In the New World, three types of colonies were founded. They consisted of: Joint-Stock colonies, Proprietary colonies, and Royal colonies.
Joint-Stock colonies were founded when a group of investors received a grant of land or charter from the King to establish a colony where the investors would divide the profits from the tobacco and other products extracted from the colony. Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay are examples of this type of colony. The groups who were mostly famous for starting these colonies were the London Co. and the Puritans.
Proprietary colonies were usually granted by the King to an individual to start a colony and the individual collected rent from the colonists. Good examples of this type of colony are Maryland and Pennsylvania. People like Lord Baltimore, and William Penn were responsible for the founding of these colonies.
The Royal colonies were ruled directly by the British Crown authority. The best example if this type is New York. The Dutch Duke of York was in control of this colony.
Most of the Joint-Stock and Proprietary colonies weren't very successful because there was hardly any control over the people who populated them. The Royal colonies were the most successful colonies. .
By the beginnings of the 18th century all the colonies had converted to Royal authority due primarily to mismanagement and or poor administration.