Papist Devils

Catholics in North American British Colonies

2. The Founding of Maryland

© 2016 George E. Blanford Jr.

1607 Virginia

1614 New York

1614 New Jersey

1620 Massachusetts

1631 Pennsylvania

1634 Maryland

1636 Rhode Island

1636 Connecticut

1638 Delaware

1663 North Carolina

1679 New Hampshire

1729 South Carolina

1732 Georgia

Company—A collection of investors interested in making a profit

Dutch—Claimed by Henry Hudson in 1609

Religious Colony—Seeking religious freedom

Royal—Governor appointed by the King and laws modeled on English law

Proprietary—Governor appointed by the proprietor and governing laws approved by the proprietor

Trusteeship—Trustee acts like a proprietor for a limited period of time

Overview of Colonization in North America

Also in Newfoundland and the West Indies

Robert Cecil (1563? – 1612) His father was William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520 –

1598) William held many important offices including

Secretary of State for Edward VI and Elizabeth I

William was one of Elizabeth I most trusted councilors

Robert Cecil became Secretary of State (1590 – 1612) Elizabeth would not name her successor, so Cecil

entered into coded negotiations with James He instructed James on how to flatter Elizabeth

to get on her good side In turn, Elizabeth looked on James favorably

On his accession, James kept Cecil on the Privy Council and gave him many more important offices as well as a peerage

Lord Robert Cecil (~1563 - 1612)by John Critz the Elder

George Calvert (1579 – 1632)

Sir George Calvert (1579 – 1632)by Daniel Mytens

Born into an old Yorkshire Catholic family Raised Catholic, converted to the Church of

England under pressure at age 12 Studied languages at Trinity College,

Oxford, 1594-97 Studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, 1598-1601 While on an extended trip to Europe (1601-

1603), he met Sir Robert Cecil and became his protégé

Calvert rose to higher posts as Cecil rose Beginning in 1606, Calvert received royal

appointments to minor offices

George Calvert (1579 – 1632)

In 1609, his appointment as clerk of the Signet office brought him into close contact with the king

From 1610-1618, Calvert was sent abroad on many important missions for the king

He was knighted in 1617 He was appointed a Secretary of State in 1618 In 1623, James raised him to an Irish peerage,

Baron of Baltimore In late 1624, Calvert converted to Catholicism In February 1625, Calvert resigned as Secretary

of State because he was asked to take oaths of supremacy and allegiance

James died in March, 1625

Coat of Arms for the Barony of Baltimore granted to CecilCalvert, Second Baron BaltimoreMotto: Fatti maschii, parole femine

State Flag of Maryland, adopted in 1904

King Charles I (1600 – 1649)after an original by Anthony van Dyke

Charles I (r. 1625 –1649) He believed in the divine right of kings which set him

on a course of antagonism with Parliament Parliament distrusted him because he married a

French Catholic He tried to repress penal laws, but was overruled

by Parliament He dismissed Parliament in 1628 and ruled 11

years without reconvening it In 1640, Parliament immediately enacted laws

reducing the king’s power He could no longer dismiss Parliament without

its consent Charles wanted to arrest 5 MPs for treason in 1642

He entered the House of Commons without an invitation—a major breach of protocol

Charles I (r. 1625 –1649) The MPs had been warned and escaped Parliament, controlled by Puritans, seized

jurisdiction of London Charles fled

English Civil War (1642-1649) The war was indecisive up to 1646 Then Charles was captured Futile negotiations ensued Oliver Cromwell’s Model Army gained

control of Parliamentary forces Charles was tried for treason in 1648 Found guilty, he was beheaded on

January 30, 1649 Cromwell formed the Commonwealth of

EnglandKing Charles I (1600 – 1649)by Anthony van Dyke

Avalon George Calvert had a longstanding interest

in colonization As early as 1609, he invested in the Virginia

Company and the East India Company In 1620, he bought the southeast peninsula of

Newfoundland and in 1622 he sent 50 men to start a colony and fish for cod

In 1623, he obtained a royal charter for the province of Avalon He sought help from Rome to send priests to his colony; Rome provided two After encountering numerous delays, in 1627, he finally went himself with a mixed

company of 100 Protestants and Catholics The colony did not thrive

It was too cold—half the colonists were habitually sick (at least 9 died) Soil was too rocky for farming—although fishing was good England was at war with France and the colonists were constantly attacked by

the French

After the bitter winter of 1628-29, Calvert decided to abandon Avalon

Returning to England, he went south and did what he could to reconnoiter Virginia The Virginia Co. had gone bankrupt

in 1624 Calvert petitioned Charles I for a charter

for the northern part of Virginia in which no one had settled It was opposed by Virginians

Terra-Mariae Map by John Ogilby, 1671

Terra Mariae

Charles I granted the charter He wanted the province named after his wife Henrietta Maria and the name

Terra Mariae was chosen Before the charter had received all of its seals, George Calvert, First Baron

Baltimore, died in April, 1632. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Cecil

Cecil Calvert had gone to Avalon, but, to protect Maryland in England, he never went to the colony

Virginians formally sued in 1633 Charles’ problems with Parliament threatened

Calvert’s control of Maryland Calvert interest in colonization

1. Money2. A safe haven for English Catholics

A feudal system of governance was imposed on the colony The Lord Proprietor had almost as much power as

the king Central government: Governor, Council, Assembly Local government: Manors like in England

Would provide security and freedom for Catholics

Cecil Calvert (1605 – 1675), Second Baron BaltimoreLord Proprietor of the Province of Maryland

Lord Cecil Calvert (1605-1675), 2nd Baron Baltimore

Conditions of Plantation To attract colonists, Calvert offered cheap land and advertised it under

conditions of plantation. These conditions became known as the head-right system

The conditions of plantation of 1633 have been lost, but the 1636 version exists For the transportation fee of £20 for 5 able men between 16 and 50, 1000 acres

of land for a manor at 20 shillings rent/year (2000 acres in 1633?) For transportation of an individual, 100 acres of land per head at 2 shillings

rent/year For transportation of less than 5 indentured servants, 100 acres for the

transporter and 100 acres to the servant after completing terms of indenture For transportation of children under 16, 50 acres at 12 pence/year rent

Over time, the conditions of plantation were modified primarily by lowering the amount of land and probably by raising the rent

The head-right system was abolished in 1683, but an allocation of tobacco, which had become currency in Maryland, continued to be awarded to immigrants

Replica of the Dove, St. Mary’s City, MD

The Ark and the Dove With difficulty, Calvert assembled his first colonists

Two brothers, Leonard (Governor of Maryland) and Phillip Two Jesuits, including Fr. Andrew White ~15 nobility and gentry, mostly Catholic ~125 workmen, mostly Protestant, many indentured

The 400 ton Ark and the 40 ton Dove departed Gravesend Nov. 1633, most of the Catholics joined at the Isle of Wight and left on the feast of St. Clement, Nov. 22 They arrived at Barbados in about 7 weeks

despite a severe storm

Stayed at Barbados and Guadeloupe for several weeks restocking supplies

Arrived at Jamestown in late February They departed in early March Arrived at St. Clement’s Island on the

Potomac River on March 24, 1634 Mass was celebrated the next day

Site of the First Mass said inEnglish North America

St. Clement’s IslandMarch 25, 1634

Following Lord Baltimore’s instructions, Leonard Calvert contacted Algonquin tribes to establish cordial relations with them He first encountered Piscataways , on Piscataway Creek, who did not

welcome them Down river they encountered Yaocamicos who traded cloth and tools

for 30 square miles of land They built a palisade at a site called St. Mary’s which probably housed

most of the settlers for 3 years. St. Mary’s City became the first capital of Maryland

Although the beginnings of Maryland were not as severe as they had been for Virginians, many people died prematurely and others gave up and left. But more came and the colony grew. Most newcomers were Protestant

Fur trading had been looked on as a good start-up business, but it failed to be very profitable

Developing the manorial system was delayed because it was expected that Lord Baltimore would come to manage it. After several years, Leonard was instructed to grant land under the conditions of plantation

Initial Growth of the Colony

Leonard Calvert (1606 - 1647)First Governor of Maryland

Manorial Maryland

By 1642, 16 manors had been laid out representing 4/5 of patented land The largest were ~12,000 acres, but some were as small as ~1,000 acres Manorial lords also received 10 acres of town land, ~90% of St. Mary’s City This was the peak of the manorial system

St. Mary’s City never developed into a city although is was incorporated in the 1670’s It functioned as the colony’s principal port and a center of banking and commerce

for only a decade Most manorial lords felt no need for country and city residences as in England An abundance of inlets, deep enough for ocean vessels, did not require a central

port Manors became judicial and economic centers

Tobacco quickly became the foundation of Maryland’s economy Growing numbers of freeholders began to increase significantly

Indenture only lasted ~5 years—then they became freeholders of 100 acres It was not necessary to have a huge plantation to grow tobacco profitably

In 1642, the Catholic population was at its high point of ~25% of the ~400 colonists

Separation of Church and State

Under his charter, Calvert could erect only Anglican churches. As an alternative he chose to separate church and state and neither erected nor supported any churches This was totally unconventional in the 17th century (although proposed by

Luther) Following the religion of the liege lord was a matter of patriotism The lord enforced both civil and religious commandments or laws The lord supported the clergy for both him and his people

To have religious liberty, Calvert had to keep politics and religion separate It implied a religiously pluralistic society—with Catholics in the minority! He saw that religious toleration would protect his investment English Catholics had faced this reality since Reformation Separation of church and state was an unstated policy of the Lord Proprietor The Lord Proprietor and manorial lords would not support clergy

Court records show that toleration was enforced on Catholic manorial lords by fining them for interfering with the religious practices of the Protestants

Calvert and the Jesuits When seeking Jesuits, Calvert made it clear that they would receive no support and would be

treated no differently than the gentlemen adventurers They reluctantly accepted They would receive land in accordance to the head-right system They would be supported by revenues obtained by working the land

Contrary to the proprietor’s instructions They publicly offered Mass in St. Mary’s City and on their manors They offered retreats They proselytized Protestants—they were only permitted to proselytize Indians They established missions to Indians and were successful By 1655, tribes with whom they had success were forced westward by Susquehannocks

Their presence and these actions by the Jesuits in Maryland jeopardized the colony Thomas Copley SJ arrived in 1637

He viewed Maryland as a Catholic state that should recognize rights and privileges of the Church

He opposed laws requiring Jesuits to serve in the assembly, on juries, in the militia and to pay taxes

In 1638, Calvert worked out a compromise eliminating these requirements

Calvert and the Jesuits The modes of acquiring property by the Jesuits became a major source of contention

By Church law, property acquired by the Jesuits would become Church property—English mortmain law prohibited corporations (like the Jesuits) from owning property

They brought many persons into the colony (62 in the first 5 years, but never more than 5 priests) entitling them to enormous tracts of land by the head-right system

They also purchased land from other colonists They also bought and received land from the Patuxent tribe

Lord Baltimore directed that English mortmain law applied in Maryland Purchase by a lay trustee could not be used to avoid the law Colonists must take an oath not to purchase or to receive land from Indians

Lord Baltimore was infuriated when the Jesuits declared that these conditions could not apply to them by Church law He became determined to replace the Jesuits with secular priests He demanded that the Jesuits cede all property that they had acquired to him

Before Leonard Calvert had received his brother’s instructions forbidding trustee ownership, he approved a grant to purchase St. Inigoe Manor by a trustee of the Jesuits The onset of the English Civil War and other problems defaulted into permitting purchase by

trustees Afterwards, the Jesuits became a major land owner in Southern Maryland