Colonial Office and Commonwealth Office: West Indian Department: Registered Files (WIS Series)

IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA

Reference code(s): CO 1031

Title: Colonial Office and Commonwealth Office: West Indian Department: Registered Files (WIS Series)

Date(s): 1948 - 1967

Level of description: Series

Extent and medium of the unit of description: 5285 file(s)

CONTEXT AREA

Name of creator(s): Commonwealth Office, West Indian Department A, 1966-1967 Commonwealth Office, West Indian Department B, 1966-1968 Colonial Office, West Indian Department, 1898-1966

Administrative/Biographical history:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer: Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1981

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA

Scope and content: This series contains records of the West Indian Department. The files relate to the British West Indies and Caribbean as a whole, as well as to particular countries including:

• Anguilla
• Antigua
• the Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• British Guiana
• Honduras
• the Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• the Leeward Islands
• Montserrat
• Nevis
• St Kitts
• St Lucia
• St Vincent
• Tobago
• Trinidad
• the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Virgin Islands
• and the Windward Islands.

There are also files relating to the West Indies Federation and the Federation of Eight. Amongst a very wide variety of subject matter are papers dealing with relations with the USA and some records of the Caribbean Commission and the Regional Economic Committee of the West Indies.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals: Series is accruing

System of arrangement:

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

Conditions governing access: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

Conditions governing reproduction:

Language/scripts of material: English

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids: PRO Online Catalogue (PROCAT)

ALLIED MATERIALS AREA

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related units of description: For later Commonwealth Office files on relations with these territories see the following PRO Online Catalogue (PROCAT) series:

• FCO 43
• FCO 40
• FCO 44

.
For earlier records relating to:

• Barbados: see PROCAT series CO 28
• Bermuda: see PROCAT series CO 37.
• British Guiana: see PROCAT series CO 111
• British Honduras: see PROCAT series CO 123
• Jamaica: see PROCAT series CO 137
• Leeward Islands: see PROCAT series CO 152
• Bahamas: see PROCAT series CO 23
• British West Indies: see PROCAT series CO 318
• Windward Islands: see PROCAT series CO 321
• Trinidad and Tobago: see PROCAT series CO 295
• West Indies Development and Welfare Organisation: see PROCAT series CO 1042

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION CONTROL AREA

Recorder's note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: December 2001

Interest: Caribbean

Specific group:

Subjects

Social and economic development

Colonial countries

Personal/Corporate names

Caribbean Commission, 1945-1960

West Indies Federation, 1958-1962

Places

Windward Islands

Leeward Islands

Montserrat

Guyana

Honduras

Virgin Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands

Cayman Islands

Bermuda

Saint Lucia

Anguilla

Saint Christopher and Nevis

Grenada

Dominica

Antigua and Barbuda

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Bahamas

Trinidad and Tobago

Jamaica

Barbados