Ties That Bind: Analyzing West Ashcom's Involvement With Lord Baltimore's Manorial System

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Through the transfer of land by Charles I in the 17th century, the Calvert lineage set out to evoke a manorial system, exceeding that of the English practice. With intent to raise the social stature of Maryland, settlers were promised land grants based upon the amount of people brought to the New World in their charge. Through this grant, these landowners would subsequently create a self-sustaining tenant system throughout Maryland, increasing the population and providing income for the upper class. This project directs attention to the six excavations that took place on the West Ashcom Estate between 2013 and 2021. Research uses artifact and probate analyses to determine the posibility of the estate holding manor status in the Colonial Chesapeake era. In addition, using the Archives of Maryland, researchers attempt to connect the Ashcom family’s social status to the possibility of their involvement with the Calvert project.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology