Vol. I Chapter 4

From Company to Royal Colony

Virginia was thinly settled over large areas because of the large land grants. It was a Puritan company. James I was concerned about increasing Puritan influence in England, so he got the charter annulled and turned the colony into a royal colony. But this did not disturb the existing land titles and privileges.

The colony got a royal governor appointed by the king, and a council nominated by the governor and approved by the king. The leaders were chosen from the prominent planters of the colony.