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James Pearce. PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: liter-
ate. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Mr., 1774;
Gent., 1778; Esq., 1788. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE:
planter, 1760, 1779; farmer, 1772. PUBLIC CA-
REER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Caro-
line County, 1783 (elected, but did not attend),
1784, 1786-1787. LOCAL OFFICES: tobacco inspec-
tor, Queen Anne's County, in office 1762, 1766;
churchwarden, St. John's Parish, Queen Anne's
County, in office 1762-1763; St. John's Parish
Vestry, Queen Anne's County, in office 1763-
1766; justice, Caroline County, 1777-at least 1787;
commissioner of tax, Caroline County, appointed
1777 and 1779; justice, Orphans' Court, Caroline
County, commissioned 1779, 1780, 1786, and
1787. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL
PROPERTY, assessed value £1,251.0.0, including 18
slaves, 1783; 20 slaves, 1790; 25 slaves, 1798.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 1,575 acres in Caroline
County (all by purchase or patent). ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS: Hardcastle had inherited at least 257
acres from his father, but had given it to his son
John, Jr., before his first election. SIGNIFICANT
CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION
AND DEATH: by ca. 1805 he owned 1,890 acres in
Caroline County, but his will indicated that most
of it had been given or sold to his children before
the will was written. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on
September 29, 1808, in Dorchester County. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £1,147.10.0 (including 16
slaves and books); FB, estate overpaid £51.13.2.
LAND: he gave or sold most of his land to his chil-
dren prior to his death.
HARFORD, HENRY (ca. 1759-1834). BORN: ca.
1759 in London, England; eldest child, natural
son. RESIDED: in England, at his house in London
or his country estate, "Down Place," near
Windsor, Berkshire, England; in Maryland, at the
Annapolis home of Dr. Upton Scott, 1783-1786.
FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Frederick Calvert,
6th Lord Baltimore (1731/32--1771). STEPFATHER:
Peter Prevost, Esq. GUARDIANS Dr. John Moore
(1730-1805), archbishop of Canterbury; Hugh
Hammersley, Esq., principal secretary of Mary-
land from 1765 to at least 1771 (date of last com-
mission); and his stepfather Peter Prevost, Esq.
MOTHER: Hester Whalen (?-1812), of Ireland.
HALF UNCLE: Benedict Calvert (ca. 1724-1788).
AUNT: Caroline Calvert, who married Robert Eden
(1741-1784). SISTER: Frances Mary (ca. 1760-
1822). HALF SISTERS: Sophia Hales (1765-?);
Elizabeth Hales (1765-?); and Charlotte Hope
(1770-?). MARRIED first, in June 1792 Louisa (?-
ca. 1802), daughter of Peter Pigou, Esq. MARRIED
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second, in June 1806 Esther Ryecroft (ca. 1775-
1853). CHILDREN. SONS Henry (1793-died in in-
fancy); Frederick Paul (ca. 1802-1860), who mar-
ried Elizabeth Louisa Halifax (ca. 1810-1876);
George (1807-?); and Charles (1811-?). DAUGH-
TERS: Louisa Ann (1794-?); Frances (1796-?);
Fredericka Louisa Elizabeth (1797-?), who mar-
ried Robert T. J. Glyn; Charlotte Penelope (1808-
died young); Esther (1810-?); and Emily (1814-?),
who married Rev. William H. W. Bowyer. PRI-
VATE CAREER. EDUCATION: Richmond School
near Epsom, Eton, England, 1772-1775; Exeter
College, Oxford University, 1776-1779. RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION: Anglican. SOCIAL STATUS AND AC-
TIVITIES: Esq.; did not inherit the title of Lord
Baltimore because of his illegitimacy. PUBLIC CA-
REER. PROVINCIAL OFFICE: proprietor of Mary-
land, 1771-1776. OUT OF STATE SERVICE: tied for
a seat in Parliament from Lyme Regis, Dorset-
shire, in 1780, but lost when the election was de-
cided by the House of Commons. WEALTH DUR-
ING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY inherited ca.
£96,000 in deposits and investments from his fa-
ther's estate. Received a £60,000 settlement from
proprietorship litigation, 1781. Submitted a claim
of £327,441 to the Maryland government for the
loss of land and revenues, which was denied by
the General Assembly in 1786. A similar claim for
£447,000 presented to the British government was
partially allowed and Harford received probably
£70,000 in compensation. He also received
£10,000, which was deducted from Maryland's
bank stock in England in 1805. After further peti-
tions to the British government for compensation
for debts owed him by Maryland residents but not
paid because of the war, Harford's claim was al-
lowed in 1813 and he may have received a part of
the £43,000 requested. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION
during Harford's minority his father left Maryland
in the control of his executors Robert Eden (1741-
1784), Hugh Hammersley, Esq., Peter Prevost,
Esq., and Robert Morris (who was removed by
1776). The provisions in the will of Frederick Cal-
vert, 6th Lord Baltimore (1731 / 32- 1771), leaving
the proprietorship to his illegitimate Harford chil-
dren was contested by John Browning and the
Edens and remained in litigation until 1781. Al-
though Harford inherited the proprietor's rights to
lands in Maryland under the will of his father in
1771, the resulting litigation and war made his
ownership of little value. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH:
Harford estimated that his inheritance included
71,000 acres of manor lands and 125,000 acres of
undeveloped land west of Fort Cumberland, 1786.
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