Talbot County was created probably by virtue of an order of the Governor in Council. The County was in existence by February 18, 1661, when a writ was issued to the sheriff. The County was named for Lady Grace Talbot, sister of Cecil Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore, and the wife of Sir Robert Talbot, an Irish statesman.

Talbot County is bordered on the west by the Eastern Bay, Chesapeake Bay and the Choptank River, and on the east by Caroline County. To the north lies Queen Anne's County and to the south is Dorchester County. Talbot has an area of two hundred seventy-nine land and fifty-two water square miles. The county is part of the Coastal Plain and thus seldom has an elevation of over twenty feet above sea level. The highest point in the county is seventy-two feet above sea level, outside of Easton.

The Great Seal of Talbot County was officially adopted on July 26, 1966. As a result of Talbot County being named in honor of Grace Talbot, daughter of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, and sister of Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, the Talbot coat of arms was adopted as the design of both the seal and flag. This consists of a rampant lion in red, against a silver shield. The background color of the seal and flag is purple, which was the color assigned in 1694 to Talbot County by the royal governor of Maryland, Sir Francis Nicholson. The seal is circular in shape, with the words, "The Great Seal of Talbot County Maryland" along the edge. Below the rampant lion is written in Latin, "Tempus Praeteritum Et Futurum," which translates as, "Times, Past and Future."

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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