The Maryland colony was a formed in 1632, in response to the second colonizing of Virginia. A Relation of Maryland was written by Jerome Hawley and John Lewger upon their return to England in 1635 (Maryland’s Roots). Located in the Chesapeake Bay area, this 12 million acre colony was given to Lord Baltimore, Cecilius Calvert (Taylor 136). It was a proprietary colony, and the conditions under which it was given to Lord Baltimore were “more ample in its terms than any similar charter ever granted by an English king” (Relation 86). Originally, the colony was envisioned as a haven for immigrant Catholics; as a Catholic, Lord Baltimore was sympathetic to their sufferings in Protestant-dominated England. Unfortunately for Lord Baltimore, his colony became mostly inhabited by Protestants, many of whom came from the crowding Virginian colony (Taylor 137). There was an advantage to the high number of seasoned colonists: the Baltimore colony fared better than many other colonies when they were just beginning.
The 200 Maryland settlers traveled from England on the Arke, under the leadership of their new Governor Leonard Calvert. Lord Baltimore, who had initially planned to rule his new colony himself, stayed in London to tend his estates and political interests. Leonard Calvert, as his brother-in-law, was his replacement (Relation 89). Governor Calvert took it upon himself to explore the Chesapeake Bay area to find a suitable place to settle the new colony. Because they came to a land that was not entirely without European civilization, these colonists were also able to take time to explore and decide where to settle. They were not forced by an oncoming winter or the threat of starvation to put roots down on the first piece of land they touched.
In this early section, the narrative reads as a description of the land. In his expeditions up and down the coast, Governor Calvert found a place where “the land is good, the ayre wholsome and pleasant,… fresh water, and wood there is in great plenty, and the place so naturally fortified, as with little difficultie, it will be defended from any enemie” (Relation 94). This beautiful land was already settled by the Yoacomaco Indians. The Governor gave the Indians English cloth as a gift, and therefore the Indians agreed to let the Englishmen come live in there town. The narrative goes on to say that the Indians would give the settlers part of their town to stay in until harvest time, when the Indians would completely leave the town in the hands of the settlers (Relation 94-95). This part of the narrative is clearly promotional, as it glosses over interactions with the Indians and describes them as passive to the point of stupidity. No settler wants to come to a new country where they have to fight aggressive Indians. The fact that the Indians had a permanent settlement on this shore seems to indicate that they want to stay there. The only justification I can come up with for the Indians agreeing to leave after harvest-time, is that they might be hunter-gatherers who spend part of the year as a nomadic people.
The Relation does spend a section talking about the native Indians in the area. The settlers learned about many helpful roots from the Indians including cures for poison, toothaches, and other wounds (Relation 100). The male children remain home until they are old enough to become bowmen. They are bowmen until they marry. Similarly, female children stay with their families until they are married. In general, the women are subservient to the men, going so far as to not speak to their husbands unless they are spoken to. The only time a woman may live alone is if her husband dies after they have had children (Relation 105-106). There is also an astute observation that the Indians are neither extremely warlike nor cowardly. Instead, they are simply in awe of European weaponry. They are described as physically larger and more able-bodied than Englishmen, and their lack of technology is their largest fault (Relation104). I was surprised when I read this, because usually the colonists are not so fair in their assessment of the Indians. The author maintains that the Indians have reason and should be treated as civilly. However, the next paragraph dampens the good view of the Indians by insisting that it is still “a very great errour” to try to co-habit with the Indians (Relation 105). The author believes that teaching Indians how to domesticate animals and make tools will possibly benefit the English in the future, and is worth the effort for that reason.
The overall tone of this narrative is extremely positive. Lord Baltimore was interested in convincing disenfranchised Catholics to move to his new colony, and this pamphlet (as the Relation was originally published) was a good tool to convince people of the riches that awaited them in the New World. Despite Baltimore’s failure to fill his colony with Catholics, the Protestants who did come made it one of the more successful British colonies.
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