2. Plymouth Company
On April 10, 1606 a pair of English joint stock companies were chartered
by King James 1 of England to establish settlements on the coast of North
America. The two companies were called the London Company and the
Plymouth Company. The companies had identical charters but were to
operate in separate territories, there was an area of overlapping territory
but the companies were not permitted to establish colonies within one
hundred miles of each other.
The Plymouth Company was responsible for the northern territory off the
coast of North America. Although the Plymouth Company did establish a
settlement named the Popham Colony in what is now present day Maine, it
abandoned its efforts after just about a year and the Plymouth Company
cease to operate there after.
3. London Company (Virginia Company)
The London Company was Although the colonies
responsible for the territory established by the Virginia
south of the Plymouth Company Company were a success in
off the coast of North America. establishing new trades between
By 1607 the London Company North America and Europe, the
had established a settlement companies shareholders in
called Jamestown in present day London were disappointed that
Virginia. With the abandonment valuable resources such as gold
of the Plymouth Company in the or silver were never discovered.
northern territory the London The company did find large
Company was given a new profits when they introduced
charter which added the western tobaccos to the
Plymouth Company territory to European world which was their
its own and was then known as strongest export.
the Virginia Company.
By 1634 King James dissolved the
company and made Virginia a
royal company.
