Gene Williamson

Chesapeake Conflict: The Troublesome Early Days of Maryland Gene Williamson

In 1621, William Claiborne of England arrived in Virginia. He secured a position as a royal surveyor in Virginia, became a prominent official in the local government, and built up a successful fur trade, operating from Kent Island, which he discovered, purchased, named, and settled in 1628. In 1632, the English king gave a patent, which included Kent Island, to his friend Lord Baltimore. Claiborne disputed the action. The Claiborne-Baltimore conflict dominated events and issues that helped to shape the Maryland colony, and was the opening salvo in a series of disputes over Chesapeake rights which have never been completely resolved.