Board of Trade and Secretaries of State: America and West Indies, Original Correspondence

Description and record details

Reference	CO 5
Title	Board of Trade and Secretaries of State: America and West Indies, Original Correspondence
Date	1606-1822
Description	This series comprises the original correspondence and entry books of the Board of Trade and the Secretaries of State, together with the acts, sessional papers and miscellaneous records relating to colonies in North America and the West Indies.
Arrangement	By colony or province
Related material	For further records relating to the West Indies see CO 318 See also CO 1 For records of the East Florida Claims Commission see T 77
Held by	The National Archives, Kew
Legal status	Public Record(s)
Language	English
Physical description	1450 bundles and volumes
Administrative/ biographical background	Before 1696 matters concerning the colonies were dealt with primarily by the Privy Council and its committees. The first special body convened to advise on colonial (plantation) questions was the Commission of Trade set up in 1625. From 1696 to 1782 colonial affairs were the responsibility of the Board of Trade and the secretaries of state in partnership. Thereafter, the Home Office held responsibility until 1801 when the War and Colonial Department was established.
Publication note	Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, 1574-1739 (HMSO, 1860-1994; CDROM edition, Routledge, 2000)

Note: Not all documents are available and options will vary.