Council of New England" with limited powers as an interim measure before Andros' commission could be finalized. Province of Massachusetts Bay: 1692–1775 The royal charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay was issued in 1691. The territory that it encompassed included the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, the territories of Maine and Nova Scotia (which then included New Brunswick), and the proprietary plantation holdings of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and other islands off the southern coast of Cape Cod. The government did not formally begin operating until royally appointed governor Sir William Phips arrived in 1692. The province was governed by civilian governors until 1774, when Thomas Hutchinson was replaced by Lieutenant General Thomas Gage amid rising tensions between the Thirteen Colonies and the British Parliament. Gage was the province's last royal governor. He was effectively powerless beyond Boston, and was recalled after the June 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. By then, the province was already being run de facto by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, which continued to govern until 1780. The Massachusetts Constitution was adopted in 1779, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts elected John Hancock as its first governor. Under the terms of the royal charter, both the governor and lieutenant governor were appointed by the crown. The charter contained a provision that the governor's council would assume the duties of the governor should both governor and lieutenant governor be absent from the colony. This occurred three times: Acting governor William Stoughton died in 1701, and the council governed until the arrival of Joseph Dudley. Queen Anne died in 1714 and the commissions that she had issued expired six months later. Her successor King George I issued an order continuing all commissions, but this order did not reach Massachusetts before the six months expired. The council asserted its authority, claiming that the commissions had expired of Joseph Dudley and William Tailer, and the council ruled from February 4 until March 21, 1715 when the king's order arrived. Acting governor Spencer Phips died in 1757, and the council governed until the arrival of Thomas Pownall. See also List of colonial governors of New Hampshire List of colonial governors of Maine List of lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia List of governors of Acadia List of members of the colonial Massachusetts House of Representatives Notes References A multi-volume history of Massachusetts, structured as a series of essays on many topics. Governors Massachusetts