Patroon
Encyclopedia
In the United States
, a patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland
in North America (notably along the Hudson River
in New York
). Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
of 1629, the Dutch West India Company
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster immigration
(also known as the "Rights and Exemptions"), are the basis for the patroon system.
The deed
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16 miles in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles if spanning both sides. In 1640 the charter was revised to cut new plot sizes in half, and to allow any Dutch American in good standing to purchase an estate.
The title of patroon came with powerful rights
and privileges, similar to those of a lord
in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil
and criminal
court
s, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company
to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. As tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public tax
es for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patroonship had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches (which recorded births, baptisms, and marriages).
and Rensselaer
counties and parts of present-day Columbia
and Greene
counties in New York State.
In the United States
, a patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland
in North America (notably along the Hudson River
in New York
). Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
of 1629, the Dutch West India Company
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster immigration
(also known as the "Rights and Exemptions"), are the basis for the patroon system.
The deed
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16 miles in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles if spanning both sides. In 1640 the charter was revised to cut new plot sizes in half, and to allow any Dutch American in good standing to purchase an estate.
The title of patroon came with powerful rights
and privileges, similar to those of a lord
in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil
and criminal
court
s, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company
to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. As tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public tax
es for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patroonship had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches (which recorded births, baptisms, and marriages).
and Rensselaer
counties and parts of present-day Columbia
and Greene
counties in New York State.
In the United States
, a patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland
in North America (notably along the Hudson River
in New York
). Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
of 1629, the Dutch West India Company
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster immigration
(also known as the "Rights and Exemptions"), are the basis for the patroon system.
The deed
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16 miles in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles if spanning both sides. In 1640 the charter was revised to cut new plot sizes in half, and to allow any Dutch American in good standing to purchase an estate.
The title of patroon came with powerful rights
and privileges, similar to those of a lord
in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil
and criminal
court
s, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company
to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. As tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public tax
es for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patroonship had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches (which recorded births, baptisms, and marriages).
and Rensselaer
counties and parts of present-day Columbia
and Greene
counties in New York State.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
in North America (notably along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
). Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and...
of 1629, the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
(also known as the "Rights and Exemptions"), are the basis for the patroon system.
The deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16 miles in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles if spanning both sides. In 1640 the charter was revised to cut new plot sizes in half, and to allow any Dutch American in good standing to purchase an estate.
The title of patroon came with powerful rights
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
and privileges, similar to those of a lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
and criminal
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. As tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patroonship had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches (which recorded births, baptisms, and marriages).
Rensselaerswyck
The largest and most successful patroonship in New Netherland was the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, established by Kiliaen van Rensselaer. Rensselaerswyck covered almost all of present-day AlbanyAlbany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
and Rensselaer
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
counties and parts of present-day Columbia
Columbia County, New York
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
and Greene
Greene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
counties in New York State.
Original patents
- Zwaanendael (Delaware BayDelaware BayDelaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
) - Samuel BlommaertSamuel BlommaertSamuel Blommaert was a Flemish/Dutch merchant and director of the Dutch West India Company from 1622 to 1629 and again from 1636 to 1642...
and Samuel Godyn, plundered by Native AmericansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
soon after its founding. - PavoniaPavonia, New NetherlandPavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
(Hudson County) - Michael Reyniersz PauwMichael Reyniersz PauwKnight Michiel Reiniersz Pauw was a burgermeester of Amsterdam and a director of the Dutch West India Company...
, re-sold to the West India Company becoming a company-managed holding. - Staaten EylandtStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
(Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
) - Cornelis MelynCornelis MelynCornelis Melyn was an early Dutch settler in New Netherland and Patroon of Staten Island. He was the chairman of the council of eight men, which was a part of early steps toward representative democracy in the Dutch colony.-Early life:...
, mired in conflict with Raritan Indians and companyDutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
politics - Achter Col (Hackensack RiverHackensack RiverThe Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
), aborted at the outset of Kieft's WarKieft's WarKieft's War, also known as the Wappinger War, was a conflict between settlers of the nascent colony of New Netherland and the native Lenape population in what would later become the New York metropolitan area of the United States...
Other large private land patents
- Colen DonckColen DonckColen Donck was the title of a large Dutch-American owned estate of 24,000 acres originally owned by Adriaen van der Donck in New Netherland, along what was then known as the North River ....
(Bronx and Yonkers) - Adriaen van der DonckAdriaen van der DonckAdriaen Cornelissen van der Donck was a lawyer and landowner in New Netherland after whose honorific Jonkheer the city of Yonkers, New York is named... - Bronx - Jonas BronckJonas BronckJonas Bronck was a Danish immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland after whom the Bronx River, Bronx county, and the New York City borough of The Bronx are named. He married his Dutch wife, Teuntje Joriaens, on July 6, 1638, in the Nieuwe Kerk , Amsterdam.-Bronck's Land:Jonas Bronck’s...
- Vriessendael - David Pietersen de VriesDavid Pietersen de VriesCaptain David Pieterszoon de Vries was a Dutch navigator from Hoorn, Holland.In 1617 de Vries went on a whaling voyage to Jan Mayen. In 1620 he sailed to Newfoundland and sold the dried fish in Italy. In Toulon he joined Charles, Duke of Guise. In 1624 he went to Canada again, still in French...
English manorial grants
- Bentley Manor - Christopher BilloppChristopher Billopp (Royal Navy officer)Christopher Billopp was an English officer of the Royal Navy in the seventeenth century who commanded various ships of the line including in the Battle of Bantry Bay...
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
in North America (notably along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
). Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and...
of 1629, the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
(also known as the "Rights and Exemptions"), are the basis for the patroon system.
The deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16 miles in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles if spanning both sides. In 1640 the charter was revised to cut new plot sizes in half, and to allow any Dutch American in good standing to purchase an estate.
The title of patroon came with powerful rights
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
and privileges, similar to those of a lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
and criminal
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. As tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patroonship had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches (which recorded births, baptisms, and marriages).
Rensselaerswyck
The largest and most successful patroonship in New Netherland was the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, established by Kiliaen van Rensselaer. Rensselaerswyck covered almost all of present-day AlbanyAlbany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
and Rensselaer
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
counties and parts of present-day Columbia
Columbia County, New York
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
and Greene
Greene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
counties in New York State.
Original patents
- Zwaanendael (Delaware BayDelaware BayDelaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
) - Samuel BlommaertSamuel BlommaertSamuel Blommaert was a Flemish/Dutch merchant and director of the Dutch West India Company from 1622 to 1629 and again from 1636 to 1642...
and Samuel Godyn, plundered by Native AmericansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
soon after its founding. - PavoniaPavonia, New NetherlandPavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
(Hudson County) - Michael Reyniersz PauwMichael Reyniersz PauwKnight Michiel Reiniersz Pauw was a burgermeester of Amsterdam and a director of the Dutch West India Company...
, re-sold to the West India Company becoming a company-managed holding. - Staaten EylandtStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
(Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
) - Cornelis MelynCornelis MelynCornelis Melyn was an early Dutch settler in New Netherland and Patroon of Staten Island. He was the chairman of the council of eight men, which was a part of early steps toward representative democracy in the Dutch colony.-Early life:...
, mired in conflict with Raritan Indians and companyDutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
politics - Achter Col (Hackensack RiverHackensack RiverThe Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
), aborted at the outset of Kieft's WarKieft's WarKieft's War, also known as the Wappinger War, was a conflict between settlers of the nascent colony of New Netherland and the native Lenape population in what would later become the New York metropolitan area of the United States...
Other large private land patents
- Colen DonckColen DonckColen Donck was the title of a large Dutch-American owned estate of 24,000 acres originally owned by Adriaen van der Donck in New Netherland, along what was then known as the North River ....
(Bronx and Yonkers) - Adriaen van der DonckAdriaen van der DonckAdriaen Cornelissen van der Donck was a lawyer and landowner in New Netherland after whose honorific Jonkheer the city of Yonkers, New York is named... - Bronx - Jonas BronckJonas BronckJonas Bronck was a Danish immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland after whom the Bronx River, Bronx county, and the New York City borough of The Bronx are named. He married his Dutch wife, Teuntje Joriaens, on July 6, 1638, in the Nieuwe Kerk , Amsterdam.-Bronck's Land:Jonas Bronck’s...
- Vriessendael - David Pietersen de VriesDavid Pietersen de VriesCaptain David Pieterszoon de Vries was a Dutch navigator from Hoorn, Holland.In 1617 de Vries went on a whaling voyage to Jan Mayen. In 1620 he sailed to Newfoundland and sold the dried fish in Italy. In Toulon he joined Charles, Duke of Guise. In 1624 he went to Canada again, still in French...
English manorial grants
- Bentley Manor - Christopher BilloppChristopher Billopp (Royal Navy officer)Christopher Billopp was an English officer of the Royal Navy in the seventeenth century who commanded various ships of the line including in the Battle of Bantry Bay...
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
in North America (notably along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
). Through the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and...
of 1629, the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
(also known as the "Rights and Exemptions"), are the basis for the patroon system.
The deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16 miles in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles if spanning both sides. In 1640 the charter was revised to cut new plot sizes in half, and to allow any Dutch American in good standing to purchase an estate.
The title of patroon came with powerful rights
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
and privileges, similar to those of a lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
and criminal
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. As tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patroonship had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches (which recorded births, baptisms, and marriages).
Rensselaerswyck
The largest and most successful patroonship in New Netherland was the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, established by Kiliaen van Rensselaer. Rensselaerswyck covered almost all of present-day AlbanyAlbany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
and Rensselaer
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
counties and parts of present-day Columbia
Columbia County, New York
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
and Greene
Greene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
counties in New York State.
Original patents
- Zwaanendael (Delaware BayDelaware BayDelaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
) - Samuel BlommaertSamuel BlommaertSamuel Blommaert was a Flemish/Dutch merchant and director of the Dutch West India Company from 1622 to 1629 and again from 1636 to 1642...
and Samuel Godyn, plundered by Native AmericansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
soon after its founding. - PavoniaPavonia, New NetherlandPavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
(Hudson County) - Michael Reyniersz PauwMichael Reyniersz PauwKnight Michiel Reiniersz Pauw was a burgermeester of Amsterdam and a director of the Dutch West India Company...
, re-sold to the West India Company becoming a company-managed holding. - Staaten EylandtStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
(Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
) - Cornelis MelynCornelis MelynCornelis Melyn was an early Dutch settler in New Netherland and Patroon of Staten Island. He was the chairman of the council of eight men, which was a part of early steps toward representative democracy in the Dutch colony.-Early life:...
, mired in conflict with Raritan Indians and companyDutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
politics - Achter Col (Hackensack RiverHackensack RiverThe Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
), aborted at the outset of Kieft's WarKieft's WarKieft's War, also known as the Wappinger War, was a conflict between settlers of the nascent colony of New Netherland and the native Lenape population in what would later become the New York metropolitan area of the United States...
Other large private land patents
- Colen DonckColen DonckColen Donck was the title of a large Dutch-American owned estate of 24,000 acres originally owned by Adriaen van der Donck in New Netherland, along what was then known as the North River ....
(Bronx and Yonkers) - Adriaen van der DonckAdriaen van der DonckAdriaen Cornelissen van der Donck was a lawyer and landowner in New Netherland after whose honorific Jonkheer the city of Yonkers, New York is named... - Bronx - Jonas BronckJonas BronckJonas Bronck was a Danish immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland after whom the Bronx River, Bronx county, and the New York City borough of The Bronx are named. He married his Dutch wife, Teuntje Joriaens, on July 6, 1638, in the Nieuwe Kerk , Amsterdam.-Bronck's Land:Jonas Bronck’s...
- Vriessendael - David Pietersen de VriesDavid Pietersen de VriesCaptain David Pieterszoon de Vries was a Dutch navigator from Hoorn, Holland.In 1617 de Vries went on a whaling voyage to Jan Mayen. In 1620 he sailed to Newfoundland and sold the dried fish in Italy. In Toulon he joined Charles, Duke of Guise. In 1624 he went to Canada again, still in French...
English manorial grants
- Bentley Manor - Christopher BilloppChristopher Billopp (Royal Navy officer)Christopher Billopp was an English officer of the Royal Navy in the seventeenth century who commanded various ships of the line including in the Battle of Bantry Bay...
. English Crown Grants By S.L. Mershon NEW YORK THE LAW AND HISTORY CLUB: PUBLISHERS 39 CORTLANDT STREET 1918 - Cassilton Manor - John PalmerJohn Palmer (Rockaway, Queens landowner)John Palmer was an Englishman who purchased the land comprising much of the neighborhood now known as Far Rockaway in the borough of Queens in New York City in 1685 from the Native American chief Tackapousha for 31 English pounds...
- Livingston ManorLivingston ManorThis article contains information related to Livingston Manor, the 18th century New York estate. Livingston Manor, New York is a town in Sullivan County...
(DutchessDutchess County, New YorkDutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
and ColumbiaColumbia County, New YorkColumbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
counties) - Robert Livingston the ElderRobert Livingston the ElderRobert Livingston the Elder was a New York colonial official, and first lord of Livingston Manor. He married Alida Schuyler in 1679. He was the father of nine children, including Philip, Robert and Gilbert...
160,000 acres (650 km²) - Lloyd's Neck ManorLloyd Harbor, New YorkLloyd Harbor is a village in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 3,675.The Village of Lloyd Harbor is in the Town of Huntington.-History:...
- James Lloyd - Pelham Manor - David Pelham
- Manor of Rensselaerswyck and Lower Manor at Calverack
Notable English non-manorial grants
- Cortlandt Manor - Stephanus Van CortlandtStephanus Van CortlandtStephanus van Cortlandt was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor's executive council from 1691 to 1700. His brother, Jacobus Van Cortlandt also served as...
(Westchester County) 85,000 acres (340 km²) - Schuyler MansionSchuyler MansionSchuyler Mansion is a historic house at 32 Catherine Street in Albany, New York, United States. The brick mansion is now a museum and an official National Historic Landmark. It was constructed from 1761 to 1762 for Philip Schuyler, later a general in the Continental Army and early U.S. Senator,...
- Pieter SchuylerPieter SchuylerPieter Schuyler was the first mayor of Albany, New York and the head of the Albany Commissioners for Indian Affairs...
(AlbanyAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
and Saratoga County) - Castleton Manor - Thomas Dongan - now Dongan Hills, Staten IslandDongan Hills, Staten IslandDongan Hills is a neighborhood located within New York City, USA's borough of Staten Island. It is on the Island's East Shore.The neighborhood was originally known by two separate names, the western half being called Hillside Park and the eastern half Linden Park...
- MorrisaniaMorrisania, BronxMorrisania is the historical name for the South Bronx and derives from the powerful and aristocratic Morris family, who at one time owned all of the Manor of Morrisania. Today the name is most commonly associated with the village of Morrisania, which is only a small corner of the original...
- Lewis Morris
Abolition
The word patroonship was used until the year 1775, when the English redefined the lands as estatesEstate (house)An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
and took away the jurisdictional privilege. Rensselaerswyck was dismantled in the 18th century and became different counties and towns in New York's Capital DistrictTimeline of town creation in New York's Capital DistrictThe towns and cities of New York's Capital District were created by the US state of New York as municipalities in order to give residents more direct say over local government. The Capital District is an 11 county area, which consists of the counties of Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga,...
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