Second and Third Charters of Virginia Then Royal Colony

In view of the massive amount of land potential in North America King James 1 issued a Second Charter of Virginia in 1609 which covered lands from Jamestown, extending all the way west to the Pacific Ocean. In 1611 Sir Thomas Dale was sent to Virginia with 300 British troops. The Third Charter of Virginia in 1612 led to the acquisition of Bermuda. The 1612 Third Charter of Virginia extended the colonial boundary lines to include offshore islands extended to lands covering 1,000 miles eastward in the Atlantic Ocean. The Third Charter of 1612 gave the islands to the "The Treasorer and Planters of the Cittie of London for the First Colonie in Virginia." So, at the beginning of colonization, the term "Virginia" was applied to the entire eastern coast of North America from Cape Fear to the coast of Acadia and a large portion of inland Canada.

Virginia becomes a Royal Colony

King James I realised the potential wealth of Colonial America. With little, or no concern, for the investors of the Virginia Colony the King failed to renew their charter. The Virginia Company in the colony lost the ability to grant property deeds. Then, in 1624 King James made Virginia a Royal Colony, rather than a Proprietary (private) Colony. This meant that the Colonial Governments were appointed by the Crown, carrying out the orders and wishes of the Crown as opposed to private or local interests.