Philip Darnall (b1604), was an English lawyer, and the first member of the Darnall family to emigrate to Maryland. Philip Darnall was a relative of and secretary to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, and soon became one of the wealthiest men in Maryland.
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Before his arrival in the Americas, Philip Darnall had accompanied George Calvert on an extended diplomatic mission to France. While they were in France, both men converted to the Roman Catholic faith.[1]
Maryland was founded as a Catholic colony but, unusually for the period, religious diversity among Christians of different denominations was permitted by the Maryland Toleration Act, passed in 1649.
Once in Maryland, Darnall established a plantation, growing the cash crop of tobacco for export to England.[1]
Darnall's son, Colonel Henry Darnall (1645–1711), was a wealthy Maryland planter, the Proprietory Agent of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore and served as his Deputy Governor in Maryland (1605–1675). He was a substantial landowner and slaveholder, leaving on his death around 30,000 acres (120 km2) of land.[1] He was also a devout Roman Catholic, and sent his sons to be educated at Jesuit schools in Europe. After the "Protestant Revolution" in Maryland, Darnall maintained a secret chapel in his home in order to celebrate the Roman Catholic Mass.
The Darnall family owned thousands of acres, patented in 1704 by Henry Darnall.[2] The land was passed down through the family.
In 1741 his grand-daughter Eleanor Darnall Carroll, who had inherited a substantial tract, and her husband sold several acres to the merchant James Wardrop. About 1742 Wardrop built a house on his plot. Darnall's Chance, as his house is known today, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is operated as a house museum, displaying material related particularly to Lettice Lee, an 18th-century woman who lived there about 30 years.