English Settlements and Colonial Grants 1606–35

In 1606 James I made the first colonial grants to the Plymouth and London Companies. The territories they were empowered to settle were huge, covering the American eastern seaboard from Cape Fear to Nova Scotia. The grants also overlapped, with the provision that any settlements made by the respective companies in the joint zone must be at least 100 miles (160 km) apart. The Plymouth company’s sole venture was the Popham colony in Maine, abandoned after a year. The Virginia settlement of Jamestown, began to make headway after a desperate start, but following the 1622 Indian Massacre, the London Company’s patent was dissolved. Meanwhile, the Dutch had established the colony of New Netherland in areas covered by the original London and Plymouth Company grants, with Sweden soon following suit. A series of grants ensued, from Nova Scotia to Maryland, while New Haven and Connecticut also began as colonial ventures.