Catalogue description Colonial Office and successors: Annual Reports

From 1837 colonial governors accompanied their annual returns (known as 'blue books' giving statistical, administrative and other information) with 'reports exhibiting generally the past and present state of the Colony and its prospects, in every political Branch'.

They were described as 'the report on the blue book' but gradually becoming known as annual reports. References to the transmission of the reports can be found in governors' despatches and copies are occasionally included. However more often they were detached and placed in the Colonial Office Library.

Some were printed by Parliament, but the extent is unknown and the practice came to an end in the 1920s.

Pieces 1-415 contain reports on individual countries and states. Pieces 416-445 are more general - each volume contains reports on many different territories.

Many volumes contain maps and photographs.

The Miscellanea series for each colony usually holds the 'blue books'

Colonial Office, 1854-1966

Commonwealth Office, 1966-1968

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968-

War and Colonial Department, 1801-1854

in 2014 Foreign and Commonwealth Office