British trading company chartered by James I in 1606 to colonize the eastern American coast.
Its shareholders were residents of London. Three ships with 120 colonists, led by John Smith , reached Virginia in 1607 and founded Jamestown . The company expanded its territory with new charters (1609, 1612) and authorized a two-house legislature (1619), including a House of Burgesses . Though the colony prospered, the company was divided by internal disputes and was dissolved in 1624, whereupon Virginia became a royal colony. See also Plymouth Company.