Stanford's Map of the British Possessions in West Africa 1895

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Stanford's Map of the British Possessions in West Africa, 1895. From the William Henry Crosse Collection.

A grayscale cartographic map titled Stanford's Map of the British Possessions in West Africa 1895. The document depicts the Gulf of Guinea, Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra, and various river systems. It includes labels for regions such as Borno, Kumbawa, and the Sahara. The map uses specific shading and hatching patterns to delineate territories associated with British, French, German, Portuguese, and Belgian colonial interests. This map was part of the Crosse Collection, documented in relation to the Royal Niger Company.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 23, 2026

The map was produced by Edward Stanford (1827-1904), a prominent British mapmaker and publisher. According to Edward Stanford Maps | RUDERMAN Maps, Stanford's firm was a leader in quality cartography during the 19th century, specializing in works that documented European exploration and colonial expansion.

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 23, 2026

Dr. William Henry Crosse, the collector associated with this map, served as the Principal Medical Officer for the Royal Niger Company from 1886 to 1895. In addition to his medical role, Crosse was a naturalist and researcher who published Notes on the Malarial Fevers Met with on the River Niger, West Africa in 1892. His scientific contributions are further recognized in Cross's beaked snake - Wikipedia, which notes that the species Letheobia crossii was named in his honor.

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 23, 2026

The territorial delineations on the map illustrate the sphere of influence of the Royal Niger Company, a mercantile entity chartered in 1886 under Sir George Taubman Goldie to extend British control over the lower Niger River valley. As noted by Britannica, the company functioned as a vehicle for British imperial interests in the region. The map's date of 1895 is particularly significant, as it coincides with a major uprising led by King Koko, who attacked the Royal Niger Company's headquarters in Akassa on January 29, 1895, as detailed by Africa's Country.