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THE FIRST LADIES OF MARYLAND, 1634-1777, PART I
by Robert Barnes
In 1995, the Maryland State Archives began a formalized
research project dedicated to the study of Maryland's
First Ladies and Official Hostesses. To this point, the
project has dealt primarily with the wives of the
governors of Maryland since the Revolutionary War and
sought to explore the lives and achievements of these
largely unknown women. This is the first in a series of
articles that will attempt to identify the wives of the
governors, deputy governors, and Parliamentary
commissioners who governed Maryland from 1634 to 1777. It
will, where possible, investigate their family
connections, determine when, how and if they came into
Maryland, establish what part, if any, they played in the
life of the Province, and finally, examine what estate
they may have left.
1. The unknown Mrs. Leonard Calvert. Leonard
Calvert, brother of Cecilius Calvert, was Governor of
Maryland from 1634 to 1644/5, and from 1646 to 1647. It is
believed that he married Anne Brent, but proof of the
marriage has not been found. No Anne Brent or Anne Calvert
has been found in various early settlers lists. Harry
Wright Newman states that no proof of the Calvert-Brent
marriage has been found. Tradition states that Leonard
Calvert must have married during a return trip to England
in April 1643, a trip that lasted 17 months. Moreover, in
1651 Anne Brent was listed as a non-juror spinster.
However, it should be remembered that the term spinster
was sometimes used to refer to a woman's socio-economic
status and not to her marital status. Nevertheless, if
Anne Brent had married Leonard Calvert she most likely
would have been styled Anne Calvert. Mrs. Calvert
evidently never came to Maryland, but she did bear Leonard
Calvert two children: William, and Anne, who married
first, Baker Brooke; second, Henry Brent who died in 1693,
and third , Richard Marsham.
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2. Ann [-?-], wife of John Lewger. John Lewger governed
Maryland in the absence of Leonard Calvert in 1638 and again
in 1641. He came to the province in 1637, on the ship
Unity of the Isle of Wight, with his wife Ann,
nine-year-old son John, and others (Patent Record,1: 17, 19,
MSA S11). He returned to England where he died in 1665
during the plague. Ann [-?-] Lewger died c. 1642. She is
probably the "Mrs. Lewger" who was left a satin petticoat in
the will, made 31 March 1639, of Richard Lee, who stated
that it had formerly belonged to his wife (Wills 1: 5, MSA
S538; Archives of Maryland 1: 51). We have no record of a
will or administration of Ann Lewger's estate, but, in 1642,
a dispute between John Lewger and John Hollis concerning
Mathias de Sousa mentioned the "disposing of his [de
Sousa's] person to the satisfaction of Mrs. Lewger's just
debts" (Archives of Maryland 1: 156). John and Ann were the
parents of: John, born c. 1628; possibly Ann, born c. 1630,
married William Tattershall; and possibly Cecily, born c.
1632. In his undated will, proved in 1644, Edward Parker
left Cecily Lewger one half of his estate (Wills 1: 9, MSA
S538).
3. The unknown first Mrs. Thomas Cornwallis. Capt.
Thomas Cornwallis governed Maryland from 1643 to 1644,
while Leonard Calvert was out of the province. His first
wife, whom he married by 1638, has not been identified;
Cornwallis wrote that her health "disenabled her" from
managing his affairs in England.
4.
Penelope Cornwallis, second wife of Thomas Cornwallis. Cornwallis married second, by 1654, Penelope Wiseman,
daughter of John Wiseman of Terrell's Hall, Essex,
England. Penelope was still living in 1688. In 1656,
Cornwallis claimed land for bringing his wife Penelope
into the province (Patent Record Q: 451, MSA S11). In
August 1661, Cornwallis and his
(continued on Page 3)
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