 The return of self @-@ rule for Plymouth Colony was short @-@ lived , however . A delegation of New Englanders led by Increase Mather went to England to negotiate a return of the colonial charters that had been nullified during the Dominion years . The situation was particularly problematic for Plymouth Colony , as it had existed without a formal charter since its founding . Plymouth did not get their wish for a formal charter ; instead , a new charter was issued , combining Plymouth Colony , Massachusetts Bay Colony , and other territories . The official date of the proclamation was October 17 , 1691 , ending the existence of Plymouth Colony , though it was not put into force until the arrival of the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay on May 14 , 1692 , carried by the new royal governor Sir William Phips . The last official meeting of the Plymouth General Court occurred on June 8 , 1692 . 
