Africa as a whole:
1880s - 2,601
1890s - 2,118
1900s - 5,082
1910s - 6,290
1920s - 8,329
1930s - 10,180
1940 - 1945 - 12,475
Apart from the jump in the 1900s this appears to be an almost mathematical decade on decade increase. The figure for 1940 - 1945 is very high as it is only half a decade's worth.
NB in following countries in blue were part of the British Empire
Algeria:
1880s - 57
1890s - 30
1900s - 217
1910s - 641
1920s - 308
1930s - 204
1940 - 1945 - 1,022
The explanation for the large increase in the 1940s could be a collection of stone tools from Seligman. Hilton-Simpson gave a large collection in the 1910s. There are of course more objects from Algeria than there are from some African colonies
Angola:
1880s - 14
1890s - 0
1900s - 24
1910s - 17
1920s - 4
1930s - 27
1940 - 1945 - 616
The very large increase in Angolan objects in the 1940s is due to the accession of a large number of objects from the Powell-Cotton Museum and from Antoinette Powell-Cotton.
Benin Republic:
1880s - 10
1890s - 3
1900s - 10
1910s - 8
1920s - 1
1930s - 18
1940 - 1945 - 8
Botswana:
1880s - 22
1890s - 1
1900s - 43
1910s - 18
1920s - 45
1930s - 39
1940 - 1945 - 9
In 1885 the British proclaimed a protectorate over their Tswana allies, extended in 1890 to cover more geographical area, Botswana was therefore a de facto member of the British Empire throughout the history of the Museum, there are small peaks in the 1900s, 1920s and 1930s but nothing significant.
Burkina Faso:
1880s - 0
1890s - 0
1900s - 3
1910s - 0
1920s - 7
1930s - 5
1940 - 1945 - 4
Burundi:
1880s - 6
1890s - 0
1900s - 7
1910s - 6
1920s - 7
1930s - 139
1940 - 1945 - 8
Apart from the peak in the 1930s and no objects coming in during the 1890s, the Burundi objects came in very consistently. The 1930s peak was almost entirely due to one man's collection, William Alfred Cunnington
Cameroon Cameroun:
1880s - 10
1890s - 1
1900s - 4
1910s - 28
1920s - 8
1930s - 111
1940 - 1945 - 1,594
The large number of objects from Cameroon in the 1940s are due to the Jeffreys collection which came to us via the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum. Britain had control over two small areas of Cameroon from the First World War, part of which voted to join Nigeria post independence. The other British part voted to join with the rest of Cameroon. Cameroon has not been considered a British colony because such a small part of it was under British control, the majority was governed by France. it does not really appear that British control made a great deal of difference to the objects received though from the 1910s there is an increase (with the exception of the 1920s).
Cape Verde:
1880s - 1
1890s - 0
1900s - 0
1910s - 131
1920s - 1
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 0
The peak in the 1910s is entirely due to a collection from Osbert Guy Stanhope Crawford
Central African Republic:
1880s - 1
1890s - 9
1900s - 10
1910s - 6
1920s - 2
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 8
Chad:
1880s - 0
1890s - 1
1900s - 5
1910s - 78
1920s - 9
1930s - 86
1940 - 1945 - 3
The 1930s peak is due to 2 collections, 1 from Hottot, the other from Arkell. The 1910s peak is due to a number of larger collections coming in (Torday, Olive Temple, Talbot etc)
Comoros:
1880s - 2
1890s
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 0
In fact the pair of shoes from the Comoros actually predate 1656 as they are part of the Tradescant collection, and came to us in the 1880s as part of the transfer from the Ashmolean
Congo, Democratic Republic of:
1880s - 60
1890s - 26
1900s - 376
1910s - 596
1920s - 210
1930s - 271
1940 - 1945 - 96
The peak in the 1910s is principally due to the Torday expeditions (both objects from him and Hilton-Simpson). A relatively large number of Congo entries could actually be from Sudan (that is, they are double counted against both). In addition it is not always clear which current Congo country objects came from and there is also double counting here.
Congo, People's Republic of:
1880s - 32
1890s - 22
1900s - 72
1910s - 10
1920s - 24
1930s - 12
1940 - 1945 - 7
It is not always clear which current Congo country objects came from and there is also double counting here. There does not appear to be any reason for the 1900s peak as the collections came from a variety of sources (almost all though could be either of the 2 Congos)
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast:
1880s - 1
1890s - 0
1900s - 4
1910s - 3
1920s - 2
1930s - 7
1940 - 1945 - 2
Djibouti:
1880s - 0
1890s - 0
1900s - 1
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 12
1940 - 1945 - 12
Egypt:
1880s - 634
1890s - 419
1900s - 1,618
1910s - 1,051
1920s - 2,090
1930s - 451
1940 - 1945 - 2,422
The large peak in the part decade of the 1940s is due to the Seligman collections, whereas the 1920s peak comes from a variety of sources
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica on-line the British domination of Egypt began in 1882 and the Protectorate which was declared in 1914 formalised this colonial domination. The protectorate was ended in 1922 with a declaration of independence but Britain continued to control some matters including defence and in essence Egypt was not independent. This situation continued more or less until after the Second World War. Egypt can therefore be considered to be a de facto colony of the British throughout the period 1884 - 1945.
Equatorial Guinea:
1880s - 14
1890s - 0
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 5
1940 - 1945 - 0
Eritrea:
1880s - 1
1890s - 0
1900s - 1
1910s - 0
1920s - 1
1930s - 2
1940 - 1945 - 3
Note that in 1941 Eritrea became British until 1952
Ethiopia:
1880s - 33
1890s - 2
1900s - 4
1910s - 18
1920s - 12
1930s - 23
1940 - 1945 - 80
The peak in the 1940s is due to the collection from the Thesigers
Gabon:
1880s - 308
1890s - 4
1900s - 20
1910s - 6
1920s - 11
1930s - 7
1940 - 1945 - 0
The peak in the 1880s is due to Gabonese objects in the founding collection
The Gambia:
1880s - 13
1890s - 0
1900s - 13
1910s - 0
1920s - 25
1930s - 4
1940 - 1945 - 0
Although there was British (and some French influence from Senegal) before 1889, the British did not get French agreement to British control before then. [According to one source Gambia became a Crown Colony in 1843] In 1894 a protectorate was established and 1900 the British imposed indirect rule on the interior. This continued until after the Second World War.
Ghana:
1880s - 53
1890s - 17
1900s - 28
1910s - 162
1920s - 749
1930s - 2,761
1940 - 1945 - 561
The Gold Coast was declared a British colony in 1874, before 1901 a protectorate was formed which continued until after the Second World War. The 1930s peak is probably due to 2 large collections from Rattray and Wild being received, and the 1920s peak is probably due to another collection from Wild.
Guinea:
1880s - 2
1890s - 1
1900s - 3
1910s - 1
1920s - 6
1930s - 1
1940 - 1945 - 4
Guinea-Bissau:
1890s
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 0
All but one of these objects came in via the founding collection (the other was via the Ashmolean) and none are definitely from Guinea-Bissau (one is also possibly from Fiji, the others could be Senegal or the Gambia as well]
Kenya:
1880s - 1
1890s - 10
1900s - 187
1910s - 221
1920s - 326
1930s - 257
1940 - 1945 - 82
In 1886 British interest in part of Kenya was recognized [sharing with Germany], in 1895 the East Africa Protectorate was declared, but not until 1920 was Kenya pronounced a Crown Colony. Certainly the collections from Kenya suggest that the most common time for accession was after 1900
Lesotho:
1880s - 3
1890s - 0
1900s - 2
1910s - 4
1920s - 11
1930s - 2
1940 - 1945 - 0
British rule began in 1884 (coincidentally) and this continued until independence.
Liberia:
1880s - 9
1890s - 3
1900s - 14
1910s - 3
1920s - 0
1930s - 1
1940 - 1945 - 0
Libya:
1880s - 15
1890s - 0
1900s - 0
1910s - 2
1920s - 20
1930s - 37
1940 - 1945 - 166
The extraordinary peak of objects in 1940s might not be that at all, because 2 of the entries are for composite stone tools where a guess has had to be made about the number of tools referred to. It is anyone's guess what the correct figure might be and until the objects are fully accessioned it will remain unknown
Madagascar:
1880s - 11
1890s - 87
1900s - 15
1910s - 21
1920s - 2
1930s - 9
1940 - 1945 - 2
The peak in the 1890s is due entirely to a collection from James Sibree
Malawi:
1880s - 0
1890s - 36
1900s - 139
1910s - 41
1920s - 60
1930s - 246
1940 - 1945 - 25
The peak in the 1930s is due to a large donation from William Coleman Piercy, the peak in the 1900s does not appear to be due to one collector. The British started occupying Malawi in the 1880s and in 1891 the British established the Nyasaland Districts Protectorate (which changed its name to the British Central Africa Protectorate from 1893 and Nyasaland from 1907). This continued after the Second World War.
Mali:
1880s - 3
1890s - 1
1900s - 1
1910s - 0
1920s - 9
1930s - 2
1940 - 1945 - 60
The peak in the 1940s is entirely due to a collection from Samuel P. Powell
Mauritania:
1880s - 0
1890s - 0
1900s
1910s - 193
1920s - 0
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 0
All the Mauritanian objects came from one collector Louis Didon
Mauritius:
1880s
1890s - 0
1900s - 3
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 0
In 1810 the British captured the island from the French and this was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1814 and continued until independence. All the Mauritian objects came via the same donor, Beatrice Braithwaite Batty.
Morocco:
1880s - 2
1890s - 27
1900s - 47
1910s - 72
1920s - 90
1930s - 50
1940 - 1945 - 347
The majority of the 1940s peak is explained by donations from a single source, Estella Canziani
Mozambique (Moçambique):
1880s - 14
1890s - 14
1900s - 39
1910s - 84
1920s - 16
1930s - 80
1940 - 1945 - 12
The 1930s peak is mostly explained by a collection from D.F. Stowell, the 1910s peak by a collection from G.A. Turner
Namibia:
1880s - 7
1890s - 2
1900s - 29
1910s - 3
1920s - 4
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 8
There does not seem to be any particular collector responsible for the peak in the 1900s. In the 1880s Germany annexed Namibia as South West Africa. In 1914-5 South African troops invade and captured the area, the League of Nations awarded the mandate to GB after the First World War. Therefore the peak of collecting in Namibia occurred before British colonial rule.
Niger [omit Nigeria]:
1880s - 2
1890s - 0
1900s - 1
1910s - 0
1920s - 227
1930s - 9
1940 - 1945 - 70
The peak in the 1920s is principally due to a collection from Francis James Rennell Rodd, the one in the 1940s to Samuel P. Powell
Nigeria:
1880s - 113
1890s - 58
1900s - 485
1910s - 1,393
1920s - 368
1930s - 1,300
1940 - 1945 - 3,380
The peak in the 1940s is due to the Jeffreys collection, the other two peaks (1910s and 1930s) are not explainable by a single cause. By 1880s Britain controlled most of Nigeria, by 1914 the area now recognized as Nigeria was formed as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria under a Governor based in Lagos.
Rwanda:
1880s - 0
1890s - 1
1900s - 7
1910s - 0
1920s - 34
1930s - 129
1940 - 1945 - 12
The peak in the 1930s is due to one entry for a series of sherds that cannot be counted (and has therefore been estimated as 100 objects) - interestingly this had previously been accessioned as a single pot which would have reduced the numbers to within the expected levels!
Senegal:
1880s - 12
1890s - 0
1900s - 13
1910s - 0
1920s - 5
1930s - 1
1940 - 1945 - 0
Seychelles:
1880s - 1
1890s - 0
1900s - 4
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 1
1940 - 1945 - 0
The Seychelles were formally ceded to the British in 1814 as part of the Treaty of Paris, in 1903 the Seychelles became a British Crown Colony.
Sierra Leone:
1880s - 80
1890s - 0
1900s - 8
1910s - 11
1920s - 22
1930s - 41
1940 - 1945 - 5
During the 19th century the British had increasing economic influence, in 1896 a British protectorate was declared. According to one source in 1808 a Crown colony was declared. There does not seem to be an easily identifiable reason for the 1880s peak, although a good deal of these could have been collected before 1880 as they are from the Ashmolean, University Museum and the founding collection
Somalia:
1880s - 12
1890s - 113
1900s - 12
1910s - 9
1920s - 48
1930s - 236
1940 - 1945 - 6
Somalia was a 'theatre of competition' between Great Britain, Italy and France. A British protectorate was proclaimed over some areas in the late 1880s. France and Italy also seized control of areas of Somalia (France's part is now Djibouti). This confused situation continued until the Italians formed their short lived NE Africa empire in the 1930s. Most of the 1930s peak is due to a collection from Diana Powell-Cotton, the 1890s peak is due to another rogue not fully accessioned stone tool entry with unknown number of object and a guestimate.
South Africa:
1880s - 448
1890s - 525
1900s - 395
1910s - 613
1920s - 2,184
1930s - 2,269
1940 - 1945 - 318
Union of South Africa formed in 1910, this could be said to be independence, The peaks in the 1920s and 30s is due to a large number of stone tool collections (with some guestimates about number of objects)
Sudan:
1880s - 171
1890s - 7
1900s - 170
1910s - 894
1920s - 1,424
1930s - 750
1940 - 1945 - 1,338
The British captured Sudan by 1899 and an Anglo-Egyptian Condominium was declared and the colony remained until after the Second World War. The peak in the 1940s coincides with the Seligman collection, amongst others, there are several entries in the 1920s which cover an unknown large number of objects and for which guestimates have been given
Swaziland:
1880s - 0
1890s - 0
1900s - 3
1910s - 0
1920s - 1
1930s - 0
1940 - 1945 - 0
The British via South Africa had influence from the 1880s, by the 1890s Britain was setting up a series of conventions which effectively passed control of the territory to them and from 1906 Swaziland was a colony
Tanzania:
1880s - 19
1890s - 30
1900s - 150
1910s - 69
1920s - 251
1930s - 171
1940 - 1945 - 125
Part of the German Empire until the First World War when control was moved to the British, although Zanzibar had long been a part of the British Empire.
Togo:
1880s - 0
1890s - 0
1900s - 18
1910s - 8
1920s - 47
1930s - 13
1940 - 1945 - 5
The peak in the 1920s is due to objects collected and donated by Rattray, most of which could have come from either Ghana or Togo
Tunisia:
1890s - 1
1900s - 66
1910s - 67
1920s - 187
1930s - 16
1940 - 1945 - 55
Uganda:
1880s - 1
1890s - 6
1900s - 91
1910s - 113
1920s - 534
1930s - 225
1940 - 1945 - 275
From 1890 the Imperial British East Africa Company agreed to administer the country on behalf of the British government, it was declared a protectorate in 1894. By 1914 Uganda's boundaries had been fixed and British control had reached most areas. There is a large collection of Ugandan objects from Roscoe in the 1920s.
Zambia:
1880s - 11
1890s - 2
1900s - 288
1910s - 76
1920s - 29
1930s - 319
1940 - 1945 - 10
In 1889 the British government granted a charter to Rhodes' British South Africa Company bestowing powers of administration over the country, in 1924 power was handed over to the Colonial Office. There is quite a large collection from T.S. Fox Pitt in the 1930s and another large one from Balfour in 1900s
Zimbabwe:
1880s - 4
1890s - 38
1900s - 828
1910s - 86
1920s - 145
1930s - 38
1940 - 1945 - 30
The British South Africa Company gained administrative control of Zimbabwe in 1893, In 1923 it became a self-governing colony (these dates do not match the previously differently sourced information). Amongst other collections there is a large collection from Henry Balfour in the 1900s.
Other Africa (ie those not provenanced to specific countries):
1880s - 506
1890s - 501
1900s - 215
1910s - 289
1920s - 242
1930s - 166
1940 - 1945 - 212
We suppose you would expect to see the largest number of improperly provenanced items being the earliest accessioned.
