Patroon system

The word Patrooon is derived from the Dutch word which means owner or head of a company who owned large lands and had manorial rights. The deed of large acres of land held a patron was called patroonship. This practice was in vogue in the Ditch colony of New Netherlands North America .There were five patron who were given lands grants settled along the Hudson River from New Amsterdam to Fort Orange This title was granted by the Dutch West India Company to members who invested land through the Charter of Freedom and Exemptions Act of 1629.This promoted immigration to the Dutch colonies in the US . Later, these partoons became an elite class of land owners who enjoyed certain rights and privileges .These rights were similar to the rights enjoyed by the feudal lord in the middle ages. These included the right courts to deal with civil and criminal cases, the right to appoint officials and the right to hold land for any period of time. He had the entire infrastructure within his land like churches and other amenities for the people who lived on his land. Further he had the rights to keep about 50 people as tenants who did not have to pay taxes to the Dutch Company, but to the patron who had kept them in his settlement. They were also obliged to render service and give things in kind to the patron. Later, there were changes, made in the charter and the size of land was reduced so as to include many more land owners. Due to many underlying factors, the Dutch however after ruling the Dutch colony at New Netherlands for about forty years had to give it up for more a powerful colonial power, the English