The Court of Policy was a

legislative body A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known a ...

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 Dutch authorities, at a time when the colonies of

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 to 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Britain ...

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) 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 f ...

and Essequibo were under the control of the Netherlands. Responsible for legislative and administrative functions, it initially consisted of the Governor, five appointed officials including the Fiscal Officer and the Vendor Master and five colonists chosen by the Governor from a list of nominees submitted by the College of Kiezers. When the British took over the colony in 1803, they continued to use the Dutch administrative bodies including the Court of Policy. Initially the Court of Policy sitting together with the College of Kiezers formed the Combined Court. However, Lieutenant Governor of Demerara

Hugh Lyle Carmichael Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Lyle Carmichael (1764–1813), was a British officer of the 2nd West India Regiment. He was Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces at the Siege of Santo Domingo. He was Lieutenant Governor of Demerara Essequibo fr ...

abolished the College of Kiezers in 1812, giving its duties to the Financial Representatives, who were elected by the public, although with a severely limited franchise.Central Government
Guyana.org The College of Kiezers was re-established in 1831 solely as an electoral college for the Court of Policy. Following the 1891 constitutional reforms, the Court of Policy gave up its executive powers, which were transferred to the Executive Council. The reformed Court of Policy had 16 members, half of which were elected. The eight unelected members were the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and seven government officials; the Attorney General, the Government Secretary, the Immigration Agent General and the Receiver General, together with three other appointees. The eight elected members were elected from seven constituencies;Historical information events and dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2006
Parliament of Guyana

East, Demerara West, Essequebo North Western, Essequebo South Eastern,

, City of Georgetown (2 members) and

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

.George D Bayley (1909) ''Handbook of British Guiana, 1909: Comprising General and Statistical Information Concerning the Colony'', The Argosy, p158 The Colleges of Electors were abolished, and the eight elected members of the Court (and the six Financial Representatives) were elected by the public under a limited franchise. Elections were held under this system in

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies f ...

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a punit ...

1901 Events January * January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Min ...

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, a ...

1911 A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * Ja ...

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' breaks ...

and

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos (general), Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz. ** Bảo Đại, Crown Prince Nguyễn P ...

. However, the franchise was severely limited; by the 1926 elections only 4.2% of the population were eligible to vote, up from 1.08% in 1921. The Court of Policy was abolished in 1928 when a new constitution created the Legislative Council; its final meeting was on 17 July 1928.

Court of Policy building

The Court of Policy was built in 1752. It is a one-story clay brick building with 61 cm thick walls. The middle room is the church. The northern room was used by the court, and the southern room was originally intended as prison, but was later designated as a slave auction. The building is the oldest non-military structure in Guyana. On 19 February 2007, the Dutch Heritage Museum opened at the site. The building, along with the Fort Zeelandia, was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

Tentative List on 15 November 1995 in the Cultural category. The site has also been designated as a National Monument by the National Trust of Guyana.

References

{{Coord, 6.78239, -58.50872, display=title 1732 establishments in South America 1732 establishments in the British Empire 1928 disestablishments in South America British Guiana Dutch colonisation of the Guianas Historical legislatures National Monuments in Guyana Political history of Guyana