Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet (14 September 1741 – 2 September 1784) was a British colonial administrator who was the last colonial Governor of
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its 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
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, 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
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
. He eventually returned to Maryland where he died in 1784 at the age of 42. He was buried in
Annapolis
Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son,
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
, a noted author.
Early life
Eden was born in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
, 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
William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire), Royal Society, FRS (3 April 174528 May 1814) was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1774 to 1793.
Early life
A m ...
and
Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley and a relative of North Carolina Governor
Charles Eden.
Career
In 1763 Eden made an advantageous marriage, wedding Caroline Calvert, daughter of Maryland's proprietor
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, (29 September 1699 – 24 April 1751) was a British politician and colonial administrator who served as the proprietary governor of the Province of Maryland. He inherited the title to Maryland aged just f ...
. In 1766 Caroline bore a son,
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
. Three years later, in 1769, aged just 28, Robert Eden succeeded
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe (1718 – November 9, 1790) was the 22nd proprietary governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the restored proprietary government of Maryland.
Early life
Horatio Sharpe was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1718 to ...
as Governor of Maryland, the highest office in the province. As governor, Eden would attempt to maintain authority over the increasingly rebellious province during the tumultuous years preceding the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
.
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 British taxation grew, and the governor's authority began to falter. On 19 April 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 19 October 1774 the ''
Peggy Stewart'' was burned in
Annapolis
Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
harbor in protest against taxes on tea, in imitation of the famous
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...
, which took place on 16 December 1773.
On 30 December 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 colonial 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
The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
(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 23 June 1776.
He was created a baronet, of Maryland in North America, on 19 October 1776.
Family life

On 26 April 1763 Eden married
Caroline Calvert, daughter of
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, (29 September 1699 – 24 April 1751) was a British politician and colonial administrator who served as the proprietary governor of the Province of Maryland. He inherited the title to Maryland aged just f ...
, and in 1769 he succeeded Governor
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe (1718 – November 9, 1790) was the 22nd proprietary governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the restored proprietary government of Maryland.
Early life
Horatio Sharpe was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1718 to ...
as
Governor of Maryland
The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
. Caroline was half-sister to
Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert (January 27, 1722 – January 9, 1788) was a planter, politician and a Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalist in Maryland during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the ...
, a Judge of the Land office with whom Eden shared a love of horse racing.
[Yentsch, Anne E, p.264, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)](_blank)
Retrieved Jan 2010 Benedict Swingate Calvert soon found himself appointed to the Governor's Council.
[Yentsch, Anne E, p.265, ''A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (1994)](_blank)
Retrieved Jan 2010
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 on 2 September 1784 and was buried in Annapolis, Maryland. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son,
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Given name
Nobility
= Anhalt-Harzgerode =
* Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
= Austria =
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
. Eden was an ancestor of the 20th century British Prime Minister
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957.
Achi ...
. The town of Denton, Maryland, originally Edenton or Eden Town, was named for him.
See also
*
Eden baronets
The Eden Baronetcy, of West Auckland in the County of Durham, and the Eden Baronetcy, of Maryland in North America, are two titles in the Baronetage of England and Baronetage of Great Britain respectively that have been united under a single hold ...
References
* Andrews, Matthew Page, ''History of Maryland'', Doubleday Doran & Co, New York, (1929)
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eden, Robert
American Loyalists from Maryland
Colonial governors of Maryland
British officials in the American Revolution
Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain
1741 births
1784 deaths
Robert Eden
Younger sons of baronets