Meaning & use
proprietary colony
A colony granted by a monarch to an individual or group of proprietors who governed it and controlled its land.
See it in a sentence
Pennsylvania began as a proprietary colony granted to William Penn by King Charles II in 1681.
Unlike a royal colony, a proprietary colony let its owner appoint governors and set local laws.
A note on using this word
Proprietary colonies differed from royal colonies, which were controlled directly by the crown, and charter colonies, which were self-governing under a charter.
Words with a similar meaning
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