"C" is for Colleton, Sir John (1608-1666). Proprietor. Colleton was a soldier and courtier of King Charles I and spent more than, £40,000 of his own money to support the king during the English Civil War. Following the king’s trial and execution, Colleton and his family fled to the protection of relatives in Barbados. He returned to England in 1659 where he joined others in returning Charles II to the throne. For his loyalty and service, Colleton was knighted in 1661. In 1663, the king granted Colleton and seven other royalists 850,000 square miles between Virginia and Spanish Florida in exchange for the debts he owed him. These men, the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, were among the king’s closest advisers—and largest creditors. Until his death Sir John Colleton was the foremost leader of the Lords Proprietors.
