State Province.

Constitutional history

During the Second Boer War, British forces invaded the Orange Free State, occupying the capital, Bloemfontein by 13 March 1900. Five months later, on 6 October 1900, the British government declared an official annexation of the full territory of the Orange Free State, this in-spite of the fact they had not yet occupied the full territory, nor defeated the Free State forces.

The Free State government moved to Kroonstad during the early months of the war and its armies remained active in the field until the war's end. From the perspective of the Orange Free State, independence wasn't lost until they ratified the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902.

On the Boer side, the government was led by state president Martinus Theunis Steyn (1857–1916) until 30 May 1902, when he went on sick-leave and was replaced by General Christiaan de Wet as acting state president. On the British side, Sir Alfred Milner was appointed Administrator of the Orange River Colony on 4 January 1901, with Hamilton John Goold-Adams as lieutenant-governor.

Following the end of hostilities, Lord Milner visited Bloemfontein on 23 June 1902 and promulgated the new constitution, in the presence of military officials, heads of civil department and representatives of the late Boer government, including General De Wet. Milner was sworn in as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Orange River Colony on the same day.

From 1902 to 1910, the colony was governed by a single governor:

Alfred Milner, Viscount Milner, in office 23 June 1902 – 1 April 1905;
William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne, in office 2 April 1905 – 7 June 1907;
Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, in office 7 June 1907 – 31 May 1910

thumb|1903 British issued Orange River Colony permit following the Second Boer War.

Self-government

thumb|Map of a small part (across the Vaal River from Vereeniging) of the Orange River Colony, 1902

By 1904 sentiment was growing for some form of self-government. The Orangia Unie (Orange Union Party) was formally constituted in May 1906, after several months of preparation. A similar organisation, called Het Volk, had been formed by the Transvaal Boers in January 1905. Both unions had constitutions almost identical with that of the Afrikaner Bond,

{| class="wikitable"

|- style="text-align:center"

| Population group

| Number

| Percent<br/>(%)

|- style="text-align:right; background:gainsboro;"

| style="text-align:left;"|Black

| 225,101

| 58.11

|- style="text-align:right; background:white;"

| style="text-align:left; "|White

| 142,679

| 36.83

|- style="text-align:right; background:#eee;"

| style="text-align:left;"|Coloured

| 19,282

| 4.97

|- style="text-align:right; background:#EEEEE0"

| style="text-align:left; "|Asian

| 253

| 0.06

|- style="text-align:right; "

| style="text-align:center;"|Total

| 387,315

| 100.00

Religion in 1904

{| class="wikitable"

!Religions.

!Persons.

!Male.

!Female.

!Percentage.

|Protestants

|251,904

|135,933

|115,971

|65.04%

|Catholics

|4,590

|3,319

|1,271

|1.19%

|Jews

|1,616

|1176

|440

|0.42%

|Mohammedans

|39

|26

|13

|0.01%

|Other sects

|93

|75

|18

|0.02%

|No denomination

|47

|43

|0.01%

|No religion

|127,637

|68,536

|59,101

|32.95%

|Unspecified

|853

|623

|230

|0.22%

|Object to state

|536

|364

|172

|0.14%

!Totals

!387,315

!210,095

!177,220

!100.0%

The 'no religion' heading also accounts for traditional African faiths which were not counted separately and constitute the largest portion of people professing no religion.

Religion in 1904 by race

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! rowspan="2" |Religion

! colspan="3" |European or White.

! colspan="3" |Aboriginal Natives.

! colspan="3" |Mixed and Other.

! colspan="3" |All Races.

!Persons.

!Males.

!Females.

!Persons.

!Males.

!Females.

!Persons.

!Males.

!Females.

!Persons.

!Males.

!Females.

|Total Population

|142,679

|81,571

|61,108

|229,149

|120,064

|109,085

|15,487

|8,460

|7,027

|387,315

|210,095

|177,220

|I. - Protestants -

|Dutch Reformed Church

|101,079

|52,759

|48,320

|21,272

|10,596

|10,676

|2,572

|1,348

|1,224

|124,923

|64,703

|60,220

|Gereformeerde Kerk

|5,285

|2,759

|2,526

|195

|111

|84

|27

|18

|5,507

|2,888

|2,619

|Church of England

|17,879

|13,884

|4,495

|14,782

|8,020

|6,762

|1,887

|1,011

|876

|34,548

|22,415

|12,133

|Presbyterian

|3,942

|2,884

|1,058

|1,260

|704

|556

|89

|49

|40

|5,291

|3,637

|1,654

|Independents and Congregationalists -

|Independents and Congregationalists

|195

|136

|59

|1,383

|962

|421

|214

|164

|50

|1,792

|1,262

|530

|London Missionary Society

|11

|Other Independents and Congregationalists

|Methodists -

|Wesleyan Methodists

|5,121

|3,016

|2,105

|51,576

|25,650

|25,926

|4,163

|2,141

|2,022

|60,860

|30,807

|30,053

|Primitive Methodists

|20

|13

|28

|13

|16

|58

|25

|33

|African Methodist Episcopal (Ethiopian)

|3,747

|1,856

|1,891

|361

|181

|180

|4,110

|2,039

|2,071

|Methodists

|124

|88

|36

|526

|276

|250

|70

|39

|31

|720

|403

|317

|Other Methodists

|Other Protestants -

|Baptists

|664

|423

|241

|473

|243

|230

|38

|21

|17

|1,175

|687

|488

|Berlin Mission

|Calvinists

|Disciples of Christ, Church of Christ

|18

|10

|24

|14

|10

|German Evangelical

|Lutheran

|700

|479

|221

|5,030

|2,517

|2,513

|1,103

|501

|502

|6,733

|3,497

|3,236

|Moravians or United Brethren

|201

|117

|84

|29

|17

|12

|230

|134

|96

|Paris Missionary Society

|11

|3,197

|1,708

|1,489

|275

|155

|120

|3,483

|1,867

|1,615

|Plymouth Brethren

|18

|12

|18

|12

|Rhenish Mission

|15

|26

|17

|Salvation Army

|140

|80

|60

|18

|14

|12

|170

|101

|69

|Society of Friends, Quakers

|Unitarians

|27

|26

|28

|27

|Other Protestants (defined)

|120

|71

|49

|87

|54

|33

|14

|221

|130

|91

|Other Protestants (undefined)

|1,248

|829

|419

|544

|302

|242

|91

|51

|40

|1,883

|1,182

|701

|Christians

|21

|17

|43

|34

|18

|10

|82

|61

|21

|II. - Catholics -

|Roman Catholics

|3,286

|2,521

|765

|1,093

|640

|453

|115

|71

|44

|4,494

|3,232

|1,262

|Other Catholics

|94

|85

|96

|87

|III. - Jews -

|1,616

|1,176

|440

|1,616

|1,176

|440

|IV. - Mohammedans -

|33

|20

|13

|39

|26

|13

|V. - Other Sects -

|10

|82

|68

|14

|93

|75

|18

|VI. - No Denomination -

|41

|38

|47

|43

|VII. - No Religion -

|121

|97

|24

|123,258

|65,947

|57,311

|4,258

|2,492

|1,766

|127,637

|68,536

|59,101

|VIII. - Unknown and Unspecified -

|584

|411

|173

|208

|164

|44

|61

|48

|13

|853

|623

|230

|IX. - Object to State -

|316

|237

|79

|195

|112

|83

|25

|15

|10

|536

|264

|172

References

WorldStatesmen- SouthAfrica

Constitutional history

Self-government

Religion in 1904

Religion in 1904 by race

See also

References