 The British annexed the islands in 1857, and for the next century they were administered from either Ceylon or Singapore.The territory was transferred to Australia in 1955, although until 1979 virtually all of the island's real estate still belonged to the Clunies-Ross family.The islands have been called the "Cocos Islands" (from 1622), the "Keeling Islands" (from 1703), the "Cocos–Keeling Islands" (since James Horsburgh in 1805) and the "Keeling–Cocos Islands" (19th century).