▁count ies ▁of ▁Al leg any , ▁Anne ▁A rund el , ▁Baltimore , ▁Cal vert , ▁Car roll , ▁Frederick , ▁Gar rett , ▁Har ford , ▁Howard , ▁and ▁Washington , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁independent ▁city ▁of ▁Baltimore . ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁Dioc ese ▁of ▁Maryland ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁nine ▁original ▁dioc eses ▁of ▁the ▁Epis cop al ▁Church ▁and ▁traces ▁its ▁roots ▁to ▁ 1 6 0 8 ▁when ▁Captain ▁John ▁Smith ▁o vers aw ▁the ▁first ▁Christian ▁worship ▁in ▁the ▁upper ▁Ch es ape ake ▁Bay . ▁In ▁ 1 6 9 2 , ▁a ▁law ▁passed ▁by ▁the ▁province ' s ▁general ▁assembly ▁established ▁the ▁Church ▁of ▁England ▁and ▁the ▁col ony , ▁which ▁was ▁divided ▁into ▁ten ▁count ies , ▁was ▁divided ▁into ▁ 3 0 ▁par ishes ▁( See ▁List ▁of ▁the ▁original ▁ 3 0 ▁Ang lic an ▁par ishes ▁in ▁the ▁Province ▁of ▁Maryland ). ▁Sometimes ▁the ▁parish ▁church ▁was ▁cent r ally ▁located ; ▁other ▁times ▁multiple ▁churches ▁or ▁chap els ▁served ▁distant ▁population ▁cent ers ▁within ▁the ▁parish . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 7 8 0 , ▁a ▁meeting ▁in ▁Ch est ert own , ▁Maryland , ▁in ▁Kent ▁County ▁at ▁Washington ▁College ▁of ▁Ang lic an ▁cler gy ▁and ▁la ity ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁formation ▁of ▁the ▁Dioc ese ▁of ▁Maryland . ▁By ▁ 1 7 8 3 , ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Revolution , ▁the ▁developing ▁dioc ese ▁had ▁ 4 7 ▁par ishes ▁and ▁about