Lord proprietor facts for kids

A lord proprietor was a person who received a special permission, called a royal charter, from the King or Queen of England in the 1600s. This charter allowed them to start and govern an English colony in the New World. The word "proprietor" means owner. So, a lord proprietor was like a powerful owner of a colony.

How Proprietary Colonies Started

In the early days of European colonization, big trading companies like the East India Company often set up new settlements. But this changed in 1632. King Charles I gave George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore special rights to a large area of land east of the Potomac River. This land became the colony of Maryland. In return, the King would get a share of the money made there.

After this, proprietary colonies became a common way for Britain to settle new lands. The King would grant land to a proprietor who then had a lot of power. These powers were often written into the land charters using something called the "Bishop Durham clause." This clause gave the lord proprietor similar powers to a powerful bishop in England. They could create courts and laws, set up governments and churches, and choose all the officials.

Running a Proprietary Colony

Each proprietary colony was run a bit differently. This depended on the challenges of the area and the personality of the lord proprietor. Colonies like Maryland and New York were managed well, often following English laws. However, others, like Carolina, faced more problems.

The lord proprietor usually appointed a governor to lead the colony. This governor was in charge of the military, courts, and daily administration. The proprietor would give the governor specific instructions. New laws could only be made based on these instructions.

The Carolina Colony

In 1629, King Charles I first granted the southern part of England's New World lands to Sir Robert Heath. This huge area, named "Province of Carolina" (meaning "land of Charles"), stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. But Sir Robert's attempts to settle it failed.

Later, in 1663, King Charles II gave a new charter to eight important English noblemen. These eight became the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. They were:

• Duke of Albemarle (1608–1670)
• Earl of Clarendon (1609–1674)
• Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1602–1678)
• Earl of Craven (1608–1697)
• Sir George Carteret (about 1610–1680)
• Sir William Berkeley (1605–1677)
• Sir John Colleton (1608–1666)
• Earl of Shaftesbury (1621–1683)

The Lords Proprietors wanted to protect Carolina from Spanish attacks from Florida. To do this, they needed more settlers. They offered many benefits to English colonists. These included freedom of religion (except for atheists), a say in government through an assembly, and large land grants. They also offered "headrights," giving 150 acres of land for each family member. An indentured servant who finished their service received 100 acres. To attract wealthy planters, they also gave 150 acres for every enslaved person brought to the colony. These offers helped Carolina attract 6,600 colonists by 1700.

The first government in Carolina started in Albemarle County in 1664. Over time, Carolina was divided into North and South. In 1712, North Carolina got its own governor.

However, the Lords Proprietors often failed to protect the settlers from attacks. For example, during Queen Anne's War (1702–1713), colonists had to fight off French and Spanish forces by themselves. They also defended themselves against Native American attacks and pirates between 1715 and 1718. The proprietors offered little help. This made the colonists very frustrated.

In 1719, the South Carolina assembly asked England to replace the proprietors with royal rule. King George I then appointed royal governors for both North and South Carolina. This changed the colonies into royal colonies, meaning the King directly ruled them. In 1729, the Crown bought out seven of the eight Lords Proprietors for £22,500. One proprietor, John Carteret, Lord Granville, refused to sell. He kept his land rights in northern North Carolina.

New Jersey Colony

In 1664, the English took control of New Jersey from the Dutch. King Charles II gave this land to his brother, the Duke of York. The Duke then sold it to two of his friends, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. Both were already Lords Proprietors of Carolina. The area was named "New Jersey" after Carteret's home island of Jersey.

Unlike other grants, this one did not clearly give the proprietors the power to govern. Despite this, Berkeley and Carteret created a constitution. They gave free men the right to elect an Assembly. Taxes could only be collected with the Assembly's approval. The proprietors appointed a governor, who chose his own Council. New Jersey attracted many settlers because land was cheap, and people had political and religious freedoms.

The Dutch briefly took back New Jersey in 1673 but gave it back to the English in 1674. The new documents still didn't clearly state the proprietors' governing rights. This caused confusion. Some New Jersey governors were even arrested in New York for governing without clear authority.

Lord Berkeley later sold his half of New Jersey. In 1676, the province was divided into two parts: East Jersey (held by Carteret) and West Jersey (held by others). When Sir George Carteret died in 1680, his East Jersey property was sold. In 1682, William Penn and others bought it, forming a group of 24 proprietors. This group, called the Board of Proprietors of East Jersey, tried to control the government, leading to many conflicts.

Finally, in 1702, both East and West Jersey gave up their governing rights to the English Crown under Queen Anne.

Lords Proprietary of East Jersey

• August 1665–14 January 1680: Sir George Carteret (c. 1610–1680)
• January 1680 – 1682 : 8 Proprietors
• 1682–1688 : 24 Proprietors (1st time)
• 1692–April 1703: 24 Proprietors (2nd time)

Lords Proprietary of West Jersey

• August 1665–18 March 1674: John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1602–1678)
• 18 March 1674–February 1675: Edward Byllynge (1st time) (died 1687) jointly with John Fenwick (1618–1683)
• February 1675–September 1683: Trusteeship
• September 1683 – 1687: Edward Byllynge (2nd time) (s.a.)
• February 1687 – 1688: Daniel Coxe (c. 1640–1730)
• 1692–April 1703: 12 Proprietors

Lord of Mann

The British monarch, as the Sovereign Lord of Mann, is also considered the Lord Proprietor of the Isle of Man. However, this title is not often used today.