COMMONWEALTH ASSEMBLY OF 1652

Richard Bennett, commissioner of Parliament
William Claiborne, commissioner of Parliament

June 24-28, 1652(?)¹

¹ The Bennett-Claiborne commission issued a call on March 29, 1652, for elections to be held for an Assembly to meet
on June 24, 1652. At least one election, that of Thomas Gerard to represent St. Mary's County, was held on June 12. It
is unclear if the Assembly ever convened, although Gerard did later sue to recover his expenses. On June 28 the rein-
stated proprietary officials declared "there is no Absolute necessity of a General Assembly at present."

PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSIONERS OF 1654-1657/58

Richard Bennett, commissioner of Parliament
William Claiborne, commissioner of Parliament

July 22, 1654-March 24, 1657/58

	William Fuller	John Hatch	Sampson Waring	Thomas Thomas
	Richard Preston	Richard Wells	Michael Brooke	Philip Thomas
	William Durand	Richard Ewen	John Pott	Samuel Withers
	Edward Lloyd	William Parker	Woodman Stockely	Richard Woolman
	John Smith	Robert Slye	William Parrott
	Leonard Strong	Thomas Meeres	Philip Morgan
	John Lawson	Thomas Marsh	William Ewen

Richard Bennett and William Claiborne, with authorization from the Puritan government in England, issued an ordi-
nance July 22, 1654, to ten Marylanders as commissioners "for the well Ordering, directing and Governing the affaires
of Maryland" with powers that included the right to summon assemblies. Later additions to the body of commissioners
were Parker (October 20, 1654), Slye (April 24, 1655), Meeres and Marsh (June 26, 1655), Waring, Brooke, Pott, and
Stockley (August 13, 1655), Parrott (March 23, 1656/57), and Morgan, Ewen, the two Thomases, Withers, and Wool-
man (by spring, 1657). Thomas Marsh died in 1656/57 and Leonard Strong was serving as agent in England ca. 1655,
but the other commissioners presumably remained active. The records, however, are incomplete and therefore the full
service of all the commissioners cannot be established. The commissioners surrendered their powers to the restored
proprietary government March 24, 1657/58.

COMMONWEALTH ASSEMBLY OF 1654

Richard Bennett, commissioner of Parliament
William Claiborne, commissioner of Parliament

		October	(?)-20, 1654
	POTOMAC (ST. MARY'S) 2	KENT	Leonard Strong	Richard Ewen
	John Hatch	Thomas Hynson	Richard Wells	William Parker
	Thomas Hatton (Dcl)	Joseph Wickes	William Durand	Sampson Waring
	Job Chandler (Dcl) Arthur Turner (E) John Wade (E)	PROVIDENCE (ANNE ARUNDEL) William Fuller	Edward Lloyd PATUXENT (CALVERT) Richard Preston, speaker	James Berry William Ewen

The Assembly, under the Puritan government of the parliamentary commissioners, was unicameral.
Thomas Hatton and Job Chandler declined to serve because of their previous oaths to Lord Baltimore. They were
replaced by Arthur Turner and John Wade.