Crown colony

A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the monarch of the UK on the advice of the Home (UK) Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council. In some cases this Council was split into two: an Executive Council and a Legislative Council, and was similar to the Privy 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 several Crown colonies, this limited representation grew over time. As the House of Commons of the British 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 the Sovereign state (the UK Government) delegated legislation for most local internal matters of governance to elected assemblies, with consent of the governor. The elected assemblies had their beginnings in the House of Burgesses of the colony of Virginia in 1619 and the House of Assembly of the Parliament of Bermuda in 1620. Over the centuries in some Crown colonies, more independent authority was given.

All British colonies, whether Crown (such as Hong Kong and the Falkland Islands) or self-governing (such as Bermuda), were renamed "British Dependent Territories" from 1 January 1983 under the British Nationality Act 1981. Many British citizens in the colonies (with the exceptions of the Falkland Islanders and subsequently the Gibraltarians) found that their "Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies" had changed overnight to British 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. From 2002 the colonies have been known officially as British Overseas Territories.[1]

History

Early English colonies were usually established and administered by companies under charters granted by the monarch. The first "royal colony" was the Colony of Virginia, after 1624, when the Crown of the Kingdom of England revoked the royal charter it had granted to the Virginia Company and assumed control of the administration.[2]

Executive governors are sometimes complemented by a locally appointed and/or elected legislature with limited powers — that is, such territories lack responsible government. For example, while the House 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 the Somers Isles Company, successor to the Virginia Company, which had previously controlled administration, including the appointment of governors. Afterwards the British government appointed the Governor of Bermuda.)

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 as Trinidad and Tobago.[3] After that time it was more broadly applied to every British territory other than British India,[4] and self-governing colonies, such as the Province of Canada, Newfoundland, British Columbia, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and New Zealand.[5]

By the mid-19th century, the monarch was appointing colonial governors only on the advice of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.[6]

Reclassification (1981)
Further information: British Overseas Territories citizen

The term Crown colony continued to be used until 1981, when the British 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 as Hong Kong, before its transfer in 1997 to the People's Republic of China.

Types

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

Crown colonies with representative councils, such as Bermuda, Jamaica, Ceylon and Fiji, contained two legislative chambers, consisting of Crown-appointed and locally elected members.

Crown colonies with nominated councils, such as British Honduras, Sierra Leone, British Windward Islands and Hong 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 the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 1995.

Crown colonies ruled directly by a governor, such as Basutoland,[7] Gibraltar, Saint Helena and Singapore, were fewest in number and had the least autonomy.

List
Crown colonies
Name of colony from to Reason for change of status
Aden 1937 1967 Became part of the Federation of South Arabia.
 Akrotiri and Dhekelia 1960 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
 Anguilla 1980 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Antigua 1663 1981 Became independent as Antigua and Barbuda.
Ashanti 1902 1957 Became part of the dominion named Ghana upon its establishment in 1957.
Bahamas 1718 1973 Became an independent Commonwealth realm.
Barbados 1663 1966 Became an independent Commonwealth realm.
Basutoland 1884 1966 Became independent as Lesotho in 1966.
 Bermuda 1684 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
 British Antarctic Territory 1962 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
British Bechuanaland 1885 1895 Became part of British Cape Colony in 1895.
British Columbia 1866 1871 Became part of Canada in 1871.
British Guiana 1831 1966 Became independent as Guyana in 1966.
British Honduras (renamed Belize in 1973) 1884 1981 Became independent (as Belize) in 1981.
 British Indian Ocean Territory 1965 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Burma 1937 1948 Separated from British India in 1937 and became a Crown colony. Became independent in 1948 as Burma (later Myanmar).
United Province of Canada 1841 1867 Became part of Canada in 1867.
Cape Colony 1806 1910 Became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
 Cayman Islands 1962 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Ceylon 1815 1948 Became independent in 1948 as Dominion of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka).
Christmas Island 1958 1958 Became a territory of Australia
Cyprus 1914 1960 Became independent as Cyprus in 1960.
Dominica 1763 1978 Became independent as the Commonwealth of Dominica in 1978.
East Florida 1763 1783 Ceded to Spain. Later became part of the United States.
 Falkland Islands 1841 1982 Became a British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Fiji 1874 1970 Became independent as Fiji in 1970
Gambia Colony 1888 1965 Became independent as The Gambia in 1965.
Georgia 1755 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
 Gibraltar 1713 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1916 1976 Separate Gilbert Islands and Tuvalu colonies
Gilbert Islands 1976 1979 Became independent as Kiribati
Gold Coast 1821 1957 Became independent in 1957 as Ghana.
Grenada 1763 1974 Became an independent Commonwealth realm.
Hong Kong 1842 1982 Reclassified as a British Dependent Territory in 1983. Transferred to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Jamaica 1655 1962 Became independent in 1962 as Jamaica.
Kenya 1920 1963 United with the Kenya Protectorate in 1963 to form the independent country of Kenya.
Labuan 1846 1890 Administered by British North Borneo Company from 1890–1904.
Lagos 1862 1906 Became part of Southern Nigeria Protectorate in 1906.
Lower Canada 1791 1841 Became part of Province of Canada in 1841.
Malacca 1946 1957 Became part of Malaya in 1957.
Malta 1813 1964 Became independent in 1964 as the State of Malta.
Massachusetts Bay 1692 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776 as the state of Massachusetts.
Mauritius 1903 1968 Became independent as Mauritius in 1968.
 Montserrat 1636 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Natal 1843 1910 Became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
Newfoundland 1825 1907 Became the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1907, and later joined Canada 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 the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
New York 1691 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
New Zealand 1841 1907 Became the Dominion of New Zealand in 1907.
Nigeria 1914 1960 Became independent as Nigeria in 1960.
Norfolk Island 1788 1914 Placed under administration of Australia in 1914 as a non-self governing territory. The island was self-governing between 1979 and 2015.
North Borneo 1946 1963 Became part of Malaysia in 1963 as Sabah. Labuan separated from Sabah in 1984 to become a Federal Territory.[8]
North Carolina 1729 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Nova Scotia 1710 1867 Became part of Canada in 1867.
 Pitcairn Islands 1887 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Penang 1946 1957 Became part of Malaya in 1957.
Quebec 1763 1791 Divided between Upper and Lower Canada and the Northwest Territory.
Queensland 1859 1901 Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Saint Christopher and Nevis 1980 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983. Independent in the same year.
Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla 1882 1980 Separated into Anguilla and Saint Christopher and Nevis.
Saint Helena 1659 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Saint Lucia 1814 1979 Became an independent Commonwealth realm.
Saint Vincent 1776 1979 Became independent as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Sarawak 1946 1963 Became part of Malaysia in 1963.[8]
Seychelles 1903 1976 Separated from British 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 State of Singapore within Malaysia[8]
South Australia 1834 1901 Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
South Carolina 1729 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Southern Rhodesia 1923 1965/1980 Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965 as Rhodesia; formally reverted to colonial status in 1979 as Rhodesia or Zimbabwe Rhodesia; independence granted in 1980 as Zimbabwe
Straits Settlements 1867 1946 Separated into Crown Colony of Penang, Crown Colony of Malacca and Colony of Singapore.[9]
Tasmania 1825 1901 Named Van Diemen's Land until 1856. Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
 Trinidad and Tobago 1889 1962 Became independent in 1962
 Turks and Caicos Islands 1962 1982 Became British Dependent Territory in 1983.
Tuvalu 1976 1978 Became an independent Commonwealth realm.
Upper Canada 1791 1841 Became part of Province of Canada in 1841.
Vancouver Island 1848 1866 Merged with the Colony of British Columbia in 1866 which joined Canada.
Victoria 1851 1901 Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Virgin Islands 1713 1982 Became British 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 the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
West Florida 1763 1783 Ceded to Spain. Later became part of the United States.

See also

Notes
  1. "British Overseas Territories Act 2002". Gov.Uk.
  2. Porter, p. 477.
  3. History of Parliament: Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago – Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
  4. Mark Doyle (2018), The British Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes], ABC-CLIO, pp. 82–, ISBN 978-1-4408-4198-9
  5. Olson, p. 343.
  6. Jenks, p. 70.
  7. Jenks, pp. 71–4.
  8. See: Malaysia Act 1963
  9. "The Straits Settlements is dissolved". Retrieved 29 August 2015.

References
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