12/Maryland Manual

MARYLAND'S OFFICIAL STATE
SYMBOLS

GREAT SEAL OF MARYLAND

The Great Seal of Maryland is used by
the Governor and the Secretary of State to
authenticate Acts of the Legislature and for
other official purposes. The first Great Seal
was sent from England shortly after settle-
ment of the Colony. It remained in use, al-
though slightly altered, until the Revolu-
tion. The State of Maryland then adopted a
new seal similar in form and spirit to those
of other states. One hundred years later,
Maryland readopted its old seal (Joint Res-
olution no. 5, Acts of 1876). Only the re-
verse of this seal has ever been cut. The ob-
verse, however, is still considered part of
the seal and is used, among other things,
for decorating public buildings.

The reverse consists of an escutcheon, or
shield, bearing the Calvert and Crossland
arms quartered. Above is an earl's coronet
and a full-faced helmet. The escutcheon is
supported on one side by a farmer and on
the other by a fisherman. It symbolizes
Lord Baltimore's two estates: Maryland,
and Avalon in Newfoundland. The Calvert
motto on the scroll is "Fatti maschii parole
femine," usually translated "manly deeds,
womanly words." The Latin legend on the
border (the last verse of Psalms 5 from the
Vulgate) is translated "with favor wilt thou
compass us as with a shield." The date,
1632, refers to the year the Maryland char-
ter was granted to Cecilius Calvert, second
Lord Baltimore.

The obverse of the Seal shows Lord
Baltimore as a knight in full armor mount-
ed on a charger. The inscription translated
is "Cecilius, Absolute Lord of Maryland
and Avalon, Baron of Baltimore" (Chapter
79, Acts of 1969; Code 1957, Art. 41, sec.
74A).