About this database

Colonial America consists of all 1,450 volumes of the CO 5 series of Colonial Office files held at The National Archives in London.

Covering the period 1606 to 1822, this unique collection of largely manuscript material from the archives of the British government is invaluable for students and researchers of all aspects of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century American history and the early-modern Atlantic world. Consisting of the original correspondence of the colonial governments with the Board of Trade, the Secretary of State for the Southern Department and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, together holding responsibility for the British possessions in mainland North America and the Caribbean.

For more about the content and the release dates of the five modules in the series, see Colonial America: Nature and Scope

Coverage
Summary: 
Colonial America consists of all 1,450 volumes of the CO 5 series of Colonial Office files held at The National Archives in London.
Content Types: 
  • Maps
  • Primary Sources
Dates: 
1606-1822