patroon

 

(pətrūn') [Du.,=patron or employer], in American history, the name given to a Dutch landowner in New Netherland who exerted manorial rights in colonial times. To encourage emigration of Dutch farmers to America, the Dutch West India Company, by a 1629 charter, granted large estates (16 mi/26 km of land along navigable rivers or 8 mi/13 km on each shore and extending inland as far as it proved convenient) to members of the company who would establish settlements of 50 persons within four years. These company members, called patroons, were granted many privileges that were feudal in nature—the right to hold land as a perpetual grant, the right to establish civil and criminal courts, and the right to appoint local officers. Settlers were exempt from public taxes for a decade, but they were specifically required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services. Manufacturing was prohibited under heavy penalty, and commerce was restricted to a great extent. Before long several estates were established along the Delaware, Connecticut, and Hudson rivers. In 1640 the charter was revised by the Dutch West India Company; the size of the land grants was halved, manufacturing was permitted, and all Dutch inhabitants in good standing could obtain estates. Native American raids, mismanagement, and insufficient cooperation from the Dutch West India Company, however, caused the patroons to fail. The only patroonship that succeeded was Rensselaerswyck, a large estate on the Hudson, which remained in the hands of the Van Rensselaer family until the middle of the 19th cent. After New Netherland came under English control in 1664, the patroon system continued and underwent few changes until 1775, when patroons became proprietors of estates. Some characteristics of feudal tenure did remain, and this condition brought about increasing tension between landlord and tenant in New York state until the Antirent War (1839–46) brought about important modifications.

Bibliography

See S. G. Nissenson, Patroon's Domain (1937, repr. 1973).

Patroons redirects here. For the CBA team, see Albany Patroons.

New Netherland series Colonies: New Amsterdam New Haarlem Noortwyck Beverwyck Wiltwyck Vlissingen Middelburgh Heemstede Rustdorp Gravesende Breuckelen New Amersfoort Midwout New Utrecht Boswyck Swaanendael New Amstel Altena Fortresses: Fort Amsterdam Fort Nassau (North) Fort Orange Fort Nassau (South) Fort Goede Hoop Fort Casimir Fort Altena Fort Wilhelmus Fort Beversreede Fort Nya Korsholm The Patroon System Rensselaerwyck Colen Donck (Yonkers, New York) Directors-General of New Netherland: Cornelius Jacobsen Mey (1620-1625) Willem Verhulst (1625-26) Peter Minuit (1626-33) Wouter van Twiller (1633-38) Willem Kieft (1638-47) Peter Stuyvesant (1647-64) Influential people Adriaen van der Donck Kiliaen van Rensselaer Brant van Slichtenhorst Cornelis van Tienhoven Councils Council of twelve men Council of eight men

A patroon (from Dutch patroon, owner or head of a company) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America (notably found in the Hudson River region of New York). By charter of 1629, the Dutch West India Company first started to grant this title and land to some of its invested members, encouraging immigration to America.

The deeded tracts were called patroonships and spanned 16 miles 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 in good standing to purchase an estate.

The title of patroon came with powerful rights and privileges, similar to a lord in the feudal period. A patroon could create civil and criminal courts, appoint local officials and hold land in perpetuity. In return, he was commissioned by the Dutch West India Company to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years on the land. These first settlers were relieved of the duty of public taxes for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind.

Patroonships were handed down in a few key families for generations undivided. The residents lived as tenants working for the patroon. Often patroonships had their own churches, community infrastructure and villages. The records of births and baptisms and marriages were often in Dutch.

The word patroonship was used until the year 1775, when the English redefined the lands as estates and took away the jurisdictional privilege.

The largest and only successful patroonship in New Netherland was Rensselaerwyck, established by Kiliaen Van Rensselaer. Rensselaerwyck covered almost all of present-day Albany and Rensselaer counties and parts of present-day Columbia and Greene counties in New York State, extending into the southwestern corner of Pownal, Vermont.

Other notable Dutch-American patroonships were:

• Stephanus Van Cortlandt - Cortlandt Manor 85,000 acres (340 km²)
• Frederick Philipse - Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow
• Philipse Pieterse Schuyler - Schuyler House in Albany
• Cornelis Melyn on Staten Island
• Adriaen van der Donck - Colen Donck of Yonkers
• Robert Livingston - Livingston Manor 160,000 acres (650 km²)

See also

• Albany has a CBA basketball team called the Patroons, once coached by NBA legend Phil Jackson.
• Howard Zinn in his book A People's History of the United States describes the problems of patroonship in Chapter 10: The Other Civil War

External links

• Rensselaerwyck information
• Rensselaerwyck information
• Albany Patroons Basketball Team
• Howard Zinn's: A People's History of the United States Chapter 10: The Other Civil War

References

• Manor Lords
• Schuyler House
• Dutch Patroons
• The Patroonship plan

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