Benedict Swingate Calvert

Benedict Swingate Calvert (January 27, 1722 – January 9, 1788) was a planter, politician and a Loyalist in Maryland during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland (1699–1751). His mother's identity is not known, though one source speculates that she was Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham. As he was illegitimate, he was not able to inherit his father's title or estates, which passed instead to his half brother Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore (1731–1771). Benedict Calvert spent most of his life as a politician, judge and planter in Maryland, though Frederick, by contrast, never visited the colony. Calvert became wealthy through proprietarial patronage and became an important colonial official, but he would lose his offices and his political power, though not his land and wealth, during the American Revolution.

Calvert was born Benedict Swinket in England on January 27, 1722, the illegitimate son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, proprietary governor of the Province of Maryland. His birth year has been variously given as 1724, 1730 and 1732, but the grave stone in the floor of the chancery of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Croom, Maryland gives the date of January 27, 1722.

His mother's identity is not known. H. S. Lee Washington, writing in the New England Historic Genealogical Society Register in July 1950, speculates that she was Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham, the daughter of George I of Great Britain and his mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal.

According to a letter of Benedict's daughter-in-law Rosalie Stier Calvert dated 10 June 1814, Calvert's mother had been a woman "of the highest rank in England".

In around 1736 or 1737, the young Benedict was sent to the Calverts' proprietary colony of Maryland, which in the mid 18th century was still a somewhat sparsely settled, largely rural society. In 1730 the population of Annapolis was just 776. The population of colony was 120,000 at the time.

According to the letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, Benedict was personally escorted to Annapolis on a frigate commanded by Admiral Edward Vernon, though this seems unlikely. On arrival, the boy was placed in the care of Dr George Steuart (1700–1784), an Edinburgh-trained physician and a political ally of the ruling Calvert family. Steuart provided the boy with a tutor, the Italian Onorio Razzolini, the first immigrant of Italian descent to hold public office in the North American colonies.

Benedict Calvert grew up at Steuart's "old-fashioned house" on Francis St in Annapolis, just off State Circle and a short walk from the Maryland State House. At least once he was beaten by a town bully; his attacker was brought before the County Court and whipped. In 1738 he witnessed a will under his childhood name of Swingate (or "Swinket"), and it is likely that at this time his father's identity was not widely known; later he would take his father's name. Dr Steuart's house was a short distance from the home of Benedict Calvert's second cousin, Elizabeth Calvert (1731–1788), whom he would later marry. Elizabeth was the daughter of Maryland Governor Captain Charles Calvert and his wife Rebecca Gerard, both of whom died young, leaving Elizabeth a wealthy heiress.

Through his family connections Calvert was able to benefit from considerable proprietarial patronage, at least until the American Revolution in 1776 ended proprietarial rule in Maryland. In 1745 he was appointed by his father the Patuxent district customs collector and naval officer, a post which permitted him to retain a portion of the customs fees. He also served as an Annapolis council member.