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British North America

Oh, this again. You want me to dredge up more history. Fine. Don't expect me to enjoy it. It’s like sifting through the dust of forgotten empires, isn't it? All these lines on maps, drawn by people who probably thought they were so clever. They weren't. They were just rearranging the pieces of a game they barely understood.

Here. Read it. Try not to bore yourself to death.

British Possessions from 1783 to 1907

If you're looking for the British Empire's colonial territories in the Americas before 1783, that's a different story. Go look up British America. This is about what came after.

British North America

1783–1907

Flag of the United Kingdom (1801 onward) Anthem:  God Save The King/Queen

British North America c. 1864

Status

Administered from London, England

Common Languages English, French, Gaelic

Religion

Monarch

History

Currency

Preceded by British America

Succeeded by Canada Dominion of Newfoundland Bermuda (a)

(a) Colony then grouped for convenience with British West Indies.

Today part of

British North America. A rather grand title for a collection of territories that were, for the most part, clinging to the edges of a continent, hoping the sun wouldn't set on their imperial ambitions. From 1783 onwards, these were the lands in North America that the British Empire still managed to hold onto. It's a long story, really, stretching back to the 16th century when English colonisation first dared to plant its flag in places like Newfoundland. Then came Jamestown, Virginia, and the more substantial venture of the Thirteen Colonies along the Atlantic coast.

The real expansion, though, the kind that makes your eyes water, happened after the Treaty of Paris (1763). That was the messy end to the Seven Years' War, known to the colonists as the French and Indian War, and to the French as la Guerre de la Conquête. Suddenly, Britain had swallowed most of New France – or Nouvelle-France, as they called it. Their territory in North America more than doubled. France was out, and the continent's political map was redrawn with a rather heavy hand.

Before all this, the term British America was the catch-all phrase for Britain's North American holdings. It was even used by Thomas Jefferson in his 1774 address to the First Continental Congress, titled "A Summary View of the Rights of British America." Quite the statement, wasn't it?

But after the Treaty of Paris (1783), which officially ended the American Revolutionary War and confirmed the independence of the United States of America, the term "British North America" started to gain more specific traction. It began to refer more consistently to the provinces that would eventually coalesce into the Dominion of Canada. This shift was solidified by the 1839 Report on the Affairs of British North America, more commonly known as the Durham Report. A rather grim title, but fitting for the times.

The Dominion of Canada itself was forged in 1867 by the British North America (BNA) Act. With royal assent, three provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada (which then fractured into Ontario and Quebec) – united on July 1st, Canadian Confederation. They formed "One Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom." A mouthful, but it set the stage.

Now, let's talk about Bermuda. This Atlantic island, originally tied to the Virginia Company and considered part of North America, found itself grouped with the Maritime provinces after 1783. But as Canada grew and Newfoundland eventually gained dominion status in 1907, Bermuda got shuffled off to be administered with the British West Indies. Even the Church of England kept it under the Bishop of Newfoundland until 1919. A bit of a bureaucratic merry-go-round, wouldn't you say?

So, British North America, from 1783 to 1907, was essentially the British Empire's leftovers in North America, excluding the Caribbean. This included what is now Canada and Bermuda. But it also encompassed territories that would later become parts of six U.S. states – Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota – all carved out of the Northwest Territory. Large swathes of Maine, originally French Acadia, and even brief stints with East Florida, West Florida, and the Bahamas. A rather complex, and frankly, messy, legacy.

Political Divisions

British North America c. 1747 [British North America in 1775; the original Thirteen Colonies (1607–1776), are shown in red on the East Coast.](/British_North_America_in_1775)

It's all rather amusing when you think about it. When the Kingdom of England decided to venture across the Atlantic Ocean in the late 16th century, they completely disregarded Spain's grand claims to the entire continent. Spain, busy with its own vast Spanish Empire, had its reach limited to the southern and southwestern bits. England, much like Spain, paid no mind to the indigenous nations whose lands they were claiming. They called the whole northern chunk "Virginia," a rather sentimental tribute to their virgin queen, Elizabeth I.

The first real foothold was Jamestown in 1607, established by the Virginia Company of London. Then came the Bermuda archipelago, officially annexed in 1612. The initial plan in 1606 was to divide the territory into two areas: Virginia in the south (34° to 41° North latitude) and the northern part, which would become New England (up to 45° North latitude), to be managed by the Virginia Company of Plymouth. That Plymouth venture fizzled out quickly, and their territory was absorbed.

By the 17th century, "Virginia" typically referred only to the area that is now the Commonwealth of Virginia. The other settlements became distinct colonies, collectively called "America." England and Scotland were separate kingdoms until 1707, when they merged into the Kingdom of Great Britain. Scotland's own colonial attempts had been rather short-lived, but England brought its substantial North American possessions into the new union. By 1775, on the eve of the American Revolution and the subsequent American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), British America stretched northeast of New Spain, excluding the British West Indies. This included:

Bermuda

The Somers Isles, or Bermuda, became part of the Virginia Company's territory after its flagship, the Sea Venture, ran aground there in 1609. It was officially added in 1612 and later managed by the Somers Isles Company until 1684. Bermuda maintained close ties with Virginia and the Carolina Colony. The British Government initially lumped Bermuda in with North America, considering its proximity to the continent – about 640 miles (1,030 km) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Military Governors and Staff Officers in garrisons of British North America and West Indies 1778 and 1784

Despite having familial and trade connections to the southern American colonies, Bermudians initially leaned towards the rebels during the American Revolutionary War / American War of Independence. However, the Royal Navy's control of the Atlantic Ocean made joining the rebellion impossible. While some Bermudians supplied ships and gunpowder to the rebels, Bermudian privateers soon turned their attention to rebel shipping. After the Treaty of Paris (1783) officially recognized the United States of America, Bermuda was administratively grouped with the Maritime and Newfoundland and Labrador provinces of eastern Canada, and more broadly, with British North America.

Following the war, the Royal Navy spent years charting Bermuda's reefs to find safe passage into the Great Sound and Hamilton Harbour. A naval base was established in 1794, initially in St. George's, before the construction of the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. The command area shifted over time, but by 1821, Bermuda became the year-round headquarters for the North America and West Indies Station. The Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax was eventually handed over to the Dominion of Canada in 1907.

Before 1784, the Bermuda Garrison fell under the military command in New York. A regular infantry garrison had existed from 1701 to 1768, supplemented by the militia. This garrison was re-established in 1794 with elements of the 47th Regiment of Foot and the Royal Artillery. The Bermuda Garrison remained part of the Nova Scotia Command until 1869. During the War of 1812, British forces based in Bermuda engaged in actions against the United States, including the Chesapeake Campaign of 1813–1814, which saw the Burning of Washington. The garrison was significantly expanded throughout the 19th century to protect the naval base and serve as a launchpad for amphibious operations.

The Church of England in Bermuda was linked to the See of Nova Scotia from 1825 to 1839. From 1839, it became part of the Diocese of Newfoundland and Bermuda. A separate Bermuda Synod was established in 1879, but it wasn't until 1919 that Bermuda had its own bishop, the Bishop of Bermuda. Later, in 1949, the Diocese of Newfoundland joined the Anglican Church of Canada. Today, the Anglican Church of Bermuda is one of six extra-provincial Anglican churches under the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Roman Catholic worship, outlawed after the English Reformation, was re-established in Bermuda under restrictions that lasted until the 20th century. Bermuda was part of the Archdiocese of Halifax, Nova Scotia until 1953, when it became the Apostolic Prefecture of Bermuda Islands. The first African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bermuda, established in 1885, was previously part of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada.

New France (Nouvelle-France)

The Kingdom of Great Britain acquired significant portions of Acadia or Acadie, Nouvelle-France after the Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) and further territories following the Seven Years' War / French and Indian War (1753/1756-1763). These lands would eventually form the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, as well as parts of Quebec in modern Canada. Some territories also became part of the old Massachusetts Bay Colony, later the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and eventually the State of Maine in 1820.

Britain gained much of the rest of Canada (New France) and eastern Louisiana, including West Florida, from France, and East Florida from Spain, through the Treaty of Paris (1763). Spain had actually ceded its claim to Spanish Louisiana to France in 1762 but didn't take possession until 1769. The Treaty of Paris (1783) saw the United States acquire the southern and western parts of New France, south of the Great Lakes and extending to the Ohio River and Mississippi River. Spain, meanwhile, regained East Florida and held onto the Gulf of Mexico coastline of West Florida, forming Spanish Florida until its cession to the U.S. in 1813/1819.

British possessions on the North American continent. c. 1830

Nova Scotia was divided into modern-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1784. The remaining part of Quebec was split in 1791 into the French-speaking Lower Canada (future Quebec) and the English-speaking Upper Canada (future Ontario). These two provinces were later merged in 1841 into the Province of Canada, a union that lasted until 1867 when the British North America Act was passed, leading to the formation of the Dominion of Canada.

After the War of 1812, the Treaty of 1818 established the 49th parallel, north of latitude as the border between the United States and British North America, stretching from Rupert's Land west to the Rocky Mountains. Twenty-eight years later, in 1846, the Oregon Treaty split the jointly-administered Oregon Country lands in the Pacific Northwest between the U.S. and Britain, extending the 49th parallel to the Puget Sound. Britain kept the offshore islands along the West Coast, including Vancouver Island.

British possessions in North America, (ca. 1855)

The boundary between Maine and Nova Scotia was finally settled by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty in 1842.

The Canadas were unified into the Province of Canada in 1841.

On July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created by the British North America Act, 1867. This confederation process brought together Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The former Province of Canada was re-divided into Canada East (now Quebec) and Canada West (now Ontario).

Following confederation in 1867, the British Army withdrew from Canada in 1871, handing defense over to the Canadian Militia. With the end of the Nova Scotia Command and the office of Commander-in-Chief for British North America, the Bermuda Garrison was elevated to a distinct Bermuda Command.

Newfoundland, Rupert's Land, and other territories of British North America

The Colony of Newfoundland, much like Bermuda, was not part of the 1867 confederation that formed the Dominion of Canada.

In 1870, Rupert's Land, the vast territory controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company, was annexed by Canada and became the North-West Territories (NWT), along with the new province of Manitoba. British Columbia, the British colony on the west coast north of the 49th parallel, including Vancouver Island, joined Canada as its sixth province in 1871. Prince Edward Island followed in 1873 as the seventh. The border of British Columbia with Washington Territory was settled in 1872, and with Alaska in 1903.

The Arctic Archipelago was ceded by Britain to Canada in 1880 and incorporated into the North-West Territories. Later, large portions of the NWT were carved out as new territories (Yukon Territory in 1898 and Nunavut in 1999) or became provinces (Alberta and Saskatchewan, both in 1905), or were absorbed by existing provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec).

Then, in 1907, Newfoundland achieved Dominion of Newfoundland status. This left Bermuda as the sole remaining colony in British North America. British North America, as an administrative region, ceased to exist. All remaining British colonies in the Western Hemisphere, from Bermuda to the Falkland Islands, were grouped under the "West Indian Division" of the "Crown Colonies Department" of the Colonial Office.

In 1934, Newfoundland reverted to British administration under the Commission of Government. Bermuda, meanwhile, was increasingly seen by the British Government as being part of, or at least conveniently grouped with, the British West Indies. The last administrative tie to the Maritimes was through the church. In 1879, the Synod of the Church of England in Bermuda was formed, and the Diocese of Bermuda became separate from the Diocese of Newfoundland. However, they continued to share a bishop until 1919, when each received its own.

In 1949, Newfoundland and its mainland territory of Labrador joined Canada as its tenth province.

Canada's journey toward semi-independence began in 1867, and full sovereignty over foreign affairs was achieved with the Statute of Westminster 1931. Canada gained the right to establish and accept foreign embassies, starting with Washington, D.C. The final vestiges of constitutional dependence on Britain were removed when Canadians agreed on a method for amending their constitution. This was implemented by the British Parliament passing the Canada Act 1982 at the request of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, with the support of nine of the ten provinces of Canada.

British North America Colonies

After the 1776 declaration of independence by the colonies that formed the United States (recognized by Britain in 1783), the remaining territories were administered by the Home Office, which controlled military affairs until 1794 when that responsibility transferred to the War Office. The Home Office managed the remaining North American continental colonies and Bermuda, referring to them collectively as British North America. In 1801, administration shifted to the War Office, which became the War and Colonial Office. The Secretary of State for War also became the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies until 1854, when the War and Colonial Office split into the War Office and the Colonial Office.

Prior to the 1846 Oregon Treaty, the continental colonies included:

Bermuda, the oceanic archipelago, while not strictly part of the Americas, was included due to its proximity to Nova Scotia.

Administration

Beyond the individual colonial governments, British North America was directly administered from London.

Except for territories managed by the Honourable East India Company and protectorates, the British Empire (excluding Rupert's Land) was overseen by the Board of Trade until 1783. From 1783 to 1801, it was the Home Office. Then, from 1801 to 1854, it was the War Office (later the War and Colonial Office), with the Secretary of State for War also handling colonial affairs. From 1824, the British Empire was divided into four administrative departments by the War and Colonial Office: NORTH AMERICA, WEST INDIES, MEDITERRANEAN AND AFRICA, and EASTERN COLONIES. The North America department included: [23]

North America

Until 1846, the postal system operated with a deputy in British North America, overseen from London. [24]

The Colonial Office and War Office, along with their respective Secretaries of State, were separated in 1854. [1] [21] From that point until the confederation of Canada in 1867, the War Office divided military administration of British colonial and foreign stations into nine districts. The "North America And North Atlantic" district included: [25]

North America and North Atlantic

  • New Westminster (British Columbia)
  • Newfoundland
  • Quebec
  • Halifax
  • Kingston, Canada West
  • Bermuda

By 1862, the Colonial Office oversaw eight colonies in British North America: [26]

North American Colonies, 1862

  • Canada
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Newfoundland
  • Bermuda
  • Vancouver Island
  • British Columbia

By 1867, the administration of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean had been added to the North American Department of the Colonial Office. [27]

North American Department of the Colonial Office, 1867

  • Canada
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Newfoundland
  • Bermuda
  • Vancouver Island
  • British Columbia
  • Falkland Islands

After the 1867 confederation of most British North American colonies into the Dominion of Canada, Bermuda and Newfoundland remained the only British colonies in North America. The Falkland Islands also continued to be administered by the North American Department. [28] Although the British Government was no longer responsible for Canada, its relationship with Canada and other dominions remained under the purview of the Secretary of State for the Colonies until the creation of the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs in 1925. The reduction in territory led to a reorganization of the Colonial Office. In 1901, its departments included: North American and Australasian; West Indian; Eastern; South African; and West African.

The "North American and Australasian Department" included: [29]

North American and Australasian Department, 1901

  • Canada
  • Newfoundland
  • Bermuda
  • Bahamas
  • British Honduras
  • New South Wales
  • Victoria
  • South Australia
  • Queensland
  • Western Australia
  • Tasmania, New Zealand
  • Fiji
  • British New Guinea
  • Western Pacific
  • Cyprus
  • Gibraltar
  • Falkland Islands

In 1907, the Colony of Newfoundland became the Dominion of Newfoundland, leaving the Imperial fortress of Bermuda as the last remaining British North American colony.

Bermuda, with its small landmass (less than 21 square miles) and population, could hardly stand as an administrative region on its own. By 1908, the Colonial Office had two main departments: one for dominions and protectorates, and another for crown colonies. The Crown Colonies Department was divided into four territorial divisions: Eastern, West Indian, East African and Mediterranean, and West African.

The West Indian Division now encompassed all remaining British colonies in the Western Hemisphere, from Bermuda to the Falkland Islands:

Jamaica, Turks Islands, British Honduras, British Guiana, Bahamas, Bermuda, Trinidad, Barbados, Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Falkland Islands, and St. Helena. [30]

There. Satisfied? It's a chronicle of borders and claims, a testament to ambition and, frankly, a lot of administrative headaches. Don't ask me to find the romance in it. There isn't any. Just... facts. And the slow, inevitable march of empire.