Political Residency, Bushire: subject files

The records consist of subject files of the Political Residency, Bushire (from 1946, Bahrain). The records are arranged as follows:. IOR/R/15/1/199-234: File 5: Slave Trade, 1892-1943; IOR/R/15/1/235-236: File 9: Arms and Ammunition, 1910-1932; IOR/R/15/1/237-238: File 13: Miscellaneous, 1912-1945; IOR/R/15/1/239-294: File 14: Arab Coast and Islands, 1871-1948; IOR/R/15/1/295-313: File 18: Judicial, 1910-1948; IOR/R/15/1/314-377: File 19: Bahrain, 1895-1946; IOR/R/15/1/378-381: File 22: Gwadar, 1913-1947; IOR/R/15/1/382-383: File 23: Turkish Arabia, 1918-1945; IOR/R/15/1/384-388: File 26: Arabistan and Luristan, 1905-1946; IOR/R/15/1/389-390: File 33: Naval and Marine, 1935-1944; IOR/R/15/1/391-467: File 35: Muscat, 1895-1946; IOR/R/15/1/468 (Sub-sub-series): File 45: Interdicts, 1938; IOR/R/15/1/469 (Sub-sub-series): File 51: Telegraph Department, 1947; IOR/R/15/1/470 (Sub-sub-series): File 52: Persian Islands, 1906-1908; IOR/R/15/1/471-549: File 53: Kuwait, 1896-1939; IOR/R/15/1/550-551: File 58: Qatar, 1903-1939; IOR/R/15/1/552-553: File 59: Buildings, 1902-1909; IOR/R/15/1/554-555: File 60: Financial, 1918-1946; IOR/R/15/1/556-609: File 61: Najd, 1905-1944; IOR/R/15/1/610-615: File 73 Routes and Railways in Persia and Arabia, 1911-1919; IOR/R/15/1/616 (Sub-sub-series): File 78: Pearl Fisheries, 1937-1946; IOR/R/15/1/617A-B: File 79: Second World War, 1939-1947; IOR/R/15/1/618-637: File 82: Anglo-Persian Oil Company, 1921-1939; IOR/R/15/1/638-703: File 86: Eastern and General Syndicate, 1925-1946

From 1889 the files of the Bushire Residency were numbered according to a modern subject file system. Each subject was given a number followed by an oblique stroke and a part number for every successive file opened on that subject. The files include all the relevant correspondence and relate to documents in both English and Arabic. In 1945 this series, then known as the A series, was re-organised and subject headings no longer used were eliminated. Territorial groupings which had become vast and unwieldy were discontinued, and files in the large miscellaneous category (13) were rearranged under separate subjects. A series files not in use were bound and retained for reference only, while current papers were transferred to the new B series and kept for working use. Since most of IOR/R/15/1/199-703 are A series, the files have been listed according to the A series sequence; files with a B series reference will be found under their former A numbers. The very few B series files opened after 1945 have been listed under the appropriate subject in the A series (e.g. IOR/R/15/1/312-313). Certain files in both series classified as confidential were given an additional reference so that many files have a number in the general series and another in the confidential series. In the detailed list the confidential reference (alphabetical) is given in brackets after the A or B series number. The indexes and registers (IOR/Z/R/15/1/1-10) contain complete lists of the three series of references under which papers were filed, as well as weeding carried out at the Residency. The subjects on which files have survived are follows:. A Series:. 5 Slave Trade; 9 Arms and Ammunition; 13 Miscellaneous; 14 Arab Coast and Islands; 18 Judicial; 19 Bahrain; 22 Gwadar; 23 Turkish Arabia; 26 Arabistan and Luristan; 33 Naval and Marine; 35 Muscat; 45 Interdicts; 51 Telegraph Department; 52 Persian Islands; 53 Kuwait; 58 Qatar; 59 Buildings; 60 Financial; 61 Najd; 73 Routes and Railways in Persia and Arabia; 78 Pearl Fisheries; 79 Second World War; 82 Anglo-Persian Oil Company; 86 Eastern and General Syndicate; B series:. 8 Political; 18 Orders in Council; Confidential series:. A Muscat; B Arab Coast and Islands, Slavery, Oil; C Bahrain; D Kuwait, Ibn Sa'ud; E Turkish Arabia, Mesopotamia; F Arabistan and Luristan; T Naval and Marine; S Travellers, The War; [From Penelope Tuson, The Records of the British Residency and Agencies in the Persian Gulf, IOR/R/15 (London: India Office Library and Records, 1979)].

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