His Lordship's Kindness, also known as Poplar Hill, is a historic plantation estate on Woodyard Road east of

Clinton, Maryland Clinton is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Clinton was formerly known as Surrattsville until after the time of the Civil War. The population of Clinton was 38,760 at the 2020 cens ...

. It was built in the 1780s for

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

planter Robert Darnall. The five-part

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

mansion retains a number of subsidiary buildings including a slave's hospital and a

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

. The property is now operated as a museum by a local nonprofit preservation group. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1970.

History

Colonel

Henry Darnall Colonel Henry Darnall (1645 – 17 June 1711) was a planter, military officer and politician in colonial Maryland. Darnall served as the Proprietary Agent in the colony for Lord Baltimore; he also briefly served as Deputy Governor of Mary ...

was granted of land in

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

in 1703 by

Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore (August 27, 1637 – February 21, 1715), inherited the colony of Maryland in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, (1605–1675). He had been his father's Deputy Governor sin ...

, which Darnall named in recognition of Lord Baltimore's gesture. Darnall built a house for his family on a nearby property, known as The Woodyard, between 1683 and 1711. On Henry Darnall's death in 1711, the properties passed to his son,

Henry Darnall II Henry Darnall II (1682-1759) was a wealthy Roman Catholic planter in Colonial Maryland. He was the son of the politician and planter Henry Darnall, who was the Proprietary Agent of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, and served for a time as Dep ...

, who was forced to dispose of much of his father's accumulated of property to clear his debts before leaving the country. His son, Henry Darnall III received the remaining from his father, including of the original grant with a mansion, which became known as Poplar Hill by the 1740s. Henry III, however, was found in 1761 to be embezzling money from one of his appointed positions, causing a bond to be forfeited and for fines to be paid by Henry's guarantors, his brother John Darnall, and

Charles Carroll of Annapolis Charles Carroll II (1702–1782) known as Charles Carroll of Annapolis to distinguish him from his similarly named relatives, was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, (I – the first), (1661–172 ...

. Henry III's brother Robert Darnall found the means to buy back the original grant and replaced the original house with the present structure, completed in 1786. Darnall, who died childless in 1803, left the property to his nephew Robert Sewall. Sewall in turn left the property to his son Robert Darnall Sewall. The son in turn left the property to two nieces, Susan and Ellen Daingerfield of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, in 1853. In 1865 Susan Daingerfield married future

US Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

John Strode Barbour. Through the next hundred years, the property passed through a number of hands, including

David K.E. Bruce David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce (February 12, 1898 – December 5, 1977) was an American diplomat, intelligence officer and politician. He served as ambassador to France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom, the only American ...

Chandler Hale Chandler Hale (March 2, 1873 – May 23, 1951) was a United States diplomat who served as Third Assistant Secretary of State from 1909 to 1913. Early life Chandler Hale was born in 1873. He was the son of the former Mary Douglas Chandler (1848� ...

, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Description

His Lordship's Kindness is a five-part ensemble with a hipped-roof central block measuring wide by deep. The central block is 2½ stories tall, with dormers in the rear elevation. It is connected to two -1/2 story end pavilions by single-story

hyphens The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. ''Son-in-law'' is an example of a hyphenated word. The hyphen is sometimes confused with dashes (figure d ...

. The eastern pavilion contained the kitchen, while a chapel was located in the west pavilion. The kitchen was renovated as a study in the 1920s but retained an interior balcony. The main block features a projecting bay containing the recessed entry door with fanlight, pilasters and pediment, and a large

Palladian window Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

on the second story. The facade's other windows have stone sills and

flat arch A jack arch is a structural element in masonry construction that provides support at openings in the masonry. Alternate names are "flat arch" and "straight arch". Unlike regular arches, jack arches are not semicircular in form. Instead, they are ...

lintels. The rear, or garden elevation is similarly composed, but lacks the projecting bay, and the door is less elaborately detailed. A center hall extends from the front to the garden doors. Narrow lateral halls run out to the wings, and with the center hall, subdivide the first floor into four rooms. The center hall is bisected by a wide arch, with the main stairway to the rear on the east side. The plan of the first floor is repeated on the second, with four bedrooms.

Visiting

The John M. and Sara R. Walton Foundation own and operate the property as a historic house museum. Guided tours of the historic house are offered from March through December. The facilities are available for rental.

Gallery

Image:Poplar Hill, 7606 Woodyard Road (His Lordship's Kindness Road) (Rosaryville vicinity), Clinton (Prince George's County, Maryland).jpg, His Lordship's Kindness, HABS Photo Image:His Lordships Kindness South Dec 08.JPG, His Lordship's Kindness - South Front, December 2008 Image:His Lordships Kindness Entry Detail Dec 08.JPG, His Lordship's Kindness - Entry Detail, December 2008 Image:His Lordships Kindness Dairy Dec 08.JPG, His Lordship's Kindness - Dairy, December 2008 Image:His Lordships Kindness Slave Hospital Dec 08.JPG, His Lordship's Kindness - Slave Hospital, December 2008 Image:His Lordships Kindness Smokehouse Dec 08.JPG, His Lordship's Kindness - Smokehouse, December 2008 Image:His Lordships Kindness Plaque Dec 08.JPG, His Lordship's Kindness - Historic Marker, December 2008

References

External links

* *, including photo in 1974, at Maryland Historical Trust *

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...