Matthew Tilghman

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Matthew Tilghman (February 17, 1718 – May 4, 1790) was a Maryland planter who became a key Revolutionary leader. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776 and helped shape Maryland’s early government.

He was born at The Hermitage near Centreville in Queen Anne’s County. His grandfather, also named Richard Tilghman, was an early Maryland settler and a surgeon in the British navy, and his father was a planter. Tilghman was educated at home before moving to Talbot County on the Eastern Shore. He married Anne Lloyd on April 6, 1741, and they lived at Rich Neck Manor in Claiborne, Maryland.

Tilghman began public service as a justice of the peace for Talbot County. In 1751 he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates and later represented Queen Anne’s County. He served as speaker of the House from 1773 to 1775.

In the early days of the American Revolution, Tilghman led Maryland’s revolutionary efforts. He helped organize the colony’s committees, chaired the Committee of Safety, and presided over the Annapolis Convention, which created Maryland’s new government. He headed Maryland’s delegation to the Continental Congress and supported the Declaration of Independence, voting for its approval, though he was replaced before the final signing.

When Maryland formed its new government in 1776, Tilghman returned home to preside over another session of the Annapolis Convention and helped draft the Charter of Rights and Plan of Government, Maryland’s constitution. He was elected to the Maryland Senate, serving until 1783 and as its president from 1780 to 1783.

Tilghman also bought property on Sherwood’s Neck in 1771. He retired from public life in 1783 and died at Rich Neck Manor on May 4, 1790, being buried in a family cemetery there.

He and Anne Lloyd Tilghman (1723–1794) had five children: Margaret, Matthew Ward, Richard, Lloyd, and Anna Maria. Margaret married Charles Carroll, and Anna Maria married their cousin Tench Tilghman. Lloyd later built Sherwood Manor on Sherwood’s Neck, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rich Neck Manor and Sherwood Manor remain private property.