the king chose the governor of the royal colony of virginia.
the king chose the governor of the royal colony of virginia.
who chose the governor of the royal colony of virginia?
the king
frightened and upset, the colonists finally exercised their own revolt. they rebelled against the ineffective rule of the proprietors back in england. south carolina, being a colony that was governed by eight proprietors from across the ocean, had suffered under a proprietary rule. the economy of the colony was hampered by runaway inflation caused by reckless economic policies and unreasonable restrictions on land ownership and trade regulation. of graver concern were the issues related to defense. the colonists and their officials wanted greater protection from the enemies on their borders. the proprietors were not willing to fund greater military development. in 1719, the colonists finally had enough. that year they ousted governor robert johnson, a proprietary governor, and chose james moore, an outspoken opponent of the proprietary rule, as his replacement. secondly, they sent carolina planter john barnwell to petition british parliament that south carolina become a royal colony. it just so happened that parliament had been taking a greater interest in the colony and the prospects of bringing it under royal dominion. though the colony was having internal economic problems, overall it was one of the most productive in producing cash crops such as rice and indigo. furthermore, the fur trade in the colony, creating nearly a fifth of its exports to great britain, was quite lucrative for merchants back in england. finally, the yamasee war had made many english officials realize that the preservation of south carolina was principal in defending the british north american empire. without the colony and its economic activities, the empire would be significantly weakened. therefore, the petition was granted and in august 1720, south carolina became a royal colony, though in name only as it would be nearly a decade later until the proprietors were truly nullified and the colony was officially taken over by the crown in practice. many felt royal control would improve defensive measures for the colony. however, things did not vastly improve, though parliament did seem receptive to newer ideas and token measures were taken to aid the colony's defense.
fort king george
farrar became a councillor during a period of uncertainty for the colonists. the 1619 great charter of the virginia company had established self-governance through the virginia assembly, but james i dissolved the charter in 1624, and put the colony under direct royal authority. just before james i died in march 1625, charles i announced his intention to be the sole factor of his royal colonies. to this end, he commissioned a new structure, consisting of a governor, george yeardley, and 13 councillors, including william farrar, to govern the royal colony on behalf of the crown's interest. because the assembly was not included in the commission, the council was the only legal body representing the interests of the virginia planters. this state of affairs continued until the petitions of the colonists allowed the continuance of the house of burgesses and the re-convention of the virginia assembly in 1628. the council also functioned as the highest court in virginia and as the advisory board to the governor regarding the creation of legislative acts. just as importantly, the members of the council could determine the fate of the governor: william farrar was on the council when it elected john pott as governor in 1628 and he was on the council when it arrested and temporarily deported governor harvey.
william farrar (settler)