The New Plymouth (later "Old") Colony, settled in 1620, became part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay under the Charter of 1691, but its records continued to be held in Plymouth successively by the last colonial secretary, clerk of the Inferior Court, and Plymouth County register of deeds. In the 19th century, concerns over condition of and access to records led to their transcription by the Commonwealth, allowing the originals to remain in Plymouth.
The transcribed records have been published as:
Nathaniel B. Shurtleff and David Pulsifer, eds., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England, 12 vols. (New York: AMS Press, 1968).