Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

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Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore : biography

August 8, 1605 – November 30, 1675

Cecilius Calvert, Second Baron Baltimore (August 8, 1605 – November 30, 1675), was an English peer who was the first Proprietor and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland, and ninth Proprietary Governor of the Colony of Newfoundland and the colony of Avalon (in the southeast). His title was "Cecilius Calvert, Second Baron Baltimore, First Lord Proprietary, Earl – Palatine of the Provinces of Maryland and Avalon in America". He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, (April 15, 1632), for whom it was intended. "Cecil Calvert" (as he was known) established and managed the Province of Maryland from his home "Kiplin Hall" in North Yorkshire, England; as a Roman Catholic, he continued the legacy of his father by promoting religious tolerance which was unusual for the time of the 17th Century in the colony, even while the Maryland colony was officially Roman Catholic.

Maryland became known as a haven for Catholics in the New World, particularly important at a time of religious persecution in England. Calvert governed Maryland for forty-two years. Retrieved February 2011 He also continued to be Lord Proprietor and Governor of Newfoundland for the colony of Avalon. He died in England on November 30, 1675, aged 70 years. He is buried on city hall grounds in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, The USA.

Early life and education

Cecilius Calvert, whose first name was sometimes spelled "Cæcilius", or "Caecilius", was born on August 8, 1605, in Kent, England to George Calvert, the First Lord Baltimore and Anne Mynne (or Mayne). He was generally known as Cecil Calvert, and was the first of several sons of the couple. At the time, his father was under pressure for conformity, and all ten children were baptized as Christians in the Anglican (Protestant) tradition.Krugler, John D. (2004). . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.ISBN 0-8018-7963-9, p. 32.

Calvert entered Trinity College at the University of Oxford in 1621. His mother Anne Mynne (or Mayne) died the following year. His father George Calvert, First Lord Baltimore converted to Roman Catholicism in 1625, and it is likely that his children followed him; at least his sons did.

On August 8, 1633, Calvert was admitted to Gray’s Inn as a barrister.Richardson, Douglas (2005). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, p. 169. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8063-1759-0.

Religious toleration

The [[Maryland Toleration Act, passed in 1649.]]

In 1649, Maryland passed the Maryland Toleration Act, also known as the "Act Concerning Religion", a law mandating religious tolerance for Trinitarian Christians only (those who profess faith in the "Holy Trinity" – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, excluding Nontrinitarian faiths). Passed on September 21, 1649 by the General Assembly of the Maryland colony, it was the first law establishing religious tolerance in the British North American colonies. The Calvert family sought enactment of the law to protect Catholic settlers and Nonconformist Protestants who did not conform to the established state Church of England of Britain and her colonies.

Legacy and honors

Maryland

In 1904, the arms were adopted as the official state [[Flag of Maryland, one of the most distinctive and memorable in the Union; it is the only state flag in the United States to be based on English heraldry.Several versions to represent the Colony and the State had been used since the grant to the Second Lord Baltimore. For more information see: Flag of Maryland.State of Maryland (Chapter 48, Acts of 1904, effective March 9, 1904)]] Numerous place names honor the Barons Baltimore, including the counties of Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, and Frederick.

Cities which include variations of the Calvert and Lord Baltimore’s name include:

  • Baltimore City,
  • Leonardtown,
  • St. Leonard,