Setting sail for the new
land
of Terra Maria,
Governor Leonard Calvert and his adventurers gazed at the passing
landscape for the last time on that fateful day of November 22, 1633.
With intrigue and deception following their every move, the future
colonists boarded two ships, the Ark of London and the Dove,
and set sail for the open waters of the Atlantic. Four months later
they would arrive to found the colony of Maryland after an epic voyage.
Retiring to his cabin, Leonard, the second son of the late George
Calvert, First Lord Baltimore, reviewed the instructions brought to him
just before sailing by Father Andrew White, S. J. This important
document consisted of warnings, policies, and concrete plans for the
future. Calvert thought the order in which they were written was
interesting. Following the vision of their father, Sir George, Cecil
and Leonard were dedicated to the ideas embellished by their family.
The Calvert’s viewed the New World as an opportunity to increase their
personal wealth by accumulating land, establishing markets, and
obtaining natural resources. Foremost in their plans for the colony was
the ideas providing a sanctuary for those whom were religiously
oppressed.
The first
instruction was basic to the idea of Maryland and what it should
represent. Cecil wrote stating that the leaders of the colony
“be very careful to preserve unity and peace amongst
the passengers…and that they suffer no scandall nor offence to be given
to any of the Protestants…all Acts of Romane Catholique Religion to be
done as privately as my be, and that they instruct all Romane
Catholiques to be silent upon all occasions concerning matters of
Religion…”
Foremost in
the minds of the Calvert’s was the determination that the colony would not fail
because of religious intolerance. The Calvert’s were careful in
respecting the rights of all the colonists. It is a fact that the
majority of passengers were of the Anglican faith while most of the
leadership of the colony came from English Catholics. The remainder of
the instructions cautioned Leonard against spies and informers being
aboard his ships. He was told to avoid the Virginians for the first
year and not to give them cause to complain. Other sections emphasized
the importance of planting crops, arming and training a militia, and
establishing a relationship with William Claiborne, an English
entrepreneur and Indian trader who would bring strong opposition to the
Calvert’s and the colony of Maryland.
Leonard’s
early childhood was spent on the family manor at Kiplin Hall in
Yorkshire.
Born to Sir George Calvert and his wife, Anne Mynne, he was baptized in
the Church of England. In his teens, he and his siblings were sent to
the continent where they received a Catholic education. When the first
Lord Baltimore announced his conversion to Catholicism, Leonard
apparently followed suit. In 1623, George Calvert gained a charter of
Avalon, Newfoundland and in 1628, he relocated his family, including
Leonard, to his colony.
While the
family was in Avalon, the French, operating from their base in Quebec, began
attacking the English fishing vessels. Lord Baltimore commissioned
Leonard, then 18 years old as commander of the militia. Leonard, who
had some military experience, trained his recruits into a fighting force
and went to sea aboard the Ark of Avalon. Joining two Royal
Naval vessels, this small armada defeated the French discouraging them
from attempting to dislodge the English from their colony in
Newfoundland. This experience helped Leonard Calvert prepare for the
responsibilities he would assume as the first governor of Maryland.
Governor
Leonard Calvert’s personal life was shaded in mystery. Little is known
of the private life of Maryland’s first governor outside of official
reports and letters sent to his brother. He may have married Anne,
daughter of Richard Brent, after returning to England in 1643. With the
outbreak of the English Civil War, it is quite possible that the
marriage was performed in secret by a Catholic priest and was never
recorded. It is also thought that during his seventeen-month absence
from Maryland, Leonard fathered two children, William and Anne. When he
returned to Maryland he arrived alone, perhaps leaving his children with
a nurse.
The Maryland
Charter extended to the colonists the same basic rights enjoyed by all
Englishmen. The king reserved two stipulations concerning the governing
of t
he
new colony founded by the Lords Baltimore. The first of these required
the Lords Baltimore to recognize the authority of the monarchy over the
Charter of Maryland. The second granted freemen the right to
participate in the colonial government. After the historic landing on
St. Clement’s Island in the spring of 1634, and following the
negotiations with the Indians, the new Marylanders gathered to
commemorate their successful crossing of the ocean. As some unloaded
necessities, and others performed guard duty, the remainder of the
colonists waded ashore and joined the governor and his council in a
dignified ceremony declaring that the colony of Maryland was from this
point forward established in the name of “our Saviour and our
Sovereign, the King of England.” The instructions from Lord
Baltimore were read only then to the colonists. A Mass of thanksgiving
celebrated by Father Andrew White and Father John Altham highlighted the
event. This was the first Roman Catholic Mass in the English speaking
colonies.
The
Governor, after moving the colony to St. Mary’s City, called the freemen
together to propose legislation for the new colony. These new laws were
sent to Lord Baltimore for his approval. However, Lord Baltimore
rejected the initiative from the colonists and sent his own laws for
their adoption. After rejecting these proposed laws from the
Proprietor, Governor Calvert reasoned that the colonists knew better
what laws should be enacted for the success of the colony. Lord
Baltimore agreed and made the statement that he had enemies enough in
England and Virginia without creating more in Maryland. Governor
Calvert appointed a council of advisors to assist him in governing the
colony. At the same time, he called for an assembly of freemen to
approve and initiate new laws. These two bodies evolved into our
present form of government with the freemen becoming the House of
Delegates and the Governor’s Council the
State Senate.
A more
serious threat to the colony arrived with the outbreak of the English
Civil War. King Charles, with his doctrine of “Divine Right of Kings”
to rule alienated the predominantly Puritan Parliament who insisted on a
limited monarchy. Before the outbreak of the English War, Governor
Calvert following his brother’s instructions avoided contact with
Captain William Claiborne. After a year, Claiborne was offered the
opportunity to participate in Lord Baltimore’s colony but he refused
stating that his settlement on Kent Island was a part of the colony at
Jamestown and was included in the Virginia charter.
A stand off
ensued between Claiborne and Governor Calvert with the tension being
increased as Claiborne sent Thomas Smith in the Long Taile to
trade with the Indians near St. Mary’s City. Henry Fleete, an early
trader on the Potomac and sometimes ally of the Calvert’s, was sent to
seize the Long Taile. When Claiborne realized the governor had
seized the Long Taile, he sent the Cockatrice to recapture his
vessel. Instead, the Cockatrice met Calvert’s ships, the St.
Margaret and St. Helen in Pocomoke Sound and a sea battle
began: the first in Maryland waters. Thomas Cornwallis,** captain of
the St. Margaret attacked Claiborne’s vessel and captured it
after a short skirmish. In February of 1638, after demanding the
surrender of Claiborne’s subordinate, Thomas Smith and his garrison on
Kent Island, Leonard Calvert, Thomas Cornwallis and musketeers of the
St. Mary’s City Militia led by Sergeant Robert Vaughn, invaded Kent
Island. Thomas Smith was taken prisoner and transported to St. Mary’s
City where he was tried for piracy, convicted, and hung. This saga of
adventure and intrigue also includes Governor Calvert’s concept of
fairness and reconciliation. As Chief Justice of the colony, Governor
Calvert had the option of seizing the property of the late Thomas
Smith. This he did. However, when he learned that Smith left behind a
widow and two children, he promptly returned the property.
The English
civil War was in full force and the King’s army became besieged at every
turn. Queen Henrietta Maria, Maryland’s namesake had gone to Europe in
search of supplies to support her husband’s Royalists as the war with
Parliament continued. Lord Baltimore tried to remain neutral during
this conflict in order to preserve his Maryland Charter. The war had
not reached Maryland until the ship Reformation of London arrived
in the Potomac and anchored off St.
Clement’s Island. Captain Richard Ingle had arrived with the thundering
statement that he was “Captain of Graveshead for the Parliament against
the king!” In the meantime, Governor Calvert had gone to Virginia and
had appointed Giles Brent as Acting Governor. Believing the colony to
be in danger, Brent arrested Ingle and had him confined to the custody
of the sheriff Edward Packer. Lord Baltimore’s old friend, Thomas
Cornwallis and James Neale, a member of the Governor’s Council, were
able to persuade the sheriff to allow them custody of Ingle. They then
proceeded to the Reformation of London where the trio persuaded
the guard to lay down their arms. Ingle was now back in command of his
ship. After Ingle’s escape, Neale, Packer and Cornwallis were arrested.
Neale and Packer were acquitted but Cornwallis was found guilty and
heavily fined. After his conviction, Cornwallis angrily returned to
England with Ingle. In 1645, the Reformation of London returned
with authority from Parliament to seize the colony. Governor Calvert
realizing Ingle held the advantage decided to leave Maryland for
Virginia to escape capture. Here, Governor Calvert remained in exile
for two years. Supporters of Governor Calvert including Father Andrew
White and Giles Brent were arrested and sent to England in chains.
Ingle’s men invaded, burned and looted St. Mary’s City and the outlying
plantations.
With the
execution of King Charles I in 1649, the Puritans established a
commonwealth and abolished the monarchy. Governor Leonard Calvert was
not through however, and raised an army consisting of Marylanders and
Virginians to retake his colony by force. In 1646, Governor Calvert
returned to Maryland and sailed up the Potomac River to St. Mary’s
City. The Governor arrived unopposed and he was greeted as a
liberator. Meanwhile, in England, the conditions of the Maryland
Charter were modified by Parliament and the Lords Baltimore lost some of
their power. Their claim to Maryland was upheld and with the
restoration of the government in St. Mary’s City, Kent Island recognized
the authority of the Calvert’s and no longer pose a threat.
With the
English Civil War and the Kent Island conflict in the past, Governor
Calvert was ready to lead the infant colony in a hopeful era of
prosperity. This was not to happen, however. On a morning early in
June, Governor Calvert became seriously ill. As his life faded, he
instructed the Mistress Margaret Brent, his close friend and lawyer, to
attend to his affairs after his death. This included the paying of the
soldiers that had returned with him the previous year and who were now
petitioning for their wages. After this final request, Governor Leonard
Calvert died on June 11, 1645. The location of his grave is unknown but
it is thought that he is buried in St. Mary’s City in the Chapel Field.
As a final
tribute to Maryland’s first governor, Father Andrew White wrote “…he
had led the colonists and by wise and humane measures won the friendship
of the Indians, the confidence of his sovereign, the Proprietor, and his
fellow colonists, and brought the plan to successful fruition…”***
* Cecil Calvert’s
Instructions to his colonists 1633
** Ancestor of General
Charles Cornwallis who surrendered the British army to General
Washington as Yorktown in
1781 and ending
the American Revolution.
***Leonard Calvert
and the Maryland Adventure, Ann Jensen. On sale in the museum
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