British Online Archives

Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', each item contains the colonial laws for the year they were published. The legal records also include property for sale, probate records and bankruptcy notices. This is the second part of the three part series 'Colonial Law in Africa'. These records cover the transfer of Southern Rhodesia from the British South Africa Company to colonial rule. A series of legal notices also reveal the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Tanzania. The Second World War then led to a series of new laws in these colonies. These gazettes were published alongside the African Blue Books of Statistics during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Every palm kernel found in a forest or in a farm...must be collected as quickly as possible for the war effort...any person who disobeys or fails to comply with any of these bye-laws, shall be guilty of an offence.

The Paramount Chief of Kwaman State, 1945, Ghana (Gold Coast), 1920-1945; Ghana (Gold Coast) Gazette, 1945; img 41.

Related Collections

Collection

Colonial Law in Africa, 1946-1966

1946 – 1966

Collection

Colonial Law in Africa, 1808-1919

1808 – 1919

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Ghana and Togo Under Colonial Rule, in Government Reports, 1843-1957

1843 – 1957

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Zimbabwe Under Colonial Rule, in Government Reports, 1897-1980

1897 – 1980

(Video)

(Exhibit)

Insights

These years saw legal changes of ownership as the empire claimed more African countries. From Zimbabwe to Kenya, the King would stake his claim.

The main items which are included in these government publications and not in others, are details of laws that are either new or amended.

The legal notices reveal which issues were considered both common enough and serious enough to be addressed by a new law.World War 2 brought conflict and rationing to Britain's African colonies. These laws reveal how war changed daily life in these countries.