Charter of Maryland (1632)

Introduction

Granted by King Charles I on June 20, 1632, the Charter of Maryland established a proprietary colony under the leadership of Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore. The charter gave sweeping powers to the Calvert family, including rights to govern, legislate, and distribute land. Maryland was envisioned as a haven for English Catholics facing persecution, though it would later become a battleground for religious and political tensions.

Core Provisions

The charter outlined the legal and territorial framework for the colony:

• Proprietary Authority: Lord Baltimore was granted full rights to govern the colony, including the power to appoint officials, create laws, and administer justice.
• Territorial Boundaries: Maryland’s borders extended north from the Potomac River to the 40th parallel, overlapping with claims later disputed by Pennsylvania.
• Feudal Privileges: The Calverts held the land as a palatinate, with rights akin to those of medieval lords—including the power to grant titles and establish courts.
• Religious Freedom: While not explicitly stated in the charter, the Calverts promoted religious toleration, culminating in the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649.
• Economic Rights: The proprietor could collect taxes, customs, and rents, and had control over trade and land distribution.

Historical Significance

The Charter of Maryland was unique among colonial charters:

• It created one of the few proprietary colonies, where governance was entrusted to a single family rather than a corporation or royal governor.
• It laid the groundwork for religious pluralism, especially for Catholics, in a predominantly Protestant colonial landscape.
• It contributed to the development of landed aristocracy and plantation agriculture in the Chesapeake region.

Maryland’s charter remained in effect until the colony was converted to royal control in 1689 following the Glorious Revolution.

Conclusion

The Charter of Maryland represents a bold experiment in proprietary governance and religious refuge. By granting near-sovereign authority to the Calvert family, King Charles I enabled the creation of a colony that blended feudal privilege, religious ambition, and economic enterprise. Its legacy includes both the promise of toleration and the complexities of aristocratic rule in the New World.

Sources:
Avalon Project – Yale Law School
Maryland State Archives – Founding Documents
Encyclopedia Britannica – Maryland Charter

Full Text

Charter of Maryland

June 20, 1632

Charles, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c.

To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting.

I.

Whereas our well-beloved and right trusty subject, Caecilius Calvert, Baron of Baltimore, in our Kingdom of Ireland, son and heir of George Calvert, Knight, late Baron of Baltimore, in our said Kingdom of Ireland, treading in the steps of his father, being animated with a laudable and pious zeal for extending the Christian religion, and also the territories of our empire, hath humbly besought leave of us that he may transport, by his own industry and expense, a numerous colony of the English nation to a certain region hereafter described in a country hitherto uncultivated in the parts of America, and partly occupied by savages having no knowledge of the Divine Being.

II.

Know ye therefore that we, encouraging with our royal favor the pious and noble purpose of the aforesaid Baron of Baltimore, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have given, granted, and confirmed, and by this our present charter, for us, our heirs, and successors, do give, grant, and confirm unto the said Caecilius, now Baron of Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, all that part of the Peninsula or Chersonese lying in the parts of America between the ocean on the east and the Bay of Chesapeake on the west, divided from the residue thereof by a right line drawn from the promontory or headland called Watkin’s Point, situate upon the Bay aforesaid, near the river Wigloo, on the west, unto the main ocean on the east.

III.

And all that tract of land within the metes underwritten (that is to say), passing from the said bay called Delaware Bay in a right line by the degree aforesaid unto the true meridian of the first fountain of the river of Pattowmack, thence verging toward the south unto the further bank of the said river, and following the same on the west and south unto a certain place called Cinquack, situate near the mouth of the said river, where it disembogues into the aforesaid Bay of Chesapeake, and thence by the shortest line unto the aforesaid promontory or place called Watkin’s Point.

IV.

We do further grant unto the said Baron of Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, full and absolute power to make laws, with the advice and assent of the freemen of the said province or their delegates, and to establish courts and appoint judges and magistrates.

V.

We do also grant unto the said Baron of Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, the right to collect customs, tolls, and other duties, and to enjoy all rights, privileges, and immunities as any Bishop of Durham ever had within the County Palatine of Durham.

VI.

We do further grant unto the said Baron of Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, the patronage and advowson of all churches which shall happen to be built within the said province.

VII.

Provided always that the laws to be made shall not be repugnant or contrary to the laws of England.

VIII.

And we do further grant that the said province shall not be subject to any taxes, subsidies, or impositions unless levied with the consent of the proprietor or his heirs.

IX.

We do also grant unto the said Baron of Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, the power to create manors, hold courts baron, and grant titles of nobility.

X.

And finally, we do ordain that this charter shall be interpreted most favorably to the said Baron of Baltimore, his heirs and assigns.

In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent.

Witness ourself at Westminster, the twentieth day of June, in the eighth year of our reign.