Close-up coat of arms sticker for Montgomery County, Maryland, USA.

Not the most inspiring photo at face value. The color palette is pretty much limited to black & white, and the sticker has seen better days. It also comes from the side of local bus stop, I didn't have to walk very far. One of those things that stays hidden in plain sight for the most part, but I like it.

Beneath the surface, there are however some interesting stories waiting to be told. These coats of arms aren't usually designed haphazardly; instead heraldry can be packed with lots of rich symbology.

I don't pretend to know the full history behind Montgomery County's coat of arms, but one of the first things that caught my eye is the pair of fleurs-de-lys. Or lilies as translated from French, which is interesting to me personally because I am part French, and I lived 15 years in Montréal, Québec.

Incidentally, the flag of Québec contains four fleurs-de-lys. And would you know, the man for whom the county is named after, Richard Montgomery, died in Québec City on December 31, 1775? Now the founding year of 1776 on the coat of arms makes more sense, but it also speaks to a deeper level of history. One of them being the French connection as I see there's a French motto beneath the coat of arms, and I think there's a good reason for that. "Gardez bien" means "Guard well", and the Montgomery family name goes back hundreds of years. From what I can tell, it officially started in the 11th Century with Roger de Montgomerie. He helped William the Conqueror with the invasion of England.

Flash forward to the 1770s, this Richard Montgomery made a name for himself early in the fight for American Independence, and his sacrifice in Québec City helped to fuel the flames of Revolution. Never forgetting his French roots, but also recognizing the British / Scottish influence for example with the pair of Eglinton rings included in his coat of arms.

I could go on, and the research is still far from finished. But I hope this goes to show how special this seemingly simple sticker is to me. A lot of interesting history to explore, which over time involves the French, British, Americans and Canadians. For most everyone else who doesn't live inside Montgomery County, you can always take a look at the coat of arms or flag of the place you call home. Whether it's a city, county, state or country, you might be surprised to find some symbols that resonate with you personally. Same applies to your family name as many of them come with coat of arms you can readily search online 👍

Please note this photo is for personal use only, and prints have been disabled as a result.