How did the British Crown rule over a vast North American empire half a world away? One way to do so was to increase its direct control over its colonies. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Britain relied upon different types of governing structures around the world. The Thirteen Colonies started as the charter, proprietary, trustee, and royal administrative types. However, the king eventually converted most of them into royal colonies.
Fig. 1 - Thirteen Colonies in 1774, Mcconnell Map Co, and James McConnell.
Royal Colony: Definition
The main types of British colonies in North America were:
- proprietary,
- charter,
- Royal,
- trustee.
Royal colonies allowed the British crown to control North American settlements.
A royal colony was one of the administrative types of the British Empire in North America. The monarch was in direct control of the settlement, usually by the governor he appointed.
Proprietary Colony vs. Royal Colony
The difference between a proprietary colony and a royal colony is one of administration. An individual controlled a proprietary colony with the permission of a king. The king controlled his royal colonies directly or through an appointed governor.
| Colony Administration Type | Summary |
| Royal Colony | Also called a crown colony, this type of administration meant that the British monarch controlled the colony through appointed governors. |
| Proprietary Colony | The British crown issued royal charters to individuals allowing them to govern proprietary colonies, for example, Maryland. |
| Trustee Colony | A trustee colony was governed by several trustees, as was an exceptional case of Georgia initially after its establishment. |
| Charter Colony | Also known as corporate colonies, these settlements were controlled by joint-stock companies, for example, Virginia in its early days. |
Geographic Administration
Britain also divided the original Thirteen Colonies geographically:
Elsewhere, the British crown used other types of administration, such as dominions and protectorates.
For instance, Canada’s official statehood dates to 1867 while still being the subject of British dominion.
Therefore, administrative and geographic differentiation was necessary for the development of the British Empire abroad.
Most American royal colonies had a different administrative status from the onset. Gradually, however, Britain turned them into royal colonies to centralize control over them.
For instance, Georgia was founded as a trustee colony in 1732 but became its royal counterpart in 1752.
China’s Hong Kong was an important international example of a British royal colony from 1842 to 1997, at which point it was transferred back to China. This relatively recent transfer displays both the longevity and the reach of British imperialism into the 21st century.
The Thirteen Colonies: Summary
The Thirteen Colonies are essential because of their rebellion against the British Empire and the success of the American Revolution. The colonies started as different administrative types but most eventually became royal colonies.
History of Royal Colonies: Timeline
- The colony and Dominion of Virginia (1607) transformed into a royal colony in 1624
- Connecticut Colony (1636) obtained a royal charter in 1662*
- The colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (1636) obtained a royal charter in 1663*
- The province of New Hampshire (1638) transformed into a royal colony in 1679
- The province of New York (1664) transformed into a royal colony in 1686
- Providence of Massachusetts Bay (1620) transformed into a royal colony in 1691-92
- The province of New Jersey (1664) transformed into a royal colony in 1702
- The Province of Pennsylvania (1681) transformed into a royal colony in 1707
- Delaware Colony (1664) transformed into a royal colony in 1707
- The province of Maryland (1632) transformed into a royal colony in 1707
- The province of North Carolina (1663) transformed into a royal colony in 1729
- The province of South Carolina (1663) was transformed into a royal colony in 1729
- The Province of Georgia (1732) was transformed into a royal colony in 1752
*Despite having a royal charter, Rhode Island and Connecticut are typically classified as charter colonies due to their greater degree of self-rule guaranteed by the charter.
Case Study: Virginia
The Colony and Dominion of Virginia were founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company when King James I granted a royal charter to the Company and made it a charter colony. This colony was the first successful long-term British settlement in and around Jamestown, partly due to profitably exporting a particular kind of tobacco. The latter was introduced to the region from the Caribbean.
However, on May 24, 1624, King James I converted Virginia into a royal colony and repealed his charter. Many factors motivated the monarch’s actions ranging from politics to financial issues as well as the Jamestown Massacre. Virginia remained a royal colony until the American Revolution.
Fig. 2 - King James I of England, by John de Critz, ca. 1605.
Case Study: Georgia
Established in 1732 and named after King George II, Georgia was the only trustee colony. Its status was similar to that of a proprietary colony. However, its trustees did not profit from the colony financially or through land ownership. King George II established the Board of Trustees to govern Georgia from Britain.
Unlike other colonies, Georgia did not have a representative assembly, nor could it collect taxes. Like other colonies, Georgia enjoyed limited religious freedom. Thus, this colony spent the first two decades of its existence as a trustee colony until its transformation into a royal colony in 1752.
At this time, the monarch appointed John Reynolds, the first governor of Georgia, in 1754. He helped create a colonial Congress to develop the local government subject to the British crown's veto (the power to reject legislation). Only landowning men of European descent were able to participate in elections.
The Relationship with the Indigenous People and Slavery
The relationship between the settlers and the Indigenous population was complex.
Fig. 3 - Iroquois warrior, by J. Laroque, 1796. Source: Encyclopedie Des Voyages.
At times, the Indigenous people rescued the settlers, as was the case with the first arrivals to Jamestown, Virginia, receiving food gifts from the local Powhatan tribe. Yet, just a few years later, the Massacre of 1622 took place, partly because of the European settlers' encroachment onto the Powhatan lands. The event was one of the contributors to transforming Virginia into a royal colony. In other cases, various Indigenous tribes sided with the colonists in their military conflicts.
For instance, in the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the Iroquois supported the British, whereas the Shawnees backed the French at different times throughout the conflict.
Slavery was prevalent in the royal colonies. For instance, the Trustees initially banned slavery in Georgia. Yet two decades later, and especially after its conversion to a royal colony, Georgia began to obtain slaves directly from the African continent. Many slaves contributed to the rice economy of the region.
Royal Colony: Government
The British Crown controlled the royal colonies as the ultimate authority. Usually, the king appointed a governor. However, the exact hierarchy and administrative responsibilities were sometimes unclear or arbitrary.
In the last decade of British control, the Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs was in charge of the American colonies.
Taxation without representation, a central issue for the American Revolution, was one of the problematic aspects of governing the colonies. The colonies did not have representatives in the British Parliament and eventually considered themselves not to be its subjects.
Rulers of the Royal Colonies: Examples
There are many examples of governors of the royal colonies.
| Governor | Summary |
| Crown Governor William Berkeley | Berkeley was Virginia's Crown Governor (1642–1652; 1660–1677) after the colony was converted from a charter to a royal type. One of his goals was to develop Virginia's agriculture and diversify its economy. Berkeley also sought greater self-rule for Virginia. At one point, the local government included a General Assembly. |
| Governor Josiah Martin | Josiah Martin was the last Governor of the Province of North Carolina (1771-1776) appointed by the British Crown. Martin inherited a colony plagued by problems ranging from judicial issues to government selection by the Crown instead of the local Assembly. He was on the side of the Loyalists during the struggle for American independence and eventually returned to London. |
The Roots of American Independence
From the middle of the 17th century, the British monarchy began to convert its American settlements into royal colonies. This centralization by the British crown meant that the governors lost some of their power, such as the ability to select local representatives eroding local authority. The consolidation of military power comprised another aspect of this transformation.
- By 1702, the British monarchy controlled all British warships in North America.
- By 1755, the governors lost control of the British Army to the British commander-in-chief.
This gradual centralization campaign occurred in the context of other significant issues that caused discontent among the Americans, many of whom were born in the New World and had few ties to Britain.
Fig. 4 - Declaration of Independence being represented to the Congress, by John Trumbull, 1819.
These issues included:
- taxation without representation;
- Navigation Acts (17th-18th century);
- Sugar Act (1764);
- Currency Act (1764);
- Stamp Act (1765);
- Townsend Act (1767).
These regulations had in common because they used the colonies to increase revenue at the colonies’ expense, leading to dissent among Americans.
Royal Colonies - Key Takeaways
- The royal colonies were one of Britain's four administration types in the Thirteen Colonies. With time, Britain converted most of its settlements to this type to exert greater control over them.
- The British Crown ruled the royal colonies directly by appointing governors.
- Many problems with British rules, such as increased taxation, eventually led to the American Revolution.
References
- Fig. 1 - Thirteen Colonies in 1774, Mcconnell Map Co, and James McConnell. McConnell's Historical maps of the United States. [Chicago, Ill.: McConnell Map Co, 1919] Map. (https://www.loc.gov/item/2009581130/) digitized by the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division), published before 1922 U.S. copyright protection.
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