Convention of London
- When
- 1786
- Where
- London; Mosquito Coast
- Episodes
- 2
The 1786 Convention of London resolved disputes over British settlements in Mosquitia. Britain agreed to evacuate the Mosquito Coast, while Spain expanded British rights in Belize for mahogany cutting.
Episodes
- Evacuation of Settlers
British settlers and slaves were evacuated from the Mosquito Coast to the informal colony in what became British Honduras.
- Signing of the Convention
Britain and Spain signed the Convention of London on 14 July 1786, agreeing to evacuate British settlements from the Mosquito Coast.
Background and detail
Background. Following the 1783 Treaty of Versailles, Britain was required to evacuate settlements on the Spanish Continent. British settlers resisted, arguing the area was not under Spanish control. This led to diplomatic negotiations to resolve the status of British interests in Mosquitia and the Bay of Honduras.
Terms of the Convention. Signed on 14 July 1786, the agreement required Britain to evacuate all settlements from the Country of the Mosquitos. In exchange, Spain expanded the territory available to the British in Belize, specifically for the purpose of cutting mahogany.
Implementation. British settlers and slaves were moved from the Mosquito Coast to the informal colony in what became British Honduras. Control of Black River was formally transferred to Spain in August 1787 by William Pitt Lawrie.
People involved
- Kingdom of Great Britain · Signatory party agreeing to evacuate Mosquito Coast settlements
- Kingdom of Spain · Signatory party expanding British rights in Belize
- William Pitt Lawrie · Representative who formally turned over control of Black River to Spain
Sources
- Convention of London (1786) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-24
- Mosquito Coast Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-31
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.