Catalogue description Correspondence with the colonies, entry books and registers of correspondence

Correspondence with the colonies, entry books and registers of correspondence relating to the administration of individual colonies. Also includes a few records of governments of colonial and mandated territories that were sent to London for various reasons.

The earlier original correspondence was at first simply the incoming dispatches of the colonial governor, with which may or may not be found enclosures. In the course of time the original correspondence came to include office minutes and drafts of outgoing dispatches as well as correspondence from other sources. Later records document schemes funded under the Colonial Welfare and Development Act of 1940.

Records of the Concessions and Finance Committees are in CO 948

Africa:

Africa CO 847, CO 917; Africa Exploration CO 2, CO 392; African Studies Branch CO 955

Central and Southern Africa:

Basutoland CO 1048; Bechuanaland CO 1048; Cape Colony CO 48, CO 49, CO 336, CO 414, CO 462; Central Africa CO 952, CO 1014, CO 1015; Griqualand West CO 107, CO 344, CO 522; Natal CO 179, CO 357, CO 404, CO 480; Northern Rhodesia CO 795, CO 796, CO 797; Nyasaland CO 525, CO 703, CO 704; Orange River Colony CO 224, CO 663, CO 664, CO 679, CO 680; South Africa Constabulary CO 526, CO 639, CO 640; South Africa High Commission CO 291, CO 417, CO 545; South Africa Intercolonial Council CO 527, CO 634, CO 635; South Africa Railways CO 528, CO 636, CO 637; South Africa Secretary of State's Tour CO 529, CO 638; Southern Rhodesia CO 767, CO 800, CO 801; Southern Africa CO 1048; Swaziland CO 1048; South Africa High Commission Transvaal CO 291; Transvaal CO 510, CO 511, CO 679, CO 680; Union of South Africa CO 551, CO 705, CO 748; Zululand CO 427, CO 619, CO 620

East Africa:

East Africa CO 822, CO 869; East Africa and Uganda Protectorate CO 519; Kenya CO 533, CO 628, CO 629; King's African Rifles CO 534, CO 623, CO 624; Somaliland CO 535, CO 713, CO 769, CO 952, CO 1015; Tanganyika CO 691, CO 746, CO 747; Uganda CO 536, CO 615, CO 682, CO 683; Zanzibar CO 618, CO 772, CO 805

North Africa:

Tangier CO 279

West Africa:

Cameroons CO 649, CO 750, CO 751; Fernando Po CO 82; Gambia CO 87, CO 341, CO 401, CO 481; Gold Coast CO 96, CO 343, CO 402, CO 482; Lagos CO 147, CO 420, CO 421, CO 483; Niger Coast Protectorate CO 444; Nigeria CO 583, CO 763, CO 764; Northern Nigeria CO 446, CO 584, CO 585; Sierra Leone CO 267, CO 268, CO 368, CO 484; Southern Nigeria CO 520, CO 589, CO 590; Togoland CO 724, CO 803, CO 804; West Africa CO 554, CO 555; West Africa Frontier Force CO 445, CO 581, CO 582, CO 641, CO 642

Asia:

Borneo Territories CO 954; British North Borneo (Sabah) CO 531, CO 777, CO 778, CO 992; British North Borneo Company CO 874; Brunei CO 943, CO 992; Ceylon CO 54, CO 55, CO 337, CO 416, CO 488; East Indies CO 77; Eastern CO 825, CO 872; Far Eastern CO 1030; Far Eastern Reconstruction CO 865, CO 975; Federated Malay States CO 717, CO 786, CO 787, CO 991; Hong Kong CO 129, CO 219, CO 349, CO 403, CO 489, CO 1023; Labuan CO 144, CO 352, CO 404, CO 487; Sarawak CO 938, CO 992; Singapore CO 953, CO 1010; South East Asia CO 1022; Straits Settlements CO 273, CO 425, CO 426, CO 486; Wei-Hai-Wei CO 521, CO 770, CO 771

Atlantic:

Ascension CO 749, CO 823; Falkland Islands CO 78, CO 339, CO 399, CO 500, CO 1024; St Helena and Dependencies CO 247, CO 248, CO 366, CO 491, CO 1024

Australia and New Zealand:

Auckland Islands CO 330, CO 394; Australia (General) CO 418, CO 557, CO 644, CO 645, CO 706, CO 707; New South Wales CO 201, CO 202, CO 207, CO 360, CO 369; New Zealand CO 209, CO 361, CO 365, CO 406, CO 644, CO 645; New Zealand Company CO 208; North Australia, CO 395; Queensland CO 234, CO 423, CO 424, CO 450; South Australia CO 13, CO 331, CO 396, CO 514; Tasmania CO 280, CO 370, CO 371, CO 408; Victoria CO 309, CO 374, CO 411, CO 513; Western Australia CO 18, CO 332, CO 353, CO 397

Europe:

Heligoland CO 118, CO 119, CO 346, CO 347; Irish Free State CO 739

Indian Ocean:

Mauritius CO 167, CO 168, CO 356, CO 415, CO 490, CO 1036; Seychelles CO 530, CO 712, CO 768, CO 1036

Mediterranean:

Corsica CO 65; Cyprus CO 67, CO 512, CO 516; Gibraltar CO 91, CO 92, CO 342, CO 517; Ionian Islands CO 136; Malta CO 158, CO 159, CO 350, CO 355, CO 518; Mediterranean CO 173, CO 926; Minorca CO 174

Middle East:

Aden CO 725, CO 773, CO 774, CO 952, CO 1015, CO 1055; Arabia CO 727, CO 775, CO 776; Iraq CO 730; Kuria Muria Islands CO 143; Middle East CO 732, CO 788, CO 789; Palestine CO 733, CO 793, CO 794; Transjordan CO 831, CO 870

North America:

America and West Indies CO 1, CO 5; British Columbia CO 60, CO 338, CO 398; British North America CO 6, CO 328, CO 329; Canada CO 42, CO 43, CO 335, CO 340; Hudson's Bay CO 134, CO 135; New Brunswick CO 188, CO 189, CO 358; Newfoundland CO 194, CO 195, CO 359, CO 363; Nova Scotia and Cape Breton CO 217, CO 218, CO 362; Ontario CO 222, CO 223, CO 595; Prince Edward Island CO 226, CO 227, CO 364; Vancouver Island CO 305, CO 373, CO 410

Pacific:

British New Guinea (Papua) CO 422, CO 578, CO 579; Christmas Island CO 1036; Fiji CO 83, CO 400, CO 419, CO 515, CO 1009, CO 1036; Pacific (general) CO 1036; Western Pacific CO 492, CO 493; Western Pacific High Commission CO 225, CO 1023, CO 1036

West Indies:

America and West Indies CO 1, CO 5; Anguilla CO 239; Antigua and Montserrat CO 7, CO 393; Bahamas CO 23, CO 24, CO 333, CO 508; Barbados CO 28, CO 29, CO 501, CO 565; Bay Islands CO 34; Bermuda CO 37, CO 38, CO 334, CO 449; British Guiana CO 111, CO 112, CO 345, CO 502; British Honduras CO 123, CO 124, CO 348, CO 503; Curaçao CO 66; Dominica CO 71, CO 72; Grenada CO 101, CO 102, CO 504; Guadaloupe CO 110; Havana CO 117; Jamaica CO 137, CO 138, CO 351, CO 494; Leeward Islands CO 152, CO 153, CO 354, CO 507; Martinique CO 166; Montserrat CO 175; Nevis CO 184, CO 239; St Christopher (St Kitts) CO 239, CO 407; St Croix CO 244; St Eustatius CO 246; St Lucia CO 253, CO 254, CO 367, CO 505; St Thomas CO 259; St Vincent CO 260, CO 261, CO 506; Santo Domingo CO 245; Surinam CO 278; Tobago CO 285, CO 286, CO 498; Trinidad CO 295, CO 296, CO 372, CO 497; Turks and Caicos Islands CO 301, CO 409, CO 495, CO 496; United States Bases CO 971, CO 972; Virgin Islands CO 314; West Indies CO 318, CO 319, CO 375, CO 509, CO 1031; Windward Islands CO 321, CO 376, CO 377

See also records of the Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and administrations:

CAOG

See also CO 862

Domestic records of colonial governments do not normally form part of the Colonial Office records, being kept by those governments in their own archives.

For supplementary confidential correspondence see CO 537

For the period up to the early or mid 19th century, the entry books for the relevant colony are useful. From 1849 to 1951 the registers for the colony should be used. From about 1800 to 1849 use the registers in CO 714