Margaret Brent
Margaret Brent (c. 1601 – c. 1671), an English immigrant to the Colony of Maryland, settling in its new capitol, St. Mary's City, Maryland, she was the first woman in the English North American colonies to appear before a court of the common law. She was a significant founding settler in the early histories of the colonies of Maryland and Virginia. Leonard Calvert, Governor of the Maryland Colony, appointed her as the executor of his estate in 1647, at a time of political turmoil and risk to the future of the settlement. She helped ensure soldiers were paid and given food to keep their loyalty to the colony, thereby very likely having saved the colony from violent mutiny, although her actions were taken negatively by the absentee
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Mary's City. The museum at the former site of Maryland's colonial capital features her in exhibits and explains that she did not advocate for all women's rights, only her own right to execute Lord Baltimore's estate as he intended.The St. John's site archaeology museum, located above the exposed foundations of the house where Brent appealed to the Assembly, includes an exhibit devoted to her life. The Historic St. Mary's City grounds also include a garden dedicated in memory of …show more content…
She had moved with the Brents to Virginia when they were forced from the Maryland colony by the second Lord Baltimore.
Several public schools in the state of Maryland are named for her, such as Margaret Brent Middle School.In 2004, Stafford County, Virginia opened Margaret Brent Elementary School.Margaret Brent was named a member of the inaugural class of Virginia Women in History in 2000.In 1985 she was one of the first group of women inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.
Margaret Brent would have to save the Colony. Without her, the Calverts might lose their territory to Virginia. Now a mature woman of forty-six, she was well qualified for this task. Like many women of her class, she had enjoyed a basic education in England, and had watched her father conduct the business of his estate. She also had considerable experience in the public arena. As a single woman of property in Maryland, she had appeared frequently before the Provincial Court to file suits against her debtors. She had also acted as an attorney, pleading the cases of her brother Giles and various women before the court, and she did not hesitate to use the power Calvert had assigned to