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Proprietary colonies were a type ofcolony inEnglish America which existed during theearly modern period. InEnglish overseas possessions established from the 17th century onwards, all land in the colonies belonged tothe Crown, which held ultimate authority over their management. All English colonies were divided by the Crown viaroyal charters into one of three types of colony; proprietary colonies,charter colonies andCrown colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies (oftenjoint-stock companies), known as proprietors, were granted commercialcharters by the Crown to establish overseas colonies. These proprietors were thus granted the authority to select the governors and other officials in the colony.
This type ofindirect rule eventually fell out of favour in the English colonial empire due to a variety of reasons, including the gradual sociopolitical stabilisation of England's American colonies, the easing of bureaucratic difficulties in managing the colonies and increasing economic or administrative difficulties faced by proprietors. SuccessiveEnglish sovereigns sought to solidify their power and authority throughout the empire, and gradually converted proprietary colonies toCrown colonies, which were administered by officials directly appointed by the Crown. By the 18th century, most former proprietary colonies had been converted into Crown colonies.
Proprietary colonies in America were governed by alord proprietor, who, holding authority by virtue of a royal charter, usually exercised that authority almost as an independent sovereign.[1] These colonies were distinct fromCrown colonies in that they were commercial enterprises established under authority of the crown. Proprietary governors had legal responsibilities over the colony as well as responsibilities to shareholders to ensure the security of their investments.
The proprietary system was a mostly inefficient[definition needed] system, in that the proprietors were, for the most part, likeabsentee landlords.[clarification needed] Many never even visited the colonies they owned.[citation needed] By the early 18th century, nearly all of the proprietary colonies had eithersurrendered their charters to the crown to becomeroyal colonies,[clarification needed] or else had significant limitations placed on them by the crown.[citation needed]
Theprovinces ofMaryland,Carolina and several other colonies in theAmericas were initially established under the proprietary system.
King Charles II used the proprietary solution to reward allies and focus his own attention on Britain itself. He offered his friendscolonial 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 the former Dutch colonyNew Netherlands to his younger brother The Duke of York, who established theProvince of New York.[2] He gave an area toWilliam Penn who established theProvince of Pennsylvania.[3]
TheBritish America colonies before theAmerican Revolution consisted of 20 colonies on the continent's mainland. After the conflict,thirteen of those becamestates of the United States of America. By the time of the Revolution some had consolidated multiple grants, while others, such as conflicting claims to what became the state ofVermont and the western borders of numerous states, including New York and Virginia, as well as the sovereignty of what became the state ofMaine in 1820, remained unresolved well after.
In medieval times, it was customary inContinental Europe for a sovereign to grant almost regal powers of government to the feudal lords of his border districts to prevent foreign invasion. Those districts or manors were often called palatinates or counties palatine because the lord wielded the power of the king in his palace. His power was regal in kind but inferior in degree to that of the king.[4]
That type of arrangement had caused many problems in Norman times for certain English border counties. Those territories were known ascounties palatine and lasted at least in part to 1830 for good reason: remoteness, poor communications, governance carried out under difficult circumstances. The monarch and the government retained their usual right to separate head and body, figuratively or literally, at any time. (See also the hereditary titlemarquess.)[5]
In 1603,Henry IV, theKing of France, grantedPierre Du Gua de Monts the exclusive right to colonize lands in North America at alatitude between 40° and 60° North. The King also gave Dugua a monopoly in thefur trade for those territories and named him Lieutenant General forAcadia andNew France. In return, Dugua promised to bring 60 new colonists each year to what would be calledAcadie. In 1607, the monopoly was revoked, and the colony failed, but in 1608, he sponsoredSamuel de Champlain to open a colony at Quebec.[6]
TheÎles Glorieuses (Glorioso Islands) were on 2 March 1880 settled and named by the FrenchmanHippolyte Caltaux (b. 1847–d. 1907), who was their proprietor from until 1891. It was only on 23 August 1892 that they were claimed for theFrench Third Republic, as part of theIndian Ocean colony of FrenchMadagascar. Caltaux again became their proprietor from 1901 to his death. On 26 June 1960, the islands became a regular French possession, administered by the High Commissioner forRéunion. On 3 January 2005, they were transferred to the administrators of theFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands.