Henry Harford | |
|---|---|
| Proprietor of Maryland | |
| In office 4 September 1771 – 4 July 1776 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 April 1758 Bond Street,London, England |
| Died | 8 December 1834(1834-12-08) (aged 76) |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Pigou (died 1803)Esther Ryecroft |
| Children | 10 |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore Mrs. Hester Whelan |
| Occupation | Politician |
Henry Harford (5 April 1758 – 8 December 1834),[2] 5thProprietor ofMaryland, was the last proprietary owner of theBritish colony of Maryland. He was born in 1758; the eldest — but illegitimate — son of Frederick Calvert 6th Baron Baltimore and his mistress Mrs. Hester Whelan. Harford inherited his father's estates in 1771, at the age of thirteen, but by 1776, events in America had overtaken his proprietary authority and he would soon lose all his wealth and power in the New World, though remaining wealthy thanks to his estates in England.
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Harford's father wasFrederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, fourth and last in the line ofBarons Baltimore. The Calvert family had been granted a royal charter to the Maryland colony in the 17th century. Since then, successive Lords Baltimore had increased the family holdings and their wealth: the Calverts owned shares in the Bank of England as well as a large family seat atWoodcote Park, inSurrey. Although Frederick Calvert exercised almost feudal power in theProvince of Maryland, he never once set foot in the colony and, unlike his father, he took little interest in politics, treating his estates, including Maryland, largely as sources of revenue to support his extravagant and often scandalous lifestyle. In 1768, he was accused of abduction and rape by Sarah Woodcock, a noted beauty who kept a milliner's shop atTower Hill. The jury acquitted Calvert but he left England soon afterwards, and never recovered from the public scandal which surrounded the trial. He had many mistresses, including Hester Whelan, Henry Harford's mother.[citation needed]
Henry Harford was born inBond Street,London, on 5 April 1758, the fruit of an extra-marital union between Lord Baltimore and his mistress Mrs. Hester Whelan. He was educated atEton College and laterExeter College, Oxford. When the last Lord Baltimore died in Naples in 1771 at the age of 39, the thirteen-year-old Henry became heir to all of Frederick's estates, including those in Britain, as the eldest son of the deceased peer. However, Harford was not entitled to ascend to the peerage or inherit his father's title as, like his sister Frances, he was born out of wedlock and was therefore illegitimate. Despite this, a suit was brought forth in an attempt to continue the title Lord Baltimore.[3][4]
Despite his illegitimacy, the people of Maryland initially supported Harford and welcomed him as their new Lord Proprietor, even namingHarford County, Maryland after him in 1773. However, GovernorRobert Eden disputed Harford's inheritance, and in 1774 tried to claim a part of the estate on behalf of his wife Caroline Calvert, sister of the deceased Baron Baltimore, and a legitimate daughter ofCharles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore.
Before the English courts could rule on the case, theAmerican Revolution broke out. Maryland, initially the mostLoyalist colony of the original thirteen, soon found its revolutionary spirit growing. Eden, the figurehead of English presence in the colony and a well-liked man as well as a good governor, left for England in June 1776, his authority having been fatally undermined by theMaryland Convention and the rapid erosion of British rule.
In England, Harford succeeded in his claim to his father's inheritance; the rents from the Calvert estates in Britain were awarded to Harford by an act of Parliament –Lord Baltimore's Estate Act 1781 (21 Geo. 3. c.35Pr.). However, events in America moved against his interests, and in 1781, the newState of Maryland confiscated all of Henry Harford's estates and used their income to help finance the cash-strapped revolutionary government and its militia. On 3 September 1783, the Treaty of Paris at last brought a formal end to the war.
In 1783, Harford travelled with Sir Robert Eden to Maryland, where Henry attempted to reclaim his land and estates lost during the Revolutionary War, following British defeat at the hands of the Revolutionaries. Harford believed his claim to be a good one, especially as the English courts had already settled his inheritance in his favor, but he soon learned that his claims would be strongly resisted. In 1785, Harford formally petitioned theMaryland General Assembly, claiming lost rents from 1771 (the date of his father's death) until the Declaration of Independence in 1776. His total claim was for £327,441.[5]
Harford's petition to the assembly included a letter in which he recognized the "free state" of Maryland, but appealed to "the dictates of equity and the feelings of humanity," and further argued that his need for the restoration of his land was great, citing the "relief of his financial situation to avoid further embarrassments."
In the end, he had no success in retrieving his land or his lost rents, despite the fact that bothCharles Carroll of Carrollton andSamuel Chase argued in his favor. In 1786, the case was decided by theMaryland General Assembly. Although it passed in the House, the Senate unanimously rejected it. In their reasoning for this rejection, the Senate cited Henry's absence during the war (though he was but a child), and his father Frederick's alienation of his subjects, as major factors.
In reality, the Assembly was in no position financially to honour Harford's claims. In 1780, the new state had issued bills of exchange backed by the Lord Proprietor's confiscated property. If the Assembly were to return the land to Harford, the bills of exchange could not be redeemed. In addition, theTreaty of Paris, which brought an end to the Revolutionary War, was vague on the subject of loyalists and their property claims against the new United States of America. Seen from Harford's point of view, the American Revolution must have seemed little more than an assault on private property, whereby a new class of landowners became wealthy at the expense of the former ruling elite.[6]
Despite these difficulties, Harford found himself easily accepted into Maryland society. He was a witness toGeorge Washington's resignation of command atAnnapolis. He and Eden were invited to stay at the home of Dr.Upton Scott, a descendant of Sir Ian Percy-Hutton, Lord of Lyons,[7] and his nephew,Francis Scott Key.
Harford found himself empty-handed in Maryland, so he returned to England and attempted to win compensation at home. Following the Revolutionary War, the British Parliament created a system for compensatingLoyalists who had suffered losses during the war. Harford was recognized in Class VIII of those who had suffered losses, claiming £400,000 sterling. In the end Harford received more than £100,000, the second highest award given.
In 1792, Harford married Louisa Pigou, who was a granddaughter ofFrederick Pigou, director of theBritish East India Company. Her father, Peter Pigou,[8] had been in partnership with Benjamin Booth in the tea trade inNew York City and was therefore indirectly involved in events leading up to theBoston Tea Party.
The couple had five children:
Louisa died in 1803.[9] Three years later, in 1806, Harford married Esther Ryecroft. They too had five children:
Henry Harford died in 1835. His estates were left to his oldest surviving son,Frederick Paul Harford.
Henry Harford's claim to Maryland was exploited for years after his death in 1835. The last major case was the United States Supreme Court caseMorris v. United States,[10] in 1899, in which one of Harford's descendants attempted to claim a part of thePotomac River from theDistrict of Columbia.
Harford County is named in his honor.
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Proprietor of Maryland 1771–1776 | Position abolished |