colony · West Africa

Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate

1792 CE – 1961 CE · capital Freetown

The British colony at Freetown, founded as a home for freed slaves, which became the base of the anti-slave-trade squadron and the cradle of Krio culture.

Origins

After the failure of the Province of Freedom, the Sierra Leone Company brought about 1,100 Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia under John Clarkson, who founded Freetown in 1792. Jamaican Maroons arrived in 1800. The company could not pay its way, and in 1808 Britain made the settlement a crown colony.

Rule and society

Freetown became the base of the Royal Navy squadron suppressing the slave trade and the seat of courts that freed captured slaves. Tens of thousands of these liberated Africans settled there, and with the earlier settlers formed the Krio people, Protestant and English-educated. Fourah Bay College, founded in 1827, trained clergy and clerks for much of West Africa. In 1896 Britain declared a protectorate over the interior.

Decline and legacy

A hut tax provoked the Hut Tax War of 1898, led by Bai Bureh. Elections and constitutional reforms in the 1950s brought Milton Margai to power, and Sierra Leone became independent on 27 April 1961.

Lineage

Province of Freedom 1787 CE – 1789 CESierra Leone Colony and Protectorate

Connections (3)

  • Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate was a colony of British Empire1808 CE – 1961 CE
  • Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate was part of British West Africa1821 CE – 1888 CE
  • Koya Temne kingdom was a protectorate of Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate1896 CE – 1961 CE

More states of West Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sierra-leone-colony-and-protectorate
MLA
“Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sierra-leone-colony-and-protectorate. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sierra-leone-colony-and-protectorate.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sierra-leone-colony-and-protectorate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻