![VTarms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/VTarms.jpg)
The coat of arms of Vermont is the official armorial bearings of the U.S. state of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. Most of the elements found in the coat of arms originate in the
Great Seal of Vermont
The Great Seal of the State of Vermont is the official seal of the U.S. state of Vermont, used to emboss and authenticate official documents. It was designed by Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen and one of the state's founders.
Great Seal
The ...
designed by
Ira Allen
Ira Allen (April 21, 1751 – January 7, 1814) was one of the founders of the U.S. state of Vermont and a leader of the Green Mountain Boys during the American colonial period. He was the younger brother of Ethan Allen.
Biography
Ira Allen w ...
. Whereas the Great Seal of Vermont is reproduced in a single color and is reserved for embossing and authenticating state documents, the coat of arms is a more naturalistic and colorful representation of many of the same elements. The Coat of arms of Vermont was first used in 1807 on $5 bank notes of The Vermont State Bank . One of these notes is in the special collections of the Vermont History Center in Barre, Vermont. Prior to the discovery of the 1807 banknotes, the earliest representation of the coat of arms of Vermont was found on an engraved 1821 state military commissions. The exact designer is not known, but it is likely that then Secretary of State Robert Temple worked with an engraver in developing the arms. Considerable liberties were taken in early depictions of the coat of arms. The location of the cow and the
sheaves (bundles of cereal grains) moved about the foreground, and the height of the pine tree and size of the buck's head also varied. A state statute was approved in 1840, and modified in 1862, both attempts to codify and create more consistent representation of the arms. The coat of arms was cast in brass to ornament uniforms of Vermont's military regiments before, and through the U.S. Civil War, when individual states raised and trained their own regiments.
Today, incorrect emblazonments of the coat of arms appears on the current
flag of Vermont
The flag of the state of Vermont displays the coat of arms and motto of Vermont ("Freedom and Unity") on a rectangular blue background. The Vermont General Assembly adopted this flag on June 1, 1923.
Multiple versions of the flag have been used ...
, above the rostrum in the Hall of Representatives at the
Vermont State House
The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the Sta ...
, on state court buildings, stationery, signage marking the Vermont border, and at Vermont Welcome Centers.
The ''
blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
'' was formalized and described by state statute in 1840 in the following manner: "the coat of arms of the state shall be, and is described as follows: Green, a landscape occupying half of the shield; on the right and left, in the background, high mountains, blue; the sky yellow. From near the base, and reaching nearly to the top of the shield, arises a pine-tree of the natural color, and between three erect sheaves, yellow, placed bendwise on the dexter side, and a red cow standing on the sinister side of the field. The Crest: A buck's head, of the natural color, cut off and placed on a scroll, blue and yellow. The Motto and Badge: On a scroll beneath the shield, the motto: Vermont: Freedom and Unity. The Vermonter's Badge: two pine branches of natural color, crossed between the shield and scroll." The crest and Vermonter's Badge, can also be seen, in modified form, on the
Vermont Military Crest
The Vermont Military Crest was first used in the coats of arms of units of Vermont state regiments, and later by the Vermont National Guard, as granted by the precursor organizations of what is now the United States Army Institute of Heraldry. The ...
.
[The law designating the official Vermont state coat of arms is found in the Vermont Statutes Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 11, Sections 491–492.] The depiction of the shield on the flag, and other similar emblazonments, however, are incorrect, as in blazon the initial
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
(colour in ordinary language) mentioned when describing the shield is that of the background or "field," and the next tincture describes the colour of everything on the shield; the shield should therefore be shown with a green background completely hidden by everything on it, and a blue landscape.
The "Vermonter's Badge" described in the statute was worn as an expression of Vermont identity by citizens during the period of the
Vermont Republic
The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...
, and again during the American Civil War by Vermont's military regiments. The motto
Freedom and Unity
"Freedom and Unity" is the official motto of the U.S. state of Vermont. The motto was first adopted in 1788 for use on the Great Seal of the Vermont Republic. Ira Allen designed the Vermont seal and is often credited as its author. Allen's 1798 ...
is central to the Vermont ideal of balancing personal freedom with the individual's responsibility to their community.
Seals of the government of Vermont
Many government seals of Vermont use the state's coat of arms.
File:Seal of the State Treasurer of Vermont.svg, Seal of the State Treasurer of Vermont
File:Seal of the State Auditor of Vermont.svg, Seal of the State Auditor of Vermont
See also
*
Coats of arms of the U.S. states
The coats of arms of the U.S. states are coats of arms, that are an official symbol of the state, alongside their seal. Eighteen states have officially adopted coats of arms. The former independent Republic of Texas and Kingdom of Hawaii each h ...
*
Seal of Vermont
The Great Seal of the State of Vermont is the official seal of the U.S. state of Vermont, used to emboss and authenticate official documents. It was designed by Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen and one of the state's founders.
Great Seal
...
References
* Crampton, William. ''Webster's Concise Encyclopedia of Flags and Coats of Arms.'' Crescent Books" 1985. .
* Zieber, Eugene, ''Heraldry in America: The Civic Armorial Bearings of American States.'' Greenwich House: 1969.
* Zieber, Eugene, ''Heraldry in America: A Classic Surverry of Coats of Arms and Insignia.'' Greenwich House: 1974. .
External links
A history of the Coat of Arms of Vermont{{US state coats of arms
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
Symbols of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...