The purpose of this research is twofold. First, this dissertation seeks to learn whether the impact of free trade in the British Empire on both Britain and her major overseas possessions was beneficial or not. In particular, the first chapter analyzes the impact of colonial exports on colonial growth in the six main British overseas territories that were the greatest recipients of British capital exports: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Egypt and South Africa. The results are inconclusive. In India, we find no relationship between exports and growth. {GDP} growth seems to be export led in Australia and New Zealand. A positive correlation between {GDP} growth and export growth was found in Canada, South Africa and Egypt, yet the direction of this relationship and the mechanism of how exports impact {GDP} are less clear.