New Hampshire has held two Seals since it Declared its Independence from Britain prior to the US Declaration of Independence, and retains both seals, although most people are only familiar with the corporate seal of the State of New Hampshire. The original and generally unknown seal is that of the Republic of New Hampshire. State nickname: The Granite State Other U.S. States Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Governor John Lynch Official languages English Area 24,239 km² (46th)  - Land 23,249 km²  - Water 814 km² (3. ... The word Britain is used to refer to the United Kingdom (UK) the island of Great Britain, which consists of the countries of England, Scotland, and Wales sometimes the Roman province called Britain or Britannia The word British generally means belonging to or associated with Britain in one of the... A declaration of independence is a proclamation of the independence of a newly formed or reformed independent state from a part or the whole of the territory of another, or a document containing such a declaration. ...

Seal of the Republic of New Hampshire

Seal of the Republic of New Hampshire

The seal was first created in 1775 by the First Provincial Congress at the time of New Hampshire's Declaration of Independence. It 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.

As the Republic of New Hampshire was never abolished, this seal remains alive as that of the People of New Hampshire and their General Court. This is evinced by the state continuing to publish copies of its state Constitution with both seals on the cover, the Republic Seal set above the Corporate Seal to reflect the authority of the people over their government.

Corporate Seal of the State of New Hampshire

Seal of the State of New Hampshire

When the present state constitution became effective in 1784, the new Legislature revised the seal, to depict a ship on stocks, with a rising sun in the background, to reflect Portsmouth having become a major shipbuilding center during the war years. Various items for shipment were also shown on a frontal dock.

Details of this 1784 seal became so distorted in the ensuing century and a half that the 1931 Legislature voted major improvements, and, or the first time, spelled out its makeup. Director Otis G. Hammond of the New Hampshire Historical Society sparked this adjustment, by reporting that artists and sketchers had injected surprising details into the seal, as they produced new dies every few years for official state use. They produced rum barrels on the dock, and, on occasion, even human beings beside them.

When Governor John G. Winant of Concord launched a second term in 1931, he named a committee to serve with Hammond, to produce a less objectionable seal. The 1931 Legislature readily approved its recommendations.

Historic Warship Raleigh Honored

The frigate Raleigh, built at Portsmouth in 1776, as one of the first 13 warships sponsored by the Continental Congress for a new American navy, became the centerpiece of the 1931 seal. The figure 1784 on the old seal was changed to 1776. The old Latin phrase "Neo Hantoniensis 1784 Sigillum Republica" around the circular seal was replaced with "Seal of the state of New Hampshire 1776." The 1931 seal law spelled out that only a granite boulder could be shown in the foreground, as symbolic of the Granite State's rugged terrain and the character of its citizenry. USS Raleigh was one of thirteen ships that the Continental Congress authorized for the United States Navy in 1775. ... This article is about the English city of Portsmouth. ... In May 1775 over 50 men arrived in Philadelphia, called the Continental Congress, their purpose was to represent the interest of colonist in America. ...

Raleigh has a checkered career of adversities, while becoming the first to carry the American flag into sea battle. She was unable to go to sea for 15 months for lack of armament, and after her first voyage to France for munitions, her captain was dismissed for incompetency. Soon thereafter she was beached off Maine, captured by British warships, and used for the remainder of the Revolutionary War against her own country. State nickname: The Pine Tree State Other U.S. States Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Governor John Baldacci Official languages None Area 86,542 km² (39th)  - Land 80,005 km²  - Water 11,724 km² (13. ...

Captain John F. Rowe (USN retired) of Newington resurrected the life and lore of Raleigh in recent years. The British liked the sturdiness of the frigate so much that they sketched her construction details, to build others like her, and Captain Rowe obtained the drawings from London, to enable him to paint Raleigh in all her pristine glory. And when Governor Hugh J. Gallen and his Executive Council celebrated the 300th anniversary of New Hampshire's state government, Publisher William Loeb of the Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News purchased an enlarged portrait of Raleigh, by Captain Rowe, and presented it to the state for permanent display in the State House. Newington is the name of several places. ... William Loeb (1905 - 1982) was a U.S. newspaper publisher. ...

References

New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) 3:9 (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/I/3/3-9.htm)

Anderson, Leon. History. Manual for the General Court 1981.