Montgomery County was created from Frederick County by resolve of the Constitutional Convention of 1776 and named for Revolutionary War General Richard Montgomery (1738-1775), an Irish officer who had served in the British Army during the French and Indian War and later settled in New York State. General Montgomery was killed on December 31, 1775, at the age of thirty-seven, leading an attack on Quebec. Benedict Arnold succeeded his command.

The Great Seal of Montgomery County uses some elements of the family arms of General Richard Montgomery. It was designed and approved by the College of Arms in London, England, and officially adopted by bill 38-76, enacted by the County Council on October 5, 1976 at the request of the County Executive.

The gold fleur-de-lis in the two quarters of the seal are reminders of the French ancestry of the Montgomery family. The gold rings with blue gemstones in two quarters of the seal proclaim royal favor and protection and are also found in the Montgomery family coat of arms. Below the bottom two quarters is written, "Gardez Bien" which translated means, "Guarded Well". To the left side of the bottom quarters is written "17" and to the right side, "76", depicting 1776, the year in which the county was created. Circular in shape, the seal also contains the words, "Montgomery County" along the top edge, and "Maryland" along the bottom edge.

Copyright © 1990-2022 by John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying seals, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. Maryland County Seals and Baltimore City Seal and their respective origin histories from: Maryland The Seventh State A History, © John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. All Seals courtesy of the respective county, Office of the County Executive and/or the Department of Tourism. Reprinted with permission.

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