A History of the Gambia

Originally published in 1940, this book contains a history of the West Coast of Africa from the invasion by the Portuguese in 1455 until 1938.

J. M. Gray (Author)

9781107511965, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 June 2015

520 pages
23 x 15.3 x 3.3 cm, 0.8 kg

Originally published in 1940, this book contains a history of the West Coast of Africa from the invasion by the Portuguese in 1455 until 1938, when the area was under British control. Gray, who was a judge on the Supreme Court of the Gambia at the time, documents the often-bloody colonial developments in the area and the 'many vicissitudes of fortune' that the area had gone through since the first arrival of white people on its shores. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the colonial history of Africa.

Foreword Thomas Southorn
1. Introduction
2. The Portuguese in the Gambia, 1455–1588
3. The arrival of the English in the Gambia, 1588–1622
4. Cavalier and Roundhead in the Gambia, 1650–2
5. The Courlanders in the Gambia, 1651–61
6. The capture of St Andrew's Island by the British, 1661
7. Dutch rivalry, 1661–78
8. French rivalry, 1678–89
9. War with France, 1689–97
10. Between two storms, 1698–1702
11. The War of the Spanish Succession, 1702–13
12. Pirates, 1713–21
13. A private war between two trading companies, 1720–9
14. A conspiracy and interlude of peace, 1729–45
15. The African Committee's administration, 1750–65
16. The province of Senegambia, 1765–76
17. Wall versus MacNamara, 1776–8
18. The last days of the Province of Senegambia, 1776–83
19. Laissez faire, 1783–1808
20. The abolition of the slave trade, 1807–16
21. The early days of Bathurst
22. Extension of the British sphere of influence, 1821–37
23. Punitive expeditions - liberated Africans, 1830–7
24. Further extension of the sphere of influence - separation from Sierra Leone, 1837–43
25. The groundnut trade - further punitive expeditions, 1843–52
26. Beginning of the Soninki-Marabout War, 1850–9
27. The French in the River Gambia, 1817–57
28. Continuation of the Soninki-Marabout War, 1859–66
29. The proposed cession to France, 1866–76
30. The Soninki-Marabout War, 1866–87
31. Separation from Sierra Leone, 1888
32. The colony and protectorate, 1888–1914
33. Recent years, 1914–38
Index.

Subject Areas: African history [HBJH]