Royal Colonies

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.

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.

Geographic Administration

Britain also divided the original Thirteen Colonies geographically:

• the New England Colonies;
• the Middle Colonies,
• the Southern Colonies.

Elsewhere, the British crown used other types of administration, such as dominions and protectorates.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Roots of American Independence

From the middle of the 17^th 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.

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.