colony · North America and Oceania
Dominion of New England
Origins
After the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was revoked in 1684, James II decided to combine the New England colonies under direct royal rule. Joseph Dudley headed an interim government from 1686, and Sir Edmund Andros arrived in Boston as governor in December 1686. The Province of New York and East and West Jersey were added in 1688.
Rule and society
Andros ruled with an appointed council and no elected assembly, levied taxes without consent, restricted town meetings and questioned land titles granted under the old charters. He enforced the Navigation Acts and held Anglican services in a Boston meeting house, angering Puritans. Protests such as that of the Ipswich minister John Wise were punished. Andros governed New York through his lieutenant Francis Nicholson.
Decline and legacy
News of the Glorious Revolution reached Boston, and on 18 April 1689 a crowd rose, jailing Andros. The colonies restored their old governments, and Massachusetts gained a new charter in 1691 as the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (9)
- Plymouth Colony was part of Dominion of New England1686 CE – 1689 CE
- Massachusetts Bay Colony was part of Dominion of New England1686 CE – 1689 CE
- Dominion of New England was a colony of Kingdom of England1686 CE – 1689 CE
- Province of New Hampshire was part of Dominion of New England1686 CE – 1689 CE
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was part of Dominion of New England1686 CE – 1689 CE
- Connecticut Colony was part of Dominion of New England1687 CE – 1689 CE
- Province of New York was part of Dominion of New England1688 CE – 1689 CE
- East Jersey was part of Dominion of New England1688 CE – 1689 CE
- West Jersey was part of Dominion of New England1688 CE – 1689 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dominion of New England. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dominion-of-new-england
- MLA
- “Dominion of New England.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dominion-of-new-england. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Dominion of New England.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dominion-of-new-england.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dominion of New England’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dominion-of-new-england (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻