The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony organized October 7, 1691 in North America by William and Mary the joint monarchs of England and Scotland. The charter was enacted May 14, 1692 and included Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, the Province of Maine and what is now Nova Scotia. (Nova Scotia was separated out in 1696, and became the Province of Nova Scotia in 1713.) The Province of New Hampshire gained its independence from Massachusetts Bay at the time of the creation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

From 1691, the history of the Province of Massachusetts Bay is usually considered to be the same as that of Massachusetts. The 1691 "William and Mary Charter" was amended by King George I's "Explanatory Charter " which expanded on the original rights granted to the colony. The Province of Massachusetts Bay existed until approximately October 7, 1774 when the General Court of Massachusetts established a provincial congress in response to the tightening control of the crown, and as a preceding act to the revolt of the American Revolutionary War. The Constitution or Form of Government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was agreed upon at Cambridge in October 1779 and adopted by the delegates nine months later in June 1780 to go into effect "the last Wednesday of October next".

External link

• Colonial Massachusetts Town Nomenclature