The State of New Hampshire has held two seal

Seal (device)

A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...

s since it declared its independence from Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 on January 5, 1776. While both seals have been retained, most people are only familiar with the Great Seal due to its corporate use.

Great Seal

In 1784, when the present state constitution

New Hampshire Constitution

The Constitution of the State of New Hampshire is the fundamental law of the State of New Hampshire, with which all statute laws must comply. The constitution became effective June 2, 1784, when it replaced the state's constitution of 1776....

 became effective, the legislature revised the seal to depict a ship on stocks, with a rising sun in the background, to reflect Portsmouth

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

 having become a major shipbuilding center during the war years. Over the years, various items for shipment were also shown on the frontal dock in the seal.

In 1919, New Hampshire Historical Society

New Hampshire Historical Society

The New Hampshire Historical Society was founded in 1823. Its mission is to educate a diverse public about the significance of New Hampshire's past and its relationship to our lives today.-Introduction:...

 Director Otis G. Hammond, on the order of the Governor

Governor of New Hampshire

The Governor of the State of New Hampshire is the supreme executive magistrate of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.The governor is elected at the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold...

 and Executive Council of New Hampshire

Executive Council of New Hampshire

The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor's power. New Hampshire is one of the few states that has an Executive Council, and is the...

, wrote a history of the state seal and flag. Hammond described how because the law governing the design of the seal was not very specific, when the dies wore down and had to be redesigned, the artists and sketchers had injected surprising details into the seal, such as rum barrels on the dock, sometimes including people standing beside them. In 1931, after Governor John G. Winant began his second term, he named a committee to produce a seal devoid of controversy. The General Court

New Hampshire General Court

The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...

 approved the committee's recommendations, later enacting a law codifying the official design of the state seal.

State Seal law of 1931

The 1931 State Seal law placed the frigate Raleigh

USS Raleigh (1776)

USS Raleigh was one of thirteen ships that the Continental Congress authorized for the United States Navy in 1775. Following her capture in 1778, she served in the Royal Navy as HMS Raleigh.-As USS Raleigh:...

 as the centerpiece of the new seal. The Raleigh was built in Portsmouth

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

 in 1776, as one of the first 13 warships sponsored by the Continental Congress

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

 for a new American navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. The law declared the seal to be 2 inches in diameter bearing the new inscription, SEAL • OF • THE • STATE • OF • NEW HAMPSHIRE, replacing the Latin phrase Sigillum Republica Neo Hantoniensis. The law also declared that only a granite boulder could be shown in the foreground.

Colony version

On July 1, 1774, the First Provincial Congress met for the first time in Exeter

Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...

, and subsequently they discarded every "Royal," including the previous "George the III" seal.

In preparation of the 1776 state constitution, the First Provincial Congress designed a seal measuring 1½ inches in diameter and depicting an upright fish and pine tree on either side of a bundle of five arrows. The fish and pine represented the main trade of the colony and the five arrows represented each of the five counties. The seal bore the inscription: COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE * VIS UNITA FORTIOR.

The motto "vis unita fortior" ("Strength United is Stronger") was never officially proclaimed, but was used during the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

 until 1784. While no official document prescribing the seal has been located, the first record of the seal is found on commissions issued to military officers by the Provincial Congress dated September 1, 1775. The last known use of the seal was on an act of the General Assembly on July 5, 1775.

First State Seal, 1776

It is believed that the die used to affix the seal was designed during the summer of 1776. The first state seal was officially prescribed in an act passed September 12, 1776, two days after the resolution of statehood. The seal is still used by the General Court, though there is no current statute governing its design or use.

The size of the seal was increased to 1¾ inches, and comprised a pine tree and an upright fish, on each side of a bundle of five arrows. The design reflected the state's then two major economic resources, and the arrows symbolized the strength of unity among the then five counties. The seal bears the inscription (in Latin): SIGILL : REI - PUB : NEOHANTONI : * VIS UNITA FORTIOR*.

See also

• State of New Hampshire
  • :Category:Symbols of New Hampshire
    • Flag of New Hampshire
      Flag of New Hampshire
      The flag of the state of New Hampshire consists of the state seal centered on a blue background. It was adopted in 1909, and changed once in 1931, when the state seal was modified. Prior to 1909, the state was represented by various regimental flags....
      
      

External links

• New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) 3:9 State Seal
• New Hampshire Almanac - State Seal
• Anderson, Leon. History. Manual for the General Court 1981.