Flag of Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County
Flag of Montgomery County, Maryland
The current flag of Maryland's Montgomery County.
Name "The MoCo Flag"
Use Other
Proportion 2:3
Adopted October 5, 1976[1]
Design A rectangle, three parts wide and two parts tall, quartered by a crenellated line, separating the top two quarters from the two bottom quarters, and a straight vertical line, separating the left two quarters from the two right quarters, with the upper left and lower right quarters consisting of a gold fleur-de-lis on a blue background, with the upper right and lower left quarters consisting of a gold ring with a blue gem on a red background, with a crenellated line formed of 11 squares, 1/11 of flag length, with center block split in middle with left side red and right side blue, with rings and fleur-de-lises to be three times as high as a block in the crenellated line with width proportional, with rings and fleur-de-lises centered horizontally on their quarters and spaced vertically so that upper and lower edge of rings and fleur-de-lises at equal distance from the horizontal outside edge of quarter and nearest part of crenellated line.[1]
Designed by College of Arms

The current flag of Montgomery County, Maryland was adopted on October 5, 1976. It was designed by the College of Arms.[1] It is the county's second flag, replacing the first one, which was in use from May 3, 1944.[2] It is commonly flown outside of the county's governmental facilities, such as fire stations.

The flag incorporates design elements from the familial heraldy of Richard Montgomery, whom Montgomery County is named after.[1]

History

The former flag of Montgomery County, Maryland, used from May 3, 1944 to October 5, 1976.

The flag was designed by the College of Arms in London, United Kingdom and is a quartered flag. At the request of the Montgomery County Executive, it was officially adopted by the Montgomery County Council as the county flag by Bill 38-76 on October 5, 1976.[1] Bill 38-76 has since been designated as Section 1-402 of the Montgomery County Code.[3]

The fleur-de-lis in two quarters of the flag represent the French ancestry of the Montgomery family.[1] The rings with gemstones in two quarters of the flag represent royalty and protection, and are found in the family coat of arms of the Montgomery family.[1] The indented line which separates the upper and lower quarters of the flag represent the borders of local government.[1] The shades of red and blue are identical to those on the American flag, whereas the shade of gold is identical to that found on the Maryland state flag, denoted as PMS 124 on the Pantone Matching System scale.[1]

Design

According to the Montgomery County government in 1999, the flag was described as:

“ The following specifications are used to produce the County flag: Height to length, 2 to 3. The flag will be quartered by a crenellated line, separating the top two quarters from the two bottom quarters, and a straight vertical line, separating the left two quarters from the two right quarters. The upper left and lower right quarters shall consist of a gold fleur-de-lis on a blue background. The upper right and lower left quarters shall consist of a gold ring with a blue gem on a red background. Crenellated line formed of 11 squares, 1/11 of flag length, with center block split in middle with left side red and right side blue. Rings and fleur-de-lises to be three times as high as a block in the crenellated line with width proportional. Rings and fleur-de-lises centered horizontally on their quarters and spaced vertically so that upper and lower edge of rings and fleur-de-lises are equal distance from horizontal outside edge of quarter and nearest part of crenellated line. Red and blue should be the same shade as is used in the United States flag and gold should be same shade as is used in the Maryland State flag. ”

—Montgomery County government, 1999[1]

Colors

The official description of the flag states that the shade of red and blue are to be identical to that found on the flag of the United States of America and that the shade of gold is identical to that found on the flag of the State of Maryland.

Color Pantone RGB Values
     Old Glory Blue 281[1] (0,38,100)[1]
     Old Glory Red 193[1] (187,19,62)[1]
     Maryland Gold 124[1] (234,171,0)[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Montgomery County, Maryland (1999). "Montgomery County Flag". Retrieved November 29, 1999. The flag uses some elements of the family arms of General Richard Montgomery for whom the County was named. It is based on the shield of the official coat of arms of Montgomery County which 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 two quarters of the flag are reminders of the French ancestry of the Montgomery family. The gold rings with blue gemstones in two quarters of the flag proclaim royal favor and protection and are found in the family coat of arms of General Montgomery's family. The indented line which separates the upper quarters of the flag from the lower quarters of the flag represents the borders of a local government. The following specifications are used to produce the County flag: Height to length, 2 to 3. The flag will be quartered by a crenellated line, separating the top two quarters from the two bottom quarters, and a straight vertical line, separating the left two quarters from the two right quarters. The upper left and lower right quarters shall consist of a gold fleur-de-lis on a blue background. The upper right and lower left quarters shall consist of a gold ring with a blue gem on a red background. Crenellated line formed of 11 squares, 1/11 of flag length, with center block split in middle with left side red and right side blue. Rings and fleur-de-lises to be three times as high as a block in the crenellated line with width proportional. Rings and fleur-de-lises centered horizontally on their quarters and spaced vertically so that upper and lower edge of rings and fleur-de-lises are equal distance from horizontal outside edge of quarter and nearest part of crenellated line. Red and blue should be the same shade as is used in the United States flag and gold should be same shade as is used in the Maryland State flag.
  2. ↑ McEwan, Peggy (November 14, 2012). "The story of the Cabin John woman behind Stoneyhurst Quarry: Lilly Stone helped build Montgomery County homes and history". The Gazette. 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20877: Post-Newsweek Media, LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ Montgomery County Maryland: Our History and Government. Montgomery County, Maryland, and the Montgomery County Historical Society. 1999.

Further reading

External links

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