Before the Revolutionary War, Botetourt was part of the English Colonies. The family crest of Virginia’s first governor, Normane Berkeley( Lord Botetourt ), is in the middle of this Botetourt County Historical Museum sign. The Latin in the banner on the bottom translates to “ I Rise by the King’s Favor.”
Lord Botetourt was the first of two Royal Governors appointed by King George III and Botetourt County was named for him when it was created in 1770. The crest or heraldry features two women with the English crown above and the banner below. On the right side the lady holds a quill pen and on the left the lady holds a sector.
This sign was moved from the front of the former museum behind the courthouse to the museum at 26 E. Main Street in Fincastle. It was dirty with a rotten frame.
Ed Bordett cleaned it, reframed it and hung it on the outside wall of the 1871 museum building. Come examine it closely.
~ The Botetourt Historical Museum
