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Maryland Manual, 1911
Volume 122, Page 89   View pdf image (33K)
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ORIGIN OF NAME. 89 ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF COUNTIES, WITH DATE OF FORMATION
AND AREA.
Counties. Origin of Name. Date of
Formation		 Area In
Sq.M.
St. Mary's 1....... In honor of the Virgin Mary,
the landing having been
made on the Feast of the
Annunciation..... ,..., 1637 372
Kent 2
Anne Arundel 3. . . .		 After the English county. ....
After the Lady Anne Arundel,
wife of Caecilius, second		 1642 281
Calvert 4......... Lord Baltimore............
After the family name of the		 1650 425
proprietary,...,.. 1654 222
Charles 5.........
Baltimore 6.......		 After Charles, Lord Baltimore.
.From the Proprietary's Irish
Barony (Celtic bilte mor;		 1658 451
i. e., the large town) ....... 1659 656
Talbot 7.......... After Grace Talbot, daughter
of George, first Lord Balti-
more ........... 1661 286
Somerset 8........ After Mary Somerset, sister
of Lord Baltimore.......... 1666 362
Dorchester 9...... After Earl Dorset, a family
friend of the Calverts. ..... 1888 618
Cecil 10........... After the forename of the sec-
ond Lord Baltimore........ 1674 360
1 There Is great difficulty In assigning exact dates to the erection of Coun-
ties In the early years of the Province, from the fact that considerable con-
fusion exists between the county and the hundred, sheriffs being commis-
sioned for the latter as well as the former, and because Counties were erected
some times 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 James Baldridge as sheriff of St. Mary's
county, June 29, 1637. (Archiv. of Md., 3.61), and the courts were put In
operation by Acts of Assembly, 1638-9, (Archiv. 1:46-57).' 2 A commission was Issued to John Langford as sheriff of the Isle of Kent,
February 9. 1637 (Archiv. 3:61), and on August 2, 1642, a commission was
Issued to Giles Brent, for the county of Kent (Archiv. 3:105). County gov-
ernment was evidently organized In that year, as the expenses of the As-
sembly were assessed on the counties of St. Mary's and Kent. 3 Erected by Act of Assembly, 1650, ch. 8. Name changed to Providence
by Act of 1654, ch. 17. Name restored in 1658. 4 Erected by order In Council July 3, 1654 (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 13, 1658 (Archiv. 3:341). An earlier
Charles county was erected by order In Council, October 3, 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 3, 1654, supra. 6 Erected by order In Council. No full record, but writ of election was
Issued to sheriff January 12, 1659 (Archiv. 1:381). 7 No record. Writ of election Issued to sheriff February 18, 1661 (Archiv.
1:425 and 3:448). 8 Erected by order In Council, August 22, 1666 (Archiv. 3:583).
9 No record. Writ Issued to sheriff February 16, 1868 (Archiv. 2:155).
10 Erected by proclamation of Governor Charles Calvert, June 6, 1674
(Archiv. 13:39-41). Delegates are named as present at Assembly from Cecil
county, February 12, 1674 (Archiv. 2:421).

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Maryland Manual, 1911
Volume 122, Page 89   View pdf image (33K)
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