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Crown colony

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Type of British colony directly administered by the British central government

Coat of arms of KingJames I. In 1624, the Crown revoked the royal charter earlier granted to theVirginia Company, and assumed direct government of the colony.

ACrown colony orroyal colony was acolony governed byEngland, and thenGreat Britain or theUnited Kingdom within theEnglish and laterBritish Empire.^[1] There was usually agovernor to represent the Crown, appointed by theBritish monarch on the advice of theUK Government, with or without the assistance of a local council. In some cases, this council was split into two: an executive council and alegislative council, and the executive council was similar to thePrivy Council that advises the monarch. Members of executive councils were appointed by the governors, and British citizens resident in Crown colonies either had no representation in local government, or limited representation in alower house. In several Crown colonies, this limited representation grew over time. As theHouse of Commons of theBritish Parliament has never included seats for any of the colonies, there was no direct representation in the sovereign government for British subjects or citizens residing in Crown colonies.

The administration of Crown colonies changed over time and in the 1800s some became, with a loosening of the power of royal governors,self-governing colonies, within which thesovereign state (the UK Government) delegated legislation for most local internal matters of governance to elected assemblies, with consent of the governor, overseen by theColonial Office and theBoard of Trade and Plantations. The Colonial Office gave way to theDominion Office for some of these territories in 1925. Elected lower houses had their beginnings in theHouse of Burgesses of theColony of Virginia in 1619 and theHouse of Assembly of theParliament of Bermuda in 1620. While initially limited in government even with an elected lower house, over the centuries in some Crown colonies, more independent authority was given.

Like most colonial establishments, the main focus was the extraction of local resources and raw materials. All remaining British colonies, whether Crown (such as theFalkland Islands) or self-governing (such asBermuda), were renamed "British Dependent Territories" from 1 January 1983 under theBritish Nationality Act 1981. Many British citizens in the colonies (with the exceptions of theFalkland Islanders and subsequently theGibraltarians) found that their "Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies"had changed overnight toBritish Dependent Territories Citizenship, a form of British citizenship that stripped them of some of their rights, including the right to reside and work in the United Kingdom.^{[clarification needed]} From 2002, the dependent territories have been known officially asBritish Overseas Territories.^[2]

History

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Early English colonies were oftenproprietary colonies, usually established and administered bycompanies under charters granted by the monarch. The first "royal colony" was theColony of Virginia, after 1624, when the Crown of theKingdom of England revoked theroyal charter it had granted to theVirginia Company and assumed control of the administration.^[3]

Executive crown governors are sometimes complemented by a locally appointed and/or electedlegislature with limited powers – that is, such territories lackresponsible government. For example, while theHouse of Assembly of Bermuda has existed continuously since its first session in 1620, Bermuda has only had responsible government since 1968. (Bermuda became a Crown colony in 1684, when the government revoked a royal charter given to theSomers Isles Company, successor to theVirginia Company, which had previously controlled administration, including the appointment of governors. Afterwards the British government appointed theGovernor of Bermuda.)^{[citation needed]}

Despite its later usage, the term "Crown colony" was used primarily, until the mid-19th century, to refer to colonies that had been acquired through wars, such asTrinidad and Tobago.^[4] After that time it was more broadly applied to everyBritish territory other thanBritish India,^[5] and self-governing colonies, such as theProvince of Canada,Newfoundland,British Columbia,New South Wales,Queensland,South Australia,Tasmania,Victoria,Western Australia, andNew Zealand.^[6]

v t e British Commonwealth & Empire Campaigns of World War II
Campaigns fought exclusively or largely by the armed forces of theUK, theDominions,India and/orcrown colonies Europe Arctic Battle of the Barents Sea Evacuation of Norway Allied occupation of Iceland Evacuation of Spitsbergen Occupation of Faroe Islands Balkan Campaign Reinforcement of Greece Battle of Crete Battle of the Mediterranean Siege of Malta Malta convoys Western Europe British Expeditionary Force Dunkirk evacuation Battle of Britain The Blitz Evacuation of Gibraltar Invasion of Normandy Clearing the Channel Coast Liberation of Belgium Liberation of Netherlands Africa East Africa Campaign Invasion of British Somaliland Evacuation of British Somaliland Capture of Italian Somaliland Recapture of British Somaliland North African campaign Italian invasion of Egypt Occupation of Libya Southern Africa Occupation of Madagascar West Africa Battle of Dakar Far East Defence of Hong Kong Malayan campaign Fall of Singapore India Japanese invasion of Burma Invasion of India Liberation of Burma Indian Ocean Indian Ocean disaster Indian Ocean retreat Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands Indian Ocean strike Middle East Invasion of Iraq Invasion of Southern Iran Invasion of Lebanon Invasion of Syria Americas Battle of the Atlantic Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence Newfoundland Escort Force Mid-Ocean Escort Force Western Local Escort Force Western Approaches Escort Force

British Commonwealth & Empire Campaigns of World War II

Campaigns fought exclusively or largely by the armed forces of
theUK, theDominions,India and/orcrown colonies

Europe

Arctic: Battle of the Barents Sea; Evacuation of Norway; Allied occupation of Iceland; Evacuation of Spitsbergen; Occupation of Faroe Islands
Balkan Campaign: Reinforcement of Greece; Battle of Crete
Battle of the Mediterranean: Siege of Malta; Malta convoys
Western Europe: British Expeditionary Force; Dunkirk evacuation; Battle of Britain; The Blitz; Evacuation of Gibraltar; Invasion of Normandy; Clearing the Channel Coast; Liberation of Belgium; Liberation of Netherlands

Africa

East Africa Campaign; Invasion of British Somaliland; Evacuation of British Somaliland; Capture of Italian Somaliland; Recapture of British Somaliland
North African campaign: Italian invasion of Egypt; Occupation of Libya
Southern Africa: Occupation of Madagascar
West Africa: Battle of Dakar

Far East

Defence of Hong Kong; Malayan campaign; Fall of Singapore
India: Japanese invasion of Burma; Invasion of India; Liberation of Burma
Indian Ocean: Indian Ocean disaster; Indian Ocean retreat; Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands; Indian Ocean strike

Middle East

Invasion of Iraq

Invasion of Southern Iran

Invasion of Lebanon

Invasion of Syria

Americas

Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Newfoundland Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Western Local Escort Force

Western Approaches Escort Force

By the mid-19th century, the monarch was appointing colonial governors only on the advice of theSecretary of State for the Colonies.^[7]

Reclassification (1981)

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Further information:British Overseas Territories citizen

The term Crown colony continued to be used until 1981, when theBritish Nationality Act 1981 reclassified the remaining British colonies as "British Dependent Territories". By this time, the term "Crown colony" referred specifically to colonies lacking substantial autonomy, which were administered by an executive governor, appointed by the British Government – such asHong Kong, before its transfer in 1997 to thePeople's Republic of China.^{[citation needed]} In 2002, theBritish Overseas Territories Act 2002 further changed their name toBritish Overseas Territories.^{[citation needed]}

Types

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There werethree types of Crown colony as of 1918, with differing degrees of autonomy:

Crown colonieswith representative councils, such asBermuda,Jamaica,Ceylon andFiji, contained two legislative chambers, consisting of Crown-appointed and locally elected members.

Crown colonieswith nominated councils, such asBritish Honduras,Sierra Leone,British Windward Islands andHong Kong, were staffed entirely by Crown-appointed members, with some appointed representation from the local population. Hong Kong had a representative council following the introduction of election for theHong Kong Legislative Council in 1995.

Crown coloniesruled directly by a governor, such asBasutoland,^[8]Gibraltar,Saint Helena andSingapore, were fewest in number and had the least autonomy.

List

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This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(March 2023)

The "from" column lists the year the colony began to be administered by the Crown. These colonies may have existed under a different type of English colonial administration before then.

Crown colonies
Name of colony	from	to	Reason for change of status
Aden	1937	1967	Became part of theFederation of South Arabia.
Akrotiri and Dhekelia	1960	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Anguilla	1980	1983	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Antigua	1663	1967	Became anassociated state.
Ashanti	1902	1957	Became part of the dominion namedGhana upon its establishment in 1957.
Bahamas	1718	1973	Became an independentCommonwealth realm.
Barbados	1663	1966	Became an independentCommonwealth realm.
Basutoland	1884	1966	Became independent asLesotho in 1966.
Bay Islands	1852	1861	Became part of theRepublic of Honduras in 1861^[9]
Bermuda	1684	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
British Antarctic Territory	1962	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
British Bechuanaland	1885	1895	Became part ofBritish Cape Colony in 1895.
British Columbia	1866	1871	Became part ofCanada in 1871.
British Guiana	1831	1966	Became independent asGuyana in 1966.
British Honduras (renamed Belize in 1973)	1884	1981	Became independent (asBelize) in 1981.
British Indian Ocean Territory	1965	1983	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Burma	1937	1948	Separated from British India in 1937 and became a Crown colony. Became independent in 1948 asBurma (later Myanmar).
United Province of Canada	1841	1867	Became part ofCanada in 1867.
Cape Colony	1806	1910	Became part of theUnion of South Africa in 1910.
Cayman Islands	1962	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Ceylon	1815	1948	Became independent in 1948 asDominion of Ceylon (laterSri Lanka).
Christmas Island	1888	1958	Became a territory ofAustralia
Cyprus	1914	1960	Became independent asCyprus in 1960.
Dominica	1763	1967	Became anassociated state.
East Florida	1763	1783	Ceded to Spain. Later became part of the United States.
Falkland Islands	1841	1982	Became aBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Fiji	1874	1970	Became independent asFiji in 1970
Gambia Colony	1888	1965	Became independent asThe Gambia in 1965.
Georgia	1755	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Gibraltar	1713	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Gilbert and Ellice Islands	1916	1976	SeparateKiribati andTuvalu colonies
Kiribati	1976	1979	Became independent in 1979.
Gold Coast	1821	1957	Became independent in 1957 withAshanti andNorthern Territories of the Gold Coast asGhana.
Grenada	1763	1967	Became anassociated state.
Heligoland	1814	1890	Ceded to theGerman Empire.
Hong Kong	1843	1982	Imperial Japan military occupied 1941–1945. Reclassified as a British Dependent Territory in 1983. Transferred to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Jamaica	1655	1962	Became independent in 1962 asJamaica.
Kenya	1920	1963	United with the Kenya Protectorate in 1963 to form the independent country ofKenya.
Labuan	1846	1890	Administered byBritish North Borneo Company from 1890 to 1904.
Lagos	1862	1906	Became part ofColony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria in 1906.
Lower Canada	1791	1841	Became part ofProvince of Canada in 1841.
Malacca	1946	1957	Became part ofMalaya in 1957.
Malta	1813	1964	Became independent in 1964 as theState of Malta.
Maryland	1689	1715	Reverted toproprietary rule in 1715, and later became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Massachusetts Bay	1691	1776	Became part of theUnited States of America in 1776.
Mauritius	1810	1968	Became independent asMauritius in 1968.
Montserrat	1636	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Natal	1843	1910	Became part of theUnion of South Africa in 1910.
Newfoundland	1825	1907	Became theDominion of Newfoundland in 1907, and later joinedCanada in 1949.
New Hampshire	1692	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
New Ireland	1779	1783	Ceded to the United States of America after Revolutionary War and again after War of 1812 (1814-1815).
New Jersey	1702	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
New South Wales	1788	1901	Became part of theCommonwealth of Australia in 1901.
New York	1685	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
New Zealand	1841	1907	Became theDominion of New Zealand in 1907.
Nigeria	1914	1960	Became independent asNigeria in 1960.
Norfolk Island	1788	1914	Placed under administration ofAustralia in 1914 as a non-self governing territory. The island was self-governing between 1979 and 2015.
North Borneo	1946	1963	Became part ofMalaysia in 1963 asSabah.Labuan separated from Sabah in 1984 to become aFederal Territory.^[10]
North Carolina	1729	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Nova Scotia	1710	1867	Became part ofCanada in 1867.
Orange River Colony	1900	1910	Became part of theUnion of South Africa in 1910.
Pitcairn Islands	1887	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Penang	1946	1957	Became part ofMalaya in 1957.
Quebec	1763	1791	Divided betweenUpper andLower Canada and theNorthwest Territory.
Queensland	1859	1901	Became part of theCommonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla	1882	1967	Became anassociated state.
Saint Helena	1659	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Saint Lucia	1814	1967	Became anassociated state.
Saint Vincent	1776	1969	Became anassociated state.
Sarawak	1946	1963	Became part ofMalaysia in 1963.^[10]
Seychelles	1903	1976	Separated fromBritish Mauritius in 1903 and became a Crown Colony and became independent in 1976.
Sierra Leone	1808	1961	Became independent as Sierra Leone in 1961.
Singapore	1946	1963	Became anautonomous state withinMalaysia in 1963 andfully independent in 1965.^[10]
South Australia	1834	1901	Became part of theCommonwealth of Australia in 1901.
South Carolina	1729	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Southern Nigeria	1906	1914	Part of the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. Merged withNorthern Nigeria Protectorate as theColony and Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914.
Southern Rhodesia	1923	1965/1980	Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965 asRhodesia; formally reverted to colonial status in 1979 asSouthern Rhodesia; independence granted in 1980 asZimbabwe
Straits Settlements	1867	1946	Imperial Japan military occupied 1941–1945. Separated into the Crown colonies ofPenang,Malacca andSingapore.^[11]
Tasmania	1825	1901	NamedVan Diemen's Land until 1856. Became part of theCommonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Transvaal Colony	1877	1910	Became part of theUnion of South Africa in 1910.
Tobago	1877	1889	Became part ofTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad	1802	1889	Became part ofTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago	1889	1962	Became independent in 1962
Turks and Caicos Islands	1962	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Tuvalu	1976	1978	Became independent in 1978. Formerly part of theGilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate
Upper Canada	1791	1841	Became part ofProvince of Canada in 1841.
Vancouver Island	1848	1866	Merged with theColony of British Columbia in 1866 which joined Canada.
Victoria	1851	1901	Became part of theCommonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Virgin Islands	1713	1982	BecameBritish Dependent Territory in 1983.
Virginia	1624	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Western Australia	1829	1901	Swan River Colony from 1829 to 1832. Became part of theCommonwealth of Australia in 1901.
West Florida	1763	1783	Ceded to Spain. Later became part of the United States.

Notes

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^writer, Staff."The Windward Islands and Barbados"(PDF). Islands of the Commonwealth Caribbean Foreign Relations. p. 388. Retrieved21 October 2025.Barbados Success-fully resisted British efforts in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to abolish its House of Assembly and install crown colony government (see Glossary). The British had found local assemblies to be intractable and cumbersome to manage from London. Under the system called crown colony government, which was installed in all of the Commonwealth Caribbean islands except Barbados, the British replaced these argumentative assemblies with a uni-cameral legislature, the majority of whose members were appointed by the governor, and in which the king theoretically represented the lower classes...
^"British Overseas Territories Act 2002". Gov.Uk.Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved11 July 2012.
^Porter, p. 477.
^History of Parliament: Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago Archived 13 June 2017 at theWayback Machine – Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
^Mark Doyle (2018),The British Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes], ABC-CLIO, pp. 82–,ISBN 978-1-4408-4198-9,archived from the original on 29 July 2020, retrieved13 May 2019
^Olson, p. 343.
^Jenks, p. 70.
^Jenks, pp. 71–4.
^Waddell, David (1959)."Great Britain and the Bay Islands, 1821–61".The Historical Journal.2:59–77.doi:10.1017/S0018246X00021786. Retrieved21 August 2025.
^^a ^b ^cSee:Malaysia Act 1963
^"The Straits Settlements is dissolved".Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved29 August 2015.

References

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Ehrlich, AS (1974).Human Organization, 33.2.ProQuest 1310294182.
Ehrlich, Josef (1916).Economic protectionism, Vol.6. Clarendon press.ProQuest 1310294182.
Jenks, Edward (1918).The Government of the British Empire. Little, Brown, and Company.
Jenks, Edward (1918).The Government of the British Empire. Little, Brown, and Company.
Olson, James (1996).Historical Dictionary of the British Empire. Greenwood Publishing Group.ISBN 0-313-29366-X.
Porter, Andrew (1998).The Nineteenth Century, The Oxford History of the British Empire Volume III. Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-924678-5.
Wrong, Hume (1923)."The Old Representative System: The Change To Crown Colony Government".Government of the West Indies. England:Oxford University Press. p. 71.ISBN 1-113-74149-X.Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved30 March 2010.The phrase 'Crown Colony Government' is used with various meanings. In the broadest, and perhaps most correct, sense it is applied to all the colonies in which the Crown retains the real control of the executive (i.e. to all the West Indian colonies). By both official and common usage, however, it is often narrowed as to exclude colonies with elected Assemblies, though without a responsible executive.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

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