Free Port Act 1766

The English Free Port Act opened six British ports in the West Indies to foreign merchants, and enabled English colonists to conduct trade with French and Spanish colonies.

It was passed in 1766 following the Seven Years’ War and prior to the American Revolution. The Act was a modified version of one in use by the French and Dutch.

Background
Prior to 1766, the Navigation Acts of 1651 and 1660 regulated British trade, restricting colonial trade to England and limiting foreign imports to promote the interests of the British Empire.

As English colonists continued to settle in the Americas, the British West Indies became unable to produce sufficient quantities of commodities needed in other parts of the Atlantic. This included products such as sugar, raw cotton, and molasses. To address these shortages, the Free Port Act enabled foreign supplies to enter the British system. Four ports were approved in Jamaica, along with two ports in Dominica.