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THE KINGDOM OF NESSEX
King Harold Godwinson, the defeated King of England, arrived with a refugee fleet in the New World in late 1066 AD. He was aiming for the Icelandic settlement in Vinland, but was blown off course, entering King Harold's Bay (what we know as the Chesapeake Bay). The fleet made landfall and the King declared the foundation of a new kingdom on December 31, 1066. The kingdom was dubbed Nessex (much as Wessex means West Saxons, Sussex means South Saxons, Nessex means New Saxons, i.e., New World Saxons).
The first settlement was called Kingston (where in our world Baltimore lies) and grew over the last 64 years into a city of 8000 people. Immigration to the kingdom has been rapid and constant. The reaction of the native English to Norman rule in England caused large numbers of English to emigrate to the New World. Likewise, adventurers and younger sons of the knightly and noble classes found the New World a place to follow dreams of glory. Landless farmers and refugees found the idea of vacant land appealing as well.
Outside of Kingston, a number of Earldoms or Shires have arisen. Each is about 30 miles by 30 miles (so one can reach the center from the border or border from the center in a single day). These are concentrated in what we would call central Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania.