| Notes |
- Calvert named his son Cæcilius for Sir Robert Cecil, spymaster to Queen Elizabeth, whom Calvert had met during an extended trip to Europe between 1601 and 1603.
- Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (August 8, 1605 – November 30,1675), usually called Cecil, was an English coloniser who was thefirst proprietor of the Maryland colony. He received theproprietorship that was intended for his father, George Calvert, the1st Lord Baltimore, who died shortly before it was granted.
Cecilius Calvert, whose first name was sometimes spelled Cæcilius, orCaecilius, was married to Anne Arundell, daughter of the 1st BaronArundell of Wardour, in 1627 or 1628.
Settlement of the Maryland colony
Cecil Calvert received a charter from Charles I of England for the newcolony of Maryland, named for the Queen Consort Henrietta Maria,shortly after the death of his father, the 1st Baron Baltimore, whohad long pursued a colony in the mid-Atlantic to serve as a refuge forEnglish Catholics. The original grant would have included the westernshore of the Chesapeake Bay as far south as the Potomac River and theentirety of the eastern shore. When it was realized that settlersfrom Virginia had already crossed the bay to begin settling thesouthern tip of the eastern shore, the grant was revised to includethe eastern shore only as far south as a line drawn east from thePotomac River . Once that alteration was made, the final charter wasconfirmed on June 20, 1632. Baltimore's fee for the charter, whichwas legally a rental of the land from the King, was one-fifth of allgold and silver found and the delivery of two Native American arrowsto the royal castle at Windsor every Easter. It established Marylandas a palatinate, gave to Baltimore and his descendants rights nearlyequal to those of an independent state, including the rights to wagewar, collect taxes, and establish a colonial nobility. If at anypoint there was a question as to the rights contained within thecharter, the charter would be interpreted in favor of the proprietor.The new charter was opposed in England by supporters of Virginia, whohad little interest in having a competing colony to the north. Ratherthan going to the colony himself, Baltimore stayed behind in Englandto deal with this threat and sent his younger brothers Leonard andGeorge in his stead.
While the expedition was being prepared, Baltimore was kept busy inEngland defending the charter from former members of the VirginiaCompany who were trying to regain their charter, including theentirety of the Maryland colony which had previously been a part ofVirginia. They had informally sought to thwart Baltimore's effortsfor years, but their first formal complaint was lodged with the Lordsof Foreign Plantations in July, 1633. The complaint claimed thatMaryland had not truly been unsettled, as claimed in its charter,because of the presence of a trading station run by a man namedClaiborne on Kent Island. It also claimed that the charter was sobroad as to constitute a violation of the liberties of the colony'scitizens, although at this point there were not a great manyMarylanders to speak of.
The first expedition consisted of two ships that had formerly belongedto Baltimore's father, the Ark and the Dove. They departed Gravesendwith 128 settlers on board and, after being chased down and broughtback by the British navy so that the settlers could take an oath ofallegiance to the King as required by law, sailed in October of 1632for the Isle of Wight to pick up more settlers. At the Isle of Wightthey boarded two Jesuit priests and nearly two hundred more settlersbefore setting out across the Atlantic. Since he could not lead theexpedition himself, Baltimore sent detailed instructions for thegovernance of the colony, including commands that his brothers seekany information about those who had tried to thwart the colony andmake contact with Claiborne to determine his intentions for thetrading station on Kent Island. The instructions also emphasized theimportance of religious toleration among the colonists, who werenearly equal parts Catholic and Protestant. With these lastinstructions, the expedition crossed the Atlantic and founded thefirst settlement at St. Mary's in 1634 on land purchased from thenative Yaocomico. Stranded in England, Baltimore could do little tohelp the young colony through its tribulations, which included anongoing feud with Claiborne that led to a series of naval skirmishes.
Lord Baltimore continued as Maryland's first Proprietary Governor(1632–1675), and attempted to maintain an active involvement in thegovernance of the colony, though he never visited it. During this longtenure, he governed through deputies, the last being his only sonCharles.
Crisis during the English civil war
The enterprise took place in the context of serious unrest in England.In 1629, King Charles had dissolved Parliament and governed for thenext eleven years without input from a representative body. TheChurch of England, led by the Star Chamber, intensified its campaignagainst both Puritans and Catholics. The former were able to fleeEngland to their New England colony, but for Catholics, Maryland wastheir sole place of refuge from persecution.
Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, struggled to maintain possession ofMaryland during the English Civil War by trying to convince Parliamentof his loyalty by appointing a Protestant, William Stone, as hisgovernor. Baltimore lost control of the colony for a brief period,however, due to Puritan pressure during the rule of Oliver Cromwell.He regained the colony in 1657.
Baltimore's other colony in Newfoundland
Lord Baltimore's family also had title to Ferryland and the Provinceof Avalon in Newfoundland and he administered the colony between 1629and 1632 when he left for Maryland. In 1637, however, Sir David Kirkeacquired a charter giving him title to the entire island ofNewfoundland superseding the charter granted to his father, the 1stBaron. Baltimore fought against the new charter and, in 1661, gainedofficial recognition of the old Charter of Avalon but never attemptedto retake the colony.
Death and legacy
There are several locations in the state named after the BaronsBaltimore, including Baltimore County, Baltimore City. Calvert County,Cecil County, Charles County, Frederick County, Leonardtown, St.Leonard and Calvert Cliffs. Anne Arundell's name survives in that ofAnne Arundel County, Maryland. His survives in the name of CecilCounty, Maryland, Cecil Avenue and Calvert Street in Baltimore City.Harford County is named for Henry Harford, the illegitimate s/o Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, who while not able to inheritthe peerage, did inherit the Lord Proprietorship, only to lose itduring the Revolution.
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Old Dead Relatives
1605 - 1675 (70 years)
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