Exhibit 2.2


               FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE PLAN AND AGREEMENT TO MERGE

         First  Amendment,  dated as of November 30, 2000, (the  "Amendment") to
the Plan and Agreement to Merge,  dated as of July 25, 2000, (the "Plan") by and
among TALBOT BANCSHARES, INC. ("Talbot Bancshares"), a Maryland corporation, and
SHORE BANCSHARES, INC. ("Shore Bancshares"), a Maryland corporation.


                              W I T N E S S E T H:

         WHEREAS, Shore Bancshares and Talbot Bancshares are parties to the Plan
whereby Talbot  Bancshares  has agreed to merge with and into Shore  Bancshares,
with Shore Bancshares as the surviving entity.

         WHEREAS,  Shore Bancshares and Talbot  Bancshares wish to amend certain
provisions under the Plan pursuant to Section 12 of the Plan in order to conform
certain  representations  and warranties made by the parties and to waive one of
the conditions to closing.

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements
herein  contained and the mutual  benefits to be derived  herefrom,  the parties
agree as follows:


                               A G R E E M E N T:


         1. Section 8.3 of the Plan is hereby  amended by deleting  that section
in its entirety and inserting the following in lieu thereof:

                  8.3 Events  Preceding the Effective  Date.  Each of the events
         set  forth in  Section 2 shall  have  occurred  and any other  required
         regulatory approvals shall have been obtained.


         2. Subsections  4.8(a),  (b), and (e) of the Plan are hereby amended by
deleting those subsections in their entirety and inserting the following in lieu
thereof:

                           (a) any  employment,  consultation,  or  compensation
         contract or arrangement  (other than those terminable at will) with any
         current or former officer, consultant,  director, agent or employee (or
         beneficiary of any of them);

                           (b) any plan, contract,  program,  understanding,  or
         agreement  providing for bonuses,  pensions,  severance pay,  executive
         compensation,   options,   stock  purchases,   or  any  other  form  of
         retirement,  incentive or deferred  compensation,  retirement payments,


         death  benefits,  profit  sharing,  branch closing  benefits,  workers'
         compensation,  tuition  reimbursement or scholarship program, any plans
         providing  benefits  or  payments  in the event of a change in control,
         change in ownership, or sale of a substantial portion (including all or
         substantially  all) of the  assets of Talbot  Bancshares  or any of the
         Talbot Subsidiaries,  or any health, accident,  disability, sick leave,
         vacation pay, life insurance,  or other welfare  benefit,  or any other
         employee or retired employee benefit  (including,  without  limitation,
         any  "employee  benefit  plan" as defined in Section  3(3) of ERISA) in
         which any current or former officer, consultant, employee, director, or
         agent (or  beneficiary  of any of them) of Talbot  Bancshares or any of
         the Talbot Subsidiaries is or was, within the last six years,  entitled
         to participate;

                           (e) any  agreement  for services in excess of $30,000
         per  year  (other  than any  employment,  arbitration  or  compensation
         contract or arrangement with any current or former officer, consultant,
         director,  agent or  employee)  or any  agreement  for the  purchase or
         disposition  of any equipment or supplies  except  individual  purchase
         orders for office supplies  incurred in the ordinary course of business
         of $10,000 or less;

         3. Subsections 4.12(c),  (e), and (u) of the Plan are hereby amended by
deleting those subsections in their entirety and inserting the following in lieu
thereof:


                           (c)  each  of the  plans  has  been  operated  in all
         material  respects in accordance  with its terms and in accordance with
         all previously and currently  effective laws  applicable to such plans,
         including,  but not  limited  to,  ERISA,  the Code,  the  Consolidated
         Omnibus  Budget  Reconciliation  Act  of  1985,  the  Health  Insurance
         Portability  and  Accountability  Act of 1996,  and state  health  care
         continuation laws;

                           (e)  none  of  (i)  the   plans,   (ii)  the   Talbot
         Subsidiaries,  and (iii) Talbot  Bancshares,  and to Talbot Bancshares'
         knowledge, (x) no current or former director, officer, employee, agent,
         or   representative   of  Talbot   Bancshares  or  any  of  the  Talbot
         Subsidiaries,  and (y) no fiduciary, "party in interest" (as defined in
         Section 3(14) of ERISA) or "disqualified person" (as defined in Section
         4975 of the Code) with  respect to any of the plans has  engaged in any
         non-exempt "prohibited transaction" in connection with any of the plans
         within the  meaning  of Section  4975 of the Code or Title I, Part 4 of
         ERISA as to which the applicable statute of limitations has not run;

                           (u) none of the plans  contains any  provision  which
         would  prohibit the  transactions  contemplated  by this Plan or which,
         except as previously  disclosed in writing to Shore  Bancshares,  would
         give  rise  to  any  severance,   termination,  or  other  payments  or
         liabilities, or any forgiveness of indebtedness, vesting, distribution,
         increase in benefits,  or  obligations  to fund benefits as a result of
         the transactions  contemplated by this Plan; no payment that is owed or


         may become due any director, officer, employee,  independent contractor
         or agent of Talbot  Bancshares  or any of the  Talbot  Subsidiaries  in
         connection  with a plan  will  be  non-deductible  to the  payor  under
         Section 280G of the Code,  and none of the Talbot  Subsidiaries,  Shore
         Subsidiaries, Talbot Bancshares or Shore Bancshares will be required to
         "gross up" or otherwise compensate any person in connection with a plan
         because of the  imposition  of any excise tax under Section 4999 of the
         Code; and

         4. The Plan and all provisions  thereof remain in full force and effect
unless  specifically  modified  or  amended  hereby.

         5. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts,  each of
which shall be deemed an original but all of which together shall constitute one
and  the  same  instrument,  and  all  signatures  need  not  appear  on any one
counterpart.







         IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  Shore Bancshares and Talbot Bancshares have caused
this  Amendment to be duly executed by their  respective  presidents,  and their
respective  seals to be  hereunto  affixed  and  attested  by  their  respective
secretaries, thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.

ATTEST:      [SEAL]                     Talbot Bancshares, INC.



/s/ Susan E. Leaverton                  By:    /s/ W. Moorhead Vermilye
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Susan E. Leaverton                            W. Moorhead Vermilye
Secretary                                     President



ATTEST:      [SEAL]                     Shore Bancshares, INC.



/s/ Mary Catherine Quimby               By:  /s/ Daniel T. Cannon
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Mary Catherine Quimby                        Daniel T. Cannon
Secretary                                    President