Baron Baltimore
| Barony of Baltimore | |
 |
|
| Creation date | 1625 |
|---|---|
| Created by | James I of England |
| Peerage | Peerage of Ireland |
| First holder | George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore |
| Present holder | None |
| Remainder to | {{{remainder to}}} |
Baron Baltimore, of Baltimore Manor in County Longford, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1624 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 Province of Avalon in Newfoundland and Province of Maryland, later the U.S. state of Maryland. In the context of United States history, the name Lord Baltimore usually refers to Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore after whom the city of Baltimore, Maryland is named. His younger brother Leonard Calvert was the first Governor of Maryland.
As members of the Irish peerage, the Lords Baltimore were able to sit in the House of Commons. Irish peerages were often used as a way of creating peerages which did not grant a seat in the English House of Lords and so allowed the grantee to sit in the House of Commons in London. As a consequence, many Irish peers had little or no connection to Ireland.
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[edit] Barons Baltimore (1625)
- George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore (c.1580–1632)
- Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675)
- Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore (1637–1715)
- Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore (1679–1715)
- Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore (1699–1751)
- Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore (1731–1771)
[edit] Other notable Calverts
Though the barony is extinct, The Barons Baltimore left a number of descendants, including:
- Leonard Calvert (1606–1647), the first Governor of the Province of Maryland. He was the second son of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore.
- Phillip Calvert (born c. early 17th century), proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland during a brief period in 1660 or 1661. He was appointed by the royally chartered proprietor of Maryland, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, as a caretaker to replace Josias Fendall.
- Captain Charles Calvert (1680–1734), 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.
- Benedict Leonard Calvert (1700–1732), the proprietary governor of the Maryland colony from 1727 through 1731, appointed by his brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore.
- Benedict Swingate Calvert (c. 1730–1788), the illegitimate son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland. Loyalist and Judge of the Land Office prior to the American Revolution.
- Eleanor Calvert (1758–1811), daughter-in-law of Martha Dandridge Washington and the stepdaughter-in-law of George Washington.
- Henry Harford (1758–1834), 5th and last Proprietor of Maryland. He was the illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.
- Charles Benedict Calvert (1808–1864), a U.S. Congressman from the sixth district of Maryland, serving one term from 1861–1863.
[edit] Legacy
There are several locations in Maryland named after the Barons Baltimore, including Baltimore County, Baltimore City. Calvert County, Cecil County, Charles County, Frederick County, Leonardtown, St. Leonard and Calvert Cliffs. Anne Arundell's name survives in that of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. His name survives in that of Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil Avenue and Calvert Street in Baltimore City, and Calvert street in Washington, DC. Harford County is named for Henry Harford, the illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, who while not able to inherit the peerage, did inherit the Lord Proprietorship, only to lose it during the Revolution. There is also a Charles Street in Baltimore. The main downtown street in Cumberland, Maryland is named Baltimore Street. On the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, there is a settlement named Calvert, and in nearby Ferryland there is a Baltimore School.
A life-sized statue of Cecilius Calvert is located in front of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Court House in Baltimore, Maryland.
Uniquely among the fifty states, the flag of the State of Maryland still bears the arms of its former Baltimore owners.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Calvert Family Tree Retrieved Jan 24 2010
- Calverts at http://thepeerage.com Retrieved Jan 24 2010
