Compote Dish, Worchester County

From the USS Maryland Silver Service

Maker: Samuel Kirk & Sons (1815-1979)
Object: Compote Dish, Worcester County
Date: 1906
Medium: Sterling Silver
Dimensions: Overall height, 4 1/2", Overall diameter, 10 1/8"; Diameter of base, 5”
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-0927-2

The USS Maryland silver service includes a total of four compote dishes representing Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne’s, and Worcester counties on the Eastern Shore.

Worcester Country was made out of land taken from Somerset County in 1742 and was named after the Earl of Worcester (Henry Somerset). However, in 1750, land was taken from the county and given to Delaware. The final change in Worcester's boundaries came in 1867 when the northwestern portion was transferred to the newly erected Wicomico County.

While the four scenes on each piece are unique to that particular county, the overall appearance of each compote is identical. The Great Seal and the Cruiser are each surrounded by sprays of oak, chestnut, sassafras and linden. Oyster shells around the base connect the pieces to the Eastern Shore, and the rope borders symbolize the nautical theme of the service.

The red brick Victorian courthouse with a large cupola was the third courthouse to be built on the property. The first courthouse, built in 1743, was destroyed by fire in 1834. A larger, second courthouse and jail were built soon after, but they too were lost to a fire in 1893. The third courthouse, made of brick and designed by Baltimore architect J.C. Gott was completed in 1895 and is still in use today.

The tract of land on which “Beverly” is located was patented in 1669 under the name of 'Thrum-Capped' to Donnoch Dennis. His descendant, Littleton Dennis, started construction on the Georgian style mansion named "Beverly" in 1774 but died before it was finished. His widow, Susanna Upshur Dennis, completed the home which has two stories and an attic. It is known for its four tall white pillars at the entrance, which is featured on the compote dish.

A successful businessman and statesman in the colony of Virginia, William Claiborne created a trading post and plantation on a small island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay known as Kent Island. Claiborne never received an official land grant for Kent Island, but in May 1631, King Charles I granted him a license to trade in the area. However, in 1634, King Charles I granted George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, a charter to establish the colony of Maryland. Kent Island and Claiborne’s plantation fell within the bounds of the Calverts’s land grant. Displeased, Claiborne would spend the next 40 years trying to assert his claim over Kent Island.

Things became violent on April 23, 1635 when, at the mouth of the Pocomoke River, in Worcester County, Claiborne's pinnace the “Long Tail” and Governor Calvert's two pinnaces, the “St. Margaret” and the “St. Helen” engaged in battle. This was the first recorded battle in North America between Englishmen. This dramatic scene is depicted on the compote dish. Ultimately, Claiborne would be defeated, and Kent Island remained part of the colony of Maryalnd.

The Makemie Memorial Presbyterian Church was erected in 1888-89 in a High Victorian Gothic style designed by Philadelphia architect Isaac Pursell (1853-1910). This is the fourth church on this property for the Presbyterian congregation of Snow Hill. It is named after the Reverend Francis Makemie (1685-1708) who led the local church starting in 1707.

© Copyright  August 07, 2024  Maryland State Archives