proprietary colony
noun
,
American History
1.
any of certain colonies, as Maryland and Pennsylvania, that were granted to an individual or group by the British crown and that were granted full rights of self-government.
Compare
charter colony
,
royal colony
.
British Dictionary definitions for
proprietary colony
proprietary colony
noun
1.
(
US
,
history
) any of various colonies, granted by the Crown in the 17th century to a person or group of people with full governing rights