Colonies and dependencies: further research

1. Why use this guide?

This guide covers the main types of records held by The National Archives relating to the administration of British colonies and dominions. It gives an overview of what the records contain and guidance on how to search them. These records are an invaluable resource for the study of British policy on individual territories, and the broader history of British political, social and economic policies with regard to its empire.

2. Essential information

The National Archives hold the records of the British government relating to the British Empire, with the exception of records relating to India and Burma which are held at the British Library (see below, section 13). The local records of colonial administration in the individual territories can generally be found at the relevant national archives of the states that succeeded the former colonial territories. The personnel records of colonial administrators have not been kept, but lists of public servants in colonies do exist (see below, section 11).

3. Understanding the records: government departments

In general, the fullest records of former colonies held by The National Archives are the records of the government departments in London that directed and managed British territories overseas. Understanding the nature of these government departments will help researchers establish where to look for the records they want.

In 1968 the Commonwealth Office was merged with the Foreign Office to form the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. See the research guide to Foreign and Commonwealth records from 1782 for more details.

For further information, please refer to the administrative histories of these record series.

4. Finding CO and DO records in The National Archives: general tips

For most series in CO and DO there is little detailed cataloguing information (especially before 1926), so keyword searches of our Catalogue are not generally fruitful.

Most records are arranged by type and subject and are ordered chronologically. Use the following process to locate records:

1. Decide which type of record you want to look at, for example government gazettes (see sections 5 to 11 below for summaries of these types of records)
2. Locate the correct record series for the colony or territory you wish to research, for example Kenya. Do this by using an advanced search of the Catalogue:
   • In the data field 'Select Catalogue levels', select 'series', and then  in the box 'Department or series code' enter 'CO' or 'DO'
   • In the box 'title/scope and content/background' enter the territory's name
   • Click search; your results will be listed by types of record.
   • If you are at The National Archives at Kew, you can also use the Colonial Office Index and the Dominions Office Index which is at the start of the 'CO' and 'DO' sections of the paper Catalogue in the reading rooms
3. Having located the relevant series (for example CO 542: Kenya Government Gazettes), you can search within by returning to the Catalogue search page (not the advanced search) and using the following process:
   • Enter an asterisk (*) in the box 'word or phrase' (this is a 'wildcard' search and means that you do not have to enter a key word)
   • Enter the relevant year or years in the box 'year range'
   • Enter the relevant series (for example CO 542) in the box 'department or series code'
   • Click search
4. There are a number of important exceptions to this type of search, depending on what type of record you are interested in. These are listed below according to the type of record.

There are a number of important exceptions to the above:

• Catalogue descriptions of original correspondence from certain records relating to the West Indies have been improved by 'Your Caribbean Heritage' a long-term cataloguing project. Cataloguing has so far focused on the year ranges 1793-1830 and 1869-1925. Try entering key words in the box 'word or phrase' and then restricting by year and series as above.
• Dominions Office original correspondence was not arranged by colony or region until 1951. Almost all such correspondence can be found in DO 35. Search this series using territory names or subject key words. For the period 1926 to 1946 the Catalogue descriptions are somewhat basic and the registers and indexes to Dominions Office correspondence are therefore of some importance in locating records (see section 6 below). From 1951 DO correspondence is arranged in series by region and subject in a similar way to the Colonial Office.
• Original indexes and registers can be also aid the location of records, particularly for records up to 1926 (see section 6 below), usually in combination with the searching methods outlined above.

5. Types of record: original correspondence

Original correspondence consists of letters, despatches and other correspondence sent into the Colonial Office or related departments.

5.1 Before 1926

Original correspondence is arranged by year, and within each year it is arranged, until 1926, under the following headings:

Much early correspondence has been summarised in detail and published as 'Calendars of State Papers Colonial (1635-1739)' and in other publications; correspondence relating to the American War of Independence 1770-1783 has also been calendared and transcribed (see Further reading, below). You may be able to complete your research using these publications, without needing to use original documents.

Note that settlements on the West African coast were originally subject to the Royal Africa Company, rather than being Crown Colonies, until that Company was wound up in 1829. The company's records can be found in T 70 (see also section 12 below).

5.2 From 1926

From 1926 Colonial Office original correspondence is in Treasury-tagged files and is no longer arranged under the three headings outlined above.

Also from 1926 it includes drafts and copies of out-going correspondence.

From 1926 the general search outlined in section 4 above is not always the best way to search original correspondence. Please see below:

• Original correspondence from the Colonial Office from 1926 and the Dominions Office from 1930 has better Catalogue descriptions, although they are not always comprehensive. Try entering key words in the box 'word or phrase' and then restricting by year and series as outlined in section 4.
• From the 1920s, not all original correspondence is arranged by territory. Instead it is often by subject-based or regional departments: therefore researchers should enter subject-based key words such as 'civil aviation' or 'education' in the box 'word or phrase'.
• From 1951, the old territory-based series are replaced entirely by regional series covering a number of territories (for example CO 533: Kenya, is replaced by CO 822: East Africa in 1951).
  

6. Using indexes and registers to search original correspondence

Indexes and registers can help researchers find relevant records within the original correspondence. The arrangement of these indexes and registers changed over time; refer below to the relevant period for your research.

6.1 Early indexes and registers

Index volumes to early original correspondence (1635-1782), entry books and Board of Trade Journals can be found in the series CO 326. Search the online catalogue restricted to this series, using the name of the territory in the 'word or phrase' box to locate the correct volume for the period up to 1758.

From 1758 the indexes (now with accompanying registers) are no longer arranged by colony and a wildcard ('*') should instead be entered in the 'word or phrase' box of the Catalogue search to locate the correct volume. For more details on their arrangement and locating records using these indexes, see Mandy Banton, Administering the Empire, 1801-1968 (London, 2008) pages 28-33.

Later registers in the same series cover 1822-1849 and are again arranged by territory name. They give summaries of original correspondence only and provide sufficient information to locate the correct records within the original correspondence series. Other indexes and registers include: precis books in CO 714 (1795-1874), daily registers in CO 382 (1849-1929). See Banton, pages 72-81, for more details on these three index and registry systems.

6.2 1849-1926 registers

From 1849 a numerical registry system was introduced. These registers recorded brief information on almost all original correspondence in the Colonial Office, and are therefore make it relatively straightforward to find original correspondence received on any given date. Registers relating to different territories are arranged in discrete series. These series can be found using the process set out in section 2.

The registers themselves are divided by tabs into each of the three correspondence types (despatches, offices, individuals) and give the following information on each item of incoming correspondence:

• Registry/date: date of registry (i.e. date of receipt at the government department)
• Registry/no.: registry number (the unique number allocated to the piece of correspondence in chronological order by date of receipt, so the first piece of correspondence received on 1st January would be numbered 1, the second, 2 etc.)
• Name: name of sender
• Date: date of sending
• No.: the number assigned to the piece of correspondence by the sender
• Subject: summary of subject matter
• Former and other papers: cross references to other relevant documents. The cross references usually give an abbreviation denoting the type of correspondence (eg: Gov. = from the governor), the registry number and if the year is different, the year. If the cross referred correspondence is to be found in the register for another territory, the abbreviated name of the territory is also given (E.g.: Gov/45224/20/Nig. From the governor, registry number 45224, in 1920, found in the register for Nigeria). Using these cross references researchers should be able to find other correspondence on the same subject
• How disposed of: summarises how and whether piece of correspondence was answered or forwarded
• From the late 19th century the registers also state whether the piece of correspondence has been destroyed under statute as unworthy of permanent preservation; if a piece of correspondence has been destroyed you will not find it in the original correspondence

The details above will provide enough information (in particular the date of sending) to locate the correspondence itself in the relevant original correspondence series:

• Note the date of sending and the registry number in the register
• Conduct a search as described in section 4 to locate the original correspondence for that territory at that date, and order up the record
• The original correspondence is arranged in date of sending order, so simply turn to the date you have noted and you will find the piece of correspondence - if multiple pieces of correspondence were sent that day, use the registry numbers to find the correct items
• The original correspondence will also indicate in the margin the numbers of related despatches; use these numbers to find these despatches in the same way

6.3 1926-1951 registers (Colonial Office)

From 1926 a new registry system was developed: blocks of file numbers were allocated to each territory or subject series of original correspondence, and papers placed within particular files. Registers are arranged in file number order, with a file per page and the file number stamped near the top right hand corner of each page; individual papers are then listed on that page. Having obtained the relevant file number from the register, this file number can be found by either browsing the relevant series of the paper catalogue in the reading rooms at The National Archives in Kew, or by undertaking the search process set out in section 2, and then downloading the results into a spreadsheet (click the 'download' button on the top right above the list of results). This will then display the Colonial Office file references. Registers after 1951 have not been passed to The National Archives. If you have a former reference number but do not know the colony or the subject area, refer to Banton, Administering the Empire, appendix 6 to locate the reference.

6.4 1926-1946 registers and indexes (Dominions Office)

An original card index to Dominions Office correspondence covering 1930 to 1946 is in the reading rooms in The National Archives at Kew. The cards are arranged in two tranches, the first covers 1930-36 (indexing original correspondence in DO 35/88-506), and the second (arranged in subject groups and denoted by letter prefixes marked on the drawers) 1937-46 (indexing DO 35/507-2125). The indexes give former Dominions Office references which can be converted to National Archives references in DO 35 by browsing either the paper catalogue, or by undertaking the search process set out in section 4, and then downloading the results into a spreadsheet - which then displays the Dominions Office references. It should be noted that the card index is not complete and only indexes what was considered 'important' correspondence.

Registers to Dominions Office correspondence in DO 3 cover the period 1927 to 1942 and provide: (i) subject of each despatch or letter, (ii) note of action taken, (iii) cross-references to other correspondence on the same subject, (iv) evidence of whether correspondence has been destroyed. These registers are the only way of obtaining information on records in DO 35/1-88: they are neither described by the card index nor have catalogue descriptions beyond the name of the dominion. There are no indexes or registers for the period after 1946.            

7. Types of record: entry books and registers of out-letters

Entry books are volumes of handwritten copies of outgoing correspondence. The earliest volumes date from the mid-17th century, and the most recent between 1869 and 1872. Up to 1700 the entry books also include copies of incoming as well as outgoing correspondence. From 1869-72 until 1925 registers of out-letters have been kept instead, these give one-line details and summaries of outgoing correspondence. Both groups of records give valuable information on outgoing communications from the Colonial Office to territories, other government departments and individuals. They are arranged chronologically by territory and should be searched using the process set out in Section 4.

8. Types of record: sessional papers

These series contain the printed proceedings of local legislatures: assemblies, executive councils and legislative councils, depending on the constitutional arrangements within each territory. They are arranged chronologically by territory and should be searched using the process set out in Section 4.

9. Types of record: Government gazettes

These series contain the official newspapers of a territory's government, comparable to the London and Edinburgh Gazettes in the United Kingdom. The contents of such gazettes can vary considerably but will include new legislation, government notices and other business of the territory's government. They may include details of land values and ownership, business transactions, liquidations and accounts, bids for mining concessions, official appointments, sales of debtors' assets, court cases, and details of medical and educational matters. In earlier gazettes the subject matter can be extremely varied as the gazette might be the only regular newspaper produced in the territory. Contents can therefore include local and overseas news, shipping news, private advertisements, announcements of births, marriages and deaths, obituaries, lists of immigrants, advertisements for the return of escaped slaves, lists of indentured labourers and others applying for British naturalisation. The gazettes are arranged chronologically by territory and should be searched using the process set out in Section 4.

10. Types of record: miscellanea

Most miscellanea series comprise what are known as 'blue books' of statistics, providing information on the economy and administration of territories. Compiled annually within the territory and sent to London, these were originally printed forms with hand-written notations. Later blue books were entirely printed. Some blue books contain lists and details of colonial officials. Miscellanea series can also contain shipping returns and sometimes newspapers from the relevant territories (generally up to mid-19th century). These records are generally arranged chronologically by territory and should be searched using the process set out in section 4.

11. Other types of record

11.1 Journals of the Board of Trade and Plantations

From 1634 to 1782 the Commission on Foreign Plantations and its successor, the Board of Trade and Plantations (both committees of the Privy Council) had responsibility for the administrative and more routine aspects of colonial policy (other matters were dealt with by the Secretaries of State). The original correspondence and entry books of the Board are held either in BT 388 and BT 389 or in the various relevant original correspondence series for each territory alongside that of the Secretaries. The journals of the Board are held in BT 391. The Journals up to 1704 have been calendared in the Calendars of States Papers Colonial, and those for 1705 to 1782 are in the Journals of the Commissioners of Trade and Plantations (HMSO 1920-28). 

11.2 Private Office and private papers

Private Office papers (papers of the private office of ministers or senior officials) and private papers (personal papers) are found in a number of record series. See the series division within CO for more details.

11.3 Advisory Committees

Advisory committees, made up of officials and outside specialist advisers, became increasingly important in the early 20th century Colonial Office. They provided advice to the Secretary of State on a wide range of matters. In 1961 the advisory committees were transferred to the Department of Technical Co-operation (the predecessor of the Ministry of Overseas Development). Some advisory committee records are held in discrete record series, which are listed on the Catalogue within the series division. Others are to be found within original correspondence series. For the latter a keyword search of the online catalogue restricted to CO or DO will produce results. 

11.4 Confidential prints

From the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century, correspondence considered to be important enough was printed for confidential circulation amongst officials and relevant governors or high commissioners. Confidential prints can therefore be a convenient way to review selected correspondence quickly without searching the original correspondence series. The confidential print series are described and listed in the Catalogue within the series division. These records are catalogued by title, so a keyword search of the online Catalogue restricted to the relevant series should produce results.

11.5 Treaties

Treaties with local rulers of islands and territories can be found in number of record series, including CO 879/35 (West Africa 1642-1891), DO 118 and DO 141. Search the online Catalogue restricted to these series using keywords such as the names of territories and occasionally their rulers. Treaties were also published by the Foreign Office in British and Foreign State Papers from 1816 onwards. Copies of this publication can be found in The National Archives library. 

11.6 Public service lists

A few comprehensive lists of officials serving in the local administration of territories can be found in isolated record series: Canada (1887-1910) in CO 569, New Zealand (1916-20) in CO 719, Australia (1902-25) in CO 561, New South Wales (1896-1916) in CO 580, Victoria (1892-1910) in CO 479, Western Australia (1909-14) in CO 563, South Australia (1918-20) in CO 695, North Borneo (1916-32) in CO 874/911. Blue books in the miscellanea series (see section X) can contain lists of colonial officials, and the annually-published Colonial Office List (1858 to 1965, available in the reading rooms at The National Archives) also provides biographical information on senior colonial service officials.

12. Records in other government departments

Records relating to colonial matters can be found in a wide range of records across The National Archives' holdings, from the Cabinet Office and Prime Minister's Office in the 20th century through to the Privy Council, Secretaries and State, Admiralty and Navy Board in the 17th century. See these records and their research guides for more details. Some of the most important groups are listed below.

12. 1 Privy Council: registers and unbound correspondence

The Privy Council records are an important source for early colonial history. The Privy Council had responsibilities respecting administration, legislation and litigation in the colonies through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The Privy Council registers in PC 2 relating to colonial matters between 1615 and 1783 have been calendared and published in Acts of the Privy Council, Colonial Series (HMSO 1908-1912). The last volume of this series has calendared material in the unbound correspondence of the Privy Council in PC 1/1/46 to PC 1/57/85B (covering 1676-1783). Other un-calendared correspondence in PC 1 relating to colonial matters is in: PC 1/58/1 to PC 1/66/40 (1671-1799), PC 1/141 (Delhi Proclamation of 1911), PC 1/142-4572 (mixed colonial and non colonial correspondence 1702-1872).

12.2 Privy Council: constitutions of territories and other records

From the 19th century onwards, constitutions of territories were enacted as statutory instruments or Orders in Council by the British government, and are held in series PC 2. Individual territories might go through a number of constitutions whilst under British rule. These, including the independence agreement and constitution, can be found in these series. They are not catalogued individually, so the year (and ideally the exact date) of the constitution needs to be known in order to locate the record, as PC 2 is arranged in chronological order. Search the Catalogue in the process set out in section 4, entering 'PC 2' in the 'department or series code' box. There are usually multiple volumes for each year.

Supplementary minutes of proceedings and Privy Council decisions are in PC 4, covering 1670 to 1928, with some gaps, and in SP 45, 1696-1752. Plantation Books, which are entry books of colonial acts, orders in council and instruments, 1678-1806 (with gaps between May 1755 and November 1767) are in PC 5, though note that many of the original documents referred to in the Plantation Books are in the relevant CO and BT record series. The Plantation Books are also referred to in the Acts of the Privy Council of England Colonial Series as described above.

12.3 Judicial Committee of the Privy Council: Colonial Appeals

In 1834, the judicial work of the Privy Council in appeals was given a formal structure as the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which still functions as the supreme court of appeal for British dependencies and several ex-colonies. For more information on the judicial history of the Privy Council and the Judicial Committee, see under PC and PCAP in the Catalogue. Although The National Archives holds some records from the Judicial Committee, under the department code PCAP, it does not in general hold records of colonial appeals. These are in fact retained by the Judicial Committee at its office in Downing Street, and can be seen, by prior arrangement only, at the convenience of the Judicial Committee (very recent judgements can be found on its website: www.privy-council.org.uk). Having said that, appeals from some colonial admiralty courts may be found in both PCAP and in the records of the High Court of Admiralty, in HCA, and references to other appeals can sometimes be found among the records of the Colonial Office (CO).

12.4 Treasury: records of the Royal African Company

The Royal African Company, in its various guises, was one of the main slave traders in the period. Their records, held in T 70, include correspondence from the factories and forts they maintained on the West African coast. Browse T 70 for more details on the company and the contents of the series. See also research guide on the slave trade.

12.5 Treasury and Audit Office: American Loyalists' claims

Persons who suffered hardship as a result of their loyalty to the Crown during the American War of Independence were entitled to claim compensation. For further information see the Catalogue for the record series T 79, AO 12 and AO 13

13. Records in other institutions

Although The National Archives is probably the richest single source of records for the study of Imperial and Commonwealth history in the United Kingdom, many other repositories hold important collections of private and institutional records. Use the National Register of Archives to locate particular collections, searching by name of person or institution.

Collections of particular interest are as follows:

• Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House, Oxford: Collections generally relating to Africa, including papers of Cecil Rhodes, General Sir Richard Bourke and Lord Lugard
• British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol: Collections include those of the Royal African Society, personnel files of the Palestine Police Authority and papers of former officials of the colonial service
• British Library, London: most important repository for records relating to the British in India. Records of the East India Company, Board of Control and India Office, and private papers of various administrators and Viceroys. Also holds private papers of numerous colonial administrators and military figures across the British Empire
• Durham University Library: collections generally relating to Sudan
• Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library, London: holds manuscript collections of activists, historians and other figures with an emphasis on the Caribbean and southern Africa
• St Antony's College Middle East Centre, Oxford: collections relating to the Middle East
• School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London: collections of administrators, scholars, missionaries, missionary organisations, businessmen and businesses with colonial interests
  

14. Further reading

The following recommended publications are available in The National Archives' Library.

14.1 Calendars and transcripts of original records

Calendars of State Papers Colonial 1574-1739 (HMSO, 1860-1994, 45 volumes). Volumes up to 1700 use old document references. These can be converted to modern references using the Key to Colonial Office Records in the reading rooms in the National Archives, or List and Index Society Volume (forthcoming). 

KG Davies, Documents of the American Revolution, 1770-1873 (Irish University Press, 1972-81, 21 volumes)

Journals of the Commissioners of Trade and Plantations 1704-1782 (HMSO 1920-28, 9 volumes)

WL Grant, J Munro, Acts of the Privy Council of England, Colonial Series (HMSO 1908-1912, 6 volumes)

14.2 Selected records guides

Mandy Banton, Administering the Empire 1801-1968: a guide to the records of the Colonial Office in the National Archives of the UK (Institute of Historical Research 2008) - the best overall introduction to the records of the Colonial Office held at The National Archives.

CM Andrews, Guide to the Materials for American History to 1783 in the Public Record Office (Kraus reprint 1965, 2 volumes)

V Bloomfield, Resources for Canadian Studies in Britain, with some references to collections in Europe (second edition 1983)

JD Pearson, Guide to Manuscripts and Documents in the British Isles relating to Africa (2 volumes, 1993-94)

Historical Manuscripts Commission, Private Papers of British Colonial Governors 1782-1900 (1986)

P Mander-Jones, Manuscripts in the British Isles relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific (1972)

P Jones, Britain in Palestine, 1914-1948: Archival sources for the history of the British Mandate (1979)

N Matthews and MD Wainwright, Guide to Manuscripts and Documents in the British Isles relating to the Middle East and North Africa (1980)

N Matthews and MD Wainwright, Guide to Manuscripts and Documents in the British Isles relating to the Far East (1977)

JD Pearson, Guide to Manuscripts and Documents in the British Isles relating to South and South East Asia (2 volumes, 1989-90)