A proprietary colony was a colony in which one or more individuals, usually land owners, remaining subject to their parent state's sanctions, retained rights that are today regarded as the privilege of the state, and in all cases eventually became so.
This type of colonial government, based on the County Palatine and resembling feudal grants of fiefs in exchange for service more than the modern concept of state sovereignty, was used by England's colonization along the Atlantic coasts of North America and the Caribbean.
Most were run under a colonial charter agreement, which was reviewed by the ruling Monarch. A good example is the Province of Pennsylvania, granted to William Penn (the state still bears the name meaning "woodlands of Penn") by King Charles II of England.
This type of indirect rule eventually fell out of favor 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.
Read more about Proprietary Colony: Historical Precedent, French Examples
Famous quotes containing the words proprietary and/or colony:
“Words can have no single fixed meaning. Like wayward electrons, they can spin away from their initial orbit and enter a wider magnetic field. No one owns them or has a proprietary right to dictate how they will be used.”
—David Lehman (b. 1948)
““Tall tales” were told of the sociability of the Texans, one even going so far as to picture a member of the Austin colony forcing a stranger at the point of a gun to visit him.”
—Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)