 This patent was in the form of a Manor, a form of tenure restricted to certain Proprietary colonies, a large estate with hereditary rights granted by Royal Charter, – a legal anomaly in Connecticut, where it was outside of the power and authority of any Town.Jurisdiction in Mortlake did not rest in an elected town government, but as property right that could be bought and sold.Falling outside the legal framework that Connecticut organized Towns, Mortlake’s residents found themselves without responsibilities, but also without normal rights (such as to levy taxes to pay for roads and general welfare of its inhabitants).