The Minor Family of Somerset

albot County Free Library
The Worties of Talbot

The Lloyds of Wye
EDWARD LLOYD(V)
THE GOVERNOR
1779-1834
On the 22nd of July 1779, admidst the "storm and stress" o
f the revolutionary period was born Edward Lloyd, the fifth of h
is name, the future Governor of the yet infant State of Maryland
, and the future senator of the yet embryonic Nation. Who shal
l say that science has ,contradicted the popular belief that cha
racter may be stamped by ante-natal influences? Who sHall say th
at the time and circumstances of his birth, apart fromhereditar
y bias, did not determine the original bent of the mind of Edwar
dLloyd (V) to politics, which inclination, intensified by his e
arly environments, made him the statesman he afterwards became
? He was the only son, in a family of seven children, of Edwar
d Lloyd (IV) the Patriot, and Elizabeth Tayloe of Virginia. Of h
is early years and education little, or it may more properly b
e said, nothing is known. As his father was a member of the Exec
utiveCouncil of the State from 1777 to 1779, and for many year
s succeeding was holding other civil stations which required hi
s very frequent if not his constant attendance at the seat of th
e State Government and as he with his family had his city hous
e at the capital, then the centre of fashion and intelligencea
s well as political control or influence, it is possible that Ed
ward Lloyd(V) was born at Annapolis, and was there educated. Th
is is, however, merelyconjectural. Wye House was always regarde
d as the home of the Lloyds whereverthey may have been temporar
ily resident, and around it or within it clusterall the associa
tions that are most tender and inspiring. It is believed thatyo
ung Lloyd did not enjoy the advantages of a liberal education, b
ut instruction in letters was received from private tutors. Th
e death of his father, aman of culture, and appreciative of lit
erature and learning, when he was butbarely sixteen years of ag
e, deprived him the corrective which paternal discipline would h
ave given of the influences of a fond mother's indul- gence an
d of a large fortune's enervation. But although having neither t
he incentives of parental commands, nor the spurs of necessity t
o urge him to the laborsof scholarship, he was possessed of a n
atural strength of understanding and an inborn grace of mind whi
ch stood in good stead of academic training; so that in subseque
nt life he betrayed no deficiency of intelligence upon all subje
cts claiming his atten
tion, and he even cultivated belles-lettres as a source of enjoy
ment, when the ruder pleasures of the country gentleman of the d
ay palled. His State papers while Governor and his speeches whil
e Senator betray not only no deficiency in comprehensive intelli
gence, but no lack of literary ability. No tradition nor recor
d informs us whether he was trained foreither of the so-calle
d learned professions. His career in life seems to havebeen pre
determined by his circumstances; but he may have "read law," a
s many young men of fortune did either as a pastime, for accompl
ishment or, if weattribute to him a more serious purpose, fo
r a preparation for the management of his estates to which he fe
ll heir upon the death of his father in 1796.To no class of la
y citizens was an acquaintance with legal principles more necess
ary than to the great planter such as Edward Lloyd (V), who, upo
n his domain and in the midst of his dependents, was required t
o act in the relationof legislator to frame laws for the govern
ment of his people, of judge to interpret those laws, and to det
ermine as to their infraction, and of executiveofficer to enfor
ce their obedience-all under the sovereignty of the State.
But young Lloyd was subjected to another form of educatio
n which suggested ifit did not determine his career, and whic
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