Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Charles Calvert (born Charles Calvert Lazenby; – February 2, 1734) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and colonial administrator who served as the

governor of Maryland The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

from 1720 to 1727. Serving during at a period when the Calvert family had recently regained control of the

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...

, he was appointed governor by his cousin

Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, (29 September 1699 – 24 April 1751) was a British politician and colonial administrator who served as the proprietary governor of the Province of Maryland. He inherited the title to Maryland aged just f ...

, who in 1721 came into his inheritance over the colony. 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 Maryland subjects. Religious tension, which had been a source of great division in the colony, was much reduced under his governorship. Calvert was replaced as governor in 1727 by his cousin Benedict Leonard Calvert, though he continued to occupy other colonial offices.Yentsch, Anne E, p.40, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved August 3, 2010 He suffered from early senility and died in 1734.

Early life and ancestry

Calvert was born Charles Calvert Lazenby in England in 1688.Yentsch, Anne E, p.53, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved August 9, 2010 Neither of his parents has been positively identified but it may be that his father was

Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore (August 27, 1637 – February 21, 1715) was an English colonial administrator. He inherited the province of Maryland in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his ...

, 2nd Proprietor Governor of Maryland (1637–1715), or another member of the Calvert family. His mother's identity in unknown but, judging by the Calvert family papers, she may have been the "Countess Henrietta", also known as "Mother Calvert", who died circa 1728.Yentsch, Anne E, p.55, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 However, in Douglas Richardson's ''Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families, 2nd Edition'' (pg 467), no illegitimate children are listed under Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore.Douglas Richardson. ''Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families'', 2nd Edition, 2011. pg 467
Google eBooks
/ref> There is no mention of Calvert (Lazenby).

Military career

Calvert served in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, most likely reaching the rank of

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

by around 1709. In 1718 Calvert purchased further commissions in the

, becoming at aged 30 first a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and later a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, promotions which most likely were financed by his wealthy Calvert patrons.Yentsch, Anne E, p.56, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 The regiment was among the most prestigious in the British Army and commissions for it 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

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

which had been confiscated by the Crown following the events of the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

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.Yentsch, Anne E, p.57, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 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 The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

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:

I am afraid some Evil Spirits walk among us and it would be a matter of Great pleasure to such, to have your house he people of Marylandand mine ord Baltimoreatt Variance, but for my own part, I defy the Devill and his Works to do it.

Marriage

As governor of the Province, Calvert was an eligible bachelor. He took as his wife Rebecca Gerard (1708-1734/35) a landed heiress from Maryland,Yentsch, Anne E, p.64, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 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

slave plantation A slave plantation is an agricultural farm that uses enslaved people for labour. The practice was abolished in most places during the 19th century. Slavery Planters embraced the use of slaves mainly because indentured labor became expensive ...

near Queen Anne's Town in

Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

, passed to Calvert's ownership.Yentsch, Anne E, p.65, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 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 Calvert, brother of

, arrived in Maryland in 1727.Yentsch, Anne E, p.61, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 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.Yentsch, p.13

Family life

The Calverts had three children: * Charles (1723–1724), died in infancy. * Anne (1724–c.1737), died in childhood.Yentsch, p.66 * Elizabeth Calvert (1730–1798), who married her cousin Benedict Swingate Calvert (c. 1730-1788), on April 21, 1748, in St Ann's Church,

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. The couple were married by the Reverend John Gordon. Benedict Swingate Calvert was the illegitimate son of

, the third Proprietor Governor of

, and a wealthy planter. They had thirteen children. Elizabeth's godfather was Captain Calvert's cousin, Benedict Leonard Calvert, second son of Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, who died of consumption in 1732.Yentsch, Anne E, p.93, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010

Illness and death

Captain Calvert suffered from early senility and died on February 2, 1734, aged 42.Yentsch, Anne E, p.69, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 2010 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 Rebecca died 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 State Circle is a circular road surrounding Capital Hill in the centre of Canberra, Australia's capital city. It is the outermost of the three concentric roads on the hill, with Capital Circle and Parliament Drive located within State Circle. ...

, Annapolis, was the subject of an archeological dig in the 1980s 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 Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

, and other institutions. The building is now part of the Historic Inns of Annapolis. The excavation revealed a

hypocaust A hypocaust () is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm the upper floors a ...

, part of the original 1720s construction, used to heat a tropical greenhouse.

Notes

References

*Andrews, Matthew Page, ''History of Maryland'', Doubleday, New York (1929).
Peden, Henry C, p.55, ''Colonial Maryland Soldiers and Sailors, 1634-1734''
Retrieved August 3, 2010
Russell, George, p.8, ''The Ark and the Dove Adventurers''
Retrieved February 2013
Yentsch, Anne E, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)
Retrieved Jan 30 2010

External links

Calvert Family Tree
Retrieved Jul 10 2013

Retrieved October 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Calvert, Charles 1680s births 1734 deaths

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

Colonial governors of Maryland English slave owners Grenadier Guards officers