New England in the 1680s was an incorporated colonial dominion under British imperial rule that had its own distinct legal system and geographic definition. The other notable British imperial dominion in North America appeared in the late 19th century and ended up being its own country a few years later. That dominion is some little place called “Canada.”

More on New England dominion: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_of_New_England