colony · West Africa
British West Africa
Origins
In 1821, after the dissolution of the Company of Merchants, Britain placed its forts on the Gold Coast and its post on the Gambia under the governor of Sierra Leone, Charles MacCarthy, as the British West African Settlements. The arrangement was meant to save money and to coordinate the campaign against the slave trade.
Rule and society
The grouping was never stable. The Gold Coast was returned to merchant rule in 1828. In 1843 the Gambia became a separate colony and the crown resumed control of the Gold Coast forts, which received their own governor in 1850. In 1866 Britain revived the scheme as the West Africa Settlements, with a governor-in-chief at Freetown over Sierra Leone, the Gambia, the Gold Coast and Lagos, each with an administrator. Distances, disease and poor communications made central control difficult.
Decline and legacy
The Gold Coast and Lagos were separated in 1874 as the Gold Coast Colony, and the Gambia regained its own governor in 1888, ending the arrangement. Sierra Leone continued as the Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (5)
- Gold Coast Colony was part of British West Africa1821 CE – 1874 CE
- British West Africa was a colony of British Empire1821 CE – 1888 CE
- Gambia Colony and Protectorate was part of British West Africa1821 CE – 1888 CE
- Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate was part of British West Africa1821 CE – 1888 CE
- Lagos Colony was part of British West Africa1866 CE – 1874 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). British West Africa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-west-africa
- MLA
- “British West Africa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-west-africa. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “British West Africa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-west-africa.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘British West Africa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/british-west-africa (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻