Notes

a. Owing to family prestige and personal worth, Robert commanded much influence, and a commission was issued him at London, September 20, 1649, as a Commander of a County in Maryland, to be newly erected. He had an agreement with Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605-75), to receive a manor of 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) for every ten persons he transported. Robert and Cecilius were friends while both attended Oxford. Robert immigrated from Cheshire, England to Maryland on June 30, 1650 aboard his own ships and at his own expense, along with his second wife, ten children, 21 men servants, seven maid servants and a pack of hounds. On July 22, 1650, along with his two sons, Baker and Thomas, Sr., he took the oath of Fidelity to the Proprietor. His sons each received separate grants of land in various counties of Maryland. Robert was constituted as Commander of newly formed Charles County in Maryland on October 30, 1650. When the Puritans ascended in 1652, under the Cromwellian Government, Robert was made head of Provisional Council of Maryland. He served in this capacity from March 29 to July 3, 1652. He was one of the five commissioners making up this Council, which was the government of Maryland. During this period, he served as the Council’s President, which was analogous to being Lieutenant-General or Governor of the Province. Robert’s cooperation with the Bennett-Claiborne Puritan faction from 1652-54 brought him the displeasure of Lord Baltimore and the loss of his proprietary offices. Later he allied himself with the conservative Catholic Party. It is thought that he died a Roman Catholic, although no documentation has been found to prove this assertion. His second wife, Mary Mainwaring, was definitely a member of the Roman faith, and most of his sons professed Roman Catholicism.; [Note Record]
b. He was commissioned Major of the Militia and promoted to Colonel. Thomas was one of the Justices for Calvert County. Thomas was a justice of the peace for Calvert County in 1679-1681; 1685-1689. Thomas was a vestryman of St. Paul’s Parish, Calvert County. He was removed from his justiceship probably due to his opposition to the revolution Protestant Associators in 1689. He was nominated by Charles Calvert (1637-1715), 3rd Lord Baltimore to become a member of the first royal Council, commonly known as the Upper House, on August 26, 1691. He was probably appointed in an effort to mollify the proprietor after his loss of the colony. Thomas served as a member of the Council of Maryland from 1692-1707. He took the oath of office as a justice of the Provincial Court on May 1, 1694. He was appointed Deputy Secretary of Maryland the following year, and in 1699 was Commissary General of the Province. Thomas was dismissed from all offices by Gov. John Seymour (1649-1709) in 1708 as a result of close Catholic ties-his brothers were Jesuits and Col. Henry Darnall, Sr. (1645-1711) was his stepfather-and for poor Council attendance, although his attendance had been very regular prior to Seymour’s governorship. Brooke was reappointed to the same position after the colony reverted to proprietary control, and served from 1715-1722. In 1720 he was elected President of the Council, and acting Governor of Maryland from the departure of Gov. John Hart until the arrival of Governor Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore. The reason for his second dismissal from the Council in 1722, is unclear. Unlike his parents and brothers, he was a member of the Church of England and reared his family in that faith. He was one of the first vestryman of St. Paul's Parish. Thomas resided at "Brookefield", his estate on Mattaponi Creek near the Patuxent River, which he inherited from his father. The land was formerly in Calvert County, but became Prince George's County when it was formed. In addition to "Brookefield", Col. Brooke also laid out several other tracts of land in Calvert County including: "The Gore", laid out on June 10, 1680; "Brookes Chance", on July 13, 1680; "Addition to Brooke Chance", on June 10, 1685; "Hogg Pen", on June 12, 1685; "Addition to Brookefield", on March 29, 1688; "The Grove Landing", on July 10, 1688; "The Forrest", on Sep. 5, 1694; "Dan" on September 6, 1694; "Brookes Discovery", on Dec. 10, 1695; and "The Prospect", on Dec. 11, 1695. At the time of his death on January 7, 1730 at “Brookefield”, Thomas had amassed over 7,000 acres (28 km²) of land, in which a majority was heavily mortgaged. His estate value was listed at 1,374 pounds, including proceeds of the sale of land, and 36 slaves.; [Note Record]