British Colonization of the Americas
Content
British colonization of the Americas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from British colonisation of the Americas)
European colonization
of the Americas
First colonization
British
Couronian
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Hospitaller
Italian
Norse
Portuguese
Russian
Scottish
Spanish
Swedish
Colonization of Canada
Colonization of the U.S.
Decolonization
v t e
British colonization of the Americas (including colonization by both the Kingdom
of England and the Kingdom of Scotland before the Acts of Union, which created
the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707) began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and r
eached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas. The
English, and later the British, were among the most important colonizers of the
Americas, and their American empire came to rival the Spanish American colonies
in military and economic might.
Three types of colonies existed in the British Empire in America during the heig
ht of its power in the eighteenth century. These were charter colonies, propriet
ary colonies and royal colonies. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 1815),
British territories in the Americas were slowly granted more responsible govern
ment. In 1838 the Durham Report recommended full responsible government for Cana
da but this did not get fully implemented for another decade. Eventually with th
e Confederation of Canada, the Canadian colonies were granted a significant amou
nt of autonomy and became a self-governing Dominion in 1867. Other colonies in t
he rest of the Americas followed at a much slower pace. In this way, two countri
es in North America, ten in the Caribbean, and one in South America have receive
d their independence from the United Kingdom. All of these are members of the Co
mmonwealth of Nations and nine are Commonwealth realms. The eight remaining Brit
ish overseas territories in the Americas have varying degrees of self-government
.
Britain in the Americas
Contents [hide]
1 North America
1.1 Pre-British colonization of North America
1.1.1 English colonies in North America
1.1.2 Scottish colonies in North America
1.2 British colonies in North America
1.2.1 List of English and British colonies in North America
1.2.2 Non-colonial British territories in North America
2 Central and South America, Caribbean
2.1 English and later British Caribbean colonies
2.2 English and later British Central and South American colonies
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
North America[edit]
Main articles: Colonial history of the United States and History of Canada
Pre-British colonization of North America[edit]
English colonies in North America[edit]
Main articles: English overseas possessions and English colonial grants in North
America (1621 1639)
Plaque in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, commemorating Gilbert's foundin
g of the British overseas Empire
A number of English colonies were established under a system of Proprietary Gove
rnors, who were appointed under mercantile charters to English joint stock compa
nies to found and run settlements, most notably the Virginia Company, which crea
ted the first successful English settlement at Jamestown and the second at St. G
eorge's, Bermuda.
In
he
th
at
rt
1664, England also took over the Dutch colony of New Netherland, (including t
New Amsterdam settlement), which England renamed the Province of New York. Wi
New Netherland, the English also came to control the former New Sweden (in wh
is now Delaware), which the Dutch had conquered earlier. This later became pa
of Pennsylvania after it was established in 1680.
Scottish colonies in North America[edit]
Main article: Scottish colonization of the Americas
There was also an early unsuccessful attempt by the Kingdom of Scotland to estab
lish a colony at Darién, and the short-lived Scottish colonisation of Nova Scotia
(New Scotland) from 1629 to 1632. Thousands of Scotsmen also participated in the
English colonisation even before the two countries were united in 1708.
British colonies in North America[edit]
See also: British America, British North America and Thirteen Colonies
The Kingdom of Great Britain acquired the French colony of Acadia in 1713 and th
en Canada and the Spanish colony of Florida in 1763. After being renamed the Pro
vince of Quebec, the former French Canada was divided in two Provinces, the Cana
das, consisting of the old settled country of Lower Canada (today Quebec) and th
e newly settled Upper Canada (today Ontario).
In the north, the Hudson's Bay Company actively traded for fur with the indigeno
us peoples, and had competed with French, Aboriginal, and Metis fur traders. The
company came to control the entire drainage basin of Hudson Bay called Rupert's
Land. The small part of the Hudson Bay drainage south of the 49th parallel went
to the United States in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818.
Thirteen of Great Britain's colonies
r, beginning in 1775, primarily over
and established the United States of
ly with the signing of the Treaty of
rebelled with the American Revolutionary Wa
representation, local laws and tax issues,
America, which was recognised international
Paris on 3 September of that year (1783).
Great Britain also colonised the west coast of North America, indirectly via the
Hudson's Bay Company licenses west of the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia Distric
t and New Caledonia fur district, most of which were jointly claimed as the Oreg
on Country by the United States from 1818 until the 49th parallel was establishe
d as the international boundary west of the Rockies by the Oregon Treaty of 1846
. The Colony of Vancouver Island, founded in 1849, and the Colony of British Col
umbia, founded in 1858, were combined in 1866 with the name Colony of British Co
lumbia until joining Confederation in 1871. British Columbia also was expanded w
ith the inclusion of the Stikine Territory in 1863, and upon joining Confederati
on with the addition of the Peace River Block, formerly part of Rupert's Land.
In 1867, the colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada
(the southern portion of modern-day Ontario and Quebec) combined to form a selfgoverning dominion, named Canada, within the British Empire (the term "kingdom"
was avoided so as to not provoke the United States). Quebec (including what is n
ow the southern portion of Ontario) and Nova Scotia (including what is now New B
runswick and Prince Edward Island) had been ceded to Britain by the French. The
colonies of Prince Edward Island and British Columbia joined over the next six y
ears, and Newfoundland joined in 1949. Rupert's Land and the North-Western Terri
tory were ceded to Canada in 1870. This area now consists of the provinces of Ma
nitoba (admitted after negotiation between Canada and a Métis provisional governme
nt in 1870), Saskatchewan, and Alberta (both created in 1905), as well as the No
rthwest Territories, the Yukon Territory (created 1898, following the start of t
he Klondike Gold Rush), and Nunavut (created in 1999).
List of English and British colonies in North America[edit]
The British Colonies in North America, 1763 1775
Roanoke Colony, founded 1586, abandoned the next year. Second attempt in 1587 di
sappeared (also called the Lost Colony).
Cuttyhunk Island, Bartholomew Gosnold established a small fort and trading post
in 1602, abandoned after one month
Virginia Company, chartered 1606 and became the Virginia Colony in 1624
London Company
Jamestown, Virginia, founded 1607, briefly abandoned in 1610.
Bermuda, these islands, located in the North Atlantic, were first settled in 160
9 by the London Virginia Company; Administration passed to The Somers Isles Comp
any, formed by the same shareholders, in 1615. Also known officially as The Some
rs Isles, they remain a British overseas territory.
Citie of Henricopolis, founded in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy Jamestown
site and was destroyed in the Indian massacre of 1622.
Plymouth Company
Popham Colony, founded 1607, abandoned 1608
Society of Merchant Venturers (Newfoundland)
Cuper's Cove, founded 1610, abandoned in the 1620s
Bristol's Hope, founded 1618, abandoned in the 1630s
London and Bristol Company (Newfoundland)
The massacre of Jamestown settlers in 1622. Soon the colonists in the South fear
ed all natives as enemies.
New Cambriol, founded 1617, abandoned before 1637.
Renews, founded 1615, (abandoned in 1619[1])
St. John's, Newfoundland, chartered by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583; seasonal se
ttlements ca. 1520;[2] informal year-round settlers before 1620.[3][4]
Plymouth Council for New England
Plymouth Colony, founded 1620, merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691
Ferryland, Newfoundland granted to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore in 1620,
first settlers in August 1621[5]
Province of Maine, granted 1622, sold to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1677
South Falkland, Newfoundland, founded 1623 by Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland
Province of New Hampshire, later New Hampshire settled in 1623, see also New Ham
pshire Grants
Dorchester Company Colony, (Dorchester Company planted an unsuccessful fishing c
olony on Cape Ann at modern Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1624)
Salem Colony, later Salem, Massachusetts, settled in 1628, merged with Massachus
etts Bay Colony the next year
Massachusetts Bay Colony, later part of Massachusetts, founded 1629
New Scotland, in present Nova Scotia, 1629 1632
Connecticut Colony, later part of Connecticut founded 1633
Province of Maryland, later Maryland, founded in 1634
The Treaty of William Penn with the Indians. Penn's Treaty was never violated.
New Albion, chartered in 1634, failed by 1649 50, not to be confused with Nova Alb
ion on the Pacific coast (see next section)
Saybrook Colony, founded 1635, merged with Connecticut in 1644
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, first settled in 1636
New Haven Colony, founded 1638, merged with Connecticut in 1665
Gardiners Island, founded 1639, now part of East Hampton, New York
Province of New York, captured 1664
Province of New Jersey, captured in 1664
divided into West Jersey and East Jersey after 1674, each held by its own compan
y of Proprietors.
Province of Pennsylvania, later Pennsylvania, founded 1681 as an English colony,
although first settled by Dutch and Swedes
Delaware Colony, later Delaware, separated from Pennsylvania in 1704
Carolina Colony
North Carolina, first settled at Roanoke in 1586, became separate colony in 1710
Province of South Carolina, first permanent settlement in 1670, became separate
colony in 1710.
Province of Georgia, later Georgia; first settled in about 1670, formal colony i
n 1732
Nova Scotia, site of abortive Scottish colony in 1629; British colony 1713, but
this did not permanently include Cape Breton Island until 1758.
Province of Quebec, which had been called Canada under French rule. Canada was b
y far the most settled portion of New France. Britain gained complete control of
French Canada in 1759 1761, from the events within the North American theatre of
the Seven Years' War; France ceded title with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Becam
e Canada East in the Province of Canada, which also included Ontario (Upper Cana
da) as Canada West, from 1841 to 1867.
East Florida and West Florida, acquired from Spain in 1763 in exchange for retur
ning Cuba, taken from Spain in 1761; the Floridas were recovered by Spain in 178
3.
Island of St. John, separated from Nova Scotia 1769, renamed Prince Edward Islan
d in 1798
New Brunswick, separated from Nova Scotia in 1784
Ontario, separated from Quebec in 1791 as the Province of Upper Canada until 184
1, when it became Canada West in the Province of Canada.
Fur traders in Canada, trading with Indians, 1777
Province of Canada combined the colonies of Quebec (Lower Canada) and Ontario (U
pper Canada) from 1841 to 1867.
Colony of Vancouver Island, founded by the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria
in 1843. Received royal charter for the Island as a colony in 1849, and merged
with the colony of British Columbia in 1866.
Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands, founded in 1852, merged with the Colony o
f Vancouver Island in 1863.
Colony of British Columbia, aka the Mainland Colony or the Gold Colony, founded
in 1858 from the New Caledonia fur district and the remnant of the Columbia fur
district north of the 49th parallel (see below). The colony was expanded with th
e addition of most of the Stikine Territory (aka Stickeen Territory) and the Col
ony of the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1863.
the Colony of British Columbia, formed in 1866 from a merger of the Vancouver Is
land and Mainland Colonies. The name British Columbia was chosen for the newly m
erged colony despite the opposition from Vancouver Island colonists.
Non-colonial British territories in North America[edit]
Rupert's Land, territory of the Hudson's Bay Company, founded in 1670 and transf
erred to the new Dominion of Canada in 1867 as the Northwest Territories
Columbia District, the trading district of the Columbia Department of the Hudson
's Bay Company from 1821 to the Oregon Treaty of 1846, by which most of the Colu
mbia District was formally annexed to the United States. HBC lands south of the
49th parallel were guaranteed by the Oregon Treaty but ownership and compensatio
n issues were not fully resolved until 1861.
New Caledonia, fur district. First created in 1805 as part of North West Company
for operations, administered by Hudson's Bay Company following the two companie
s' forced merger in 1821, until incorporated as the part of the Colony of Britis
h Columbia in 1858, by which time the term "New Caledonia" had come to refer to
the whole of the British Columbia mainland, not just the original fur district i
n what is now its Central Interior.
Stikine Territory, aka Stickeen Territories, founded in 1862 in response to the
Stikine Gold Rush to prevent an American takeover.
North-Western Territory, a Hudson's Bay Company trading area covering lands nort
h and northwest of Rupert's Land and, after 1863, north of the Stikine Territory
's original boundary at the 62nd parallel. Its remnant was incorporated at the Y
ukon Territory after the part of it south of the 60th parallel was amalgamated t
o British Columbia.
Nova Albion, never incorporated or settled, exact location unknown, claimed by S
ir Francis Drake and one of the precedents for the British claims to the Pacific
Northwest during the Oregon boundary dispute.
the southeastern Alaska Panhandle was leased from the Russian Empire, from 1839
to 1867, until the lease was ignored by both the Russians and Americans and, sub
sequently, by the Canadian and the British imperial governments, despite British
Columbia's protests.
Central and South America, Caribbean[edit]
English and later British Caribbean colonies[edit]
Main articles: History of the British West Indies and History of the Caribbean
Planter and his wife, with a servant, circa 1780
In order of settlement or founding:
The island was settled by Sir Thomas Warner in 1623. The following y
Saint Kitts
ear the French also settled part of St Kitts. After they massacred the Caribs, t
he British and French turned on each other and St Kitts changed hands between th
e two several times before the Treaty of Paris (1783) gave the island to Britain
. It became independent as Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Barbados The island was claimed for the British Empire in 1625, and later settle
d in 1627 as a proprietary colony of Anglo-Dutchman William Courten. It became a
n independent nation in 1966.
Nevis
The island was permanently settled in 1628. It became independent as Saint
Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Providencia Island part of an archipelago off the coast of Nicaragua, this islan
d was settled in 1630 by English Puritans. The colony was conquered by the Spani
sh and became extinct in 1641. The island today is Providencia Island, which is
administered by Colombia. Providence Island colony was a sister colony to the mo
re well known Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Antigua
The island was settled in 1632. It became independent as Antigua and Bar
buda in 1981
Barbuda The island was settled about 1632. It became independent as Antigua and
Barbuda in 1981.
Montserrat The island was settled in 1632. It was occupied by the French in 1664 6
8 and 1782 84. It remains a British territory.
Bahamas The islands were settled from 1647. They became independent in 1973.
Anguilla The island was settled in 1650. Its government was united with St. Chri
stopher from 1882 until 1967, when it declared its separation. It was brought ba
ck under British administration in 1969. It remains a British territory.
Jamaica
The island was conquered from Spain in 1655. It became independent in 19
62.
British Virgin Islands The islands were settled from 1666. They remain a British
territory.
Cayman Islands The islands were acquired from Spain in 1670. It remains a Britis
h territory.
Turks and Caicos Islands
The islands were first permanently settled in the 1750s
. They remain a British territory.
A linen market in the West Indies, circa 1780
Dominica The island was captured from the French in 1761. The French occupied it
again from 1778 to 1783. Dominica became independent in 1978.
Trinidad and Tobago
The island of Tobago was captured in 1762. The island of Tri
nidad was captured from the Spanish in 1797. The two governments were joined in
1888. They became independent in 1962.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent was colonised in 1762. France cap
tured it in 1779 but returned it to Britain in 1783. The islands were formerly p
art of the British colony of the British Windward Islands from 1871 to 1958. The
nation gained full independence in 1979.
Grenada
The island was conquered from France in 1762. The French reoccupied it f
rom 1779 to 1783. It became independent in 1974.
Saint Lucia
The island was captured from the French in 1778, but returned in 178
3. In 1796 and in 1803 it was captured again, and permanently annexed by Britain
in 1814. Saint Lucia became independent in 1979.
English and later British Central and South American colonies[edit]
Belize English adventurers starting in 1638, used Belize as a source for logwood
, a tree used to make a wool dye. The area was claimed by Spain but they had not
settled it or been able to control the natives. The Spanish destroyed the Briti
sh colony in 1717, 1730, 1754 and 1779. The Spanish attacked a final time in 179
8, but were defeated. The colony was known as 'British Honduras' from the 19th c
entury until 1973, whereupon its name changed to 'Belize'. Although Guatemalan c
laims to Belize delayed independence, full independence was granted in 1981.[6]
Mosquito Coast (Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast)
This area was first settled by the
English in 1630. It was briefly assigned to Honduras in 1859, along with the Bay
Islands north of the country, then ceded to Nicaragua in 1860 and the area was
disputed until a treaty of 1965 divided the Mosquito coast for each country.[cit
ation needed]
British Guiana The English began colonies in the Guiana area in the early 17th c
entury. In the Treaty of Breda, the Dutch gained control of these colonies. Brit
ain later controlled various colonies in the area. Britain ceded Suriname in exc
hange for New Amsterdam. The Congress of Vienna (1815) awarded the settlements o
f Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo in the Guiana region to Great Britain; they w
ere united as British Guiana in 1831. It became independent as Guyana in 1966. T
ill this day, Venezuela claims sovereignty over half of Guyana's territory.
Falkland Islands The first British base of 1765 was abandoned in 1776. The Islan
ds have been under British control since the Argentine administration was expell
ed in 1833, save for a brief Argentine occupation during the Falklands War of 19
82.
See also[edit]
Atlantic World
British America
British Empire
American gentry
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British North America
British West Indies
Colonial history of the United States
Colonialism
Frontier
Former colonies and territories in Canada
History of Canada
Imperialism
Kecoughtan, Virginia, claims to be oldest continually occupied British settlemen
t in the US
Quia Emptores
Thirteen Colonies
Welsh settlement in the Americas
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "William Vaughan and New Cambriol". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage
Web Site Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 9 January 2010
.
Jump up ^ Nicholas Canny, The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: Th
e Origins of Empire: British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth
Century , 2001, ISBN 0-19-924676-9.
Jump up ^ "Early Settlement Schemes". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Sit
e Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. 1998. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
Jump up ^ Paul O'Neill, The Oldest City: The Story of St. John's, Newfoundland,
2003, ISBN 0-9730271-2-6.
Jump up ^ Colony of Avalon, [1], Colony of Avalon Foundation, Revised March 2002
, accessed 27 August 2006
Jump up ^ "The Belize Position". Government of Belize. Retrieved 12 September 20
06.
External links[edit]
The Modern History Sourcebook has the account of the Gilbert's trip to North Ame
rica
[show] v t e
Former colonies and territories in Canada
[show] v t e
Americas (orthographic projection).svg History of the Americas
Categories: British colonization of the Americas
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from British colonisation of the Americas)
European colonization
of the Americas
First colonization
British
Couronian
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Hospitaller
Italian
Norse
Portuguese
Russian
Scottish
Spanish
Swedish
Colonization of Canada
Colonization of the U.S.
Decolonization
v t e
British colonization of the Americas (including colonization by both the Kingdom
of England and the Kingdom of Scotland before the Acts of Union, which created
the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707) began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and r
eached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas. The
English, and later the British, were among the most important colonizers of the
Americas, and their American empire came to rival the Spanish American colonies
in military and economic might.
Three types of colonies existed in the British Empire in America during the heig
ht of its power in the eighteenth century. These were charter colonies, propriet
ary colonies and royal colonies. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 1815),
British territories in the Americas were slowly granted more responsible govern
ment. In 1838 the Durham Report recommended full responsible government for Cana
da but this did not get fully implemented for another decade. Eventually with th
e Confederation of Canada, the Canadian colonies were granted a significant amou
nt of autonomy and became a self-governing Dominion in 1867. Other colonies in t
he rest of the Americas followed at a much slower pace. In this way, two countri
es in North America, ten in the Caribbean, and one in South America have receive
d their independence from the United Kingdom. All of these are members of the Co
mmonwealth of Nations and nine are Commonwealth realms. The eight remaining Brit
ish overseas territories in the Americas have varying degrees of self-government
.
Britain in the Americas
Contents [hide]
1 North America
1.1 Pre-British colonization of North America
1.1.1 English colonies in North America
1.1.2 Scottish colonies in North America
1.2 British colonies in North America
1.2.1 List of English and British colonies in North America
1.2.2 Non-colonial British territories in North America
2 Central and South America, Caribbean
2.1 English and later British Caribbean colonies
2.2 English and later British Central and South American colonies
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
North America[edit]
Main articles: Colonial history of the United States and History of Canada
Pre-British colonization of North America[edit]
English colonies in North America[edit]
Main articles: English overseas possessions and English colonial grants in North
America (1621 1639)
Plaque in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, commemorating Gilbert's foundin
g of the British overseas Empire
A number of English colonies were established under a system of Proprietary Gove
rnors, who were appointed under mercantile charters to English joint stock compa
nies to found and run settlements, most notably the Virginia Company, which crea
ted the first successful English settlement at Jamestown and the second at St. G
eorge's, Bermuda.
In
he
th
at
rt
1664, England also took over the Dutch colony of New Netherland, (including t
New Amsterdam settlement), which England renamed the Province of New York. Wi
New Netherland, the English also came to control the former New Sweden (in wh
is now Delaware), which the Dutch had conquered earlier. This later became pa
of Pennsylvania after it was established in 1680.
Scottish colonies in North America[edit]
Main article: Scottish colonization of the Americas
There was also an early unsuccessful attempt by the Kingdom of Scotland to estab
lish a colony at Darién, and the short-lived Scottish colonisation of Nova Scotia
(New Scotland) from 1629 to 1632. Thousands of Scotsmen also participated in the
English colonisation even before the two countries were united in 1708.
British colonies in North America[edit]
See also: British America, British North America and Thirteen Colonies
The Kingdom of Great Britain acquired the French colony of Acadia in 1713 and th
en Canada and the Spanish colony of Florida in 1763. After being renamed the Pro
vince of Quebec, the former French Canada was divided in two Provinces, the Cana
das, consisting of the old settled country of Lower Canada (today Quebec) and th
e newly settled Upper Canada (today Ontario).
In the north, the Hudson's Bay Company actively traded for fur with the indigeno
us peoples, and had competed with French, Aboriginal, and Metis fur traders. The
company came to control the entire drainage basin of Hudson Bay called Rupert's
Land. The small part of the Hudson Bay drainage south of the 49th parallel went
to the United States in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818.
Thirteen of Great Britain's colonies
r, beginning in 1775, primarily over
and established the United States of
ly with the signing of the Treaty of
rebelled with the American Revolutionary Wa
representation, local laws and tax issues,
America, which was recognised international
Paris on 3 September of that year (1783).
Great Britain also colonised the west coast of North America, indirectly via the
Hudson's Bay Company licenses west of the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia Distric
t and New Caledonia fur district, most of which were jointly claimed as the Oreg
on Country by the United States from 1818 until the 49th parallel was establishe
d as the international boundary west of the Rockies by the Oregon Treaty of 1846
. The Colony of Vancouver Island, founded in 1849, and the Colony of British Col
umbia, founded in 1858, were combined in 1866 with the name Colony of British Co
lumbia until joining Confederation in 1871. British Columbia also was expanded w
ith the inclusion of the Stikine Territory in 1863, and upon joining Confederati
on with the addition of the Peace River Block, formerly part of Rupert's Land.
In 1867, the colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada
(the southern portion of modern-day Ontario and Quebec) combined to form a selfgoverning dominion, named Canada, within the British Empire (the term "kingdom"
was avoided so as to not provoke the United States). Quebec (including what is n
ow the southern portion of Ontario) and Nova Scotia (including what is now New B
runswick and Prince Edward Island) had been ceded to Britain by the French. The
colonies of Prince Edward Island and British Columbia joined over the next six y
ears, and Newfoundland joined in 1949. Rupert's Land and the North-Western Terri
tory were ceded to Canada in 1870. This area now consists of the provinces of Ma
nitoba (admitted after negotiation between Canada and a Métis provisional governme
nt in 1870), Saskatchewan, and Alberta (both created in 1905), as well as the No
rthwest Territories, the Yukon Territory (created 1898, following the start of t
he Klondike Gold Rush), and Nunavut (created in 1999).
List of English and British colonies in North America[edit]
The British Colonies in North America, 1763 1775
Roanoke Colony, founded 1586, abandoned the next year. Second attempt in 1587 di
sappeared (also called the Lost Colony).
Cuttyhunk Island, Bartholomew Gosnold established a small fort and trading post
in 1602, abandoned after one month
Virginia Company, chartered 1606 and became the Virginia Colony in 1624
London Company
Jamestown, Virginia, founded 1607, briefly abandoned in 1610.
Bermuda, these islands, located in the North Atlantic, were first settled in 160
9 by the London Virginia Company; Administration passed to The Somers Isles Comp
any, formed by the same shareholders, in 1615. Also known officially as The Some
rs Isles, they remain a British overseas territory.
Citie of Henricopolis, founded in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy Jamestown
site and was destroyed in the Indian massacre of 1622.
Plymouth Company
Popham Colony, founded 1607, abandoned 1608
Society of Merchant Venturers (Newfoundland)
Cuper's Cove, founded 1610, abandoned in the 1620s
Bristol's Hope, founded 1618, abandoned in the 1630s
London and Bristol Company (Newfoundland)
The massacre of Jamestown settlers in 1622. Soon the colonists in the South fear
ed all natives as enemies.
New Cambriol, founded 1617, abandoned before 1637.
Renews, founded 1615, (abandoned in 1619[1])
St. John's, Newfoundland, chartered by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583; seasonal se
ttlements ca. 1520;[2] informal year-round settlers before 1620.[3][4]
Plymouth Council for New England
Plymouth Colony, founded 1620, merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691
Ferryland, Newfoundland granted to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore in 1620,
first settlers in August 1621[5]
Province of Maine, granted 1622, sold to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1677
South Falkland, Newfoundland, founded 1623 by Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland
Province of New Hampshire, later New Hampshire settled in 1623, see also New Ham
pshire Grants
Dorchester Company Colony, (Dorchester Company planted an unsuccessful fishing c
olony on Cape Ann at modern Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1624)
Salem Colony, later Salem, Massachusetts, settled in 1628, merged with Massachus
etts Bay Colony the next year
Massachusetts Bay Colony, later part of Massachusetts, founded 1629
New Scotland, in present Nova Scotia, 1629 1632
Connecticut Colony, later part of Connecticut founded 1633
Province of Maryland, later Maryland, founded in 1634
The Treaty of William Penn with the Indians. Penn's Treaty was never violated.
New Albion, chartered in 1634, failed by 1649 50, not to be confused with Nova Alb
ion on the Pacific coast (see next section)
Saybrook Colony, founded 1635, merged with Connecticut in 1644
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, first settled in 1636
New Haven Colony, founded 1638, merged with Connecticut in 1665
Gardiners Island, founded 1639, now part of East Hampton, New York
Province of New York, captured 1664
Province of New Jersey, captured in 1664
divided into West Jersey and East Jersey after 1674, each held by its own compan
y of Proprietors.
Province of Pennsylvania, later Pennsylvania, founded 1681 as an English colony,
although first settled by Dutch and Swedes
Delaware Colony, later Delaware, separated from Pennsylvania in 1704
Carolina Colony
North Carolina, first settled at Roanoke in 1586, became separate colony in 1710
Province of South Carolina, first permanent settlement in 1670, became separate
colony in 1710.
Province of Georgia, later Georgia; first settled in about 1670, formal colony i
n 1732
Nova Scotia, site of abortive Scottish colony in 1629; British colony 1713, but
this did not permanently include Cape Breton Island until 1758.
Province of Quebec, which had been called Canada under French rule. Canada was b
y far the most settled portion of New France. Britain gained complete control of
French Canada in 1759 1761, from the events within the North American theatre of
the Seven Years' War; France ceded title with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Becam
e Canada East in the Province of Canada, which also included Ontario (Upper Cana
da) as Canada West, from 1841 to 1867.
East Florida and West Florida, acquired from Spain in 1763 in exchange for retur
ning Cuba, taken from Spain in 1761; the Floridas were recovered by Spain in 178
3.
Island of St. John, separated from Nova Scotia 1769, renamed Prince Edward Islan
d in 1798
New Brunswick, separated from Nova Scotia in 1784
Ontario, separated from Quebec in 1791 as the Province of Upper Canada until 184
1, when it became Canada West in the Province of Canada.
Fur traders in Canada, trading with Indians, 1777
Province of Canada combined the colonies of Quebec (Lower Canada) and Ontario (U
pper Canada) from 1841 to 1867.
Colony of Vancouver Island, founded by the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria
in 1843. Received royal charter for the Island as a colony in 1849, and merged
with the colony of British Columbia in 1866.
Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands, founded in 1852, merged with the Colony o
f Vancouver Island in 1863.
Colony of British Columbia, aka the Mainland Colony or the Gold Colony, founded
in 1858 from the New Caledonia fur district and the remnant of the Columbia fur
district north of the 49th parallel (see below). The colony was expanded with th
e addition of most of the Stikine Territory (aka Stickeen Territory) and the Col
ony of the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1863.
the Colony of British Columbia, formed in 1866 from a merger of the Vancouver Is
land and Mainland Colonies. The name British Columbia was chosen for the newly m
erged colony despite the opposition from Vancouver Island colonists.
Non-colonial British territories in North America[edit]
Rupert's Land, territory of the Hudson's Bay Company, founded in 1670 and transf
erred to the new Dominion of Canada in 1867 as the Northwest Territories
Columbia District, the trading district of the Columbia Department of the Hudson
's Bay Company from 1821 to the Oregon Treaty of 1846, by which most of the Colu
mbia District was formally annexed to the United States. HBC lands south of the
49th parallel were guaranteed by the Oregon Treaty but ownership and compensatio
n issues were not fully resolved until 1861.
New Caledonia, fur district. First created in 1805 as part of North West Company
for operations, administered by Hudson's Bay Company following the two companie
s' forced merger in 1821, until incorporated as the part of the Colony of Britis
h Columbia in 1858, by which time the term "New Caledonia" had come to refer to
the whole of the British Columbia mainland, not just the original fur district i
n what is now its Central Interior.
Stikine Territory, aka Stickeen Territories, founded in 1862 in response to the
Stikine Gold Rush to prevent an American takeover.
North-Western Territory, a Hudson's Bay Company trading area covering lands nort
h and northwest of Rupert's Land and, after 1863, north of the Stikine Territory
's original boundary at the 62nd parallel. Its remnant was incorporated at the Y
ukon Territory after the part of it south of the 60th parallel was amalgamated t
o British Columbia.
Nova Albion, never incorporated or settled, exact location unknown, claimed by S
ir Francis Drake and one of the precedents for the British claims to the Pacific
Northwest during the Oregon boundary dispute.
the southeastern Alaska Panhandle was leased from the Russian Empire, from 1839
to 1867, until the lease was ignored by both the Russians and Americans and, sub
sequently, by the Canadian and the British imperial governments, despite British
Columbia's protests.
Central and South America, Caribbean[edit]
English and later British Caribbean colonies[edit]
Main articles: History of the British West Indies and History of the Caribbean
Planter and his wife, with a servant, circa 1780
In order of settlement or founding:
The island was settled by Sir Thomas Warner in 1623. The following y
Saint Kitts
ear the French also settled part of St Kitts. After they massacred the Caribs, t
he British and French turned on each other and St Kitts changed hands between th
e two several times before the Treaty of Paris (1783) gave the island to Britain
. It became independent as Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Barbados The island was claimed for the British Empire in 1625, and later settle
d in 1627 as a proprietary colony of Anglo-Dutchman William Courten. It became a
n independent nation in 1966.
Nevis
The island was permanently settled in 1628. It became independent as Saint
Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Providencia Island part of an archipelago off the coast of Nicaragua, this islan
d was settled in 1630 by English Puritans. The colony was conquered by the Spani
sh and became extinct in 1641. The island today is Providencia Island, which is
administered by Colombia. Providence Island colony was a sister colony to the mo
re well known Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Antigua
The island was settled in 1632. It became independent as Antigua and Bar
buda in 1981
Barbuda The island was settled about 1632. It became independent as Antigua and
Barbuda in 1981.
Montserrat The island was settled in 1632. It was occupied by the French in 1664 6
8 and 1782 84. It remains a British territory.
Bahamas The islands were settled from 1647. They became independent in 1973.
Anguilla The island was settled in 1650. Its government was united with St. Chri
stopher from 1882 until 1967, when it declared its separation. It was brought ba
ck under British administration in 1969. It remains a British territory.
Jamaica
The island was conquered from Spain in 1655. It became independent in 19
62.
British Virgin Islands The islands were settled from 1666. They remain a British
territory.
Cayman Islands The islands were acquired from Spain in 1670. It remains a Britis
h territory.
Turks and Caicos Islands
The islands were first permanently settled in the 1750s
. They remain a British territory.
A linen market in the West Indies, circa 1780
Dominica The island was captured from the French in 1761. The French occupied it
again from 1778 to 1783. Dominica became independent in 1978.
Trinidad and Tobago
The island of Tobago was captured in 1762. The island of Tri
nidad was captured from the Spanish in 1797. The two governments were joined in
1888. They became independent in 1962.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent was colonised in 1762. France cap
tured it in 1779 but returned it to Britain in 1783. The islands were formerly p
art of the British colony of the British Windward Islands from 1871 to 1958. The
nation gained full independence in 1979.
Grenada
The island was conquered from France in 1762. The French reoccupied it f
rom 1779 to 1783. It became independent in 1974.
Saint Lucia
The island was captured from the French in 1778, but returned in 178
3. In 1796 and in 1803 it was captured again, and permanently annexed by Britain
in 1814. Saint Lucia became independent in 1979.
English and later British Central and South American colonies[edit]
Belize English adventurers starting in 1638, used Belize as a source for logwood
, a tree used to make a wool dye. The area was claimed by Spain but they had not
settled it or been able to control the natives. The Spanish destroyed the Briti
sh colony in 1717, 1730, 1754 and 1779. The Spanish attacked a final time in 179
8, but were defeated. The colony was known as 'British Honduras' from the 19th c
entury until 1973, whereupon its name changed to 'Belize'. Although Guatemalan c
laims to Belize delayed independence, full independence was granted in 1981.[6]
Mosquito Coast (Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast)
This area was first settled by the
English in 1630. It was briefly assigned to Honduras in 1859, along with the Bay
Islands north of the country, then ceded to Nicaragua in 1860 and the area was
disputed until a treaty of 1965 divided the Mosquito coast for each country.[cit
ation needed]
British Guiana The English began colonies in the Guiana area in the early 17th c
entury. In the Treaty of Breda, the Dutch gained control of these colonies. Brit
ain later controlled various colonies in the area. Britain ceded Suriname in exc
hange for New Amsterdam. The Congress of Vienna (1815) awarded the settlements o
f Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo in the Guiana region to Great Britain; they w
ere united as British Guiana in 1831. It became independent as Guyana in 1966. T
ill this day, Venezuela claims sovereignty over half of Guyana's territory.
Falkland Islands The first British base of 1765 was abandoned in 1776. The Islan
ds have been under British control since the Argentine administration was expell
ed in 1833, save for a brief Argentine occupation during the Falklands War of 19
82.
See also[edit]
Atlantic World
British America
British Empire
American gentry
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British North America
British West Indies
Colonial history of the United States
Colonialism
Frontier
Former colonies and territories in Canada
History of Canada
Imperialism
Kecoughtan, Virginia, claims to be oldest continually occupied British settlemen
t in the US
Quia Emptores
Thirteen Colonies
Welsh settlement in the Americas
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "William Vaughan and New Cambriol". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage
Web Site Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 9 January 2010
.
Jump up ^ Nicholas Canny, The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: Th
e Origins of Empire: British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth
Century , 2001, ISBN 0-19-924676-9.
Jump up ^ "Early Settlement Schemes". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Sit
e Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. 1998. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
Jump up ^ Paul O'Neill, The Oldest City: The Story of St. John's, Newfoundland,
2003, ISBN 0-9730271-2-6.
Jump up ^ Colony of Avalon, [1], Colony of Avalon Foundation, Revised March 2002
, accessed 27 August 2006
Jump up ^ "The Belize Position". Government of Belize. Retrieved 12 September 20
06.
External links[edit]
The Modern History Sourcebook has the account of the Gilbert's trip to North Ame
rica
[show] v t e
Former colonies and territories in Canada
[show] v t e
Americas (orthographic projection).svg History of the Americas
Categories: British colonization of the Americas
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