SOUTH CAROLINA
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The east
of America between 31° and 36° north latitude was colonized during the reign
of Charles II of England (1660-’85). After King Charles II it received the
name Carolina. Soon a great difference arose between the north and the south.
For that reason the province was partioned in 1729 in North Carolina and
South Carolina. In 1776 both colonies signed the act of independence.
South-Carolina ratified the constitution in 1788 and North-Carolina in 1789. |
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After 1730 a new seal came into use. This
represented a scene of the king and a personification of South Carolina on
the obverse and the royal achievement on the reverse. No print of this seal
could be found but there is a representation on the mace of state of South
Carolina, made in 1756. |
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The Provicial seal on the mace of 1756 |
The royal achievement on the mace of 1756 |
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The
obverse of the seal as represented on the mace consists of a scene of George II in his coronation
robes, crowned and holding the orb and sceptre, being curtsied to by a female
personification of South Carolina her right hand forwards, her left hand
backwards. The barefoot gowned personification wears a turreted civic crown
symbolizing Charles Town (Charleston). Beneath the duo the provincial motto
is situated: PROPIUS RES ASPICE NOSTRAS or ‘Look more closely on our affairs’. |
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The seal of
George III (1776-1820) for South Carolina Obverse: The King standing pointing at a personification of
South Carolina kneeling, both hand forwards.. Reverse: The royal achievement of Great Britain surrounded
by the name and titles of King George III. |
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The Seal |
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The General
Assembly of the Provincial Congress of South Carolina authorized the
designing and making of the Great Seal of South Carolina on April 2 1776.
This first seal of state was an imitation of the former seals for the
province of South Carolina, the scene with the king and the personification
of South Carolina replaced by a representation of the personification of
South Carolina only. The royal achievement was replaced by a new coat of arms
combining several new local symbols. “The device for the armorial achievement and reverse
of the Great Seal of the State of South Carolina was as follows: “ARMS. A Palmetto-tree growingh on the sea-shore erect; at its base a
torn-up oak-tree,its branches lopped off, prostrate: both proper. “Just below the branches of the Palmetto, two
shields pendent; one of them on the dexter side is inscribed March26,
the other on the sinister side July4. Twelve spears
proper, and bound crosswise to the stem of the Palmetto, their points raised;
the band uniting them together bearing the inscription QUIS SEPARABIT.
Under the prostrate oak is inscribed MELIOREM LAPSO LOCAVIT, below which appears in large figures 1776; the the
summit of the exergue are the words SOUTH
CAROLINA, and at the bottom of the same ANIMIS OPIBUSQUE PARATI. “REVERSE. A woman walking on the Sea-shore over swords and daggers; she holds
in her dexter hand a laurel branch, and in her sinister the folds of her
robe; she looks towards the sun just rising above the sea, all proper; on the
upper part is the sky azure. “At the summit of the exergue are the words DUM SPIRO SPERO; and
within the field below the figure is inscribed the word SPES. The seal is in
the form of a circle, four inches in diameter; and four-tenths of an inch
thick. “It was not designed until after the fort (Moultrie)
at Sullivan’s Island had defeated the British fleet, as all its devices will
prove. The fort was constructed of the stems of the palmetto-trees (corypha palmetto) which grow
abundantly on our sea islands, - which grew on Sullivan’s Island at the time
the fort was made, when the battle was fought, and which grow there at this
day. “The Arms were designed by William Henry Drayton,
and the original executed by him with a pen, bearing great similitude to what
is represented on the seal, is in the possession of his son. It, however,
contains more devices, but this is easily reconciled by supposing all he had
designed was not deemed by the President and Privy Council necessary for the
Great Seal. The explanation of this side of the seal is the following: The
Palmetto-tree on the seashore represents the fort on Sullivan’s Island, the
shields bearing March 28 and July 4 allude to the Constitution of South
Carolina, which was made by the Continental Congress on the last of them. “The sun rising in great brilliancy above the sea
indicates thatthe 28th of Jun was a fine day, it also bespeaks good fortune.”
[1] |
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In early 1777 George Smithson engraved this coin silver matrix or die,
designed by William Henry Drayton and Arthur Middleton. Drayton wrote that
like the obverse, the reverse, which depicts the figure of the Latin goddess
Spes (Hope) walking on the seashore, referred to the heroic victory at the
palmetto log fort on Sullivan’s Island. The silver die carries the
state motto: DUM SPIRO SPERO (While I breathe, I hope). It was used to make
large pendant wax seals. [2]
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A second
small state seal engraved in 1812 is missing in the state archives. It was
used in the Charleston office of the secretary of state. A third small
state seal was created in 1823 at the request of Governor John L. Wilson and
was used in the Columbia office. It was probably engraved by Charleston’s
Charles Simons. [3] “An Act concerning the
Seal of the State.’ which enacts ‘that hereafter there shall be two copies of
the small seal of the state, one to be kept in the office of the Secretary of
State in Charleston and the other in the office of the Secretary of State in
Columbia, and that the copy of the seal of the state usually called the small
seal which has been procured by his Excellency John L. Wilson, Governor and
Commander in chief in and over the State of South Carolina, shall be
deposited in the office of the Secretary of State at Columbia and hereafter
used in the said office as the seal of the State, any law, usage or custom to
the contrary notwithstanding.’ [4] This
third seal represented, on a disc with palm-leaves and branches of laurel in
saltire, both the arms and the reverse in alliance.
Die of the third small seal, 1823 Representing the device of
South Carolina
South Carolina State Seal 1861-‘65 The South
Carolina Constitution of 1895 says that “the seal of the State now in use
shall be used by the Governor officially, and shall be called “The Great Seal
of the State of South Carolina’” [5] At this occasion the description of the arms
and the reverse of 1776 was not changed. In comparison with the seal of 1823
the representations of the arms and reverse in what we may call the device of
South Carolina were changed in that the inscription MELIOREM LAPSA LOCAVIT 1776 was added in base of the
arms On the reverse the word SPES was inscribed in base instead of on the
bordure surrounding the secene with the lady. Also, the two branches
supporting both the arms and the reverse were replaced by branches of olive
and laurel. |
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The
Arms |
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In the arms the motto MELIOREM LAPSO LOCAVIT (A
better one for the one felled) soon came to be neglected and later the date
1776 was also omitted. During the Civil War the ribbon inscribed QUIS SEPARABIT and the dates on the shields also disappeared.
After 1895 motto, date and ribbon with inscription were restored.
The arms of
South Carolina On Thomas Doolittle’s “A display of the United states of America”,
1787 Civil War 1861-‘65
Arms, 1861-‘65
Patriotic
badges were advertised in the Vicksburg Evening Citizen in the spring of
1861. Editor James Swords produced the badges with the state seal of each
Southern state in the center. Shown is the version with the palmetto tree,
representing South Carolina
Button of the South Carolina troops
Vignette of a Palmetto tree Union Bank of South Carolina
- South Carolina 1860's |
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The arms at the end of the 19th beginning 20th
century
Present seal
of the Governor of South Carolina |
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The Device |
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South
Carolina has an armorial device consisting of an alliance of the two sides of
the first seal of state adopted 1776.
South Carolina armorial device after 1812
Device of South Carolina after 1895 Nowadays the
device is often represented in color but, as the drawing of both the arms and
the reverse is quite inaccurate on some points, the result is disappointing
most of the time. [6] Æ See illustration in the head of this article |
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The Achievement |
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Very soon
after the adoption of the seal with the arms and the ‘reverse” an achievement
appeared. This was noticed by Eugene Zieber who wrote: “The seal
as above described contains the arms of the state. There has, however, been
used for many years at the head of advertisements of proclamations, official
papers, and the like, a representation, which represents two sides of the
seal, which Liberty on one side with a crown in her hand, a Continental
soldier on the other side, and Fame going from Liberty to te soldier. How and
when this was adopted has not been ascertained.” [7]
Achievement of South Carolina This
early achievement of South Carolina appeared on March 28, 1785 in the
nameplate of the State Gazette of South Carolina, a Charleston newspaper. The
paper was published by Ann Timothy, the state's printer. The arms replaced
the royal achievement which was in the head of the former South Carolina
Gazette [8]
Achievement of South Carolina Louisville, Cincinnati &
Charleston Rail Road ( Certificate #1) - Charleston, South Carolina 1838
Achievement of South Carolina South Carolina Railroad
Company £300 Bond - South Carolina, 1866
Achievement of South Carolina South Carolina 20$ revenue
note
Achievement of South Carolina Charleston Coastwise
Transportation Co. - South Carolina 1875
Achievement of South Carolina From: Mitchell, Henry:The
State Arms of the Union. Boston, 1876 |
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The Mace |
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Mace of the House of Representatives Courtesy of the Clerk’s
office, S.C. House of Representatives The 122
cm long, 4,9 kg mace was crafted in 1756 by Magdalen Filene of London,
believed to be the widow of the great Huguenot goldsmith, Edward Filene. The
head of the mace holds four panels: ·
The first depicts the opposite site of the provincial seal. This
consisted of a seated George II, bedecked in his coronation robes, crowned
holding the orb and sceptre being curtsied to by a female personification of
South Carolina. The barefoot gowned personification wears a turreted civic
crown symbolizing Charles Town (Charleston). Beneath the duo the provincial
motto is situated: PROPIUS RES ASPICE NOSTRAS or ‘Look more closely on our affairs’.
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The four panels described above |
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The mace
was commissioned for 90 guineas on March 8, 1756 at the same time as robes
for the Speaker and a gown for the Clerk were requested. During the
Revolution, loyal Carolinians tried to raise money for the Tory side by
attempting to sell the mace to the House of Assembly of the Bahamas.
Apparently, the sale was approved, but never completed. The mace then
disappeared until 1819 when the Hon. Langdon Cheves, a South Carolinian,
discovered it in the Philadelphia vaults of the Bank of the United States (of
which he was President), and was promptly returned to the Palmetto State. The
last time the mace disappeared was when it was stolen on February 3, 1971. It
was recovered within a fortnight and returned to the State House in Columbia
where it remains today. The mace
currently used by the lower house of the General Assembly of South Carolina
is an example of pre-revolutionary legislative regalia. In 1880 the tradition
of the Speaker's procession was restored and since that year every
legislative day has begun with the mace being borne by the Sergeant-at-Arms
of the House, followed by the Speaker. When the Speaker reaches his chair in the
House chamber, he exchanges bows with the Sergeant-at-Arms, who then places
the mace upon its holster before the rostrum, exchanges bows with the Speaker
once more, and thence the legislative day is called to commence. Whenever the
House and Senate meet in joint session, the Mace is carried at the head of
the procession. When the
House is invited by the Senate to ratify passed legislation, the
Sergeant-at-Arms bears the mace before the Speaker and the Clerk of the House
in a solemn procession through the corridors of the State House, across the
rotunda to the Senate chamber. There, it is put in a holding place just below
the Sword of State, symbol of authority in the Senate and interesting in its
own right, while the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and
the Clerks of both houses sign the acts. [9] |
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The Sword of State |
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The Sword of State (SC) The Sword
of State was secured and used by the Lords Proprietors' Executive Council until
that body passed out of existence with the overthrow of the government of the
Lords Proprietors in South Carolina in December of 1719. Thereafter
it was used by His Majesty's Executive Council for South Carolina, at least until
June 23, 1722, when Arthur Middleton, President of the Executive Council, and
Acting Governor, informed the Commons House of Assembly that it was “no way
proper to be used by any of His Majesty's Governor” and suggested that the
House give it to the “Corporation of Charles City (Charles Town) and Port, to
be carried before the Mayor.”[10] The
current Sword of State was presented on February 20, 1951 as a personal gift
to South Carolina from Lord Halifax, sometime Ambassador of Her Britannic
Majesty to these United States. The original Sword of State, having been made
in 1704, predated the Mace, but sadly disappeared mysteriously in 1941. A
cavalry sword dating from 1800 was made available by the Charleston Museum as
a replacement for the 1704 Sword of State and functioned in this capacity
until the gift of Lord Halifax was presented. The Sword of State features on
the seal of the Senate, while the Mace denotes the seal of the House of
Representatives. This
sword rests in the customary rack on the Senate rostrum in front of the
President's chair during the daily sessions and is carried by the
Sergeant-at-Arms on all State occasions. [11] |
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South Carolina
Army National Guard Element, Joint Force Headquarters |
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Crest |
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Blazon That for
regiments and separate battalions of the South Carolina Army National Guard:
From a wreath of colors, upon a mount Vert a palmetto tree Proper charged
with a crescent Argent. Symbolism South
Carolina is known as the Palmetto State. "The flag…has always been the
state flag…a palmetto tree…and a white crescent." On September 13, 1775,
Colonel Moultrie received an order from the Council of Safety for taking Fort
Johnson on James Island, South Carolina. His troops carried a blue flag with
silver crescent in the dexter corner. The troops were clothed in blue and
wore silver crescents in the front of their caps. "This was the first
American Flag displayed in the South." It was this flag which was shot
from the bastion of Fort Sullivan and which Sergeant Jasper fastened to a
sponge staff and replaced June 28, 1776. ("The Flag of the United States
and other National Flags," by Admiral Preble, pages 209, 210 and 628). Background The crest
for color bearing organizations of the State of South Carolina was approved
on 31 December 1923. |
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Distinctive Unit Insignia |
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Description A gold
color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches (3.02 cm) in height overall
consisting of a blue obovate shaped background, the lower sides concave,
bearing a gold palmetto, the trunk in back of a white eight-pointed star (one
point up) with small gold center ("pierced" center), and in front
of a white crescent (tips up), the inner (upper) edge touching the three
middle points of the star on either side and terminating at the upper two
points, all above a blue scroll, inscribed "PALMETTO MINUTEMAN" in
gold letters, circumscribing the outer (lower) edge of the crescent, and the
two outer portions (ends) of gold, each with one undulating fold tapering
upwards and outwards and merging with the upper periphery of the background. Symbolism South
Carolina is known as the Palmetto State and the palmetto, the official State
tree, appears on the obverse of the State seal adopted 2 April 1776. A
flag consisting of a white crescent (in the upper corner of the hoist) on a
blue field was first displayed at Fort Johnson on James Island, South
Carolina, shortly after it was taken and garrisoned 13 September 1775, by the
two South Carolina Regiments formed at the outbreak of the American
Revolution, the blue uniform of the troops and their silver crescent cap
badges suggesting the design of the flag to Colonel William Moultrie, the
garrison Commander. On 28 January 1861, the blue flag with its white
crescent was modified by the addition of a white palmetto in the center, and
has been since then the official flag of the State of South Carolina. A
palmetto tree in its natural colors with a silver (white) crescent
superimposed on the fronds was authorized 31 December 1923, as the official
crest of the South Carolina National Guard; and the shoulder sleeve insignia
authorized 19 March 1952 is similar in pattern to the State flag. The
eight points of the “star” or spur rowel refer to South Carolina being the
eighth of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the Constitution. A
spur rowel in itself is symbolic of readiness, speed and determination in
pressing onward despite all obstacles. A spur rowel also alludes to
“winning one’s spurs” - the performance of duty and the accomplishment of
some action which brings honor. Background The
distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for Headquarters and
Headquarters Detachment and noncolor bearing units of the South Carolina Army
National Guard on 28 May 1971. The insignia was redesignated effective
1 October 1982, for Headquarters, State Area Command, South Carolina Army
National Guard. It was redesignated effective 1 October 2003, for the
South Carolina Army National Guard Element, Joint Force Headquarters and
amended to update the description |
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Shoulder Sleeve Insignia |
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Description On a blue
shield with a 1/8 inch (.32 cm) white border, 2 7/16 inches (6.19 cm) in
width and 3 inches (7.62 cm) in height overall, a palmetto tree on a mound
and in upper left corner a crescent, both white. Symbolism The coat
of arms is adapted from the crest of the South Carolina Army National Guard. Background The shoulder sleeve insignia was originally approved for Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, South Carolina National Guard on 19 March 1952. It was redesignated on 30 December 1983, for Headquarters, State Area Command, South Carolina Army National Guard. The insignia was redesignated effective 1 October 2003, for the South Carolina Army National Guard Element, Joint Force Headquarters and amended to update the description and add a symbolism. (TIOH Dwg. No. A-1-177) |
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Catawba Indian Nation |
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Catawba
Indian Nation / Catawba Tribe of South Carolina
Seal of the Catawba Indian Nation A pale
orange pot centered on the circular seal represents Catawba pottery. On it is
an image of Chief Haigler (†1763), first chief of the Catawba Nation, in
burnt orange. Behind the pot runs the Catawba River in blue and the lands of
the Catawba in green. Ringing the central device is an orange band with
“Great Seal of the Catawba Indian Nation” in black. Beyond this is a yellow
serrated “sunburst” ring, backed by a burnt-orange field. The entire seal is
ringed by a narrow black band. When used
as a flag, the seal is on a burnt-orange field recalling terra-cotta pottery.
The Catawba people thus bring the symbol of their past - the pottery - into
the newest symbol of their sovereignty - the flag.
Obverse and reverse of the Flag of the Catawba
Rangers [12] A
historic flag associated with the Catawba is the banner of the "Catawba
Rangers", who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Of blue
silk with a light blue silk fringe, it had two scrolls - the upper bearing
"OUR
BATTLE CRY", the
lower bearing "LIBERTY OR DEATH", both in gold lettering. Between the
scrolls were an old-style gun, two crossed swords, and a red star in the
center flanked by gold letters 'S' on one side, 'C' on the other. Below this
was a wreath held together by a hand pointing upward to the star. On the
reverse, the top scroll bore "CATAWBA RANGERS" and the center bore a Palmetto Palm,
symbol of South Carolina, with a snake stretched, ready to strike from the
grass beneath. A ring of red stars and gold "beads" circled the
central emblem (Confederate Veteran, 170, undated excerpt). [13] |
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© Hubert de Vries 2016-02-22
Heraldry of the World