special jurisdictions like Durham. Second, Lord Balti-
more succeeded in changing the terms of his tenure from
one that entailed heavy military commitments to one
that carried only a nominal token of dependence. In this
case it was two Indian arrows a year to be delivered at
Windsor Castle and one fifth of any precious metal
mined. With these changes Lord Baltimore gained the
protection of fully defined powers with minimal checks
on proprietary authority and virtually no compensatory
payments.

   The executive, judicial, and military powers granted
in Lord Baltimore's charter were perhaps necessary if a
private individual were to develop, defend, and govern a
colony thousands of miles across the seas from England.
The autonomy granted also provided against English
interference in the Catholic refuge Lord Baltimore was
planning for his colony, although such protection was
probably not in his mind when he wrote the Avalon pro-
totype. The delegation of sovereignty was extraor-
dinary, but it is not incomprehensible to the twentieth-
century mind.

   Less understandable to us are the clauses that per-
mitted Lord Baltimore to create titles of honor and sub-
grant land with rights to erect manors. Nevertheless,
these powers were central elements in his vision of the
proposed colony. He hoped thereby to recruit well-born
Englishmen—especially younger sons, usually barred
from inheritance of most of the family wealth—who
would share the burdens of funding a new settlement
and provide necessary leadership in return for land,
power, honor, and the opportunity to build a fortune.
He expected that the grant of manorial rights would not
only attract the interest of such men but also provide a
framework for local government and community

                      [xvi]