colony · Central and Southern Africa

British Bechuanaland

1885 CE – 1895 CE · capital Vryburg

The British Crown colony south of the Molopo River, created in 1885 to secure the road to the interior.

Origins

After the Warren Expedition dispersed the freebooter republics of Stellaland and Goshen, Britain proclaimed southern Bechuanaland, between the Molopo River and the Cape border, a Crown colony on 30 September 1885, with Vryburg as its capital.

Rule and society

An administrator, Sir Sidney Shippard, governed the colony, which included the lands of the Tlhaping and Barolong. Much land was allocated to white farmers, while reserves were set aside for Tswana chiefs such as Montshiwa. The colony secured the route along which the railway to Mafeking was later built.

Decline and legacy

British Bechuanaland was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1895 and later became part of South Africa. The territory north of the Molopo remained the Bechuanaland Protectorate, which became independent Botswana.

Lineage

Barolong Chiefdom 1700 CE – 1885 CEBatlhaping Chiefdom 1750 CE – 1885 CEStellaland 1882 CE – 1885 CEGoshen 1882 CE – 1885 CEBritish BechuanalandCape Colony 1795 CE – 1910 CE

Connections (1)

  • British Bechuanaland was a colony of British Empire1885 CE – 1895 CE

More states of Central and Southern Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). British Bechuanaland. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-bechuanaland
MLA
“British Bechuanaland.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-bechuanaland. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “British Bechuanaland.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-bechuanaland.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘British Bechuanaland’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-bechuanaland (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻