Robert Eden
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland
, 23rd Proprietary Governor
of Maryland
(c. 1741 – 2 September 1784) was a British colonial official and the last Royal Governor of Maryland
. Although a popular governor and an able administrator, Eden's authority was overthrown by the events of the American Revolution
, and in June 1776 he was invited by the Maryland Convention to leave for England. Eden was well-regarded at home and in the same year, 1776, he was made a baronet. He eventually returned to Maryland where he died in 1784 at the age of 43. He was buried in Annapolis and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Frederick
, a noted author.
, England, on 14 September 1741, the second son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, of West Auckland
, and the brother of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland and Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley
and a relative of North Carolina Governor Charles Eden
.
. In 1766 she bore him a son, Frederick. In 1769 he succeeded Horatio Sharpe
as Governor of Maryland, the highest office in the Province, during the tumultuous years preceding the American Revolution
.
was burned in Annapolis harbour in protest against taxes on tea, in imitation of the famous Boston Tea Party
, which took place on December 16, 1773.
On December 30, 1774 Eden wrote:
Although Eden had some sympathy with the colonists' grievances, he was firmly opposed to armed opposition to the Crown. In the event, Maryland was the only state that did not forcibly eject its last proprietary governor from office, choosing instead a formal and largely courteous transfer of power. By 1775 Eden's authority had been effectively usurped by the Annapolis Convention and Eden was eventually asked by the Maryland Council of Safety to step down as governor. The Maryland Convention had been pressed by the Continental Congress
(and the Virginians in particular) to arrest and detain Eden but they demurred, preferring to avoid such an "extreme" measure. Instead they argued that:
Eventually the Maryland Convention formally asked the Governor to leave, and Governor Eden finally departed Maryland for England in the ship Fowey on June 23, 1776,.
He was created a Baronet, of Maryland in North America, in 1776.
In 1769 Eden married Caroline Calvert
, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
, the same year he succeeded Governor Horatio Sharpe
as Governor of Maryland
. Caroline was half-sister to Benedict Swingate Calvert
, a Judge of the Land office with whom Eden shared a love of horse racing. Benedict Swingate Calvert soon found himself appointed to the Governor's Council.
His son Sir Frederick Morton Eden, 2nd Baronet, of Maryland (1766–1809) was a pioneering writer and the author of The State of the Poor, published in 3 volumes in 1797.
. He also had William Eden and N Eden. Eden was an ancestor of 20th century British Prime Minister Anthony Eden
.
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
, 23rd Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....
of Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
(c. 1741 – 2 September 1784) was a British colonial official and the last Royal Governor of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Although a popular governor and an able administrator, Eden's authority was overthrown by the events of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and in June 1776 he was invited by the Maryland Convention to leave for England. Eden was well-regarded at home and in the same year, 1776, he was made a baronet. He eventually returned to Maryland where he died in 1784 at the age of 43. He was buried in Annapolis and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Frederick
Frederick Morton Eden
Sir Frederick Morton Eden, 2nd Baronet, of Maryland was an English writer on poverty and pioneering social investigator.-Early life:...
, a noted author.
Early life
Eden was born in DurhamDurham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, England, on 14 September 1741, the second son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, of West Auckland
West Auckland
West Auckland is a village in County Durham, in North East England. It is situated to the west of Bishop Auckland, on the A688 road.It is not known exactly when West Auckland was first inhabited, but there is evidence of Auckland West in the history of St. Cuthbert in the 11th century...
, and the brother of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland and Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley
Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley
Morton Frederick Eden, 1st Baron Henley GCB, PC, FRS was a British diplomat.Eden was a younger son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet and was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. From 1776–79, he was Minister to Bavaria, then to Copenhagen 1779–82, Dresden 1783–91, Berlin...
and a relative of North Carolina Governor Charles Eden
Charles Eden
Charles Eden was the second Governor of the separate Colony of North Carolina.-Public service:Eden was appointed Governor of North Carolina on 13 July 1713. He is best known for his actions to end piracy in the area...
.
Career
In 1763 Eden made an advantageous marriage, wedding the Hon. Caroline Calvert, daughter of Maryland's proprietor Charles Calvert, 5th Baron BaltimoreCharles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
. In 1766 she bore him a son, Frederick. In 1769 he succeeded Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe was the 22nd Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the Restored Proprietary Government.-Biography:...
as Governor of Maryland, the highest office in the Province, during the tumultuous years preceding the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Maryland and the American War of Independence
Eden was not among those who believed that coercion would force Marylanders into loyalty to the mother country. During the 1770s opposition to English taxation grew, and the Governor's authority began to falter. On April 19, 1774 Eden was forced to prorogue the Colonial Assembly, the last occasion on which it would convene. From this point on the government of Maryland was increasingly in the hands of the Revolutionaries. On October 19, 1774 the Peggy StewartPeggy Stewart
The Peggy Stewart was a Maryland cargo vessel burned on October 19, 1774, in Annapolis as a punishment for contravening the boycott on tea imports which had been imposed in retaliation for the British treatment of the people of Boston following the Boston Tea Party...
was burned in Annapolis harbour in protest against taxes on tea, in imitation of the famous Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
, which took place on December 16, 1773.
On December 30, 1774 Eden wrote:
- "The spirit of resistance against the Tea ActTea ActThe Tea Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. Its principal overt objective was to reduce the massive surplus of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses. A related objective was to undercut the price of tea smuggled into Britain's...
, or any mode of internal taxation, is as strong and universal here as ever. I firmly believe that they will undergo any hardship sooner than acknowledge a right in the British Parliament in that particular, and will persevere in their non-importation and non-exportation experiments, in spite of every inconvenience that they must consequently be exposed to, and the total loss of their trade."
Although Eden had some sympathy with the colonists' grievances, he was firmly opposed to armed opposition to the Crown. In the event, Maryland was the only state that did not forcibly eject its last proprietary governor from office, choosing instead a formal and largely courteous transfer of power. By 1775 Eden's authority had been effectively usurped by the Annapolis Convention and Eden was eventually asked by the Maryland Council of Safety to step down as governor. The Maryland Convention had been pressed by the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
(and the Virginians in particular) to arrest and detain Eden but they demurred, preferring to avoid such an "extreme" measure. Instead they argued that:
- "This Convention, and the Council of Safety for the time being, were the only proper and adequate judges of the propriety and expediency of suffering Governor Eden to depart out of this Province, and have proceeded in that matter upon evidence which was satisfactory to themselves, and to which the convention of Virginia were strangers"
Eventually the Maryland Convention formally asked the Governor to leave, and Governor Eden finally departed Maryland for England in the ship Fowey on June 23, 1776,.
He was created a Baronet, of Maryland in North America, in 1776.
Family life
Caroline Eden
Caroline Eden was the daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, sister of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.-Early life:She was born Caroline Calvert, circa. 1745, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore...
, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, the same year he succeeded Governor Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe was the 22nd Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the Restored Proprietary Government.-Biography:...
as Governor of Maryland
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
. Caroline was half-sister to Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
, a Judge of the Land office with whom Eden shared a love of horse racing. Benedict Swingate Calvert soon found himself appointed to the Governor's Council.
His son Sir Frederick Morton Eden, 2nd Baronet, of Maryland (1766–1809) was a pioneering writer and the author of The State of the Poor, published in 3 volumes in 1797.
Death and legacy
Eden died in September 1784 and was buried in Annapolis, Maryland. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21452 He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, FrederickFrederick Morton Eden
Sir Frederick Morton Eden, 2nd Baronet, of Maryland was an English writer on poverty and pioneering social investigator.-Early life:...
. He also had William Eden and N Eden. Eden was an ancestor of 20th century British Prime Minister Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
.
External links
- Eden at www.findagrave.com Retrieved January 2011