Offices of the Crown Agents for the Colonies
The Crown Agents acted as the British commercial and financial agent for the Crown
colonies; since the establishment of the office in 1831 the agents worked to accelerate self-sufficiency,
as well as prosperity for their communities.
Some of the responsibilities of the Crown Agents were to supply all non-locally run
stores, manage colonial investments, and other. With the arrival of the railways,
other mass developments, and the opening of trade in large areas of the world, the
agents played a greater role in supervising the constructions of railways as well
as the management of Colonial Loans on the London Stock Market. The Crown Agents' involvement in the community increased in the Victorian and Edwardian
periods with the further responsibilities of shipping, recruitment, finance, the administration
of Widows and Orphans schemes, and pension payments. Much of the work accomplished
by the Crown Agents went unnoticed and they never made the headlines.
The Crown Agents continue their work to this day. They now look at technologies which
will help accelerate the pace of change.
Again continuing their search to aid their communities, businesses, institutions,
and countries.
- 1. David Sunderland, Principles and Agents: The Activities of the Crown Agents for the Colonies: 1880-1914, The Economic History Review, vol.52, no.2, (May 1999), p.284; Our History, Crown Agents: Accelerating Self-Sufficiency and Prosperity.
- 2. Sunderland, Principles and Agents, p.284; P. F. Berry, Crown Agents: The Best Interests of Our Principals, The British Empire.
- 3. Berry, Crown Agents.
- 4 Our History.