Charles Calvert (governor)
Encyclopedia
Captain
Charles Calvert (1688 – February 2, 1734) was the 14th Proprietary Governor
of Maryland
in 1720, at a time when the Calvert family had recently regained control of their proprietary colony. He was appointed Governor by his cousin Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
, who in 1721 came into his inheritance. Calvert worked to reassert the Proprietary interest against the privileges of the colonists as set out in the Maryland Charter, and to ease tensions between the Lords Baltimore and their subjects. Religious tension, which had been a source of great division in the colony, was much reduced under his governorship. Captain Calvert was replaced as governor in 1727 by his cousin Benedict Leonard Calvert
, though he continued to occupy other colonial offices. He suffered from early senility and died in 1734.
Calvert was born Charles Calvert Lazenby in England in 1688. Neither of his parents has been positively identified but it has long been assumed that his father was Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
, 2nd Proprietor Governor of Maryland (1637–1715). His mother's identity in unknown but, judging by the Calvert family papers, she appears to have been the Countess Henrietta, also known as "Mother Calvert", who died circa 1728.
, promotions which most likely were financed by his wealthy Calvert patrons. Guards Regiments were among the most prestigious in the army and commissions were comparatively expensive.
which had been confiscated by the Crown following the events of the Glorious Revolution
in 1688. Among the reasons for his appointment were his loyalty to the Crown, his desire to live permanently in Maryland, and above all else his presumed loyalty to the family interest. Calvert was a pragmatic man not given to ostentation. His opening speech to the Assembly was brief, inviting the delegates "to let time and my actions show" that his governorship would serve the interests of the colony.
According to Aubrey Land, his mission was initially "soothing tempers and making peace". He laboured to strike an acceptable balance between the interests of the Maryland colonists and those of the Lord Proprietor, and in addition to manage relations with the local Algonquian
tribes. To this end Calvert entered into negotiations with the tribal chiefs of the Seneca
, Tuscarora
and Shawnee
Indians.
Calvert replaced as Governor the Protestant Thomas Brooke
, whose "malicious designs" he had been sent to bring to an end. Early on he worked to reassert the Proprietary interest and prerogative against the privileges of the colonists as set out in the Maryland Charter. He also worked to ease tensions between the propriety government and its subjects. In a speech in 1725 he suggested that their differences might be of a devilish nature:
in Prince George's County, passed to Captain Calvert.
Calvert was an excellent horseman and promoted horse racing during his tenure as Governor. When he died he left behind a thoroughbred worth 18 pounds sterling, a considerable sum at the time.
, brother of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
, arrived in Maryland in 1727. The handover of power to his cousin was not entirely smooth. Captain Calvert insisted on retaining fifty percent of the 3 pence tobacco duty which was his due under legislation passed in 1727. Benedict was not impressed, and his younger brother Cecilius wrote to him that family opinion in England was appalled at Captain Calvert's behaviour, and "thinks him mad". Lord Baltimore himself wrote that Benedict should receive the full benefit of the tax.
From 1726 to c. 1733 Calvert served as Surveyor General to the Western Shore.
, and other institutions.
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
Charles Calvert (1688 – February 2, 1734) was the 14th Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....
of Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
in 1720, at a time when the Calvert family had recently regained control of their proprietary colony. He was appointed Governor by his cousin Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, who in 1721 came into his inheritance. Calvert worked to reassert the Proprietary interest against the privileges of the colonists as set out in the Maryland Charter, and to ease tensions between the Lords Baltimore and their subjects. Religious tension, which had been a source of great division in the colony, was much reduced under his governorship. Captain Calvert was replaced as governor in 1727 by his cousin Benedict Leonard Calvert
Benedict Leonard Calvert
The Hon. Benedict Leonard Calvert was the 15th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1727 through 1731, appointed by his older brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore . He was named after his father, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore...
, though he continued to occupy other colonial offices. He suffered from early senility and died in 1734.
Early life
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor and 6th and 9th Proprietary Governor of Maryland , inherited the colony in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his father's Deputy Governor since 1661 when he arrived in the colony at the age of 24...
, 2nd Proprietor Governor of Maryland (1637–1715). His mother's identity in unknown but, judging by the Calvert family papers, she appears to have been the Countess Henrietta, also known as "Mother Calvert", who died circa 1728.
Military career
Calvert served in England's wars against France and Spain, most likely reaching the rank of ensign by around 1709. In 1718 Calvert purchased further commissions in the army, becoming at aged 30 first a lieutenant and later a captain in the Grenadier GuardsGrenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, promotions which most likely were financed by his wealthy Calvert patrons. Guards Regiments were among the most prestigious in the army and commissions were comparatively expensive.
Governor of Maryland
Calvert was appointed Governor of Maryland in around 1720, sent to advance the interests of his Calvert relatives, who had recently regained control of the colony of MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
which had been confiscated by the Crown following the events of the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
in 1688. Among the reasons for his appointment were his loyalty to the Crown, his desire to live permanently in Maryland, and above all else his presumed loyalty to the family interest. Calvert was a pragmatic man not given to ostentation. His opening speech to the Assembly was brief, inviting the delegates "to let time and my actions show" that his governorship would serve the interests of the colony.
According to Aubrey Land, his mission was initially "soothing tempers and making peace". He laboured to strike an acceptable balance between the interests of the Maryland colonists and those of the Lord Proprietor, and in addition to manage relations with the local Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
tribes. To this end Calvert entered into negotiations with the tribal chiefs of the Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
, Tuscarora
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
and Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
Indians.
Calvert replaced as Governor the Protestant Thomas Brooke
Thomas Brooke, Jr.
Colonel Thomas Brooke, Jr., of Brookefield was President of the Council in Maryland and acting 13th Proprietary Governor of Maryland. He was the son of Major Thomas Brooke, Esq. and his second wife Eleanor Hatton .In 1720 he was elected President of the Council, and acting Governor of Maryland...
, whose "malicious designs" he had been sent to bring to an end. Early on he worked to reassert the Proprietary interest and prerogative against the privileges of the colonists as set out in the Maryland Charter. He also worked to ease tensions between the propriety government and its subjects. In a speech in 1725 he suggested that their differences might be of a devilish nature:
- "I am afraid some Evil Spirits walk among us and it would be a matter of Great pleasure to such, to have your house [the people of Maryland] and mine [Lord Baltimore] att Variance, but for my own part, I defy the Devill and his Works to do it".
Marriage
As governor of the Province, Calvert was a most eligible bachelor. He took as his wife Rebecca Gerard (1708-1734/35) a landed heiress from Maryland, who was just sixteen when the couple were married on November 21, 1722 by the rector of Queen Anne's parish, a marriage which "enlivened the whole winter season with entertainments for the new first lady", wrote Aubrey Land. She was an only child and on her marriage her property, a plantation near Queen Anne's TownQueen Anne, Prince George's County, Maryland
Queen Anne in Prince George's County, Maryland is a former seaport on the Patuxent River in Maryland.-Geography:Queen Anne is located at 38°53'55" North, 76°40'42" West . Most of the town's former waterfront area is now part of Patuxent River Park, owned and operated by the Maryland-National...
in Prince George's County, passed to Captain Calvert.
Calvert was an excellent horseman and promoted horse racing during his tenure as Governor. When he died he left behind a thoroughbred worth 18 pounds sterling, a considerable sum at the time.
Religion
The religious disputes which had characterized Maryland politics in earlier years were subdued under Calvert's rule. Rules forbidding the practice of Roman Catholicism were relaxed and, in general, religious conflict was much reduced.Replacement as governor
Captain Calvert was replaced as Governor when his cousin Benedict Leonard CalvertBenedict Leonard Calvert
The Hon. Benedict Leonard Calvert was the 15th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1727 through 1731, appointed by his older brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore . He was named after his father, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore...
, brother of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, arrived in Maryland in 1727. The handover of power to his cousin was not entirely smooth. Captain Calvert insisted on retaining fifty percent of the 3 pence tobacco duty which was his due under legislation passed in 1727. Benedict was not impressed, and his younger brother Cecilius wrote to him that family opinion in England was appalled at Captain Calvert's behaviour, and "thinks him mad". Lord Baltimore himself wrote that Benedict should receive the full benefit of the tax.
From 1726 to c. 1733 Calvert served as Surveyor General to the Western Shore.
Family life
The Calverts had three children:- Charles (1723-1723/4), died in infancy.
- Anne (1724-c1737), died in childhood.
- Elizabeth CalvertElizabeth CalvertElizabeth Calvert was the daughter of Maryland Governor Captain Charles Calvert and Rebecca Gerard, and a wealthy heiress in colonial Maryland. Her parents died when she was young, leaving her their substantial fortune...
(1731-1788), who married her cousin Benedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
(c. 1730-1788), on April 21, 1748, in St Ann's ChurchSt. Anne's Church (Annapolis, Maryland)St. Anne's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located in Church Circle, Annapolis. The first church in Annapolis, it was founded in 1692 to serve as the parish church for the newly created Middle Neck Parish, one of the original 30 Anglican parishes in the Province of Maryland.-First...
, Annapolis. The couple were married by the Reverend John Gordon. Benedict Swingate Calvert was the illegitimate son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron BaltimoreCharles Calvert, 5th Baron BaltimoreCharles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, the third Proprietor Governor of MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and a wealthy planter. They had thirteen children. Elizabeth's godfather was Captain Calvert's cousin, Benedict Leonard CalvertBenedict Leonard CalvertThe Hon. Benedict Leonard Calvert was the 15th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1727 through 1731, appointed by his older brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore . He was named after his father, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore...
, second son of Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron BaltimoreBenedict Calvert, 4th Baron BaltimoreBenedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, 10th Proprietary Governor of Maryland was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second son of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore by Jane Lowe. He became his father's heir upon the death of his elder brother, Cecil in 1681...
, who died of consumption in 1732.
Illness and death
Captain Calvert suffered from early senility and died on February 2, 1734, aged 42. He had arrived in Maryland a relatively poor man, but died one of the wealthiest men in the Province. On his death his estate was appraised at 4,401 pounds sterling. His wife died Rebecca soon afterwards, and in 1737 their daughter Anne died, leaving their last remaining child Elizabeth an orphan, but a wealthy heiress.Legacy
Captain Calvert's house at 58 State Circle, Annapolis, was the subject of an archeological dig in the l980s and early 1990s. The results of the dig, along with much other research, were published in 1994 by Anne Elizabeth Yentsch in her book A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves, published by Cambridge University Press. The excavation of the Calvert House was financed by Historic Annapolis Inc, the National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, and other institutions.
External links
- Calvert Family Tree Retrieved Jan 24 2010
- Charles Calvert described in Maryland Archives at www.msa.md.gov Retrieved October 2010
See also
- List of colonial governors of Maryland
- Province of MarylandProvince of MarylandThe Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
- Baron BaltimoreBaron BaltimoreBaron Baltimore, of Baltimore Manor in County Longford, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1625 for George Calvert and became extinct on the death of the sixth Baron in 1771. The title was held by several members of the Calvert family who were proprietors of the palatinates...
- Colonial families of MarylandColonial families of MarylandThe Colonial families of Maryland were the leading families in the Province of Maryland. Several also had interests in the Colony of Virginia, and the two are sometimes referred to as the Chesapeake Colonies. Many of the early settlers came from the West Midlands in England, although the Maryland...
- Calvert family