“R” is for Royal Council

“R” is for Royal Council. The Royal Council was a twelve-man governing board created in 1720 to serve as an advisor to the governor, as a court of appeals, and as an upper house of the legislature. Throughout royal rule, the council was dominated by men who were nominated by the governor and approved by the London-based Board of Trade for their wealth, political connections, and willingness to support English policies. By the mid 1750s South Carolina's royal council carried considerable power and prestige. The council’s stature dropped precipitously after 1756 when the royal governor arbitrarily suspended William Wragg from that body for opposing the governor's unwillingness to defend the council's prerogatives. Wragg’s dismissal led to a wave of resignations. And, subsequently, most prominent South Carolinians considered the royal council a contemptible body and refused to serve.