Henry Hollyday edit
The builder of Ratcliffe Manor, Henry Hollyday, son of James Hollyday and Sarah Covington Lloyd Hollyday, was born at the Wye Plantation in 1725.[1][Note 1] In the early 1730s, James and Sarah Hollyday built a new home they called Readbourne, which is located in Queen Anne's County on the Chester River.[4] Mrs. Hollyday supervised the construction of this home.[5][Note 2] James Hollyday died in 1747, leaving the property to his eldest son James Hollyday Jr. after the death of Sara—who died later in 1755.[7][8] Readbourne has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.[8]
In 1748, Henry Hollyday married Anna Maria Robins, who was the daughter of George Robins of Peach Blossom in Talbot County.[Note 3] Anna received land, via the will of her father, that included land called Ratcliffe Manor. Portions of the land had been purchased by George Robins from Thomas Bartlett.[1] Henry and Anna lived in Queen Ann's County until October 1751 when they moved to Talbot County. In 1752, Hollyday purchased from Samuel Bartlett land adjacent to Ratcliffe Manor known as Cool Spring Cove, and this is the location of the Ratcliffe Manor house Hollyday built for his wife.[1] Of the original Ratcliffe Manor estate owned by Captain Robert Morris, Hollyday had pieced together 629 acres (255 ha).[10] Henry and wife Anna had ten children between 1750 and 1774, including three sons that survived to maturity.[9] Henry's childless older brother James died in 1786, leaving his property that included Readbourne to Henry with an agreement that Henry's oldest son James III would inherit the property when Henry died.[11][12]
Henry II edit
Henry lived in the Ratcliffe Manor house for nearly three decades, and died in 1789.[12] Upon his death, eldest son James III officially inherited most of the Readbourne property, including the manor house. Henry's second son, Thomas, received in trust 300 acres (120 ha) at the southern end of the Readbourne property, which was known as Brimmington.[12] Henry's will originally left the Ratcliffe plantation to his wife Anna, with son Thomas inheriting the property after his mother's death. An amendment to the will replaced Thomas with another son, Henry (a.k.a. Henry Hollyday II), because of Thomas' conduct.[13][Note 4]
Henry II, who graduated from Princeton, would live at Ratcliffe Manor for the rest of his life.[15] He married Ann Carmichael on October 11, 1798.[16] His mother Anna died in 1806.[17] Henry Hollyday II and his wife Ann had eleven children. He practiced law and continued the plantation.[Note 5] From 1816 to 1821 he was a representative in the Maryland state senate.[16] His land holdings included property in Queen Anne's County in addition to Talbot County. He died in 1850. The Ratcliffe Manor estate was divided among three surviving sons, while land in Queen Anne's County was divided among his daughters.[16]
Notes edit
Footnotes edit
- ^ Wye Plantation, home of Frederick Douglass for a short period while he was a slave, consisted of over 3,500 acres. It was owned by the Lloyd family—including Edward Lloyd II, who was a former governor of the Province of Maryland.[2] Sarah Covington Lloyd was the widow of Edward Lloyd II when she married James Hollyday.[3]
- ^ Tilghman claims that Sara Hollyday corresponded with Charles Calvert for insight on Readbourne's architecture.[5] A more recent source, Bordley, wrote that there is no evidence of any correspondence between Hollyday and Lord Baltimore, and although it is possible that "at some function given Lord Baltimore he may have made some suggestions to Mrs. Hollyday but it seems improbable. There is no record of his visiting the Eastern Shore on his trip to Maryland."[6]
- ^ Maryland Historical Magazine says the marriage happened on December 9, 1748—but has a footnote that says in St. Peters Parish records for Talbot County, the "date of the wedding is Dec. 9, 1749."[1] The church record is incorrect, as a letter and a will, both written in mid-1749, discuss the marriage as already completed.[9]
- ^ Thomas Hollyday had an "evil temper" and a "progressive mental disturbance".[14] He died in 1823.[14]
- ^ William Green, who did not live at Ratcliffe Manor, was a slave from the Oxford area of Maryland's Eastern Shore.[18] He escaped in 1840, and in 1853 wrote a book about his experiences.[19] In his book, he devoted a few pages describing a man named "Harry Holliday" who mistreated slaves.[20]
Citations edit
- ^ a b c d Bordley, Jr, James (March 1950). "Ratcliffe Manor" (PDF). Maryland Historical Magazine. XLV (1). Baltimore, Maryland: Maryland Historical Society: 73–74. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2023.; Tilghman & Harrison 1915, p. 47 Cite error: The named reference "MHMMarch1950" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Wye House". Maryland Historical Trust. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WMWyePlantationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hollyday, George T. (1883). "Biographical Memoir of James Hollyday". Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 7 (4). University of Pennsylvania Press: 426–447 JSTOR. JSTOR 20084625. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Tilghman & Harrison 1915, p. 47
- ^ Bordley 1962, p. 70
- ^ Tilghman & Harrison 1915, pp. 47–48
- ^ a b "QA-9 Readbourne" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Bordley 1962, p. 124
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Bordley118was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Tilghman & Harrison 1915, p. 64
- ^ a b c Bordley 1962, p. 66
- ^ Hammond 1914, p. 150
- ^ a b Bordley 1962, p. 125
- ^ Looney & Woodward 1991, p. 64
- ^ a b c Looney & Woodward 1991, p. 65
- ^ Bordley 1962, p. 168
- ^ Green 1853, p. 3
- ^ Green 1853, p. Bibliographical note
- ^ Green 1853, pp. 7–8