TheColonial Office was agovernment department of theKingdom of Great Britain and later of theUnited Kingdom, first created in 1768 from theSouthern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly theThirteen Colonies, as well as, theCanadian territories recently won from France), until merged into the newHome Office in 1782. In 1801, colonial affairs were transferred to theWar Office in the lead up to theNapoleonic Wars, which became theWar and Colonial Office to oversee and protect thecolonies of theBritish Empire. The Colonial Office was re-created as a separate department 1854, under thecolonial secretary. It was finally merged into theCommonwealth Office in 1966.
Despite its name, the Colonial Office was responsible for much, but not all, of Britain's Imperial territories; the protectorates fell under the purview of theForeign Office, and theBritish Presidencies inIndia were ruled by theEast India Company until 1858, when theIndia Office was formed to oversee the administration of the new Viceroyalty ofIndia (the Crown ruled India directly through a Viceroy after theIndian Rebellion), while the role of the Colonial Office in the affairs of theDominions was replaced by theDominion Office in 1925.
The department for much of its history was headed by theSecretary of State for the Colonies, known informally as the Colonial Secretary.
Prior to 1768, responsibility for the affairs of the British colonies was part of the duties of theSecretary of State for the Southern Department and a committee of thePrivy Council known as theBoard of Trade and Plantations.[1] Separately, theIndian Department was responsible for relations with indigenous nations in North America from 1755 onwards.
In 1768 the separate American or Colonial Department was established, in order to deal with colonial affairs inBritish America. With theloss of thirteen of its colonies, however, the department was abolished in 1782. Responsibility for the remaining colonies was given to theHome Office, and subsequently in 1801 transferred to theWar Department.
The War Office was renamed theWar and Colonial Office in 1801,[citation needed] under a newSecretary of State for War and the Colonies, to reflect the increasing importance of the colonies. In 1825 a new post ofUnder-Secretary of State for the Colonies was created within this office. It was held byRobert William Hay initially. His successors wereJames Stephen,Herman Merivale,Frederic Rogers,Robert Herbert andRobert Henry Meade.[2]
From 1824, theBritish Empire (exceptingIndia, which was administered separately by theEast India Company and then theBritish Raj) was divided by the War and Colonial Office into the following administrative departments:[3]
In 1854, the War and Colonial Office was divided in two, the War Office and a new Colonial Office, created to deal specifically with affairs in the colonies and assigned to theSecretary of State for the Colonies. The Colonial Office did not have responsibility for allBritish possessions overseas: for example, both theBritish Raj and other British territories near India, were under the authority of theIndia Office from 1858. Other, more informalprotectorates, such as theKhedivate of Egypt, fell under the authority of theForeign Office.
After 1878, when theEmigration Commission was abolished, anEmigration Department was created in the Colonial Office. This was merged with the General Department in 1894, before its complete abolition in 1896.[4]
The increasing independence of theDominions – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Newfoundland and South Africa – following the1907 Imperial Conference, led to the formation of a separate Dominion Division within the Colonial Office. From 1925 onwards the UK ministry included a separateSecretary of State for Dominion Affairs.
After theCairo Conference held in March 1921, the Colonial Office was charged for thePalestine Mandate administration in substitution of theForeign Office.[5]
On 16 April 1947, theIrgun placed a bomb at the Colonial Office which failed to detonate.[6][7] The plot was linked to the1946 Embassy bombing.[8]
After theDominion of India andDominion of Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the Dominion Office was merged with the India Office to form theCommonwealth Relations Office.
In 1966, the Commonwealth Relations Office was re-merged with the Colonial Office, forming theCommonwealth Office. Two years later, this department was itself merged into the Foreign Office, establishing theForeign and Commonwealth Office.
The Colonial Office had its offices in theForeign and Commonwealth Office Main Building inWhitehall.
From 1862, the Colonial Office published historical and statistical information concerning the United Kingdom's colonial dependencies inThe Colonial Office List,[9] though between 1926 and 1940 it was known asThe Dominions Office and Colonial Office List.[10] It later became known as theCommonwealth Relations Office Year Book andCommonwealth Office Year Book. In addition to the officialList published by the Colonial Office, an edited version was also produced byWaterlow and Sons.[11] It can be difficult to distinguish between the two versions in library catalogue descriptions. For example,The Sydney Stock and Station Journal of 3 December 1915 commented:[12]
This used to be the "Colonial Office Journal," but it looked – or sounded – too official, so they changed it to "The Colonial Journal." But it is still edited by Sir W. H. Mercer, K.C.M.G., one of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, but it is printed by Waterlow and Sons, London Wall. It comes as near to being an "Official publication" as possible, but we'll assume that it isn't.
The woman, who is a Jewess, claims French nationality. Officers of the special branch of Scotland Yard who have been investigating Jewish terrorist activities are satisfied the man who made the bomb is also under arrest.
The bomb was of the same type as that used in the explosion at the i British Embassy in Rome last year and in several other outrages by Jewish terrorists.
