Many are not familiar with the "Maryland Civil War" which paralleled an English Civil War and had many of the same causes. It is often referred to as Ingle's Rebellion but it was actually a more broadly based rebellion of the Protestant majority against the Catholic, land owning Gentry. After nearly two years Leonard Calvert was able to return and put down the rebellion. What is interesting is that many of the early and prominent settlers of Northumberland County and Westmoreland County were former leaders of this rebellion. 

My research of a distant ancestor, Francis Gray, lead me to find two great resources: the Archives of Maryland Online which may be accessed here: http://aomol.msa.maryland.gov/html/volumes.html . You may search the entire site or individual volumes by a name. 

And second, Timothy B. Riordan's book: The Plundering Time: Maryland and the English Civil War (Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society, 2004). Dr Riordan was historian at St Mary's, Maryland.

Some of the leaders of the rebellion who fled to the Northern Neck and became prominent early citizens were: Thomas Baldridge, Francis Gray, John Hampton, William Hardige, Andrew Monroe, Nathaniel Pope (who be-friended the immigrant John Washington), Robert Sedgrave, Thomas Sturman and Thomas Yowell. 

Thomas Baldridge, William Hardich, Andrew Monroe,  and Nathaniel Pope were appointed Justices of Westmoreland County and Robert Sedgrave was appointed Sheriff and Clerk of Court of early Northumberland County. On the 3rd of July 1661, Francis Gray, Andrew Monroe and John Washington took the oath to become the first Vestrymen of Appomattocks Parish, Westmoreland County.

In my view, as Ingle's Rebellion demonstrated, these early settlers had an overwhelming desire for individual freedom, ownership of the land they worked and self-government. Their experiences in Maryland would influence the future of Westmoreland County and indeed of our nation. It was no accident that a century later, prominent citizens from Westmoreland County such as James Monroe, George Washington, George Mason and the Lee brothers - Francis Lightfoot, Richard Henry - and Thomas Ludwell advocated strongly for Virginia to rebell from Great Britain while representatives from the Tidewater were more reticent.

If you would like to read a summary of the Maryland Civil War which follows the lives of Francis Gray and the men who first settled the Northern Neck of Virginia, I invite you to click on the link below:

http://www.milaminvirginia.com/Links/RUSH/francis_gray.html 

William F Milam, MD
www.milaminvirginia.com 

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