My Lady's Manor
Encyclopedia
My Lady's Manor is a national historic district
at Monkton
, Baltimore County
and Jarrettsville
, Harford County
, Maryland
, United States
. It a rural or agricultural area, with one village, Monkton. Monkton first developed around a water-powered grist mill and later became a station on the Northern Central Railway
. The 10000 acres (40.5 km²) manor itself was established in 1713. Over 60 principal structures, plus numerous important outbuildings associated with them, are included in the district.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
(c.1670 - 22 December 1746), was an 'English Gentleman and Entrepreneur. He was also a 'fraudster' on an epic scale. The son of Thomas Brerewood (senior) of Horton, Cheshire, England. Thomas came from a wealthy and very prominent Chester family; the son of an Anglican rector and the grandson of Sir Robert Brerewood
, a justice on the Court of Common Pleas during the English Civil War
(1642-51). He also had a well-known professor, a mayor of Chester, and a clerk of the House of Commons in his family tree.
By 1705, when he was in his mid-thirties, Brerewood was already a man of considerable personal fortune, when he was involved in what was known as the Pitkin Affair in 1705 It was a financial scandal that rocked England. Unravelling the scam required three large insolvencies (including his bankers Coggs & Dann) and four acts of Parliament over the course of more than forty years. However, Brerewood's ability to negotiate successfully with his creditors, resulted in his Pardon
, and he was fully discharged by 1709. He was thus permitted to rebuild his fortunes. This he seems to have done.
The opportunity came about offering him a new career in the Colonies. In September 1716, his son Thomas Jr., then in his early twenties, married Charlotte Calvert, the fourteen-year old daughter of the fourth Lord Baltimore Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
. The marriage may not have been sanctioned by her family, for the couple had a clandestine wedding in the Fleet Prison, (Fleet Marriage
) which was not publicly announced until February of the following year. In July 1731, Charlotte inherited 10,000 acres in northern Maryland called My Lady's Manor. The following month, Charlotte and her husband deeded the land to Brerewood with the intent that he would use the property to pay off Thomas Jr.’s creditors, of whom Brerewood was likely the largest.
In order to better organize the property, Brerewood, by then in his early sixties, went to Maryland, where he would spend the rest of his life. He is believed to have been an innovative and successful land manager, dividing the property into lots, obtaining tenants, (whom he insisted pay their debts), and founding a short-lived town called Charlotte Town on the site of the present Monkton, Maryland. Completing his resurrection as a man of importance, in 1741, Brerewood became clerk of Baltimore County, a well-remunerated position he held until his death on December 22, 1746.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
at Monkton
Monkton, Maryland
Monkton is an unincorporated community in northern Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It has a population of about 4,856 people. It is in area, with approximately...
, Baltimore County
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
and Jarrettsville
Jarrettsville, Maryland
Jarrettsville is a census-designated place in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,756 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Harford County
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
, Maryland
Maryland
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It a rural or agricultural area, with one village, Monkton. Monkton first developed around a water-powered grist mill and later became a station on the Northern Central Railway
Northern Central Railway
The Northern Central Railway was a Class I Railroad connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1861, when the PRR acquired a controlling interest in the Northern Central's stock to compete with the...
. The 10000 acres (40.5 km²) manor itself was established in 1713. Over 60 principal structures, plus numerous important outbuildings associated with them, are included in the district.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
Thomas Brerewood -one time owner of My Lady's Manor
Thomas BrerewoodThomas Brerewood
Thomas Brerewood , was a 'Gentleman Entrepreneur & Fraudster'. He was deeply involved in the "Pitkin Affair" of 1705, a bankruptcy fraud that was only surpassed in scale by the South Sea Bubble of 1720...
(c.1670 - 22 December 1746), was an 'English Gentleman and Entrepreneur. He was also a 'fraudster' on an epic scale. The son of Thomas Brerewood (senior) of Horton, Cheshire, England. Thomas came from a wealthy and very prominent Chester family; the son of an Anglican rector and the grandson of Sir Robert Brerewood
Robert Brerewood
Sir Robert Brerewood was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640.Brerewood was the son of John Brerewood who had been Sheriff of Chester. The Brerewood family over several generations filled many public offices in Chester. In 1605 Brerewood was sent to Brasenose...
, a justice on the Court of Common Pleas during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
(1642-51). He also had a well-known professor, a mayor of Chester, and a clerk of the House of Commons in his family tree.
By 1705, when he was in his mid-thirties, Brerewood was already a man of considerable personal fortune, when he was involved in what was known as the Pitkin Affair in 1705 It was a financial scandal that rocked England. Unravelling the scam required three large insolvencies (including his bankers Coggs & Dann) and four acts of Parliament over the course of more than forty years. However, Brerewood's ability to negotiate successfully with his creditors, resulted in his Pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
, and he was fully discharged by 1709. He was thus permitted to rebuild his fortunes. This he seems to have done.
The opportunity came about offering him a new career in the Colonies. In September 1716, his son Thomas Jr., then in his early twenties, married Charlotte Calvert, the fourteen-year old daughter of the fourth Lord Baltimore Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore
Benedict 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...
. The marriage may not have been sanctioned by her family, for the couple had a clandestine wedding in the Fleet Prison, (Fleet Marriage
Fleet Marriage
A Fleet Marriage is the best-known example of an irregular or a clandestine marriage taking place in England before the Marriage Act 1753 came into force on March 25, 1754...
) which was not publicly announced until February of the following year. In July 1731, Charlotte inherited 10,000 acres in northern Maryland called My Lady's Manor. The following month, Charlotte and her husband deeded the land to Brerewood with the intent that he would use the property to pay off Thomas Jr.’s creditors, of whom Brerewood was likely the largest.
In order to better organize the property, Brerewood, by then in his early sixties, went to Maryland, where he would spend the rest of his life. He is believed to have been an innovative and successful land manager, dividing the property into lots, obtaining tenants, (whom he insisted pay their debts), and founding a short-lived town called Charlotte Town on the site of the present Monkton, Maryland. Completing his resurrection as a man of importance, in 1741, Brerewood became clerk of Baltimore County, a well-remunerated position he held until his death on December 22, 1746.
External links
- My Lady's Manor, Baltimore and Harford County, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Boundary Map of My Lady's Manor, Baltimore and Harford County, at Maryland Historical Trust
