Seal of Maryland

The Great Seal of Maryland is the official government emblem of the State of Maryland in the United States. Its official service is to authenticate acts by the Maryland General Assembly, 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 first seal was stolen in 1645 by Richard Ingle during a rebellion, but a similar one was sent as a replacement by Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Except for a period from 1692-1715, the seal was used until a new one was adopted in 1794 bearing republican imagery. In 1817 and 1854, symbols of the eagle were used along with a version of the original reverse on the 1854 version. The original seal was brought back into use in 1874, and has had various corrections made to its image and meaning in 1959 and 1969.

Reverse side

The text encircling the seal is in Latin (Psalm 5 from the Latin Vulgate Bible) and translates to "with favor wilt thou compass us as with a shield." The state motto on the banner, which is in Italian, reads "Fatti maschii, parole femine" which is literally translated as "Manly deeds, womanly words." This is now more commonly espressed as "Strong deeds, gentle words."

Obverse side

Maryland has the distinction of being of a few states in the United States, and in the world, to have a dual sided Seal. Though the reverse side has been the only part of the seal to be cut and is the part of the seal that is primarily used on official government documents, the obverse side can be found on several state government buildings around the state.

In 1959 the obverse was described in statute and has been considered part of the Seal (Chapter 396, Acts of 1959). The obverse of the Great Seal of Maryland shows Lord Baltimore as a knight in full armor mounted on a charger. The inscription translated is "Cecilius, Absolute Lord of Maryland and Avalon, Baron of Baltimore" (Chapter 79, Acts of 1969; Code State Government Article, secs. 13–101 through 13–105).

References

• Maryland Archives. Maryland State Symbols – State Seal.
• Maryland Secretary of State. The Great Seal of Maryland.