The Great Seal of the State of Maryland is the official government emblem of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its official service is to authenticate acts by the General Assembly of Maryland (state legislature), but it is also used for display purposes at most state buildings. Although the state seal has been changed in design several times throughout history, the current model represents the reverse side of the original seal. The seal consists of two sides, a reverse and an obverse. In official contexts, only the reverse side is used.

History

The first seal was stolen in 1645 by

Richard Ingle Richard Ingle (1609–1653) was an English colonial seaman, ship captain, tobacco trader, privateer, and pirate in the American colony of Maryland. Ingle took over the colonial capital of the proprietary government in St. Mary's City removing ...

during a rebellion, but a similar one was sent as a replacement by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605-1675). This seal was used except for a period from 1692–1715 until a new one was adopted in 1794. That seal used

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

an imagery, such as a woman holding scales of justice on the obverse and on the reverse the motto "Industry the Means, Plenty the Result". In 1817 and 1854, symbols of the

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

were used along with a version of the original reverse on the 1854 version. The original Calvert seal was brought back into use in 1874, and has had various corrections made to its image and meaning in 1959 and 1969.

Obverse side

Maryland has the distinction of having a dual-sided seal, rare among U.S. states and the world. The obverse side of the state seal, which was described by statute in 1959 (Chapter 396, Acts of 1959), shows Lord Baltimore as a knight in full armor mounted on a charger with a drawn sword in hand. The caparisons of the horse on which Lord Baltimore is mounted bear his family coat of arms. The inscription on the rim of the seal shows the phrase, ''Cecilius Absolutus Dominus Terræ Mariæ et Avaloniæ Baro de Baltimore'', which translates to ''"Cecil, Absolute Lord of Maryland and Avalon, Baron of Baltimore"'' (Chapter 79, Acts of 1969; Sections 13-101 through 13-105 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland).

Reverse side

The reverse of the seal shows the Calvert

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

, described as follows: : Quarterly first and fourth, a paly of six Or and Sable, a bend

counterchanged Tincture is the limited palette of colours and patterns used in heraldry. The need to define, depict, and correctly blazon the various tinctures is one of the most important aspects of heraldic art and design. Development and history The use of ...

; quarterly second and third, quarterly Argent and Gules a cross bottony counterchanged. Above the shield an earl's coronet surmounted by a barred helm affronté Argent. The

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...

are a plowman (dexter) and a fisherman (sinister), the former holding a spade and the latter a fish; the mantling of ermine (reverse Gules) is entire and surrounds the whole composition. The crest is a crown with two pennants, the dexter Or and the sinister Sable. The state motto, ''Fatti maschii, parole femine'' (), has its origin in the archaic Italian and translates as "Manly deeds, womanly words", or more generally, "Strong deeds, gentle words", which is the translation the government of Maryland cites officially. Maryland is the only state with a motto in Italian. The saying is the motto of the Calvert family (the

Barons Baltimore Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

), who first founded the Colony of Maryland. George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore (1579-1632), made it his family's motto in 1622 and it appears that the saying was well known in 17th-century England. The Latin text encircling the seal, ''Scuto bonæ voluntatis tuæ coronasti nos'', is from verse 12 of Psalm 5 from the Vulgate; it translates to ''"With favor Wilt Thou Compass Us as with a Shield"'' The founding date of 1632 completes the circle. Though the reverse side has been the only part of the seal to be cut and is the part that is primarily used on official government documents, the obverse side can be found displayed around the state, especially on state government buildings, including the Maryland State House.

Gallery

File:Baltimore arms.png, alt=, Coat of arms of the

. File:Seal of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore Absolute Lord of the Land of Mary and of Avalon.png, alt=, Observe and reverse side of the seal of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore. File:Laws of Maryland at large, with proper indexes Fleuron W007025-3.png, alt=, Coat of arms of Maryland from 1765. File:Coat of arms of Maryland (1876).png, alt=, The historical coat of arms of Maryland from 1876. File:US-NBN-MD-state seal detail (type 2) (Series 1882BB reverse) proof.jpg, alt=, Reverse side of the seal of Maryland on National Bank Note series 1882 BB.

Notes

References

External links

* Maryland Archives
Maryland State Symbols – State Seal
* Maryland Secretary of State

* Maryland Army National Guard

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