My mother-in-law just posted a picture on facebook of her mother holding her Volunteer of the Year award from Guilford County. I had never seen it before (the photo or the award) or I surely would have noticed the coat of arms on it.
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Quote:
In July, 1981, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the official seal for Guilford County. The seal was a bicentennial gift to the County from Colonel James G. W. MacLamroc, County Historian.
The elements of the coat-of-arms come from the arms of Dr. David Caldwell, prominent educator, minister, physician, statesman and patriot; General Nathanael Greene, commander of colonial troops at the Revolutionary Battle of Guilford Courthouse and namesake of the county seat of Greensboro; and the first and second Earls of Guilford, for whom the County was named.
From the Caldwell arms come the gripped Passion Cross in the crest and on the shield, and the well heads of the shield. From the Greene arms come the buck of the supporters and the buck’s head on the shield. From the Guilford arms come the lion of the shield, the ancient crown of the crest, and the mastiff of the supporters.
The motto Courage and Faith was felt to be characteristic of the County’s first settlers: the English and Welsh Quakers on the west and south, the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in the center, and the German Calvinists and Lutherans on the east.
The coat-of-arms/seal was devised by the York Herald of the Royal College of Arms, London, England, under the direction of Colonel MacLamroc.
American heraldry on the American Heraldry Society forums…what a concept!
Joseph McMillan;89190 wrote:
American heraldry on the American Heraldry Society forums…what a concept!
Hurray!
When I was in High Point, North Carolina, earlier this summer, I got a couple of pictures of the Guilford County coat of arms that they use to designate historic buildings there. You can see the photos in a post on my blog at http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2011/07/heraldry-in-high-point-north-carolina_28.html
David
It’s refreshing to see official US heraldry. Thanks for posting this and all the accompanying links.
Joseph McMillan;89190 wrote:
American heraldry on the American Heraldry Society forums…what a concept!
Right. Huzzah and all that! Isn’t it a bit of a hollow celebration, though, when they were designed by York Herald?...
Quote:
The coat-of-arms/seal was devised by the York Herald of the Royal College of Arms, London, England, under the direction of Colonel MacLamroc.
I don’t know that I would necessarily consider it a hollow celebration. In a country where heraldry is little understood, it just may be that consulting with York Herald provided Col. MacLamroc the bona fides to get the attention of the county commissioners. The result is good heraldry and, just as important, its continued use.
