Great Seal of New Hampshire

New Hampshire adopted its state seal in 1784, under the permanent state constitution that replaced the temporary wartime government. The design placed a ship under construction at its center, a direct reference to Portsmouth's role in building the Continental Navy. The frigate Raleigh, one of the thirteen warships authorized by the Continental Congress in December 1775, had been built and launched from Portsmouth in 1776.

Portsmouth was among the most active shipbuilding ports in colonial America. The choice of a ship on the stocks rather than a finished vessel at sea emphasized production over ceremony, identifying the state with naval labor rather than naval command.

The seal was revised and standardized in 1931. The core composition, the ship, the granite rocks, the rising sun, and the laurel wreath, remained unchanged from 1784. The revision fixed proportions and engraving details to create a consistent standard for official use under New Hampshire RSA 3:1.

New Hampshire's state seal uses four main elements to connect the state to the founding era and to the physical character of New England.

New Hampshire's state seal has kept the same core composition since 1784. The ship on the stocks, the granite rocks, the rising sun, and the laurel wreath have appeared in every version. Revisions affected engraving quality and proportions, not the elements themselves.