Crown colony facts for kids

A Crown Colony was a special type of colony that was part of the British Empire. In the 1600s, these were often called royal colonies. They were directly ruled by a governor chosen by the Monarch (the King or Queen) of England, and later, Great Britain.

By the mid-1800s, the Monarch still appointed these governors. However, they did so based on advice from a special government official called the Secretary of State for the Colonies. This official was in charge of all the colonies.

The very first colony to become a "royal colony" was the English Colony of Virginia in 1624. This happened after the King took back a special permission document, called a Royal Charter, from the company that had been running Virginia.

For a long time, until the mid-1800s, the term "Crown Colony" was mainly used for colonies that Britain had gained through war. Some examples include Trinidad and Tobago and British Guiana. It also referred to places where many British people settled, like The Canadas (parts of modern-day Canada), Newfoundland, and several parts of Australia like New South Wales and New Zealand. These places later became known as Dominions, which were more independent.

The term "Crown Colony" was used until 1981. After that, the remaining British colonies were renamed "British Dependent Territories." Since 2002, they have been known as British Overseas Territories.

What was a Crown Colony?

A Crown Colony was like a piece of land far away that was directly controlled by the British government. Imagine a school where the principal (the Monarch) directly chooses the class leader (the governor) for a specific classroom (the colony). This class leader then reports straight back to the principal.

This system was different from other types of colonies. Some colonies might have had more local control or been run by private companies. But Crown Colonies were firmly under the thumb of the British Crown.

How did they change over time?

Over hundreds of years, the way the British Empire managed its colonies changed a lot. At first, the King or Queen had a very direct say. But as the empire grew, it became too big for one person to manage alone.

So, the job of overseeing colonies was given to government ministers. These ministers would advise the Monarch on who should be governor and how the colony should be run. This made the system more organized.

Many Crown Colonies eventually became independent countries. Others changed their status to "Dominions," which meant they were still part of the British Empire but had more self-governance. Later, the remaining colonies were simply called "British Dependent Territories" and then "British Overseas Territories."

List of Crown colonies

Name of colony	from	to	Reason for change of status
Aden	1937	1967
Anguilla	1980	1981	Became British Dependent Territory in 1981
Basutoland	1884	1964	Became British protectorate in 1964; then became independent as Lesotho in 1966.
Bermuda	1684	1981	Became British Dependent Territory in 1981
British Bechuanaland	1885	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
Canada	1841	1867	Became part of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.
Cape of Good Hope	1806	1910	Became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
Cayman Islands	1962	1981	Became British Dependent Territory in 1981
Ceylon	1815	1948	Became independent as Ceylon in 1948.
British Columbia	1866	1871	Became part of the Dominion of Canada in 1871.
Connecticut	1636	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Cyprus	1914	1960	Became independent as Cyprus in 1960.
Delaware	1664	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
East Florida	1763	1783	Ceded to Spain.
Falkland Islands	1841	1981	Became a British Dependent Territory in 1981.
Georgia	1732	1777	Became part of the United States of America in 1777.
Gibraltar	1713	1981	Became British Dependent Territory in 1981
Hong Kong	1841	1981	Became British Dependent Territory in 1981. Ceded to China in 1997.
Jamaica	1865	1962	Became independent in 1962 as Jamaica.
Kenya	1920	1963	United with the Kenya Protectorate in 1963 to form the independent country of Kenya
Labuan	1846	1890	Administered by British North Borneo Company from 1890-1904
Labuan	1904	1906	Incorporated in Straits Settlements in 1906
Lower Canada	1791	1841	Became part of Canada in 1841.
Malta	1813	1964	Became independent in 1964 as the State of Malta.
Maryland	1632	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Massachusetts Bay	1692	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Natal	1843	1910	Became part of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
New Hampshire	1692	1776	Became 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	1901	Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
New York	1691	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
New Zealand	1841	1907	Became a Dominion in 1907.
North Borneo	1946	1963	Became part of Malaysia in 1963
North Carolina	1729	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Pennsylvania	1681	1783	Became part of the United States of America in 1783.
Quebec	1763	1791	Divided between Upper and Lower Canada and the Northwest Territory.
Queensland	1824	1901	Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations	1806	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776 as the state of Rhode Island.
Sarawak	1946	1963	Became part of Malaysia in 1963
Sierra Leone	1808	1961
South Carolina	1729	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
Straits Settlements consisting of Malacca, Dinding, Penang and Singapore (with Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands).	1826	1946	Became part of the Malayan Union in 1946 and later Malaysia 1963; Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963 but became independent in 1965.
Upper Canada	1791	1841	Became part of Canada in 1841.
Vancouver Island	1848	1866	Merged with the Colony of British Columbia in 1866
Victoria	1851	1901	Became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Virginia	1624	1776	Became part of the United States of America in 1776.
West Florida	1763	1783	Ceded to Spain.

Related pages

• Crown dependency
• British overseas territories
• British Empire

See also

In Spanish: Territorio británico de ultramar para niños