Datasets
Colonial Founding Anchors
NLB-dated anchors for the 1819 Singapore Treaty, 1824 cession and Anglo-Dutch settlement, Straits Settlements membership, and 1867 Crown Colony transfer — distinguishing modern founding from precolonial Temasek.
Colonial Founding Anchors (1819–1867)
These rows ground founding of modern singapore 1819. They do not assert that Singapore had no history before 1819 — see temasek and precolonial singapore and precolonial evidence register.
Treaty and early colonial status
| Date | Anchor | Retrieval note |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Feb 1819 | Treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah and the Temenggong permitting an East India Company trading post | Conventional “founding of modern Singapore” date |
| Treaty payments | Sultan 5,000 Spanish dollars/year; Temenggong 3,000 | NLB 1819 treaty article |
| 1824 | Further treaty cedes island outright; Anglo-Dutch Treaty divides regional spheres | Confirms British possession after Dutch dispute |
| 1826 | Singapore joins Penang and Malacca as Straits Settlements | Administrative grouping under British India |
| 4 Feb 1867 | Straits Settlements become a Crown Colony under the Colonial Office | Parliament Historical Development — Governor-centred constitution |
Sources: NLB 1819 treaty, NLB Raffles Infopedia, Parliament Historical Development, accessed 8 Aug 2026.
Policy anchors often confused with later eras
| Claim | Anchored fact | Do not confuse with |
|---|---|---|
| Free port | Early settlement declared open to ships of all nations without duties (NLB) | Post-1965 trade policy |
| Town plan ethnic quarters | Early Raffles-era planning segregated settlement districts | Post-independence HDB Ethnic Integration Policy |
| Population at arrival | Island not empty; Temenggong/Johor-Riau governance; settlement of perhaps ~1,000 including Malays and Orang Laut (NLB Infopedia framing) | “Empty fishing village” myth |
Record details
- Also known as
- ["1819 treaty anchors","Raffles founding dates","Straits Settlements milestones"]
- Jurisdiction
- SG
- What each row represents
- one dated 1819–1867 treaty or Crown Colony anchor
- Update cadence
- on demand when NAS/Roots revise founding chronology
- Source format
- markdown
Dates describe this record’s own period and applicability. A verification date does not mean a rule is currently in force.
Sources
- NLB — 1819 Singapore Treaty Accessed 2026-08-08
- NLB Infopedia — Stamford Raffles's career and contributions to Singapore Accessed 2026-08-08
- Parliament of Singapore — Historical Development Accessed 2026-08-08
Collection as of 2026-10-07 · An expanding collection. Published counts show available knowledge, not complete coverage of Singapore.