In 1670, a royal charter granted by the English monarchy gave the Hudson's Bay Company the exclusive right to rule over an area that encompasses most of what is now the western part of Canada. As part of its original charter, the Hudson's Bay Company was given the power to enact any laws and regulations not repugnant to the laws of England that were deemed necessary to govern its relations with its servants and to maintain social order throughout the vast territory known as Rupertsland. This paper examines the development of the “private” legal system of the Hudson's Bay Company to 1800. Particular attention is given to examining the specific methods of legal ordering and social control that were used within the Company to discipline Company employees. The data examined in the study provide an empirical foundation for broader theorizing about the nature of non-state forms of governance, legal pluralism, and social control. Specifically, the study provides evidence which shows the complex and varied ways in which legal ordering and social control occur outside the state