Stamp set of Georgina Page

Set of stamps for the British South Africa Company, presented to Miss GeorginaPage by Cecil Rhodes in 1894.

The British South Africa Company was founded by Cecil Rhodes as a means ofextending British colonial interests in southern Africa without directly involving the British Government. It was incorporatedon 29th October 1889 as a chartered company with widespread powers, includingthe ability to annexe and administer land, raise its own police force andestablish settlements within its own boundaries. The initial incursion ofa British South Africa Company pioneer force under Major Patrick Forbes into theterritory of the Ndebele in present day Zimbabwe led to the raising of its ownflag over Bulawayo. The area under the Company's immediate control was soon namedRhodesia after its founder. The Company's charter was renewed in 1914. However, it folded in 1923 whenRhodesia became a self-governing colony under the British Crown.

Rhodes (1853-1902) was the father of the De BeersConsolidated Mining Co. and a powerful presence in the Transvaalgold mining industry. Prime Minister of Cape Colony, he was a chiefarchitect of British policy insouthern Africa, though the Jameson Raid of 1897 on the Afrikaner republic ofthe Transvaal, in which he was implicated, diminished his influence. He was also a major benefactor to theUniversity of Oxford.

Bodleian reader's ticket required.

Collection level description created by Paul Davidson, Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House.

The library holds a card index of all manuscript collections in its reading room.

No reproduction or publication of personal papers without permission. Contact the library in the first instance.