In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, a patroon (; from
Dutch ''
patroon'' ) was a
landholder with
manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th-century
Dutch colony of
New Netherland on the east coast of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.
Through the
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions of 1629, the
Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...
first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members. These inducements to foster
colonization
475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence.
Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
and
settlement (also known as the "Rights and Exemptions") are the basis for the patroon system. By the end of the 18th century, virtually all of the American states had abolished
primogeniture
Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...
and
entail; thus patroons and manors evolved into simply large estates subject to division and leases.
The
deed
A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...
ed tracts were called patroonships and could span 16
mile
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...
s 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
Dutch Americans () are Americans of Dutch and Flemish descent whose ancestors came from the Low Countries in the distant past, or from the Netherlands as from 1830 when the Flemish became independent from the United Kingdom of the Netherlan ...
in good standing to purchase an estate. The title of patroon came with powerful
rights
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
and
privileges. A patroon could create
civil and
criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
court
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
s, appoint local officials and hold land in
perpetuity
In finance, a perpetuity is an annuity that has no end, or a stream of cash payments that continues forever. There are few actual perpetuities in existence. For example, the United Kingdom (UK) government issued them in the past; these were kno ...
. In return, he was required by the
Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...
to – sources vary – establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land, or "ship fifty colonists to it within four years". As
tenants working for the patroon, these first settlers were relieved of the duty of public
tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
es for ten years, but were required to pay rent to the patroon. A patroonship sometimes had its own village and other infrastructure, including churches.
Patroons were entitled to the acquisition of enslaved labor by the Dutch West India Company's Rights and Exemptions Charter. Patroons, often the wealthiest and most influential residents of New Netherland, procured and exploited
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
s in almost every part of the colony, although a majority of the slave population remained near New Amsterdam, and farther north, were centered around
Fort Orange (Albany, NY) and
Rensselaerswijck. Moreover, patroons were essentially the only colonists in New Netherland to own slaves.
After the
English takeover of
New Netherland in 1664 and
American independence in 1783, the system continued with the granting of large tracts known as manors, and sometimes referred to as patroonships.
Rensselaerswyck
The largest and most successful patroonship in New Netherland was the
Manor of Rensselaerswijck, established by
Kiliaen van Rensselaer. Rensselaerswijck covered almost all of present-day
Albany and
Rensselaer counties and parts of present-day
Columbia and
Greene counties in
New York State
New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
.
*
Manor of Rensselaerswyck and Lower Manor at
Claverack.
Original patents
*
Zwaanendael (
Delaware Bay) –
Samuel Blommaert and
Samuel Godyn, abandoned after being devastated by indigenous population.
*
Pavonia (
Hudson County
Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...
) –
Michael Reyniersz Pauw, re-sold to the West India Company becoming a company-managed holding.
*
Staaten Eylandt (
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
) –
Cornelis Melyn, mired in conflict with
Raritan tribe and
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
politics.
*
Achter Col (
Hackensack River), aborted at the outset of
Kieft's War.
Other large private land patents
*
Colen Donck (
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
and
Yonkers
Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...
) –
Adriaen van der Donck
*
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
–
Jonas Bronck
*
Vriessendael –
David Pietersen de Vries; de Vries also had the 1st patent for
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
.
English manorial grants
*
Fordham Manor 3900 acres in the Bronx owned by John Archer. Granted in 1671 this was the 1st Manor granted under English rule.
*
Bentley Manor –
Christopher Billopp.
*
Cassilton Manor –
John Palmer
*
Livingston Manor
Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. Located between the Hudson River and the Massachusetts border, the Livingston Manor was locate ...
(
Dutchess and
Columbia counties) –
Robert Livingston the Elder
Robert Livingston the Elder (13 December 1654 – 1728) was a Scottish-born merchant and government official in the Province of New York. He was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km2/ 250 sq mi) of land along the Hudson River, becomin ...
160,000 acres (650 km²)
*
Lloyd's Neck Manor – James Lloyd
*
Pelham Manor –
Thomas Pell[
]
Notable English non-manorial grants
*
Cortlandt Manor –
Stephanus Van Cortlandt (
Westchester County) 85,000 acres (340 km²)
*
Schuyler Mansion –
Pieter Schuyler (
Albany and
Saratoga County)
*
Castleton Manor –
Thomas Dongan – now
Dongan Hills, Staten Island
*
Morrisania –
Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Conti ...
Resistance
*
Jacob Leisler and
Leisler's Rebellion
*
Anti-Rent War
Abolition
The word patroonship was used until the year 1775, when the
British parliament redefined the lands as
estates and took away the jurisdictional privilege.
Dutch Americans
Dutch Americans () are Americans of Dutch and Flemish descent whose ancestors came from the Low Countries in the distant past, or from the Netherlands as from 1830 when the Flemish became independent from the United Kingdom of the Netherla ...
, who still formed a substantial portion of the American populace, resented the change and moved mostly toward the cause of American independence. After the war, the newly recognized
New York state government refused to overturn the law.
Rensselaerswijck was dismantled in the early 19th century after its last sole proprietor,
Stephen Van Rensselaer III, died. Two of his sons split the property and, after tenant farmers gained the right to refuse to pay rent, the sons sold off much of the property. The land was organized as different counties and
towns in New York's Capital District.
In popular media
*
Albany Patroons, basketball team
*
Dragonwyck (film)
See also
*
Empresario, a similar system in Coahuila y Texas, Mexico
*
New Netherland settlements
*
Voorleser
Voorleser was the title given to a responsible citizen in New Netherland and later Dutch Empire, Dutch colonies who had semi-official duties in local law, education and religion.
Etymology
The word ''voorleser'' as used in English language, Engli ...
*
Particuliere landerij, 17th-century
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
(now
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
)
Notes
References
The Patroon SystemManor Lords{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929235116/http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/loc/schuylerhouse.html , date=2006-09-29
External links
Howard Zinn's: ''A People's History of the United States'' Chapter 10: The Other Civil War
Dutch words and phrases
New Netherland
Titles of nobility in North America
People from New Netherland