Record groups of Department of Nationa Archives

Colebrooke -Cameron Commission of Inquiry

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

Colebrooke -Cameron Commission of Inquiry

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1820-1830

History

The Commission was appointed on 18th January 1823 by the Colonial Office for Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius and Ceylon.
Though tile commission comprised of three members, only two members arrived in Ceylon. In 1829, the senior member of the Commission W.M.G.Colebrooke arrived in Ceylon to examine the administration of the Island. In 1830 C.H.Cameron a barrister to report on the Judicial and Legal administration of Ceylon.
With the little co-operation of the Governor, the Commission collected the information using various methods. Replies to the questionnaires, which they held to address to the various officials and prominent local Europeans inhabitants of the Colony, and the petition, they also traveled in the Island and interviewed the people, examined the Government Departments and Records.
After gathering the information, they left the Island on 18th February 1831, and submitted their reports to the Colonial Office. From 1831 to 1832 the Colebrooke submitted four reports. On 31 December 1831, a report on the Administration of Ceylon, on 31 January 1832 ,1 report on Revenue of Ceylon, 26 March of the same year a confidential report on Rajakariya, on 28 May 1832 a report on the Institutions and the Expenditure. On 31 January 1832 Cameron submitted a report on the Judicial system of Ceylon and its function.
The Colebrooke-Cameron Reforms were introduced in Ceylon in the year 1833.

Places

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Control area

Description identifier

LK-NA/CCCI

Institution identifier

LK-NA

Rules and/or conventions used

ISAAR

Status

Final

Level of detail

Minimal

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

  • Latin

Sources

Maintenance notes