Proprietary Colonies

Before 1660, England governed its New England Colonies and Middle Colonies haphazardly. Local oligarchs of Puritan officials or tobacco planters ran their societies as they wished, taking advantage of laxness and the English Civil War. This practice changed under the rule of King Charles II, who appointed proprietor charters to these colonies to oversee their governance and profitability. What is a proprietary colony? Which colonies were proprietary colonies? Why were their proprietary colonies?

Proprietary Colonies in America

When Charles II (1660-1685) ascended the throne of England, he quickly established new settlements in America. In 1663, Charles paid off monetary debt to eight loyal noblemen with the gift of the colony of Carolina, a region claimed by Spain and already occupied by thousands of indigenous Americans. He bestowed an equally large land grant to his brother James, Duke of York, which consisted of the colonial territories of New Jersey and the recently conquered territory of New Netherlands- now renamed New York. James quickly gave the proprietorship of New Jersey to two of the Carolina Proprietors. Charles also gave proprietorship to Lord Baltimore of the colony of Maryland, and to pay off more debts; he granted a proprietary charter to William Penn (Charles was in debt to his father) of the province of Pennsylvania.

Of the thirteen English colonies, the following were proprietary colonies:

Fig. 1 - The British American Colonies as of 1775 and their population density

Proprietary Colony vs. Royal Colony

Proprietary Colonies were not the only form of a charter granted by the monarch of England. Royal charters were also used to divide and define the control of a territory or region in the Americas. Though similar, there are crucial differences in how the colony would be governed.

• Under a Proprietary Charter, the monarchy relinquishes control and governance of the territory to an individual or company. That individual then has the autonomy and authority to appoint their governors and run the colony as they see fit. This is because the actual charter and land were a means of paying off debts to those granted a proprietorship.

• Under a Royal Charter, the monarchy chose the colonial governor directly. That individual was under the authority of the Crown and responsible to the Crown for the profitability and governance of the colony. The monarchy had the power to remove the governor and replace them.

Fig. 2 - William Penn

Proprietary Colonies: Significance

First and foremost, the most significant effect of proprietary colonies was that their charters quickly delegated control of new territories in North America. This process also allowed the English crown to delegate control over the territories. Within twenty years (1663-1681, excluding the proprietorship of Maryland), England had laid claim to the entire eastern coast of North America not already claimed by Spain or France.

Fig. 3 - A map from the late 1700s of the British American Colonies, including all of the proprietary colonies held by Britain.

The long-term impact of proprietary colonies on the Americas is directly connected to the relinquishing of proprietary charters. By the 1740s, all proprietary colonies but Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania had their charters revoked and established as Royal Colonies. The direct control the English Crown now had on the colonies through the ability to control the colonies' governors, ministry, and officials allowed for the legal argument that Parliament would use as justification for taxation and policy control in the 1760s and 1770s, which led to the outbreak of the American Revolution.