The Colony of Demerara-Essequibo was created on 28 April 1812, when the British combined the colonies of

Demerara Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...

and Essequibo into the colony of Demerara-Essequibo. They were officially ceded to Britain on 13 August 1814. On 20 November 1815, the agreement was ratified by the Netherlands. On 21 July 1831, Demerara-Esequibo united with

Berbice Berbice () is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 and 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

Overview

In 1745, Demerara was created as a separate Dutch colony out of a part of Essequibo. Demerara quickly became more successful than Essequibo. The rivalry between the colonies resulted in the creation of a combined

Court of Policy The Court of Policy was a legislative body in Dutch and British Guiana until 1928. For most of its existence it formed the Combined Court together with the six Financial Representatives. History The Court of Policy was established in 1732 by the ...

in Fort Zeelandia in 1783, and both colonies were governed by the same governor; however, there were still two Courts of Justice, one for Demerara and one for Essequibo. On 28 April 1812, the two colonies were officially combined, however 1815 is used as end date, because the ratification eliminated the last legal obstacles. On 18 August 1823, there was a

slave rebellion A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of slaves have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedom and the dream o ...

involving more than 10,000 slaves, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of slaves. On 21 July 1831, Demerara-Esequibo united with

Currency

The colony continued to use Dutch currency throughout British control, with issued coins ranging from 3 bits up to 3 guilder. Coins bearing the colony's name were minted from 1809 to 1835. The Dutch currency was demonetised after unification and in 1839 was replaced with the British Guiana dollar.

Administrators

Lieutenant Governors

* John Murray (1814–1824) * Sir Benjamin d'Urban (1824–1831)

References

Bibliography