Nicholas Greenberry
Encyclopedia
Colonel Nicholas Greenberry (December 1627 December 17, 1697) was the 4th Royal Governor
of Maryland
, and Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and Baltimore
Counties.
. He married to Anne, her maiden name being unknown, in England about 1670. Little is known of Greenberry's life in England, except that he was a highly educated person with military experience. He may have been the Nicholas Greenberry baptized 15 December 1640 at Irnham, Lincolnshire
, but that remains unproven.
Nicholas and Anne Greenberry had four children: Charles, born 9 February 1672 in England; died 1713 in Anne Arundel County; Katherine, born c. 1674 in England; Anne, born c. 1676 in Anne Arundel County; and Elizabeth, born 23 September 1678 in Anne Arundel County.
Greenberry arrived at Patuxent
, in the Maryland Colony, aboard the sailing ship Constant Friendship in 1674. On 9 July 1674, Capt. William Wheatly, master, claimed rights due for transportation of 43 passengers on board, including "Mr Greenberry his wife & two Children."
Later, in 1680, Nicholas bought another tract
of land near "Providence" called "Fuller" from Colonel William Fuller
. This land was resurveyed and renamed "Greenberry Forest". Greenberry called the home "Whitehall", a name it retains to this day. In later years, this home became the residence of Horatio Sharpe
, governor of the Maryland Colony. Sharpe had a Georgian mansion built on the site.
In 1685, Colonel Nicholas Greenberry bought 250 acres (1 km²) of land called "Towne Neck". This is located at the mouth of the Severn River
and became known as "Greenberry Point". The colony's Deputy Governor, Governor Notley, was forced from office for hanging
two Protestants for rebellion against authority. He was replaced by a Committee of twenty citizens. Greenberry was one of the gentlemen justices chosen as a member of that committee.
, seized St. Marys, the capital of the colony, in a revolt against the proprietary government. This same year, Nicholas was captain of foot in the Anne Arundel County Militia. He was promoted to Major
in 1690. He then quickly received a commission of Colonel
, and was appointed Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and Baltimore
Counties.
The proprietaryship
was disallowed on 27 June 1691. Sir Lionel Copley
took the office as governor, and quickly appointed Greenberry as a member of the council. Copley died in September 1693, at which time Greenberry was appointed by Sir Edmund Andros
, Governor of Virginia
, as President of the Council, Acting Governor of Maryland, and Keeper of the Great Seal of Maryland. Greenberry served in this capacity until he was replaced on 26 July 1694 by Francis Nicholson
by a commission from the King dated in February 169/4.
of Maryland. Here is the way it reads verbatim:
Nicholas Greenberry died at the age of 70 on 17 December 1697 at "Whitehall". His wife Anne died 27 April 1698 at the age of 50. Both are buried in St. Anne's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.
Royal governor
Royal governor is an informal term used to refer to a colonial or provincial Governor, or by extension a Governor-General or similar gubernatorial official, appointed by a king or other monarch....
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...
, and Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and Baltimore
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...
Counties.
Early life and family
Nicholas Greenberry was born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He married to Anne, her maiden name being unknown, in England about 1670. Little is known of Greenberry's life in England, except that he was a highly educated person with military experience. He may have been the Nicholas Greenberry baptized 15 December 1640 at Irnham, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, but that remains unproven.
Nicholas and Anne Greenberry had four children: Charles, born 9 February 1672 in England; died 1713 in Anne Arundel County; Katherine, born c. 1674 in England; Anne, born c. 1676 in Anne Arundel County; and Elizabeth, born 23 September 1678 in Anne Arundel County.
Greenberry arrived at Patuxent
Patuxent
-People:* Patuxent people, an Algonquian people indigenous to what is now the Mid-Atlantic United States-Places and geological features:* Patuxent, Maryland, an unincorporated community in Charles County* Patuxent Range, a mountain chain in Antarctica...
, in the Maryland Colony, aboard the sailing ship Constant Friendship in 1674. On 9 July 1674, Capt. William Wheatly, master, claimed rights due for transportation of 43 passengers on board, including "Mr Greenberry his wife & two Children."
Land ownership
According to Maryland Land Warrants, Annapolis Land Office, Liber 15, folio 837, Greenberry was granted a warrant for 350 acres (1.4 km²) of land located in "Providence" (now Annapolis) on July 29, 1674.Later, in 1680, Nicholas bought another tract
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
of land near "Providence" called "Fuller" from Colonel William Fuller
William Fuller
William Fuller may refer to:* William Fuller * William Fuller , bishop of Lincoln* William Fuller , dean of Ely* William Fuller , U.S...
. This land was resurveyed and renamed "Greenberry Forest". Greenberry called the home "Whitehall", a name it retains to this day. In later years, this home became the residence of Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe was the 22nd Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the Restored Proprietary Government.-Biography:...
, governor of the Maryland Colony. Sharpe had a Georgian mansion built on the site.
In 1685, Colonel Nicholas Greenberry bought 250 acres (1 km²) of land called "Towne Neck". This is located at the mouth of the Severn River
Severn River (Maryland)
The Severn River runs through Anne Arundel County in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located south of the Magothy River, and north of the South River.-Geography:...
and became known as "Greenberry Point". The colony's Deputy Governor, Governor Notley, was forced from office for hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
two Protestants for rebellion against authority. He was replaced by a Committee of twenty citizens. Greenberry was one of the gentlemen justices chosen as a member of that committee.
Revolt
On July 27, 1689, the Protestant Association, under John CoodeJohn Coode (Governor of Maryland)
John Coode is best known for leading a rebellion that overthrew Maryland's colonial government in 1689...
, seized St. Marys, the capital of the colony, in a revolt against the proprietary government. This same year, Nicholas was captain of foot in the Anne Arundel County Militia. He was promoted to Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1690. He then quickly received a commission of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and was appointed Commander of the Military Forces of Anne Arundel and Baltimore
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...
Counties.
The proprietaryship
Proprietary colony
A proprietary colony was a colony in which one or more individuals, usually land owners, remaining subject to their parent state's sanctions, retained rights that are today regarded as the privilege of the state, and in all cases eventually became so....
was disallowed on 27 June 1691. Sir Lionel Copley
Lionel Copley
Sir Lionel Copley was the 1st Royal Governor of Maryland from 1692 through his death in 1693. He was the first official royal governor appointed by the British crown after the colony was removed from the proprietary control of the Calvert family during the Glorious Revolution...
took the office as governor, and quickly appointed Greenberry as a member of the council. Copley died in September 1693, at which time Greenberry was appointed by Sir Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros
Sir Edmund Andros was an English colonial administrator in North America. Andros was known most notably for his governorship of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. He also governed at various times the provinces of New York, East and West Jersey, Virginia, and...
, Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
, as President of the Council, Acting Governor of Maryland, and Keeper of the Great Seal of Maryland. Greenberry served in this capacity until he was replaced on 26 July 1694 by Francis Nicholson
Francis Nicholson
Francis Nicholson was a British military officer and colonial administrator. His military service included time in Africa and Europe, after which he was sent as leader of the troops supporting Sir Edmund Andros in the Dominion of New England. There he distinguished himself, and was appointed...
by a commission from the King dated in February 169/4.
High court appointment
On 2 March 1695, Nicholas Greenberry was on the high Court of ChanceryCourt of equity
A chancery court, equity court or court of equity is a court that is authorized to apply principles of equity, as opposed to law, to cases brought before it.These courts began with petitions to the Lord Chancellor of England...
of Maryland. Here is the way it reads verbatim:
- "William yeThorn (letter)Thorn or þorn , is a letter in the Old English, Old Norse, and Icelandic alphabets, as well as some dialects of Middle English. It was also used in medieval Scandinavia, but was later replaced with the digraph th. The letter originated from the rune in the Elder Fuþark, called thorn in the...
third by ye grace of God of England, Holland, France, and Ireland, King Defender of ye faith &c to Coll. Nicholas Greenberry, Kneln Chesteldyne and Ma'r Edw. Dorsey, Esqrs. Greeting.
- "Whereas by a late commission granted by us and our Royal Consort Mary lately deed dated ye 14th day of last Coll. Henry Jowles, Esq. was instituted Chiefs Judge in Chancery & Keeper of our Great Seal of Maryland & Kenelm Chrseldyne & M'jr Edwd. Dorsey, Esqs joynt Commissioners & Assistant Judges in our high Court of Chancery for ye sd province and whereas ye said Coll. Henr. Jowles, Esq. being at present afflicted with ye Gout & other indispositions of body is therefore unable to attend ye said Court of Chancery and ye causes in our said Court require a dispatch & cannot without public prejudice be delayed, KNOW YET WE have therefore assigned you ye sd. COLL. NICHO. GREENBURY.
- "Kenelm Chesldyne and Ma'r Edwd. Dorsey, Esqs. Commissioners & Judges of our high Court of Chancery in our sd province of Maryland until such time as ye above said Coll. Henr. Jowles (together with ye assistant Judges joynt in ye said Commission with him) shall be able to attend his said office and to keep the cause to be kept all ordinances, rules &c. March 2, 1695."
Seal of Maryland
According to Charles Francis Stein, in his Origin and History of Howard Co., Maryland, on page 214, he writes:- "I made a careful examination of the seal impressions left by Nicholas Greenberry and his son. The shield, having a bend with three lozenges (diamond shapes) can be seen without much difficulty, and the crest above the knight's helmet, seemingly a horned animal's head in profile, was most evidently a unicorn. "Pursuing the matter further, I discovered that there was one family arms listed as having the combination of a band with three lozenges on the shield with a unicorn's head for the crest. This is the English family of CARRINGTON, a family of ancient noble descent. According to Burke, the chief line of the Barons of Carrington became extinct in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Colonel Nicholas Greenberry was born a generation later, in 1627. It would seem probable that he was closely related to the Carringtons. Could it be that his mother was a Carrington and his father perhaps a member of the royal family?"
Nicholas Greenberry died at the age of 70 on 17 December 1697 at "Whitehall". His wife Anne died 27 April 1698 at the age of 50. Both are buried in St. Anne's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.