Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Thomas Brooke Sr.,

Esq. Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman a ...

(1632 – 1676) was a colonial lawyer, planter and politician of

Calvert County, Maryland Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of t ...

, where he served in the appointed positions of

Burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

, High Sheriff and Chief Justice.

Early life and education

Thomas Brooke was born in

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, Sussex, England on June 23, 1632, the son of Gov. Robert Brooke Sr., Esq. (1602–1655) and his first wife, Mary Baker (1602–1634). Thomas was raised as a Protestant but converted to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. He immigrated at the age of 18 to Maryland with his father Gov. Robert Brooke Sr., Esq., an Anglican ministe

(1602–1655) on June 30, 1650.

Career

Thomas Brooke was commissioned a Captain in 1658, commanding the Militia of

Calvert County Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of t ...

, and then a Major in the Militia of Calvert County by 1660, at age 28. In 1661 he led an expedition against Native Americans. He served as a Burgess for Calvert County from 1663–1669, and again from 1671-1676. He was a High Sheriff of Calvert County from 1660–1667, and presiding Chief Justice of the County Court in 1667. In addition Thomas was Mayor of Battle Creek, Calvert Co., Maryland. Maj. Thomas Brooke resided at his

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

called "Brookefield", which he laid out on April 16, 1664. "Brookefield" was located in the woods on the west side of the Patuxent River, bounded on the north by Brooke or Mattaponi Creek, on the east by the Patuxent River, on the south by Deep or Spicer's Creek and extending west to a line marked by a stone on which were cut the letters T. B., the initials of the grantee. This is the origin of the name of the current town of T. B. A few years later Major Brooke conveyed back to the Lord Proprietor a certain number of acres on the bank of the Patuxent, intended for the site of a town, which, when laid out, was called "Nottingham Towne", in honor of the Duke of Nottingham. The village still bears the name. Besides Brookefield, Maj. Brooke was owner of two tracts of land in Charles County. The first was "Locust Thicket", which he laid down on May 2, 1668. The second one was laid down the next day, called "Brookes Landing". He also owned five other tracts of land in Calvert County, named: "Brookes Content", laid down April 2, 1668; "Brookes Grove", on May 2, 1668; "Little Grove", on March 23, 1669; "Poplar Neck", on June 10, 1671; and "Cross-Cloath", on February 2, 1673. At the time of his death on December 29, 1676, Brooke had accumulated . His estate, which included 10

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and 10 servants ( indentured) was valued at 95,910 pounds of tobacco. Thomas and Eleanor Brooke were both members of the Roman Catholic Church and raised their children as Catholic.

Marriage

In 1658 Brooke married as his second wife Eleanor Hatton (1642–1725), who was 16 years old. She was born in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

on April 3, 1642, the daughter of Richard Hatton Sr., (1605-1648), and Margaret (ca. 1610), who married later secondly, Captain Richard Banks Sr., (ca. 1612-1667), of Maryland. Eleanor emigrated across the Atlantic to Maryland in 1649 with her widowed mother and family. Eleanor's uncle Thomas Hatton (d. 1654), had been Secretary of the Province. After the death of Thomas Brooke (1632–1676), the widowed Eleanor, then still only age 34, married Col. Henry Darnall (1645–1711) of "Woodyard" and "Darnall's Delight". Her son from her first marriage,

Thomas Brooke Jr. Colonel Thomas Brooke Jr. of Brookefield (1660 – 1731) was President of the Council in Maryland and acting 13th Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. He was the son of Major Thomas Brooke Sr. and Esquire (1632–1676) and his ...

, (1660–1730), became the stepson of Colonel Darnall and the adopted half-brother of Henry Darnall II, Esq. (d. 1737). Eleanor Hatton Brooke Darnall died on February 21, 1725, at "

Portland Manor Portland Manor is a historic home at Lothian, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It is a 2-story, center-passage plan, frame building. The main block was constructed in 1754, with the two wings added and enlarged about 1852. Also o ...

" in Anne Arundel County.

Children

*Gov.

(1659-1730/31) of "

Brookefield Brookefield is a neighbourhood of Bangalore. Established in the late 19th century as a settlement for the Eurasians of Bangalore. It is a wealthy area, with high real estate prices and relatively new commercial roads such as ITPL road. IT C ...

", Thomas married 1) Ann ? 2) Barbara Dent (1676–1754), daughter of Col.

Thomas Dent Sr. Col. Thomas Dent Sr., Gent. (1630–1676), Justice, Sheriff, and member of the Lower House of the Maryland General Assembly. Thomas was born about 1630 in the Parish of Guisborough, Yorkshire, England, making him slightly less than thirty year ...

, Gent. *Robert Brooke (1663–1714), a Jesuit priest. *Mary Brooke (bef. 1669-1742, who married 1) Capt. James Bowling (ca. 1636-1693). 2) Capt. Benjamin Hall (1667–1721). 3)

Henry Witham Henry Thomas Maire Witham FRSE FGS (1779–1844) was a British landowner remembered as an amateur palaeontologist and mineralogist. He was an early researcher into the internal structure of fossil plants. Life He was born Henry Silvertop t ...

. *Ignatius Brooke (1670–1751) *Matthew Brooke (1672–1703) *Elinor Brooke (1673–1740), who married 1)

Philip Darnall Philip Darnall (born 1604), was an English barrister. His son Henry Darnall, (1645–1711), emigrated to North America, where he became the Proprietary Agent of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, (1579–1632), and George Calvert's s ...

(1671–1705); 2) William Digges Jr. *Clement Brooke Sr. (1676–1737), who married Jane Sewall (1685–1761).

References

The Maryland Calendar of Wills, Volume I Wills from 1635 (Earliest Probated) to 1685 Pages 182
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Thomas Sr. 1632 births 1676 deaths People from Battle, East Sussex People of colonial Maryland Colonial politicians from Maryland Maryland lawyers Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism English emigrants American planters American slave owners