Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Encyclopedia
Charles Carroll of Annapolis (1702–1782) was a wealthy Maryland
planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler
, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen. Charles Carroll of Annapolis inherited and extended his father's fortune but, as a Roman Catholic, was barred from participation in Maryland politics. It would fall to his son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
(1737–1832), one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
, to see religious toleration restored to Maryland.
Carroll was born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1702, the second son of Charles Carroll the Settler
and Mary Darnall, daughter of the wealthy Roman Catholic planter Henry Darnall
, a strong ally of the Carrolls and the ruling Calvert family. His older brother Henry died shortly before their father, in 1719.
Charles Carroll the Settler had come to the colony in 1688 with a commission as Attorney General from the colony's Catholic proprietor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
, but after only a year had lost that position as a result of the so-called Protestant Revolution, a rebellion of Protestant settlers associated with the Glorious Revolution
in England. The royal government that took over the colony banned Catholics from holding office, bearing arms, serving on juries, and eventually from voting. Barred from a political career, Carroll the Settler turned his attention to business, an amassed a fortune so large that he was the wealthiest man in Maryland at the time of his death in 1720. Thus, while the younger Carroll was born into a religious minority with few rights, he would have all the advantages that wealth could provide.
Like many sons of wealthy Marylanders, Carroll was sent to England to study law, but he returned to Maryland on his father's death in 1722, in order to inherit the family estates.
In around 1726 Carroll married Elizabeth Brooke, the daughter of Clement Brooke and Jane Sewall.
The Carroll family
were enthusiastic horse breeders and raced thoroughbreds, competing with other well-to-do
families at annual racing events, which also formed an important part of the social and political life of the colony. Charles Carroll of Annapolis's horse was beaten in 1743 by George Hume Steuart
's "Dungannon
" in the Annapolis Subscription Plate
, the first recorded formal horse race in Maryland. The plate itself (actually more of a bowl than a plate) now forms part of the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art
.
, eventually secured his family¹s vision of personal, political and religious freedoms for all citizens when he became the only Roman Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The Carroll family's substantial Eighteenth century home, known as the Charles Carroll House, can still be visited in Annapolis today.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler
Charles Carroll the Settler
Charles Carroll , sometimes called Charles Carroll the Settler to differentiate him from his son and grandson, was a wealthy lawyer and planter in colonial Maryland...
, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen. Charles Carroll of Annapolis inherited and extended his father's fortune but, as a Roman Catholic, was barred from participation in Maryland politics. It would fall to his son, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
(1737–1832), one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, to see religious toleration restored to Maryland.
Early life
Charles Carroll the Settler
Charles Carroll , sometimes called Charles Carroll the Settler to differentiate him from his son and grandson, was a wealthy lawyer and planter in colonial Maryland...
and Mary Darnall, daughter of the wealthy Roman Catholic planter Henry Darnall
Henry Darnall
Colonel Henry Darnall , was a wealthy Maryland Roman Catholic planter, the Proprietary Agent of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore . He served as Deputy Governor in Maryland. During the Protestant Revolution of 1689, his proprietarial army was defeated by the Puritan army of Colonel John Coode,...
, a strong ally of the Carrolls and the ruling Calvert family. His older brother Henry died shortly before their father, in 1719.
Charles Carroll the Settler had come to the colony in 1688 with a commission as Attorney General from the colony's Catholic proprietor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor and 6th and 9th Proprietary Governor of Maryland , inherited the colony in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his father's Deputy Governor since 1661 when he arrived in the colony at the age of 24...
, but after only a year had lost that position as a result of the so-called Protestant Revolution, a rebellion of Protestant settlers associated with the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
in England. The royal government that took over the colony banned Catholics from holding office, bearing arms, serving on juries, and eventually from voting. Barred from a political career, Carroll the Settler turned his attention to business, an amassed a fortune so large that he was the wealthiest man in Maryland at the time of his death in 1720. Thus, while the younger Carroll was born into a religious minority with few rights, he would have all the advantages that wealth could provide.
Like many sons of wealthy Marylanders, Carroll was sent to England to study law, but he returned to Maryland on his father's death in 1722, in order to inherit the family estates.
Religion and Family Life
The Carroll family
Carroll family
The Carroll family of Maryland is a prominent political family in the History of the United States, or, more correctly, a group of distantly related families...
were enthusiastic horse breeders and raced thoroughbreds, competing with other well-to-do
families at annual racing events, which also formed an important part of the social and political life of the colony. Charles Carroll of Annapolis's horse was beaten in 1743 by George Hume Steuart
George Hume Steuart
George Hume Steuart, was a physician, tobacco planter, and Loyalist politician in colonial Maryland. Born in Perthshire, Scotland, Steuart emigrated to Maryland in around 1721, where he benefited from proprietarial patronage and was appointed to a number of colonial offices, eventually becoming a...
's "Dungannon
Dungannon (horse)
Dungannon, , was a thoroughbred racehorse owned by the tobacco planter and horse breeder George Hume Steuart , who imported the horse from England to race against his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis...
" in the Annapolis Subscription Plate
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
, the first recorded formal horse race in Maryland. The plate itself (actually more of a bowl than a plate) now forms part of the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, was founded in 1914. Built in the Roman Temple style, the Museum is home to an internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the BMA today has 90,000 works...
.
Legacy
Like his father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis never gave up hope of overcoming Maryland's religious intolerance. His son Charles Carroll of CarrolltonCharles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
, eventually secured his family¹s vision of personal, political and religious freedoms for all citizens when he became the only Roman Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The Carroll family's substantial Eighteenth century home, known as the Charles Carroll House, can still be visited in Annapolis today.
External links
- Official website of the Carroll House in Annapolis Retrieved February 22 2010
- Article on Annapolis Subscription Plate at www.hometownannapolis.com Retrieved February 22 2010
- History of Maryland Jockey Club Retrieved February 22 2010
- Article on Carroll Family Retrieved February 22 2010
- Article on Carroll family at http://teachingamericanhistorymd.net Retrieved February 22 2010