Demerara-Essequibo

Origins

Britain had occupied the Dutch colonies of Demerara and Essequibo in 1796 and, after their brief return to the Dutch in 1802, again from 1803. In 1812 the British administration united them as Demerara-Essequibo, renaming the capital Stabroek as Georgetown, after George III. The Convention of London in 1814 formally ceded the territory to Britain.

Rule and society

The colony kept Dutch laws and its Court of Policy, in which planters held most power. Sugar dominated the economy, worked by tens of thousands of enslaved Africans. In August 1823 the Demerara rebellion involved some 10,000 or more enslaved people, who demanded rights they believed had been granted in Britain. It was crushed with many executions. The missionary John Smith, accused of encouraging it, died in prison, inspiring abolitionists in Britain.

Decline and legacy

In 1831 Demerara-Essequibo was merged with Berbice to form British Guiana. Slavery was abolished across the British Empire in 1834. Georgetown remained the capital and is today the capital of Guyana, and the rebellion of 1823 is remembered as a milestone on the road to emancipation.