Borneo History
A public digital resource for the history of North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, Brunei and the surrounding region — built by the Borneo History Research Centre, Kota Kinabalu. Press ⌘K to search.
Primary series
British North Borneo Company Papers
The founding archive of British North Borneo. Covers the full chartered company period: original lease agreements with the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu, resident diaries, finance ledgers, thematic correspondence on rubber, forestry, railways, constabulary, immigration, and census records (1901 - 1941).
British North Borneo Original Correspondence
Colonial Office correspondence covering BNB administration from the chartered company era through WWII Japanese occupation, post-war reconstruction, constitutional development, and the transfer of sovereign rights to the Crown leading up to Malaysia's formation.
Labuan Records
War and Colonial Department correspondence, registers, entry books, and out-letters relating to Labuan — including registers that also cover Borneo correspondence from the 1840s through the 1880s.
Confidential Original Correspondence
Confidential Colonial Office records with significant North Borneo sub-series: Borneo policy directives, military administration handover, negotiations with Rajah of Sarawak, political intelligence reports, Sarawak cession, and post-war Borneo constitutional matters.
Cobbold Commission 1962
Commission of Enquiry into North Borneo and Sarawak regarding the Malaysian Federation — the pivotal 1962 inquiry that led directly to Sabah and Sarawak joining Malaysia in 1963.
Sarawak & Brunei
Sarawak Original Correspondence
Colonial Office correspondence covering the Brooke Raj and British Crown Colony period of Sarawak.
Brunei Original Correspondence
Colonial Office correspondence relating to the Sultanate of Brunei under British protection.
Related & contextual series