Nature and Scope
Colonial Caribbean covers the history of the various territories under British colonial governance from 1624 to 1870. This extensive resource includes administrative documentation, trade and shipping records, minutes of council meetings, as well as details of plantation life, colonial settlement, imperial rivalries across the region, and the growing concern about absentee landlords.
Nature and Scope
Colonial Caribbean covers the history of the various territories under British colonial governance from 1624 to 1870. This extensive resource includes administrative documentation, trade and shipping records, minutes of council meetings, as well as details of plantation life, colonial settlement, imperial rivalries across the region, and the growing concern about absentee landlords.
Colonial Caribbean covers topics which are inextricably linked to stories of oppression and abuse. Please be aware that distressing content can be found throughout the documents and contextual essays in this resource, including graphic descriptions and first-hand accounts of physical or sexual abuse.
Content Warning
Colonial Caribbean covers topics which are inextricably linked to stories of oppression and abuse. Please be aware that distressing content can be found throughout the documents and contextual essays in this resource, including graphic descriptions and first-hand accounts of physical or sexual abuse.
The volumes included within Colonial Caribbean are all sourced from The National Archives, UK. There are volumes from 27 file classes from the Colonial Office (CO) files; all volumes from these file classes that are dated between 1624 and 1870 have been digitised and included within Colonial Caribbean.
Also included is a selection of documents from the War Office (WO) files from The National Archives, UK. The selected documents from this file class all relate to the colonies presented from the CO file classes and all date from 1624-1830.
See the Selection Criteria for a complete list of all CO file classes that have been included or read more about the history of the materials at The National Archives, UK in Dr Dan Gilfoyle's essay: Using Colonial Office files: An introduction to the material housed at The National Archives, UK.
The subjects covered across Colonial Caribbean are many and varied; earlier materials cover interactions with the region's Indigenous inhabitants and the establishment of colonies, including early legislation, correspondence requesting provisions and soldiers for defence, and arrangements for the building of fortifications. Material from the early eighteenth century often specifies dealings with and punishment of pirates and privateering within the region. Later nineteenth-century volumes detail the abolition of slavery and the political, administrative and social impacts of abolition, the apprenticeship scheme and indentured labour in the Caribbean.
Map of the Caribbean Islands, CO 152/45.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
The appointments of Governors, Acting Governors and Lieutenant Governors are included throughout, as well as the appointment of subsidiary positions. Legal cases, petitions, and court records can be found throughout these volumes related to and involving British civil servants and officers, slaveholders and merchants, as well as enslaved people, the indentured and free people of colour.
The establishment and management of sugar plantations and agriculture within the region is prevalent within these volumes; this is one of the main motivations for British involvement within the Caribbean region and there are hundreds of documents that deal with the establishment, management, and trade of plantations across the different Caribbean islands represented.
European, and indeed global, conflicts and rivalries between European powers can be traced in the interactions between colonial powers in the Caribbean. The impact of the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Seven Years’ War, the French Revolution, the American Revolutionary Wars, and the Spanish-American Wars of Independence, to name a few major conflicts, were felt throughout the Caribbean region. Colonial boundaries and powers would often shift, or be used as pawns within these conflicts, reflecting the changing power dynamics that played out on the global political stage throughout this time period. Use the Chronology to explore these events.
The spectre of slavery looms large throughout these volumes; it is not possible to discuss the history of the colonial Caribbean without acknowledging the role of slavery. Slavery arguably permeates every aspect of the volumes presented within this site, as it was intrinsically linked to British activities within the region. The theme ‘Slavery and Emancipation’ has been included specifically to allow users to access specific accounts of slavery, emancipation, acts of abolition, or manumission even though, arguably, all volumes could relate to this theme. Read the Slavery and Emancipation Thematic Guide to find out more about this theme, browse via the Slavery and Emancipation theme to see relevant documents, or read Dr James Dawkins’ essay The Dawkins Family, Transatlantic Slavery and the Development of Modern Britain to learn more about slavery in relation to the Dawkins family.
Contents
The volumes included within Colonial Caribbean are all sourced from The National Archives, UK. There are volumes from 27 file classes from the Colonial Office (CO) files; all volumes from these file classes that are dated between 1624 and 1870 have been digitised and included within Colonial Caribbean.
Also included is a selection of documents from the War Office (WO) files from The National Archives, UK. The selected documents from this file class all relate to the colonies presented from the CO file classes and all date from 1624-1830.
See the Selection Criteria for a complete list of all CO file classes that have been included or read more about the history of the materials at The National Archives, UK in Dr Dan Gilfoyle's essay: Using Colonial Office files: An introduction to the material housed at The National Archives, UK.
The subjects covered across Colonial Caribbean are many and varied; earlier materials cover interactions with the region's Indigenous inhabitants and the establishment of colonies, including early legislation, correspondence requesting provisions and soldiers for defence, and arrangements for the building of fortifications. Material from the early eighteenth century often specifies dealings with and punishment of pirates and privateering within the region. Later nineteenth-century volumes detail the abolition of slavery and the political, administrative and social impacts of abolition, the apprenticeship scheme and indentured labour in the Caribbean.
Map of the Caribbean Islands, CO 152/45.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
The appointments of Governors, Acting Governors and Lieutenant Governors are included throughout, as well as the appointment of subsidiary positions. Legal cases, petitions, and court records can be found throughout these volumes related to and involving British civil servants and officers, slaveholders and merchants, as well as enslaved people, the indentured and free people of colour.
The establishment and management of sugar plantations and agriculture within the region is prevalent within these volumes; this is one of the main motivations for British involvement within the Caribbean region and there are hundreds of documents that deal with the establishment, management, and trade of plantations across the different Caribbean islands represented.
European, and indeed global, conflicts and rivalries between European powers can be traced in the interactions between colonial powers in the Caribbean. The impact of the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Seven Years’ War, the French Revolution, the American Revolutionary Wars, and the Spanish-American Wars of Independence, to name a few major conflicts, were felt throughout the Caribbean region. Colonial boundaries and powers would often shift, or be used as pawns within these conflicts, reflecting the changing power dynamics that played out on the global political stage throughout this time period. Use the Chronology to explore these events.
The spectre of slavery looms large throughout these volumes; it is not possible to discuss the history of the colonial Caribbean without acknowledging the role of slavery. Slavery arguably permeates every aspect of the volumes presented within this site, as it was intrinsically linked to British activities within the region. The theme ‘Slavery and Emancipation’ has been included specifically to allow users to access specific accounts of slavery, emancipation, acts of abolition, or manumission even though, arguably, all volumes could relate to this theme. Read the Slavery and Emancipation Thematic Guide to find out more about this theme, browse via the Slavery and Emancipation theme to see relevant documents, or read Dr James Dawkins’ essay The Dawkins Family, Transatlantic Slavery and the Development of Modern Britain to learn more about slavery in relation to the Dawkins family.
Module 1: Settlement, Slavery and Empire, 1624-1832
The first module of Colonial Caribbean documents the history of British colonies throughout the Caribbean from early settlement to the eve of the Slavery Abolition Act passed in 1833.
Plan of the 12 Apostles Battery, CO 137/149.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
This module features volumes from The National Archives, UK, sourced from 26 different Colonial Office (CO) series (sometimes referred to as file classes) which include material related to 27 Caribbean colonies.
All volumes dated between 1624 and 1832 within these series are included in Module 1. Also featured are selected volumes from the War Office (WO) at The National Archives, UK; volumes that are dated within this time period and covering the same 27 Caribbean colonies have been included. Find out more about the specific series included using the Selection Criteria or use Browse by Series to navigate through the material by series.
Module 2: Colonial Government and Abolition, 1833-1849
Featuring 17 series of volumes from The National Archives, this second module covers the crucial period following the abolition of slavery in 1833 and charts the implementation and collapse of the apprenticeship system and the role played by colonial governments in the transition between slavery and emancipation.
Plan of a prison in St Lucia, CO 253/73.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
The contents of this module include reports from Special Magistrates offering insight into the lived experience of apprentices, correspondence from planters and colonial elites demonstrating their attempts to maintain the existing power structures, and reports on schools or prisons which were introduced to encourage capitalist values in the newly emancipated population.
Module 3: Economic Change and Indentured Labour, 1850-1870
Module 3 of Colonial Caribbean covers the period 1850-1870 and charts the economic decline in the region as a result of the turbulent end to the apprenticeship scheme and the introduction of indentured labour. This period also witnessed a series of fierce uprisings, most notably the Morant Bay Rebellion amongst emancipated Jamaicans in 1865.
This module features volumes from 21 CO series held at The National Archives, UK. The contents include government enquiries into the treatment of immigrants, the management of epidemics and diseases such as yellow fever and cholera, reports and testimonies of uprisings and resistance movements such as the Morant Bay Rebellion, petitions from formerly enslaved Africans, and plans for newly established hospitals, asylums and jails.
Map for tracing Cholera Pandemic, CO 318/200.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
Modules
Module 1: Settlement, Slavery and Empire, 1624-1832
The first module of Colonial Caribbean documents the history of British colonies throughout the Caribbean from early settlement to the eve of the Slavery Abolition Act passed in 1833.
Plan of the 12 Apostles Battery, CO 137/149.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
This module features volumes from The National Archives, UK, sourced from 26 different Colonial Office (CO) series (sometimes referred to as file classes) which include material related to 27 Caribbean colonies.
All volumes dated between 1624 and 1832 within these series are included in Module 1. Also featured are selected volumes from the War Office (WO) at The National Archives, UK; volumes that are dated within this time period and covering the same 27 Caribbean colonies have been included. Find out more about the specific series included using the Selection Criteria or use Browse by Series to navigate through the material by series.
Module 2: Colonial Government and Abolition, 1833-1849
Featuring 17 series of volumes from The National Archives, this second module covers the crucial period following the abolition of slavery in 1833 and charts the implementation and collapse of the apprenticeship system and the role played by colonial governments in the transition between slavery and emancipation.
Plan of a prison in St Lucia, CO 253/73.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
The contents of this module include reports from Special Magistrates offering insight into the lived experience of apprentices, correspondence from planters and colonial elites demonstrating their attempts to maintain the existing power structures, and reports on schools or prisons which were introduced to encourage capitalist values in the newly emancipated population.
Module 3: Economic Change and Indentured Labour, 1850-1870
Module 3 of Colonial Caribbean covers the period 1850-1870 and charts the economic decline in the region as a result of the turbulent end to the apprenticeship scheme and the introduction of indentured labour. This period also witnessed a series of fierce uprisings, most notably the Morant Bay Rebellion amongst emancipated Jamaicans in 1865.
This module features volumes from 21 CO series held at The National Archives, UK. The contents include government enquiries into the treatment of immigrants, the management of epidemics and diseases such as yellow fever and cholera, reports and testimonies of uprisings and resistance movements such as the Morant Bay Rebellion, petitions from formerly enslaved Africans, and plans for newly established hospitals, asylums and jails.
Map for tracing Cholera Pandemic, CO 318/200.
Images, including Crown Copyright Images, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.
The documents in Colonial Caribbean shed light on the political, economic, military, cultural and social life of the period, covering such topics as:
- The establishment and expansion of English settlements
- The development of colonial institutions
- Colonial legislation and management
- Interactions between European powers, including the impacts of European conflicts on colonial holdings within the region
- Trade and shipping
- Warfare and military matters, including the establishment of militias and the procurement of supplies
- Slavery and the slave trade, with accounts of enslaved people, 'runaways' and their prosecution
- Abolition and emancipation, including coverage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, progression towards the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, and the introduction and collapse of the apprenticeship system
- Uprisings and revolutions
- Economic, financial and social conditions
- Plantation governance, maintenance and labour
- Religion
- Piracy, privateering and naval matters
- The system of indentureship and the immigration of Chinese and Indian labourers
- Environmental disasters
- Crime and court convictions
- Mental health and the establishment of 'lunatic' asylums in the colonies
Topics
The documents in Colonial Caribbean shed light on the political, economic, military, cultural and social life of the period, covering such topics as:
- The establishment and expansion of English settlements
- The development of colonial institutions
- Colonial legislation and management
- Interactions between European powers, including the impacts of European conflicts on colonial holdings within the region
- Trade and shipping
- Warfare and military matters, including the establishment of militias and the procurement of supplies
- Slavery and the slave trade, with accounts of enslaved people, 'runaways' and their prosecution
- Abolition and emancipation, including coverage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, progression towards the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, and the introduction and collapse of the apprenticeship system
- Uprisings and revolutions
- Economic, financial and social conditions
- Plantation governance, maintenance and labour
- Religion
- Piracy, privateering and naval matters
- The system of indentureship and the immigration of Chinese and Indian labourers
- Environmental disasters
- Crime and court convictions
- Mental health and the establishment of 'lunatic' asylums in the colonies
Browsing
Due to the vast amount of material included within Colonial Caribbean, the site has been organised to allow users to browse the material through a variety of pathways:
Browse by Series
Use the Browse by Series section to quickly and easily view all volumes from a particular series. This replicates the organisation of the series and file classes at The National Archives, UK and provides a route into the material for those familiar with the original structure at the archive.
Browse by Colony
The material included within Colonial Caribbean has been tagged with the relevant colony for which each volume is concerned. This makes it possible to Browse by Colony in a similar fashion. This can be useful for those who have a particular interest in a geographical area.
To find out more about each of the colonies represented, read our short introductory guides in Guide to Colonies, written by members of the editorial team.
Browse by Theme
The documents in Colonial Caribbean have also been grouped by the following key themes:
- Slavery and Emancipation
- Crime and Punishment
- Finance and Economy
- Trade and Shipping
- Law and Governance
- War and Military
- Religion
- Plantations and Agriculture
- Piracy and Privateering
- Apprenticeships and Indentured Labour
These themes have been attributed to documents in Colonial Caribbean as metadata tags to enhance browsing functionality, allowing users to easily browse the most useful content according to their individual research needs. Themes with the highest relevance to each title have therefore been selected to optimise, rather than dilute, discoverability. However, many of the volumes touch on a wide variety of themes and, as such, there may be documents that also go beyond the 'core' themes they have been tagged with.
You can Browse by Theme to see every document tagged with a specific theme or read more about each thematic area and their significance to the materials within Colonial Caribbean in the Thematic Guides.
Browse by Governor
Each colony was administered by a governor, largely appointed by the British government. The Browse by Governor page lists the governor of each British Caribbean colony represented within Colonial Caribbean, their dates in office and some biographical information, where available. Use this page to find documents relating to specific individuals and their time in office.
Searching
All documents in Colonial Caribbean are searchable with Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) technology, which delivers site-level search results highlighted in handwritten documents. For more information about searching, visit the Searching Guide.
Browsing and Searching
Browsing
Due to the vast amount of material included within Colonial Caribbean, the site has been organised to allow users to browse the material through a variety of pathways:
Browse by Series
Use the Browse by Series section to quickly and easily view all volumes from a particular series. This replicates the organisation of the series and file classes at The National Archives, UK and provides a route into the material for those familiar with the original structure at the archive.
Browse by Colony
The material included within Colonial Caribbean has been tagged with the relevant colony for which each volume is concerned. This makes it possible to Browse by Colony in a similar fashion. This can be useful for those who have a particular interest in a geographical area.
To find out more about each of the colonies represented, read our short introductory guides in Guide to Colonies, written by members of the editorial team.
Browse by Theme
The documents in Colonial Caribbean have also been grouped by the following key themes:
- Slavery and Emancipation
- Crime and Punishment
- Finance and Economy
- Trade and Shipping
- Law and Governance
- War and Military
- Religion
- Plantations and Agriculture
- Piracy and Privateering
- Apprenticeships and Indentured Labour
These themes have been attributed to documents in Colonial Caribbean as metadata tags to enhance browsing functionality, allowing users to easily browse the most useful content according to their individual research needs. Themes with the highest relevance to each title have therefore been selected to optimise, rather than dilute, discoverability. However, many of the volumes touch on a wide variety of themes and, as such, there may be documents that also go beyond the 'core' themes they have been tagged with.
You can Browse by Theme to see every document tagged with a specific theme or read more about each thematic area and their significance to the materials within Colonial Caribbean in the Thematic Guides.
Browse by Governor
Each colony was administered by a governor, largely appointed by the British government. The Browse by Governor page lists the governor of each British Caribbean colony represented within Colonial Caribbean, their dates in office and some biographical information, where available. Use this page to find documents relating to specific individuals and their time in office.
Searching
All documents in Colonial Caribbean are searchable with Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) technology, which delivers site-level search results highlighted in handwritten documents. For more information about searching, visit the Searching Guide.