St. Clement's Island Prehistory - Part 1. - American Colonial History

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Why did two ships of colonists risk a dangerous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1633 to flee England for America and why did they bring their hopes for religious freedom to St. Clement's Island Maryland? To understand the history of St. Clements one needs to understand there is another part of the story, the history of events in the 16th Century which a few years later would cause the colonists to leave England for America.

Let's call it the European prehistory of St. Clements and quite frankly you might be a bit surprised by what you learn. This prehistory includes a series of international events involving the most powerful monarchies, legendary family dynasties, and mighty empires in Europe beginning with the infamous King Henry VIII of England.

St. Clements Island was the sight of the first declaration of religious freedom to be guaranteed anywhere in the world, a freedom that in time would become embedded in our US Constitution. A little over 100 years earlier Henry VIII set in motion the series of events that would result in this charter.

Events in Europe during the 16th century led to the fall from favor of the Catholics and Puritans in England and the subsequent journey to settle the colony of Mary Land in 1634 where religious freedom would be guaranteed. Monarchies in England, Scotland, France, Spain and Italy and the Vatican in Rome were all to play a role in this decision to settle in the new world.

A web of intrigue led to a mosaic of treachery, murder, assassination, torture, arranged marriages and more in the alliances and enemies that came and went beginning with the reign of Henry VIII in England who was born in 1491, the year before Columbus discovered America, and was King from 1509 to 1547. Let me see if I can't make some sense of the historic actions that led to the landing at St. Clements.

Henry VIII - King of England (r. 1509 - 1547)



First let's talk about the reign of Henry VIII. He was famous for having six wives, two were executed.  Early in his career he was given the title Defender of the Faith by the Pope for defending the Catholic Church against Martin Luther. Later he was to turn his nation against the very church he defended. When Henry's first wife was unable to give him a male heir he requested an annulment from the Pope.

He needed the annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope refused and Henry was enraged and threw the Catholic Church out of England, creating a Church of England with the King as Divine Leader. When his second wife Anne failed to give him a male heir she was beheaded. His first three wives each gave him one heir, but only the third wife gave him a male. All three children served as King or Queen of England in the span of just one decade, although the last, Elizabeth, continued serving for 45 glorious years.

Henry's battle with the Vatican became the Reformation Movement against the church and by his death England was a thoroughly Protestant and Reformed nation. During his rein more than 72,000 people were put to death.

Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1515- -1556)



Charles was King of Spain and heir to four of Europe's leading dynasties, making him Holy Roman Emperor. His empire included Central, Western and Southern Europe and the Spanish colonies in America. Henry's 1st wife, Catherine of Aragon was Charles' Aunt. Charles grandmother was Queen Isabella I who sent Columbus to discover America.

It was Charles who sent the conquistadors to America and they wiped out the Aztec and Inca Empires, sending tons of gold back to Spain and helping Spain become the most powerful nation in the world. The Spanish Armada was considered invincible on the seven seas.

When his Aunt Catherine asked him to help stop Henry VIII from annulling her wedding Charles sent his army to Italy and took the Pope hostage and preventing him from approving Henry's annulment. This act triggered the Reformation against the Catholic Church and the loss of power by the Catholics in England.

Pope Clement VII (r. 1523 - 1534)



This pope was a member of the powerful Florentine "Medici" family, a dynasty that produced three popes. The Medici family was also responsible for the Italian Renaissance in art and architecture. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Galileo were among the most famous family patrons.





Still the Pope was no match for the power of King Charles and when he was unable to grant Henry the annulment it enraged Henry VIII who undertook a campaign against the Catholic Church to drive them from power in England and to confiscate all churches, shrines and monasteries throughout England and the UK and give them to the new Church of England under the King.



Catherine of Aragon - Henry's 1st Wife

As noted, Catherine was aunt to King Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. She refused to agree to an annulment with Henry which caused the English split from Catholic influence. Her daughter, Mary I became Queen of England.

Anne Boleyn - Henry's 2nd Wife

It was Boleyn who demanded of Henry an annulment from his 1st wife in order to marry him. Her daughter, Elizabeth I became Queen but her only son and heir to the throne was stillborn. Henry had her beheaded for treason against the King.



Mary Queen of Scots

The daughter of King James V of Scotland (nephew to Henry VIII of England) and Marie of Guise from France, her father died when she was six days old. Henry VIII immediately sought to arrange a marriage between the infant Mary and his son Edward, Henry's only male heir by his 3rd wife Jane Seymour and future King of England, but the Queen Mother Marie of Scotland stopped him, earning her the wrath of King Henry.

At nine months Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland but was kept in hiding by her mother. At age six her mother had arranged for a marriage in France to Dauphin Francois, heir to the French throne, and Mary went to live with her future father-in-law, Henri II in France. When she was 16 in 1558 she married Francois who became King Francis II of France when his father died the next year.

One year later, in 1560, her young husband the King died. Her mother-in-law, Catherine Medici of the Italian family became Regent and another son, the King's brother Charles IX, inherited the throne leaving Mary an 18 year old widow and former Queen of France. Mary returned to Scotland.

After her return Mary, who was a devote Catholic, defied Elizabeth and married Lord Darnley, her 1st cousin, who was then murdered. Her next marriage was to the alleged murderer of Lord Darnley. During this time Mary tried on many occasions to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and claim the throne. Elizabeth refused to have her cousin put to death but eventually her advisors did have Mary executed for treason.

Ironically, direct descendants of Mary were Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France who were also put to death for treason during the French Revolution.

Elizabeth I - Queen of the Golden Age (r. 1558 - 1603)



Three children of Henry VIII ruled England beginning with Edward VI (1547-1553), Mary I (1553-1558) and Elizabeth (1558-1603). Because none had heirs Elizabeth I was the last of the Tudor dynasty which became extinct upon her death in 1603. The crown of England then passed to Henry VIII's Paternal Great-grandson, James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, and he became James I of England.

After her predecessor Mary I had restored power to the Catholics and began a campaign to burn the Protestants at the stake Elizabeth then restored power to the Church of England. Her difficulties with her cousin Mary in Scotland led to the Pope excommunicating Elizabeth from the Catholic church. When Mary was put to death the King of Spain, still the most powerful empire in the world, attacked England with the dreaded Spanish Armada of over 100 ships.

Elizabeth sent her small navy to meet the armada while she rallied the British troops on the shore and somehow Elizabeth won the battle ending forever the Spanish dominance of the world. William Shakespeare rose to fame during the Golden Age of Elizabeth's reign and she was one of the most beloved Queens of England.

Her closest advisor who helped save her before she became Queen and served throughout her reign was Sir William Cecil. William groomed his son Robert Cecil to take over for him when he died and Robert stepped in to serve the Queen, coordinate arrangements at her death, the end of the Tudor dynasty, and manage the transition to James I as the first Stuart king.

Robert Cecil - Advisor to Kings and Queens

Robert succeeded his father William in Queen Elizabeth's court and after her death he arranged for the transfer of the throne to King James I, son of Mary Queen of Scots, and thus united England and Scotland under the new Stuart King. It was Robert who encouraged his friend George Calvert to work for King James I. With Cecil's influence Calvert became involved in politics rising in the King's court to the position of Secretary of State, one of the top advisors to the King.

James I - King of England and Scotland (1603 - 1625)

James I was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Paternal Grand Son of Henry VIII and was the first Stuart king after the end of the Tudor dynasty, the first King of England and Scotland. Because his mother spent so many years in prison while trying to overthrow Elizabeth before being put to death, James had not seen her since he was 14 months old.

Quite odd by English standards, James managed to alienate both the Protestants and Catholics by persecuting Catholics and writing about the Divine Right of Kings along with a book on witchcraft. James had been raised a Calvinist in Scotland.

It was James who made George Calvert his Secretary of State and gave him the title Lord Baltimore for helping settle unrest in Ireland. James also was unable to adjust to the English parliament and his feuds laid the seeds for the Protestant overthrow of the next monarch, his son Charles I. Finally, it was James who granted Calvert rights to the Avalon settlement in Newfoundland and rights to all of Newfoundland after a colony was established.

Charles I - King of England and Scotland (1625 - 1649)



Charles was the first monarch to get a special dispensation from the Pope so he could marry Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henry IV of France and his Italian wife Marie de Medici of the Medici family dynasty. Henrietta was the first Catholic princess to marry a Protestant prince in Europe. It was a tenuous position for Charles to be head of the Church of England when his wife was Catholic, daughter of the French King and a member of the Italian Medici family.

His authoritarian Protestantism surprised both Protestants and Catholics alike as he rigidly enforced his right to raise his children outside the Catholic faith and was aggressively responding to challenges against the Church of England, thus causing both Puritans and Catholics to seek colonies in the new world.

English colonies already existed in Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620) and Avalon in Newfoundland (1621) before he became King while Mary Land (1634) would be settled during his reign but Charles had very little interest in the new world. However, he did demonstrate his loyalty to his father's advisors by continuing the grants to the Calvert family for Newfoundland, and when that was not successful he allowed Calvert to try again in Mary Land. In time his feud with Parliament would result in Oliver Cromwell leading a revolt that captured London taking Charles prisoner and he was beheaded in 1649.

Henrietta Marie, Queen of England



As noted, the complexity of Henrietta's position required a special dispensation from the Pope and seemed to calm friction between England and France. However, her devotion to being Catholic was unsettling to the English and a source of conflict with the Church of England. The Mary Land colony was named after her and she encouraged Charles to incorporate religious toleration in the new colony to assure those being persecuted in England would be free in America.

She even is reported to have given a piece of the True Cross of Jesus to the colonists to protect them on their trip, a relic still in Southern Maryland and brought to the Blessing of the Fleet. Her Medici family in Italy was responsible for saving and protecting many of the ancient relics, manuscripts and art work of the early period of Christianity.

When King Charles abolished Parliament it was Queen Henrietta that raised money and troops for the King from the Catholics of England and Europe, an action that alarmed the king's court over the growing influence of Catholics in the English monarchy. The Queen was safely moved to France during the revolt and beheading of Charles and she spent the rest of her life working out of a convent helping to protect the rights of Catholics and trying to influence her sons who became king.

Sir George Calvert - 1st Baron of Baltimore



This friend of Robert Cecil and loyalist to Queen Elizabeth and King James I worked his way up through the court to become Secretary of State under James. With his family long devoted to protecting religious freedom in England Sir George had a deep belief that the colonies offered the best opportunity to establish a haven for religious toleration where it was free of the Church of England and the religious battles raging throughout Europe. Shortly before King James died Calvert resigned from the court to settle the colonies and declared he was a Catholic, a surprise to all those who worked with him over the years.

Sir George had been an investor in the East India Tea Company approved by Elizabeth 1600 and in the Jamestown venture of 1607 so when James granted him a colony in Newfoundland named after the legendary Avalon of King Arthur days Sir George devoted his life and resources to making it successful. The ancient Avalon was the community where the new Christianity was first incorporated into the Druid and Celtic ways in the 4th century.

Calvert purchased two boats, the Ark and the Dove and in 1621 sent the first settlers to the new world. He hired a famous English pirate John Nutt to defend the new colony from the French raiders. Some time earlier he had saved Nutt from being put to death for piracy.

Calvert personally made two trips on his ships the Ark and the Dove to Newfoundland but by 1628 realized the climate was too harsh. He returned to England and consulted with Cecil and others before requesting from King Charles I a charter for the area north of the Potomac River extending to the 40th parallel, just above the future location of Philadelphia. During plans he consulted with Captain John Smith, the first Governor of Jamestown, who had explored the territory north of Jamestown after establishing the Virginia colony.

Calvert also recruited a Jesuit Priest, Father Andrew White, in 1628 to help organize the new settlement even though Father White had been banished from England for conducting Catholic services. Father White secretly helped Calvert draft many of the charter documents he wanted including the guarantee of religious freedom, the first colony in the world to offer such freedom.

After successful negotiations with the King aided by the support of the Queen Henrietta Marie, Sir George Calvert died just five weeks before the grant was approved. It would be up to his son Cecilius, named after Robert Cecil, to fulfill the dream of his father.

(Part 2. to follow)

Histories Mysteries - The Landing at St. Clement's Island in 1634

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In the past five years I have heard and seen many different versions of what happened when the colonists to Maryland arrived in 1634 and it is time that historical societies and historians finally get the record straight. With the arrival of Lord Baltimore's colonists in the new world and the unique grant that gave him unprecedented powers to colonize America including the power to establish religious freedom, it was one of the most significant colonies in our history.

First of all, in 1628 George Calvert, the 1st Lord Baltimore, traveled the Potomac River on a trip to Virginia to scout locations for his Mary Land settlement as soon as King Charles approved his grant. The grant was approved by the King shortly after George died in 1632 and his son, the 2nd Lord Baltimore was determined to complete his father's dream of a colony grounded in religious freedom.



The expedition left England in late 1633 and arrived at St. Clement's Island in the Potomac River just a few miles from the Chesapeake Bay about March 3-5, 1634. The approximately 315 passengers and crew used a barge or skiff they brought with them to move supplies to the island and immediately began building a fort. It was to serve as a fortress to prohibit foreigners from illegal trade on the river for it was the narrowest point for crossing the Potomac River.



On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, a ceremony with all members of the expedition was held on the Island to read the official grant, celebrate the first Roman Catholic Mass in English speaking America, and conduct the first Eucharist ceremony in the colonies. A huge cross was made from downed trees and carried by the Catholics to the site of the Mass where it was erected. The Stations of the Cross were also part of the ceremony. Also the new colony was first dedicated to the Holy Mother Mary.

A couple of days later the Ark and Dove took many of the colonists to the future site of St. Mary's City. St. Clement's Island and the Manor that evolved under the guidance of the Gerard family remained a settlement and to this day remains the oldest continuously occupied chartered settlement in America.

By the end of March some of the colonists moved to the present site of St. Mary's City to establish permanent quarters while others remained at St. Clements and White Neck Creek. Soon additional settlements were at Inigoes downriver from St. Mary's City, and at a site along the Patuxent River. By 1637 another settlement was underway across St. Clements Bay in Newtown.



Also in 1637 the population of the Maryland colony was recorded as about 350 in Maryland with 90 in St. Mary's City, 60 in St. Clements Manor, and the balance throughout other Maryland plantations. The Manor grant to the Gerard family was promised before the expedition left England and was formally made in 1638 with the survey completed in 1639.

In terms of historical accuracy, the following should be used.

While the 1st Lord Baltimore died before the first expedition, he did visit Maryland in 1628 and traveled the Potomac River following the Captain John Smith explorations documented earlier by the Governor of Virginia.



The Ark and the Dove carried about 322 passengers and crew on the voyage including the loyalists who left from Gravesend, England and the Catholics who boarded at the Isle of Wight. Twelve people died crossing the ocean.

The expedition first landed at St. Clement's Island about March 5, 1634, not at St. Mary's City as often mentioned in speeches.

While Governor Leonard Calvert traveled the Potomac to meet with Indian leaders the remaining colonists built a fort on St. Clement's Island and on March 25 a ceremony on the Island, now celebrated as Maryland Day, was held.

During the ceremony the charter to the Calvert family was read and made Maryland the first colony in the world to guarantee religious freedom to all residents.

Around March 27, 1634 some of the colonists remained at St. Clements while others went to establish St. Mary's City.

While St. Clement's Manor was chartered in 1638 and the Manor House finished the same year St. Mary's City was not chartered until 1668 and ceased to exist in 1699. Both English settlements in Jamestown, VA and Plymouth, MA ceased to exist in the 1690's as well.



The St. Clement's Manor House under Lord Thomas Gerard was completed in 1638 on the mainland overlooking St. Clement's Island (currently Coltons Point).

If we just correct these errors in historical records we can begin the process of accurately documenting all the historical records of this most sacred and significant time in American history.



Other articles about the history of Maryland can be found at the following links.

Histories Mysteries - Next King of England (Prince William) Shares St. Clements Manor, Maryland bloodline
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/histories-mysteries-next-king-of.html

Histories Mysteries - The Voyage of the Ark and the Dove
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/09/histories-mysteries-journey-of-ark-and.html

St. Clements Pre-history Part 2
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/08/st-clements-island-prehistory-part-2.html

St. Clements Pre-history Part 1
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/08/st-clements-island-prehistory-part-1.html

St. Clements Island and Manor - Four Centuries of Interrupted History
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/07/st-clements-island-and-manor-four.html

Summer Comes To Coltons Point
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/rapping-with-vp-biden-next-in-line-for.html

Scenes from Coltons Point
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/03/scenes-from-coltons-point.html

The Miracle of St. Clements Island
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2008/04/miracle-of-st-clements-island.html

The Pilgrim's Progress
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2007/02/pilgrims-progress.html

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Histories Mysteries - The Journey of the Ark and the Dove

For the past 376 years, ever since the Ark and the Dove sailed from England to the New World (1633-34) bringing the first Catholics and others to settle the Mary Land colony of Lord Baltimore, there has been confusion in the historical accounts on the timing of the departure, the number of passengers, and how did Catholics on board manage to leave England when they were being persecuted?

The Ark and the Dove were two ships owned by Lord George Calvert, whose son Cecil inherited his property, ships and grant from the King of England to the Mary Land colony in America. On the voyage to America the Ark, a merchantman, was under the command of Richard Lowe while the Dove was under the command of Captain Winter.

A full-rigged ship, the Ark of London was about 350 tons with a crew of forty. It was to carry the first settlers and supplies to the new colony. (Tons refers to tons burden, a measure of space available for cargo unless said to be weight). The Ark was a merchantman armed to repel pirates or enemy ships and "Kingbuilt" to serve as a warship if commandeered by the navy. For her first and second voyages from London to Maryland in 1633-35 the Ark had fifteen large carriage-mounted cast-iron cannon and other guns, probably some combination of demiculverins, cutts, sakars, and perhaps minions or falcons.

To repel boarders she would have had small swivel mounted antipersonnel guns called "murderers." In August 1635 before her third voyage she added eight sakars and two cutts. Guns of the seventeenth century were not standardized. Demiculverins might weigh 3,000 to 3,500 pounds, be nine to ten feet long, have a 4 to 4 ¾ inch bore and throw an 8 to 9 1/2-pound ball more than a mile. Sakers commonly weighed 2,000 to 2,500 pounds, were seven to nine feet long, had a 3.5 to 4 inch bore and a 5 to 6 pound shot. Cutts were demiculverins, with the barrel shortened by about six feet with little loss in range. They might throw a 9-pound ball about a mile but had extremely violent recoil and, as was the case with the sakers, were not accurate enough to have an effective range of more than about 500 yards. Minions could weigh 1,000 to 1,200 pounds, be 6 feet long and throw a 4 to 5 pound ball. Falcons weighed 600 to 800 pounds and used a 4 to 5 pound ball.

The armament of the Ark was important. Spain considered it her right to seize or sink any English ship found south of the "tropike" (of Cancer) and west of the "Grave Meridian" (probably considered by the Spanish to be by 18 degrees west longitude). The Ark was headed for the West Indies and would be in that area for weeks. Another danger was piracy. In 1631, the most dreaded of all pirates, those of Sallee, a port on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, held as slaves some 2,000 captives from English ships and the coasts of England and Ireland. In 1634-35 pirates captured some 2,000 people from English ships and towns.

Richard Lowe, the Ark's master, had reason to be wary of pirates. In March 1628, he was captured at sea by "Frenchmen" while master of the 130-ton Anne of London. In November 1630 he was master of the 160-ton Charity of London when she fought two Dunkirk pirate ships in the Narrow Seas for "two hours but quitted herself with some hurte."

The Dove was a small vessel, "of the burthen of fortie tons." On the first voyage to Maryland, it accompanied the Ark as its pinnace, a tender and scout, and carried some baggage and supplies. No precise information about the rig, dimensions, or layout of the Dove is known. Some representations show her with three masts, some with two. She is variously reported to be of forty to fifty tons burden. For the voyage with the Ark she had a crew of seven.

Over the past four centuries historians have estimated the number of passengers at between 123 to over 300 with the number of Catholics being most difficult to determine. It was not a surprise as Catholics were being persecuted in England at the time and it was only because George Calvert had faithfully served the King of England, James I, that an avowed Catholic like Calvert could get a land grant in the first place. He had previously invested in the East India Trading Company, the settlement of Avalon in Newfoundland, and the Jamestown settlement.

Maryland was to be the first English colony in America guaranteeing religious freedom by virtue of the failure to mention in the Maryland Charter loyalty to the Church of England. It was the only way Lord Calvert and his spiritual advisor Father Andrew White could devise to get around the English laws persecuting the Catholics, Puritans and other denominations not part of the Church of England.

As the journey to America neared preparations intensified and in mid-October 1633 after fitting out at Blackwall, England the Ark and the Dove dropped down the Thames to anchor off Gravesend where they were to take on stores and passengers. Gravesend was the main harbor for sailing to foreign lands as it sat just down the Thames River from London and was protected from the open seas. It was also where Pocahontas, the Indian princess, died a few years earlier as she was about to return to America. Pocahontas had a role in the colonization of America by saving John Smith, Governor of Jamestown, two times. It was Smith's exploration of the Potomac River that convinced George Calvert to land at St. Clements and settle along the river rather than the Chesapeake Bay.

The two ships then set sail for America. Soon after that, John Coke, the English Secretary of State, sent an urgent dispatch to Admiral John Pennington: "The Ark of London, Richard Lowe, master, carrying men for Lord Baltimore to his new plantation sailed from Gravesend contrary to orders" and those aboard had "not taken the oath of allegiance to the Crown" as they were required to do by a warrant from Whitehall dated July 31.

The Ark was intercepted by Pennington's ships and taken back under guard to Tilbury Hope across from Gravesend harbor. The oath was administered by October 29 at Gravesend to 123 people listed on the ship manifest and the ships received permission to leave England on October 30, "Provided there be no other person or persons aboard the said shippe or pinnace but such as have or shall have taken the oath of allegiance as aforesaid."

From Gravesend the colonists had to sail along the English coast for several days before reaching the Isle of Wight where they docked at Cowes to secretly pick up passengers who avoided the customs house in Gravesend and to await favorable weather before setting out to sea.

It was at Cowes that the Catholics who refused to take the oath boarded the two vessels, including Father Andrew White. As they waited at Cowes for weather to clear rumors spread through the docks that Catholics were on board the ships and were attempting to sail from England without taking the required oath. There was a fear among the colonists that English ships would again be sent to stop them if they did not get on their way.

From this point let Father White tell the story from his acclaimed journal of the voyage to America.

"On the 22d of the month of November, 1633, on St. Cecilia's day, the east wind blowing gently, we weighed anchor from Cowes, situated in the isle of Wight. When we had first placed the principal parts of the ship under the protection of God, the most holy Mother, St. Ignatius, and all the other guardian angels of Maryland, being carried a short distance between the two headlands, for want of wind we came to anchor off the Castle of Yarmouth, which is a port on the west of the same island. Here we were saluted by the festal thunders of the cannon.

We were not free from fear, however; for the sailors began to murmur among themselves that they expected a messenger from London with letters, and so appeared to frame causes of delay. But God interrupted their wicked designs, for the same night a favorable, but strong wind blowing, a French barque, which had lain in the same port with us, being compelled to weigh anchor, nearly drove against our pinnace.

Therefore, to prevent being run down, one anchor being cut loose and lost, she hastened to make sail as quick as possible, and since it is dangerous to be tossed by the waves in that place, she put out to sea. Therefore, lest we should lose sight of our pinnace, we determined to follow; so that whatever designs the sailors contemplated against us, were frustrated.

This happened on the 23d of November, St. Clement's day, on which he, being bound to an anchor and cast into the sea, obtained a crown of martyrdom, and afforded to his people a way to land, as the miracles of God declare."

So the next day, at ten o'clock in the morning, being honored again by a salute from the Castle of Hurst, we were carried beyond the breakers at the extremity of the Isle of Wight, which from their form, they call the Needles. But these are a terror to sailors on account of the double tide of the sea; on this side hurrying and dashing the ships upon the rocks, and on the other side against the neighboring shore.

To say nothing of the other imminent danger which we escaped at the Castle of Yarmouth, here the wind and tide raging while we remained, the anchor not yet being weighed and secured, the ship was almost dashed on shore, unless on a sudden, by great exertion, having tacked, and shipping a sea, we escaped the danger, by a propitious God, who vouchsafed to us this pledge of his future protection, through the merits of St. Clements."

As for the number of people aboard the two ships after the passengers were boarded at Gravesend and Cowes, Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, in a letter to Lord Wentworth, afterwards the Earl of Strafford, says :

" By the help of some of your Lordship's good friends and mine, I have sent a hopeful colony into Maryland, with a fair and favorable expectation of good success, without any danger of any great prejudice to myself, in respect that many others are joined with me in the adventure. There are two of my brothers with very near twenty other gentlemen of very good fashion, and three hundred laboring men."

In other words there were 2 Calverts, near 20 gentlemen and 300 laboring men, approximately 322 total colonists. Of these twelve died at sea, ten Protestants and 2 Catholics. Included among the passengers were two Jesuit priests and two Councillors of the Colony who were adherents of the Church of England. Approximately 310 passengers plus any additional people picked up in the Caribbean Islands and Virginia would have arrived at St. Clements Island.

Thus we have the answers to several historical puzzles regarding this most significant voyage to America including the background on the ships, the attempt to sail that was stopped by the English, the reason the passenger manifest was only a partial listing, the various ports involved in the first voyage, the reason everyone did not sign the oath of loyalty and other interesting facts.

Future postings of Histories Mysteries will investigate many other aspects of the colonizing of Maryland and the birth of religious freedom in America.

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Histories Mysteries - The Journey of the Ark and the Dove

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For the past 376 years, ever since the Ark and the Dove sailed from England to the New World (1633-34) bringing the first Catholics and others to settle the Mary Land colony of Lord Baltimore, there has been confusion in the historical accounts on the timing of the departure, the number of passengers, and how did Catholics on board manage to leave England when they were being persecuted?

The Ark and the Dove were two ships owned by Lord George Calvert, whose son Cecil inherited his property, ships and grant from the King of England to the Mary Land colony in America. On the voyage to America the Ark, a merchantman, was under the command of Richard Lowe while the Dove was under the command of Captain Winter.

A full-rigged ship, the Ark of London was about 350 tons with a crew of forty. It was to carry the first settlers and supplies to the new colony. (Tons refers to tons burden, a measure of space available for cargo unless said to be weight). The Ark was a merchantman armed to repel pirates or enemy ships and "Kingbuilt" to serve as a warship if commandeered by the navy. For her first and second voyages from London to Maryland in 1633-35 the Ark had fifteen large carriage-mounted cast-iron cannon and other guns, probably some combination of demiculverins, cutts, sakars, and perhaps minions or falcons.

To repel boarders she would have had small swivel mounted antipersonnel guns called "murderers." In August 1635 before her third voyage she added eight sakars and two cutts. Guns of the seventeenth century were not standardized. Demiculverins might weigh 3,000 to 3,500 pounds, be nine to ten feet long, have a 4 to 4 ¾ inch bore and throw an 8 to 9 1/2-pound ball more than a mile. Sakers commonly weighed 2,000 to 2,500 pounds, were seven to nine feet long, had a 3.5 to 4 inch bore and a 5 to 6 pound shot. Cutts were demiculverins, with the barrel shortened by about six feet with little loss in range. They might throw a 9-pound ball about a mile but had extremely violent recoil and, as was the case with the sakers, were not accurate enough to have an effective range of more than about 500 yards. Minions could weigh 1,000 to 1,200 pounds, be 6 feet long and throw a 4 to 5 pound ball. Falcons weighed 600 to 800 pounds and used a 4 to 5 pound ball.

The armament of the Ark was important. Spain considered it her right to seize or sink any English ship found south of the "tropike" (of Cancer) and west of the "Grave Meridian" (probably considered by the Spanish to be by 18 degrees west longitude). The Ark was headed for the West Indies and would be in that area for weeks. Another danger was piracy. In 1631, the most dreaded of all pirates, those of Sallee, a port on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, held as slaves some 2,000 captives from English ships and the coasts of England and Ireland. In 1634-35 pirates captured some 2,000 people from English ships and towns.

Richard Lowe, the Ark's master, had reason to be wary of pirates. In March 1628, he was captured at sea by "Frenchmen" while master of the 130-ton Anne of London. In November 1630 he was master of the 160-ton Charity of London when she fought two Dunkirk pirate ships in the Narrow Seas for "two hours but quitted herself with some hurte."

The Dove was a small vessel, "of the burthen of fortie tons." On the first voyage to Maryland, it accompanied the Ark as its pinnace, a tender and scout, and carried some baggage and supplies. No precise information about the rig, dimensions, or layout of the Dove is known. Some representations show her with three masts, some with two. She is variously reported to be of forty to fifty tons burden. For the voyage with the Ark she had a crew of seven.

Over the past four centuries historians have estimated the number of passengers at between 123 to over 300 with the number of Catholics being most difficult to determine. It was not a surprise as Catholics were being persecuted in England at the time and it was only because George Calvert had faithfully served the King of England, James I, that an avowed Catholic like Calvert could get a land grant in the first place. He had previously invested in the East India Trading Company, the settlement of Avalon in Newfoundland, and the Jamestown settlement.

Maryland was to be the first English colony in America guaranteeing religious freedom by virtue of the failure to mention in the Maryland Charter loyalty to the Church of England. It was the only way Lord Calvert and his spiritual advisor Father Andrew White could devise to get around the English laws persecuting the Catholics, Puritans and other denominations not part of the Church of England.

As the journey to America neared preparations intensified and in mid-October 1633 after fitting out at Blackwall, England the Ark and the Dove dropped down the Thames to anchor off Gravesend where they were to take on stores and passengers. Gravesend was the main harbor for sailing to foreign lands as it sat just down the Thames River from London and was protected from the open seas. It was also where Pocahontas, the Indian princess, died a few years earlier as she was about to return to America. Pocahontas had a role in the colonization of America by saving John Smith, Governor of Jamestown, two times. It was Smith's exploration of the Potomac River that convinced George Calvert to land at St. Clements and settle along the river rather than the Chesapeake Bay.

The two ships then set sail for America. Soon after that, John Coke, the English Secretary of State, sent an urgent dispatch to Admiral John Pennington: "The Ark of London, Richard Lowe, master, carrying men for Lord Baltimore to his new plantation sailed from Gravesend contrary to orders" and those aboard had "not taken the oath of allegiance to the Crown" as they were required to do by a warrant from Whitehall dated July 31.

The Ark was intercepted by Pennington's ships and taken back under guard to Tilbury Hope across from Gravesend harbor. The oath was administered by October 29 at Gravesend to 123 people listed on the ship manifest and the ships received permission to leave England on October 30, "Provided there be no other person or persons aboard the said shippe or pinnace but such as have or shall have taken the oath of allegiance as aforesaid."

From Gravesend the colonists had to sail along the English coast for several days before reaching the Isle of Wight where they docked at Cowes to secretly pick up passengers who avoided the customs house in Gravesend and to await favorable weather before setting out to sea.

It was at Cowes that the Catholics who refused to take the oath boarded the two vessels, including Father Andrew White. As they waited at Cowes for weather to clear rumors spread through the docks that Catholics were on board the ships and were attempting to sail from England without taking the required oath. There was a fear among the colonists that English ships would again be sent to stop them if they did not get on their way.

From this point let Father White tell the story from his acclaimed journal of the voyage to America.

"On the 22d of the month of November, 1633, on St. Cecilia's day, the east wind blowing gently, we weighed anchor from Cowes, situated in the isle of Wight. When we had first placed the principal parts of the ship under the protection of God, the most holy Mother, St. Ignatius, and all the other guardian angels of Maryland, being carried a short distance between the two headlands, for want of wind we came to anchor off the Castle of Yarmouth, which is a port on the west of the same island. Here we were saluted by the festal thunders of the cannon.

We were not free from fear, however; for the sailors began to murmur among themselves that they expected a messenger from London with letters, and so appeared to frame causes of delay. But God interrupted their wicked designs, for the same night a favorable, but strong wind blowing, a French barque, which had lain in the same port with us, being compelled to weigh anchor, nearly drove against our pinnace.

Therefore, to prevent being run down, one anchor being cut loose and lost, she hastened to make sail as quick as possible, and since it is dangerous to be tossed by the waves in that place, she put out to sea. Therefore, lest we should lose sight of our pinnace, we determined to follow; so that whatever designs the sailors contemplated against us, were frustrated.

This happened on the 23d of November, St. Clement's day, on which he, being bound to an anchor and cast into the sea, obtained a crown of martyrdom, and afforded to his people a way to land, as the miracles of God declare."

So the next day, at ten o'clock in the morning, being honored again by a salute from the Castle of Hurst, we were carried beyond the breakers at the extremity of the Isle of Wight, which from their form, they call the Needles. But these are a terror to sailors on account of the double tide of the sea; on this side hurrying and dashing the ships upon the rocks, and on the other side against the neighboring shore.

To say nothing of the other imminent danger which we escaped at the Castle of Yarmouth, here the wind and tide raging while we remained, the anchor not yet being weighed and secured, the ship was almost dashed on shore, unless on a sudden, by great exertion, having tacked, and shipping a sea, we escaped the danger, by a propitious God, who vouchsafed to us this pledge of his future protection, through the merits of St. Clements."

As for the number of people aboard the two ships after the passengers were boarded at Gravesend and Cowes, Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, in a letter to Lord Wentworth, afterwards the Earl of Strafford, says :

" By the help of some of your Lordship's good friends and mine, I have sent a hopeful colony into Maryland, with a fair and favorable expectation of good success, without any danger of any great prejudice to myself, in respect that many others are joined with me in the adventure. There are two of my brothers with very near twenty other gentlemen of very good fashion, and three hundred laboring men."

In other words there were 2 Calverts, near 20 gentlemen and 300 laboring men, approximately 322 total colonists. Of these twelve died at sea, ten Protestants and 2 Catholics. Included among the passengers were two Jesuit priests and two Councillors of the Colony who were adherents of the Church of England. Approximately 310 passengers plus any additional people picked up in the Caribbean Islands and Virginia would have arrived at St. Clements Island.

Thus we have the answers to several historical puzzles regarding this most significant voyage to America including the background on the ships, the attempt to sail that was stopped by the English, the reason the passenger manifest was only a partial listing, the various ports involved in the first voyage, the reason everyone did not sign the oath of loyalty and other interesting facts.

Future postings of Histories Mysteries will investigate many other aspects of the colonizing of Maryland and the birth of religious freedom in America.

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St. Clement's Island Prehistory - Part 1 American Colonial History.

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Why did two ships of colonists risk a dangerous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1633 to flee England for America and why did they bring their hopes for religious freedom to St. Clement's Island Maryland? To understand the history of St. Clements one needs to understand there is another part of the story, the history of events in the 16th Century which a few years later would cause the colonists to leave England for America.

Let's call it the European pre-history of St. Clements and quite frankly you might be a bit surprised by what you learn. This pre-history includes a series of international events involving the most powerful monarchies, legendary family dynasties, and mighty empires in Europe beginning with the infamous King Henry VIII of England.

St. Clements Island was the sight of the first declaration of religious freedom to be guaranteed anywhere in the world, a freedom that in time would become embedded in our US Constitution. A little over 100 years earlier Henry VIII set in motion the series of events that would result in this charter.

Events in Europe during the 16th century led to the fall from favor of the Catholics and Puritans in England and the subsequent journey to settle the colony of Mary Land in 1634 where religious freedom would be guaranteed. Monarchies in England, Scotland, France, Spain and Italy and the Vatican in Rome were all to play a role in this decision to settle in the new world.

A web of intrigue led to a mosaic of treachery, murder, assassination, torture, arranged marriages and more in the alliances and enemies that came and went beginning with the reign of Henry VIII in England who was born in 1491, the year before Columbus discovered America, and was King from 1509 to 1547. Let me see if I can't make some sense of the historic actions that led to the landing at St. Clements.

Henry VIII - King of England (r. 1509 - 1547)





First let's talk about the reign of Henry VIII. He was famous for having six wives, two were executed. Early in his career he was given the title Defender of the Faith by the Pope for defending the Catholic Church against Martin Luther. Later he was to turn his nation against the very church he defended. When Henry's first wife was unable to give him a male heir he requested an annulment from the Pope.

He needed the annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope refused and Henry was enraged and threw the Catholic Church out of England, creating a Church of England with the King as Divine Leader. When his second wife Anne failed to give him a male heir she was beheaded. His first three wives each gave him one heir, but only the third wife gave him a male. All three children served as King or Queen of England in the span of just one decade, although the last, Elizabeth, continued serving for 45 glorious years.

Henry's battle with the Vatican became the Reformation Movement against the church and by his death England was a thoroughly Protestant and Reformed nation. During his rein more than 72,000 people were put to death.

Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1515- -1556)





Charles was King of Spain and heir to four of Europe's leading dynasties, making him Holy Roman Emperor. His empire included Central, Western and Southern Europe and the Spanish colonies in America. Henry's 1st wife, Catherine of Aragon was Charles' Aunt. Charles grandmother was Queen Isabella I who sent Columbus to discover America.

It was Charles who sent the conquistadores to America and they wiped out the Aztec and Inca Empires, sending tons of gold back to Spain and helping Spain become the most powerful nation in the world. The Spanish Armada was considered invincible on the seven seas.

When his Aunt Catherine asked him to help stop Henry VIII from annulling her wedding Charles sent his army to Italy and took the Pope hostage and preventing him from approving Henry's annulment. This act triggered the Reformation against the Catholic Church and the loss of power by the Catholics in England.

Pope Clement VII (r. 1523 - 1534)





This pope was a member of the powerful Florentine "Medici" family, a dynasty that produced three popes. The Medici family was also responsible for the Italian Renaissance in art and architecture. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Galileo were among the most famous family patrons.







Still the Pope was no match for the power of King Charles and when he was unable to grant Henry the annulment it enraged Henry VIII who undertook a campaign against the Catholic Church to drive them from power in England and to confiscate all churches, shrines and monasteries throughout England and the UK and give them to the new Church of England under the King.





Catherine of Aragon - Henry's 1st Wife

As noted, Catherine was aunt to King Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. She refused to agree to an annulment with Henry which caused the English split from Catholic influence. Her daughter, Mary I became Queen of England.

Anne Boleyn - Henry's 2nd Wife

It was Boleyn who demanded of Henry an annulment from his 1st wife in order to marry him. Her daughter, Elizabeth I became Queen but her only son and heir to the throne was stillborn. Henry had her beheaded for treason against the King.





Mary Queen of Scots

The daughter of King James V of Scotland (nephew to Henry VIII of England) and Marie of Guise from France, her father died when she was six days old. Henry VIII immediately sought to arrange a marriage between the infant Mary and his son Edward, Henry's only male heir by his 3rd wife Jane Seymour and future King of England, but the Queen Mother Marie of Scotland stopped him, earning her the wrath of King Henry.

At nine months Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland but was kept in hiding by her mother. At age six her mother had arranged for a marriage in France to Dauphin Francois, heir to the French throne, and Mary went to live with her future father-in-law, Henri II in France. When she was 16 in 1558 she married Francois who became King Francis II of France when his father died the next year.

One year later, in 1560, her young husband the King died. Her mother-in-law, Catherine Medici of the Italian family became Regent and another son, the King's brother Charles IX, inherited the throne leaving Mary an 18 year old widow and former Queen of France. Mary returned to Scotland.

After her return Mary, who was a devote Catholic, defied Elizabeth and married Lord Darnley, her 1st cousin, who was then murdered. Her next marriage was to the alleged murderer of Lord Darnley. During this time Mary tried on many occasions to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and claim the throne. Elizabeth refused to have her cousin put to death but eventually her advisors did have Mary executed for treason.

Ironically, direct descendants of Mary were Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France who were also put to death for treason during the French Revolution.

Elizabeth I - Queen of the Golden Age (r. 1558 - 1603)





Three children of Henry VIII ruled England beginning with Edward VI (1547-1553), Mary I (1553-1558) and Elizabeth (1558-1603). Because none had heirs Elizabeth I was the last of the Tudor dynasty which became extinct upon her death in 1603. The crown of England then passed to Henry VIII's Paternal Great-grandson, James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, and he became James I of England.

After her predecessor Mary I had restored power to the Catholics and began a campaign to burn the Protestants at the stake Elizabeth then restored power to the Church of England. Her difficulties with her cousin Mary in Scotland led to the Pope excommunicating Elizabeth from the Catholic church. When Mary was put to death the King of Spain, still the most powerful empire in the world, attacked England with the dreaded Spanish Armada of over 100 ships.

Elizabeth sent her small navy to meet the armada while she rallied the British troops on the shore and somehow Elizabeth won the battle ending forever the Spanish dominance of the world. William Shakespeare rose to fame during the Golden Age of Elizabeth's reign and she was one of the most beloved Queens of England.

Her closest advisor who helped save her before she became Queen and served throughout her reign was Sir William Cecil. William groomed his son Robert Cecil to take over for him when he died and Robert stepped in to serve the Queen, coordinate arrangements at her death, the end of the Tudor dynasty, and manage the transition to James I as the first Stuart king.

Robert Cecil - Advisor to Kings and Queens

Robert succeeded his father William in Queen Elizabeth's court and after her death he arranged for the transfer of the throne to King James I, son of Mary Queen of Scots, and thus united England and Scotland under the new Stuart King. It was Robert who encouraged his friend George Calvert to work for King James I. With Cecil's influence Calvert became involved in politics rising in the King's court to the position of Secretary of State, one of the top advisors to the King.

James I - King of England and Scotland (1603 - 1625)

James I was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Paternal Grand Son of Henry VIII and was the first Stuart king after the end of the Tudor dynasty, the first King of England and Scotland. Because his mother spent so many years in prison while trying to overthrow Elizabeth before being put to death, James had not seen her since he was 14 months old.

Quite odd by English standards, James managed to alienate both the Protestants and Catholics by persecuting Catholics and writing about the Divine Right of Kings along with a book on witchcraft. James had been raised a Calvinist in Scotland.

It was James who made George Calvert his Secretary of State and gave him the title Lord Baltimore for helping settle unrest in Ireland. James also was unable to adjust to the English parliament and his feuds laid the seeds for the Protestant overthrow of the next monarch, his son Charles I. Finally, it was James who granted Calvert rights to the Avalon settlement in Newfoundland and rights to all of Newfoundland after a colony was established.

Charles I - King of England and Scotland (1625 - 1649)




Charles was the first monarch to get a special dispensation from the Pope so he could marry Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henry IV of France and his Italian wife Marie de Medici of the Medici family dynasty. Henrietta was the first Catholic princess to marry a Protestant prince in Europe. It was a tenuous position for Charles to be head of the Church of England when his wife was Catholic, daughter of the French King and a member of the Italian Medici family.

His authoritarian Protestantism surprised both Protestants and Catholics alike as he rigidly enforced his right to raise his children outside the Catholic faith and was aggressively responding to challenges against the Church of England, thus causing both Puritans and Catholics to seek colonies in the new world.

English colonies already existed in Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620) and Avalon in Newfoundland (1621) before he became King while Mary Land (1634) would be settled during his reign but Charles had very little interest in the new world. However, he did demonstrate his loyalty to his father's advisors by continuing the grants to the Calvert family for Newfoundland, and when that was not successful he allowed Calvert to try again in Mary Land. In time his feud with Parliament would result in Oliver Cromwell leading a revolt that captured London taking Charles prisoner and he was beheaded in 1649.

Henrietta Marie, Queen of England



As noted, the complexity of Henrietta's position required a special dispensation from the Pope and seemed to calm friction between England and France. However, her devotion to being Catholic was unsettling to the English and a source of conflict with the Church of England. The Mary Land colony was named after her and she encouraged Charles to incorporate religious toleration in the new colony to assure those being persecuted in England would be free in America.

She even is reported to have given a piece of the True Cross of Jesus to the colonists to protect them on their trip, a relic still in Southern Maryland and brought to the Blessing of the Fleet. Her Medici family in Italy was responsible for saving and protecting many of the ancient relics, manuscripts and art work of the early period of Christianity.

When King Charles abolished Parliament it was Queen Henrietta that raised money and troops for the King from the Catholics of England and Europe, an action that alarmed the king's court over the growing influence of Catholics in the English monarchy. The Queen was safely moved to France during the revolt and beheading of Charles and she spent the rest of her life working out of a convent helping to protect the rights of Catholics and trying to influence her sons who became king.

Sir George Calvert - 1st Baron of Baltimore



This friend of Robert Cecil and loyalist to Queen Elizabeth and King James I worked his way up through the court to become Secretary of State under James. With his family long devoted to protecting religious freedom in England Sir George had a deep belief that the colonies offered the best opportunity to establish a haven for religious toleration where it was free of the Church of England and the religious battles raging throughout Europe. Shortly before King James died Calvert resigned from the court to settle the colonies and declared he was a Catholic, a surprise to all those who worked with him over the years.

Sir George had been an investor in the East India Tea Company approved by Elizabeth 1600 and in the Jamestown venture of 1607 so when James granted him a colony in Newfoundland named after the legendary Avalon of King Arthur days Sir George devoted his life and resources to making it successful. The ancient Avalon was the community where the new Christianity was first incorporated into the Druid and Celtic ways in the 4th century.

Calvert purchased two boats, the Ark and the Dove and in 1621 sent the first settlers to the new world. He hired a famous English pirate John Nutt to defend the new colony from the French raiders. Some time earlier he had saved Nutt from being put to death for piracy.

Calvert personally made two trips on his ships the Ark and the Dove to Newfoundland but by 1628 realized the climate was too harsh. He returned to England and consulted with Cecil and others before requesting from King Charles I a charter for the area north of the Potomac River extending to the 40th parallel, just above the future location of Philadelphia. During plans he consulted with Captain John Smith, the first Governor of Jamestown, who had explored the territory north of Jamestown after establishing the Virginia colony.

Calvert also recruited a Jesuit Priest, Father Andrew White, in 1628 to help organize the new settlement even though Father White had been banished from England for conducting Catholic services. Father White secretly helped Calvert draft many of the charter documents he wanted including the guarantee of religious freedom, the first colony in the world to offer such freedom.

After successful negotiations with the King aided by the support of the Queen Henrietta Marie, Sir George Calvert died just five weeks before the grant was approved. It would be up to his son Cecilius, named after Robert Cecil, to fulfill the dream of his father.

(Part 2. to follow)