The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietors. The province later became the U.S. state of North Carolina.

First settlement of the North Carolina Colony was in 1653, Charles II of England granted the Carolina charter in 1663 for lands south of Virginia Colony and north of Spanish Florida. The Carolinas were divided into North and South by 1729, when seven of the eight Lords Proprietors sold out (rendering Carolina a crown colony). The remaining one-eighth share of the Province (part of North Carolina known as the Granville District) was retained by members of the Carteret family until 1776; see John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville. Two important maps of the province were produced: one by Edward Moseley in 1733, and another by John Collet in 1770.

See also: List of North Carolina Governors

History of North Carolina | Thirteen Colonies | British North America