Edward Palmer (16th c. Gloucestershire, England)
Edward Palmer, (b. about 1550, d. 1624) was a sixteenth century noble from Gloucestershire, England. During his life he was known for his extensive collection of antiquities. He is perhaps best remembered for his purchase of the then unnamed Garrett Island (Maryland) in the American colony of Virginia (present day Maryland), which he designated for the establishment of what would have been the first university in the English colonies.
Early Years and Personal Life
Eldest son of Giles and grandson of John Palmer born in "Lemington, parish of Toddenham, Gloucester."
Student of Magdalen College, Oxford, University of Oxford, about 1570, but did not graduate.
Married Muriel Palmer. Fathered several children, including Thomas Palmer (burgess).
Plan for University in the Colony of Virginia
In 1622, Palmer received a patent for land from the Virginia Company of London.
In his will made 22 November, 1624, he bequeathed his lands "in Virginia and New England" to his sons and nephew and declared that, should their issue fail, the land would be used for the founding of a university to be called, "Academia Virginiensis et Oxoniensis," Academy of the Virgin and Oxford. Of note is the peculiar instruction Palmer gave for two resident painters to be retained at the university who were to provide painting instruction to the faculty during their time of recreation. According to one author, Palmer was making preparations for the university when he died. The project died with the embezzlement of Palmer's treasury after his death.
Settlement on Palmer Island
According to historian Edward Duffield Neill, extant letters from John Pory confirm a settlement of fur traders of nearly 100 men on present-day Garrett Island sometime before Pory returned to England in 1624. In his 1881 work on the history of Cecil County, Maryland, George Johnston further asserts this settlement was established by William Claiborne and that the presence of scholarly books discovered there in 1637 by Lord Baltimore indicate the one-time presence of Palmer on the island. These historians make the case that Palmer's purpose was to establish his university on the island.
Bibliography
Virginia Vetusta, ed Neill, Edward D. Albany, N.Y. : Joel Munsell's Sons 1885 pp 184-185 https://archive.org/details/cu31924028784754
Johnston, George. History of Cecil County, Maryland. Elkton: 1881. pp 7-8.