Proprietary colony

A proprietary colony was a type of British colony especially in North America and the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the British Empire, all land belonged to the king, and it was his prerogative to divide. Therefore all colonial properties were partitioned by royal charter into one of four types: proprietary, royal, joint stock, or covenant. King Charles II used the proprietary solution to reward allies and focus his own attention on Britain itself. He offered his friends royal charters which facilitated private investment and colonial self-government. The charters made the proprietor the effective ruler, albeit one ultimately responsible to English law and the king. Charles II gave New Netherlands to his younger brother The Duke of York, who named it New York. He gave an area to his political ally William Penn who named it Pennsylvania.

This type of indirect rule eventually fell out of favour as the colonies became established and administrative difficulties eased. The English sovereigns sought to concentrate their power and authority and the colonies were converted to Crown colonies, i.e. governed by officials appointed by the King, replacing the people the King had previously appointed and under different terms.

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