Originally the former Dutch colonies of Demerara-Essequibo and Berbice were ceded to the United Kingdom in 1815 with each one being run by a Lieutenant-Governor. In 1831, the British unified the two colonies into British Guiana and appointed
Benjamin D'Urban and the first full Governor. Initially the Governor served representing the British Monarch with the
Court of Policy, run by the British Guianese plantation owners, acting as the legislature under the pre-existing Dutch made constitution of 1792. In the 1920s, due to disputes between the plantation owners and new bauxite miners and rice farmers, the British introduced a new constitution to formalise British Guiana as a
Crown Colony with the Governor holding executive power. The Court of Policy would be replaced by a
Legislative Council that gradually gained more elected seats over the decades. For the next
election in 1957, the Legislative Council was reformed by the Governor but with a majority of appointed members. In 1961 a new constitution came into force with the Governor still as acting representative of the Monarch in the colony. The new constitution did not include the power for the Governor to dismiss government ministers or unilaterally dissolve the new
House of Assembly, this was rectified by a constitutional amendment in 1964. ==Governors of British Guiana (1831–1966)==