Are you talking about the "Britons"? The Celtic race inhabiting the British Isles at the time of the Romans? I think you must be confused with the definition "English". English or Angles is Germanic in origin. Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Danes etc. comprise the ancient and present day English. There was no "British" at the time of colonisation in the early part of the 16th century. There was The Kingdom of England and only the Kingdom of England. The term British is used for the uniting of The Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland. There was no British at the time of colonisation in North America only ENGLISH.
Are you talking about the "Britons"? The Celtic race inhabiting the British Isles at the time of the Romans? I think you must be confused with the definition "English". English or Angles is Germanic in origin. Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Danes etc. comprise the ancient and present day English. There was no "British" at the time of colonisation in the early part of the 16th century. There was The Kingdom of England and only the Kingdom of England. The term British is used for the uniting of The Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland. There was no British at the time of colonisation in North America only ENGLISH.