Dutch took possession of the city. The remnants of the old Portuguese Fort later renovated by the Dutch can be found at Thangasseri. In the 18th century, Travancore conquered Kollam, followed by the British in 1795. Thangasseri remains today as an Anglo-Indian settlement, though few Anglo-Indians remain. The Infant Jesus Church in Thangasseri, an old Portuguese-built church, remains as a memento of the Portuguese rule of the area.
Kollam as part of Travancore
Velu Thampi Dalawa of Travancore worked to improve Kollam. He helped build new markets and invited merchants and traders from Madras (now Chennai) and Tirunelveli to set up trade in Kollam. Kollam, to this day has a thriving business in cashew nuts, marine products,coir and spices.
The history of the district as an administrative unit can be traced back to 1835, when the state of Travancore consisted of two revenue divisions with headquarters at Kollam.
Kollam, revenue district of Kerala (1949 onwards)
At the time of the integrating of Travancore and Cochin districts in 1949, Kollam was one of the three revenue divisions in the state. Later these three revenue divisions were converted into districts. But Shencottah taluka was merged with Madras state consequent to the implementation of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. Now the district has a single revenue division with its headquarters at Kollam Taluk Cutcherry
