The arms on which the Maryland state flag is based are those of the state. They were earlier the arms of the Calvert Lords Baltimore, who were the Lords Proprietor of Maryland before the Revolution. The Calverts used them as arms of dominion (e.g., changing the supporters that had been granted by the College of Arms and adding an earl's coronet in place of a baron's in token of their designation as "counts palatine" under their charter), and they were essentially taken over by the new government on that basis.
Joe McMillan, 20 March 2006
There was at least one other flag used by the state of Maryland. The current flag was first used by the Maryland Fifth Regt. in 1888 during a parade in Baltimore. It included the coat of arms of the first Lord Baltimore's father's family, the Calvert black and gold as well as that of his mother's family, the Crosslands. This coat of arms was based on a pun. the family's name was croffland. Written in the runic alphabet, the name meant farmland, as those who are familiar with crofters might guess. Transliterated into the Latin alphabet, the flowing f's became esses. It was natural to use a cross for the coat of arms.
During the War for Southern Independence (American Civil War), Maryland was occupied by northern troops and civil rights were suspended. Many people escaped across the Potomac river into Virginia and fought in the Army of Northern Virginia under Robt. E. Lee, the confederate general. Some of them served in Virginia regts, but many served in Maryland units. They used the cross botonee of the Crosslands as a breast decoration. Any Marylander who was caught wearing red and white colors or dressing their baby in red and white was arrested for treason. After the war, the Maryland fifth contained many who had fought on opposing sides during the War. They adopted the flag, which became the state flag in 1904. References to the use of a state flag from 1776-1904 do not specify what flag was used.
William M. Grimes-Wyatt, 9 May 1996
As I understood it, this flag was identical to the current state flag, with the exception that the quarters were reversed -- Confederate veterans placed the Crossland arms in the 1st and 4th quarters, hoist to the left, with Calvert in 2nd and 3rd. The Maryland Legislature flipped them to their present positions in 1904.
Steve Kramer, 10 May 1996
I found an illustration of the 1648 seal of the colony of Maryland which clearly shows the Calvert quartered with Crossland arms on one side, and at www.free-researchpapers.com/dbs/a13/hmd137.shtml which says "The Crossland family was that of George Calvert's mother. Since she had no brother and that made her the heiress of her family estate, she was allowed under heraldic law to quarter her arms with those of her husband" That last address one of the main questions I had not been able to get a clear answer to before. If she was truly an heiress then it would indeed have been customary to quarter the arms of the two families.
Ned Smith, 24 July, 2003 |
Maine (ME) State Flag