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Maryland Manual, 1905
Volume 117, Page 103   View pdf image (33K)
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ORIGIN OF NAME. 103 ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF COUNTIES, WITH DATE OF FORMATION
AND AREA.
Counties. Origin of Name. Date of
Formation.		 Area in
Sq. Miles.
St, Mary's 1....... In honor of the Virgin Mary, the
landing having been made on
Kent 2..............
Anne Arundel 3..		 the Feast of the Annunciation.
After the English County... ........
After the Lady Anne Arundel,
wife of Caecilius, second Lord		 1637
1642		 372
281
Calvert 4.,...... . Baltimore............. .................
After the family name of the pro-		 1650 425
Charles 5..........
Baltimore 6........		 prietary .................................
After Charles, Lord Baltimore..,.,
From the Proprietary's Irish Bar-
ony, (Celtic bilte mor; i. e., the		 1654
1658		 222
451
Talbot 7............. large town).......,,...................
After Grace Talbot, daughter of		 1659 656
Somerset 8....... George, first Lord Baltimore.....
After Mary Somerset, sister of		 1661 286
Dorchester 9...... Lord Baltimore........................
After Earl Dorset, a family friend		 1666 362
Cecil 10...........,. of the Calverts.......................
After the forename of the second		 1668 618
Lord Baltimore...................... 1674 360
1 There is great difficulty in assigning exact dates to the erection of Counties in the
early years of the Province, from the fact that considerable confusion exists between the
county and the hundred. sheriffs being commissioned for the latter as well as the former,
and because Counties were erected sometimes by order in Council, proclamation or by
Act of Assembly. A series of interesting historical maps has been prepared by Dr.
Edward B. Mathews, Assistant State Geologist, which, when published, will shed con-
siderable light on the subject. A commission was issued to Tames Baldridge as sheriff of St. Mary's county, June
29th, 1637, (Archiv. of Md, 3.61) and the courts were put in operation by Acts of Assem-
bly, 1638-9 (Archiv. 1:46-67). 2 A commission was issued to John Langford as sheriff of the Isle of Kent, February
3th, 1637. (Archiv. 3.61), and on Aug. 2d. 1643. a commission was issued to Giles Brent, for
the county of Kent (Archiv. 3.105). County government was evidently organized in that
year as the expenses of the Assembly were assessed on the counties of St. Mary's and
Kent. 3 Erected by Act of Assembly. 16SO, ch. 8. Name changed to Providence by Act of
1654, ch. 17. Name restored in 1658. 4 Erected by order in Council July 3d. 16B4 (Archiv. 3:308). In October of the same
year the name was changed to Patuxent under the Cromwell administration, (Archiv.
1:341). Name restored, 1658, 5 Erected by order in Council, April 13th. 1658 (Archiv. 3:311). An earlier Charles
county was erected byorder in Council, October 3d 1650, from part of the territory now
included in St. Mary's, Charles and Prince George's counties. This order was repealed
by order of July 3d, 1654, supra. 6 Erected by order in Council. No full record, but writ of election was issued to
sheriff January 12th, 1659, (Arehiv. 1:381) 7 No record. Writ of election issued to sheriff February 18th, 1661, (Archiv. 1:428 and
3:448). 8 Erected by order in Council August 22d, 1666, (Archiv. 3:553).
9 No record. Writ issued to sheriff February 16, 1668, (Archiv. 2:155).
10 Erected by proclamation of Governor Charles Calvert June 6th, 1674, (Archiv.
15:39-41). Delegates are named as present at Assembly from Cecil county February 12th,
1674, (Arciv. 2:421).

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Maryland Manual, 1905
Volume 117, Page 103   View pdf image (33K)
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