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Restoration-Era Merchant-Planter Elites in Maryland, 1660-1679

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Restoration-Era Merchant-Planter Elites in Maryland, 1660-1679 Getting the Goods, Ruling a Province, Keeping the Peace: Restoration-Era Merchant- Planter Elites in Maryland, 1661-1679 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By James Howard Weeks, B.A., M.A. Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Margaret Newell, Advisor Dr. John Brooke Dr. Richard Shiels Copyright By James Howard Weeks 2014 Abstract From her founding in 1634 up to 1660, Maryland had not enjoyed a settled government for more that a few years at a time, experiencing attacks by zealot Puritans, invasion, civil war, and even an attempted rebellion by Lord Baltimore’s hand-picked governor. Considering this history, it would have seemed a safe bet that when the next crisis hit in the Chesapeake, that it would be Maryland that would once again burst into violence and disorder. Yet, when that spark did land in September of 1675, setting off a chain of events that ultimately launched Bacon’s Rebellion, it was Virginia that exploded, not Maryland. From 1661-1676, a new merchant-planter elite emerged in Maryland. Like any successful merchants in the seventeenth century, they built and maintained extensive networks within the Province and throughout the Atlantic World. Faced with dramatically different conditions in the Chesapeake, they adapted their practices in innovative ways that foreshadowed developments that would not take firm hold until after the 1720s. As they confronted the economic uncertainty inherent in reliance upon a single, marginally profitable cash crop, they moved to diversify their economic endeavors not only within their trade but also in their agricultural endeavors, and into other fields as well, such as the Indian trade and into careers at law. As the leading ii members of the community, they came to enter and dominate politics, where the Calverts cultivated their loyalty with patronage appointments. And in the crisis months of the late summer and autumn of 1676, the leading men of this new elite were in charge. Half of the Delegates to the Assembly were merchant-planters, as were two- thirds of the Council. And one of their own, Thomas Notley, sat as Governor. In the face of the crisis Governor Notley, with a secure power-base, was swift and decisive in his actions to protect both Marylanders and the Calvert Government. After the immediate crisis had passed, Notley pursued a pragmatic and thoughtful policy of addressing the concerns and passing reforms that had long been desired by opponents to the Calverts’ rule. Thomas Notley was a most unusual leader in 1676, bridging both the proprietary and anti-proprietary parties in Maryland. Maryland did not implode in 1676 as Virginia did because a deeply interconnected merchant-planter community that had built strong ties among the poorer Marylanders through their trade had come to dominate the government just at that critical moment. Those connections enabled them to maintain the trust of most Marylanders in the face of the crisis. Though the storm came, and the winds blew, the house did not fall. iii Dedication For Amy and Maguire, the two great joys in my life. iv Acknowledgements No words can adequately express the debts I owe my dissertation committee. Dr. Margaret Newell has been supportive and endlessly patient as an advisor, a critic, and as a cheerleader. Her insights and guidance have been invaluable, and the completion of this dissertation is in no small part due to her support. Dr. John Brooke has always had time for me, to ask questions, to ask for advice, and to occasionally (I hope) to allow me to enlighten him with some small tidbit from Maryland’s fascinating history. Both have helped me grow as a scholar in ways too numerous to list here. I owe no small measure of thanks to other professors at Ohio State, especially Dr. Kenneth Andrien, Dr. Paula Baker, and Dr. Alan Gallay, all of whom offered invaluable advice, suggestions, and recommendations. I have enjoyed every challenge they presented me with, and I am profoundly appreciative of their support and guidance. Dr. Donna Guy deserves special mention. She changed my life by opening up entirely new fields of history to me, and has also been a ceaseless supporter, and gentle task-master. I can never repay the debt of gratitude I owe her. I would not be here were it not for her. The staff and archivists at the Maryland State Archives at the Hall of Records in Annapolis, Maryland who helped me with the research deserve special thanks. They helped me navigate the finding aids, locate microfilm, and find gems that I would never v have been able to locate by myself. Their stewardship and dedication to making the records of Maryland readily accessible not only in the Hall, but online, has made my research a joy, and I look forward to returning. Thanks are also owed to my fellow graduate students. Their collegial support and friendship could always be counted on, and I thank them all for help in proofreading and critiquing my work. Rebecca Barrett, Rob Denning, Cameron Jones, Emre Sencer, Robert Padilla kept me laughing and moving even when I did not feel I could. I’d like to especially thank Michael Alarid and Anna Glaze, for their friendship and support in difficult times. I have been profoundly transformed intellectually and personally by knowing all of them. The greatest debt is owed to my colleague Steve Hyland. I can never repay what I owe him; I would never have been able to finish were it not for him. I hope that my assistance with his dissertation was half as helpful as his insights were for mine. I also owe a great deal of thanks to my family, who has been endlessly encouraging. My parents have always been boundlessly supportive of my interests and intellectual pursuits. My Aunt Barb and Uncle Joe kindly allowed me to stay with them multiple times as I researched at the Hall of Records in Annapolis, only minutes from their home. And lastly, to my wife, Amy: I am lucky to have found my biggest and most patient cheerleader in the middle of the most difficult intellectual task I have undertaken. The completed dissertation is a monument to her love and support. vi Vita 1987...............................................Cardinal Stritch High School 1992...............................................B.A. History, University of Toledo 2001...............................................M.A. History, Bowling Green State University 2001 to 2008..................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of History, The Ohio State University 2008-2012......................................Adjunct Professor of History, Wittenberg University 2010-present...................................Lecturer in History, The Ohio State University, Newark Campus Fields of Study Major Field: History Specializations: Early United States, Modern United States, Latin America vii Table of Contents Abstract..............................................................................................................................ii Dedication.........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................v Vita...................................................................................................................................vii List of Tables.....................................................................................................................ix Chapter 1: Introduction......................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Connections....................................................................................................16 Chapter 3: Merchanting....................................................................................................53 Chapter 4: Diversity.........................................................................................................90 Chapter 5: Merchants in Power......................................................................................131 Chapter 6: Maryland and Notley before 1676................................................................183 Chapter 7: Navigating the Crisis....................................................................................220 Chapter 8: Epilogue........................................................................................................269 Bibliography...................................................................................................................292 viii List of Tables Table 4.1 Labor Supply of Members of the Assembly Who Died 1671-1681................116 Table 5.1: Merchants on the Council of Maryland, 1661-1688.......................................132 Table 5.2: Council of Maryland Members in Selected Sessions.....................................135 Table 5.3: Number of Patronage Appointments held by Delegates.................................139 Table 5.4: Delegates, Merchants, and Religious Affiliation, 1671-75............................140 Table 5.5: Delegates, Merchants, and Religious Affiliation, 1676-78............................140 Table 5.6: Legislators’ Years in Maryland, Before Election to Named Assembly.........143 Table 5.7: Delegates, Number of Previous Elections to the Assembly, 1671-78............144 Table 5.8: Delegates, 1671-78, Named
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