His Lordship's Kindness Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

His Lordship's Kindness
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark

His Lordship's Kindness - North Front, December 2008
Location in Maryland Show map of Maryland Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	3.5 miles northwest of Rosaryville off Rosaryville Rd., near Rosaryville, Maryland
Area	150 acres (61 ha)
Built	1786
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	70000853
Added to NRHP	April 15, 1970
Designated NHL	April 15, 1970

His Lordship's Kindness, also known as Poplar Hill, is a very old and important house in Clinton, Maryland. It was built in the 1780s for Robert Darnall, a wealthy landowner. This large house is built in the Georgian style. It still has several smaller buildings, including a hospital for enslaved people and a dovecote (a small building for doves or pigeons).

Today, His Lordship's Kindness is a museum. A local group works to protect and share its history. In 1970, it was named a National Historic Landmark, which means it's a very special place in American history.

The Story of His Lordship's Kindness
What the House Looks Like
Visiting His Lordship's Kindness
Gallery
See also

The Story of His Lordship's Kindness

Col. Henry Darnall

The story of His Lordship's Kindness begins in 1703. A man named Colonel Henry Darnall received a huge piece of land in Prince George's County, Maryland. This land, about 7,000 acres, was given to him by Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore. Darnall named the land "His Lordship's Kindness" to thank Lord Baltimore.

Colonel Henry Darnall built a house for his family on a nearby property. This first house was built between 1683 and 1711. It was known as The Woodyard.

When Henry Darnall died in 1711, his son, Henry Darnall II, inherited the land. However, Henry Darnall II had many debts. He had to sell most of his father's large land holdings, which were about 35,000 acres. After selling the land, he left the country.

His son, Henry Darnall III, then received the remaining 1,300 acres. This included 300 acres of the original land grant and a large house. By the 1740s, this house became known as Poplar Hill. In 1761, Henry III faced some financial problems. This caused his brother, John Darnall, and Charles Carroll of Annapolis to pay fines for him.

Later, Henry III's brother, Robert Darnall, was able to buy back the original land. He then built the house we see today. The current house was finished in 1786. Robert Darnall did not have children. When he died in 1803, he left the property to his nephew, Robert Sewall.

The property continued to be passed down through the family. Robert Sewall left it to his son, Robert Darnall Sewall. In 1853, the son left the property to two nieces, Susan and Ellen Daingerfield. In 1865, Susan Daingerfield married US Senator John Strode Barbour.

Over the next 100 years, the property had several different owners. These included David K.E. Bruce, Chandler Hale, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

What the House Looks Like

His Lordship's Kindness is a large house made up of five parts. The main part of the house is 56 feet wide and 48 feet deep. It has a hipped roof, which means all sides slope downwards to the walls. This central part is 2½ stories tall. It has windows called dormers on the back side.

The main house is connected to two smaller, 1½-story buildings. These are joined by single-story connecting parts called hyphens. The building on the east side used to be the kitchen. The building on the west side had a chapel. In the 1920s, the kitchen was changed into a study, but it still has an old balcony inside.

The front of the main house has a part that sticks out. This part holds the main entrance door. The door is set back and has a fanlight (a window shaped like a fan) above it. It also has decorative columns and a triangular shape above the door. On the second floor, there is a large Palladian window. This type of window has a tall arch in the middle and two smaller, flat-topped windows on the sides. The other windows on the front have stone sills and flat arch tops. The back of the house, which faces the garden, looks similar. However, it does not have the part that sticks out, and its door is simpler.

Inside the house, a long hallway goes from the front door to the garden doors. Smaller hallways go out to the side buildings. These hallways divide the first floor into four rooms. The main hallway has a wide arch in the middle. The main staircase is at the back of the house on the east side. The second floor has a similar layout, with four bedrooms.

Visiting His Lordship's Kindness

The John M. and Sara R. Walton Foundation now owns and takes care of His Lordship's Kindness. They operate it as a historic house museum. You can take guided tours of the house from March through December. The property is also available to rent for special events.