Crown colony

A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as  royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire.U.S. Library of Congress - Glossary of terms Crown, or royal colonies were ruled by a governor which is decided by the Monarch. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Sovereign appointed royal governors on the advice of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.Jenks, p.70 Under the name of "royal colony", the first of what would later become known as Crown colonies was the English Colony of Virginia. This happened in 1624 after the Crown removed the Royal Charter it had given to the Virginia Company.Porter, p.477

Until the mid-nineteenth century, the term "Crown Colony" was only used to refer to those colonies which had been obtain through wars. Examples were Trinidad and Tobago,History of Parliament: Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago  - Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago British Guiana, and the colonies of settlement, such as The Canadas, Newfoundland, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and New Zealand, later to become the Dominions.Olson, p.343 The term continued to be used up until 1981, when the British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified the remaining British colonies as "British Dependent Territories". From 2002 they have been known as British Overseas Territories.

List of Crown colonies
 Name of colony from toReason for change of status  Aden 1937 1967 Became part of the Federation of South Arabia.  Bahamas 1718 1973 Became an independent Commonwealth Realm.  Basutoland 1884 1964 Became British protectorate in 1964; then became independent as Lesotho in 1966.  1684 1981 Became British Dependent Territory in 1981.  British Bechuanaland 1885 1895 Became part of British Cape Colony in 1895.  British Guiana 1831 1966 Became independent as Guyana in 1966.  British Honduras (renamed Belize in 1964) 1884 1981 Became independent (as Belize) in 1981.  Burma 1937 1948 Separated from British India in 1937 and became a Crown colony.  United Province of Canada 1841 1867Became part of Canada in 1867. 23px|border|link=British Cape Colony Cape Colony 1806 1910Became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910.  1962 1981Became British Dependent Territory in 1981.  Ceylon 1815 1948Became independent as Dominion of Ceylon in 1948.  British Columbia 1866 1871Became part of Canada in 1871.  Cyprus 1914 1960Became independent as Cyprus in 1960.  East Florida 1763 1783Ceded to Spain. Later became part of the United States. 18411981Became a British Dependent Territory in 1981.  Gambia Colony and Protectorate 1888 1965Became independent as The Gambia in 1965.  Georgia 1755 1776Became part of the United States of America in 1776.  1713 1981Became British Dependent Territory in 1981.  Gold Coast 1821 1957Became independent in 1957 as Ghana. Hong Kong18421997Reclassified as a British Dependent Territory in 1981. Handed over to China in 1997 marking the end of the British Empire.  Jamaica 1655 1962Became independent in 1962 as Jamaica. Kenya19201963United with the Kenya Protectorate in 1963 to form the independent country of Kenya. Labuan 1846 1890Administered by British North Borneo Company from 1890–1904. 1906 1946Incorporated in the Straits Settlements on 30 October 1906. 1946 1963Incorporated in North Borneo on 15 July 1946. Became part of Malaysia in 1963.See: Malaysia Act 1963  Lower Canada 1791 1841 Became part of Province of Canada in 1841. Malacca19461957Became part of Malaya in 1957.  Malta 1813 1964Became independent in 1964 as the State of Malta.  Massachusetts Bay16921776Became part of the United States of America in 1776 as the state of Massachusetts.  Mauritius 1903 1968 Became independent as Mauritius in 1968. 23px|border|link=Colony of Natal Natal 1843 1910Became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910. 23px|border|link=Newfoundland Colony Newfoundland 1825 1907Became the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1907, and later joined Canada in 1949.  New Hampshire16921776Became part of the United States of America in 1776.  New Jersey 1702 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776.  New South Wales 1788 1901Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. New York 1691 1776 Became part of the United States of America in 1776.  New Zealand18411907Became the Dominion of New Zealand in 1907.  Nigeria 1914 1960 Became independent as Nigeria in 1960.  Norfolk Island17881914Placed 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.  North Carolina 1729 1776Became part of the United States of America in 1776. Penang19461957Became part of Malaya in 1957.  Quebec 1763 1791 Divided between Upper and Lower Canada and the Northwest Territory. Queensland18591901Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.  Saint Christopher and Nevis 1882 1981 Became British Dependent Territory in 1981. Independent in 1983.   Sarawak 1946 1963 Became part of Malaysia in 1963. 23px|border Seychelles 1903 1976 Separated from British Mauritius in 1903 and became a Crown Colony and became independent in 1976. 23px|border Sierra Leone 1808 1961Became independent as Sierra Leone in 1961.  South Australia 1834 1901Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.  South Carolina 1729 1776Became part of the United States of America in 1776.  Southern Rhodesia 1923 1965/1980 Declared independence in 1965 as Rhodesia, which became Zimbabwe Rhodesia, independence recognized by Britain in 1980 as Zimbabwe.  Singapore 1946 1963Singapore became part of Malaysia in 1963; then became independent as the Republic of Singapore in 1965.See: the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965 and the Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom – Singapore Act 1966. 1946 1946 Labuan was incorporated into North Borneo on 15 July 1946, which became part of Malaysia in 1963. 1946 1955Cocos (Keeling) Islands was transferred to Australia in 1955.Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955. 1946 1957Christmas Island was transferred to Australia in 1957.Christmas Island (Request and Consent) Act 1957 (NO. 102, 1957). Straits Settlements 1786 1946Penang became a separate Crown colony within the Malayan Union in 1946, which was re-organised as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and became independent in 1957;See: Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957 later became part of Malaysia in 1963. 1826 1946Singapore became a separate Crown colony in 1946, after the Straits Settlements was dissolved. 1826 1946Malacca became a separate Crown colony within the Malayan Union in 1946, which re-organised as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and became independent in 1957; later became part of Malaysia in 1963. 1857 1946Cocos (Keeling) Islands became part of the Colony of Singapore in 1946. 1874 1937Dinding (now Manjung) became part of the Federated Malay States in 1937, which later became part of the Malayan Union in 1946; the Malayan Union became the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and became independent in 1957; later became part of Malaysia in 1963. 1888 1946Christmas Island became part of the Colony of Singapore in 1946. 1906 1946 Labuan became part of the Colony of Singapore in 1946.  Tasmania 1803 1901Van Diemen's Land from 1803 to 1856; Formerly part of New South Wales from 1803 to 1825, when made an independent colony. Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.  Upper Canada 1791 1841 Became part of Province of Canada in 1841.23px|border Vancouver Island18481866Merged with the Colony of British Columbia in 1866 which joined Canada.  Victoria18511901Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.  Virginia16241776Became part of the United States of America in 1776.  Western Australia 1829 1901Swan River Colony from 1829 to 1832. Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.  West Florida 1763 1783Ceded to Spain. Later became part of the United States.

Related pages
Crown dependency
British overseas territories
British Empire

Notes

References

Category:Colonialism