Robert Brooke, Sr.

Robert Brooke, Sr. (1602–55) was a colonial Governor of Maryland.

Early career

Robert was born in Whitemarsh, Southampton on June 23, 1602, and matriculated at Wadham College, Oxford University on April 28, 1618. He received the degree of B.A. July 6, 1620, and M.A. April 20, 1624. He was educated for the ministry and was admitted to “Orders”, but whether he was ever the incumbent of a parish is not shown. However, a manuscript copy of the Visitations of Hampshire in 1634, in the British Museum has under his name the note, “This Robert is a minister”. He resided at his estate in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England.

First marriage

Robert married Mary Baker (1602–34) on February 25, 1627 on Shrove Monday (Carnival Monday) in London. Mary was born on June 3, 1602 in Battle, Sussex. She died in 1634, probably at the birth of her daughter, Barbara.

Mary was the daughter of Thomas Baker II and Mary Engham. Thomas was a barrister from Battle, Sussex. He resided at “Goodnestone”, Kent. This Baker family had its family arms registered at the Visitation of 1619. They were described as “Argent, a tower between three keys erect sable”. Crest: “On a tower sable an arm embowed in mail holding a piece of flint stone proper”.

Second marriage

Robert married secondly on May 11, 1635, Mary Mainwaring (1611–63). Mary was the second daughter of Rt Rev Roger Mainwaring (1582–53), the Doctor of Divinity, Dean of Worcester and Bishop of St David's, and his wife, Cecilia Proper. Roger was heavily fined by Parliament for his advocacy of the doctorine of Divine Right of Kings. The Mainwarings were of ancient and noble family allied by marriage with the family of Hugh Kivelioc de Meschines. The family is an ancient armorial one of Cheshire which used the following arms: “Argent, two bars gules”. Crest: “Out of a ducal coronet an ass’ head haltered proper”. Motto: “Devant, si je puis”.

Immigrates to Maryland

Owing to family prestige and personal worth, Robert commanded much influence, and a commission was issued him at London, September 20, 1649, as a Commander of a County in Maryland, to be newly erected. He had an agreement with Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–75), to receive a manor of 2,000 acres (8 km²) for every ten persons he transported. Robert and Cecilius were friends while both attended Oxford. Robert immigrated from Cheshire, England to Maryland on June 30, 1650 aboard his own ships and at his own expense, along with his second wife, ten children, 21 men servants, seven maid servants and a pack of hounds. On July 22, 1650, along with his two sons, Baker and Thomas, Sr., he took the oath of Fidelity to the Proprietor. His sons each received separate grants of land in various counties of Maryland. Robert was constituted as Commander of newly formed Charles County in Maryland on October 30, 1650.

Becomes Governor of Maryland

When the Puritans ascended in 1652, under the Cromwellian Government, Robert was made head of Provisional Council of Maryland. He served in this capacity from March 29 to July 3, 1652. He was one of the five commissioners making up this Council, which was the government of Maryland. During this period, he served as the Council’s President, which was analogous to being Lieutenant-General or Governor of the Province. Robert’s cooperation with the Bennett-Claiborne Puritan faction from 1652–54 brought him the displeasure of Lord Baltimore and the loss of his proprietary offices. Later he allied himself with the conservative Catholic Party. It is thought that he died a Roman Catholic, although no documentation has been found to prove this assertion. His second wife, Mary Mainwaring, was definitely a member of the Roman faith, and most of his sons professed Roman Catholicism.

Property of Robert Brooke

Robert was a large landowner. One of his estates was patented on July 28, 1650, and was termed “De La Brooke Manor”. It was surveyed on November 21, 1650, and consisted of 2,000 acres (8 km²) in Resurrection Hundred, St. Mary's County, Maryland. “De La Brooke” was torn down in 1835 and the present house having already been built in 1830 remains in its spot. It is located about 20 miles up the west bank of the Patuxent River, in what is now St. Mary's County.

In 1652 Robert removed to “Brooke Place Manor” 2,100 acres (8.5 km²) on Battle Creek, Leonard’s Creek Hundred, Calvert County, across the Patuxent, where he built a home almost a replica of “De La Brooke”.Maryland Historical Magazine, pp 68] This tract had been surveyed on November 30, 1650 for Robert. In addition, Robert also had “Brooke Court” surveyed which constituted 2,000 acres (8 km²) in what is now Prince George’s Co, Maryland. As Manor Lord of “De La Brooke Manor”, "Brooke Place Manor”, and “Brooke Court”, he was granted Court Leet and Court Baron. At the time of his death on July 20, 1655 at “Brooke Place”,Taney, p 25, gives date of death] Robert had accumulated 8,000 acres (32 km²) of land. Robert established a very prominent political family, the first to have third and fourth generation members holding provincial offices.

Robert was listed in the 1634 Visitation of Hampshire, with the following arms, “Checky or and azure on a bend gules a lion passant”. Crest: “A demi-lion rampant erased or”. The family was also entitled to quarter their arms with that of Twyne, described as “Sable a fesse embattled argent, in chief two estoiles of the last”.

Children with first wife

# Baker Brooke (1628-1679), who married Anne Calvert (1644-1714), daughter of Gov. Leonard Calvert (1606-1647), 1st Governor of Maryland and Anne Brent.
# Mary Brooke (1630-ca. 1650), who died young in England.
# Maj. Thomas Brooke, Sr., Esq. (1632-1676), who married Eleanor Hatton (1642-1725), daughter of Hon. Richard Hatton, Sr. (1605-1648) and Margaret (ca. 1610).
# Barbara Brooke (1634-ca. 1650), who died young in England.

Children with second wife

# Charles Brooke (1636-1671), never married.
# Roger Brooke (1637-1700), who married:
## Dorothy Neale, daughter of Capt. James Neale (ca. 1615-1684) and Anna Maria Gill
## Mary Wolseley, daughter of Walter Wolseley and Mary Beauchamp.
# Robert Brooke, Jr. (1639-1667), who married Elizabeth Thompson, daughter of William Thompson and Mary Bretton.
# John Brooke (1640-1677), who married Rebecca Isaacs.
# Mary Brooke (1642).
# William Brooke (1643).
# Ann Brooke (1645), who married Christopher Beanes (ca. 1650-1696).
# Francis Brooke (1648-1671), never married.
# Basil Brooke (d. 1651), who died in infancy.
# Henry Brooke (1655-1672), never married.
# Elizabeth Brooke (1655), who married Capt. Richard Smith, Jr. (ca. 1660-1714), son of Lt. Richard Smith, Sr., Gent. (d.ca. 1690) and his wife, Eleanor.

Ancestry

Robert Sr., was the son of Hon. Thomas Brooke (1561-1612) and Susan Foster (ca. 1570-1612).

Susan was the daughter of Sir Thomas (Forster) Foster V (1548-1612) of “Etherstone”, Hertford, England, and his wife, Susan Foster (1548-1625), co-heiress with her sister Constance.

Thomas was the son of Richard Brooke, Sr., Gent., Esq. (1519-1594) and Elizabeth Twyne (1523-1599).

Richard was the son of Robert Brooke (d. 1593).

Notes

References

*cite book
url=
title=Memoir of Roger Brooke Taney, LL.D.: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
last=Taney
first=Roger Brooke
publisher=John Murphy & Co.
date=1872
*cite book
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=88k1AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=%22brooke+place+manor%22&source=web&ots=53tGsrVsHg&sig=yY8bw0LJg3-BTncxKlgjuX8y02U
title=Maryland Historical Magazine
publisher=Maryland Historical Society
date=1906
accessdate=2007-10-06