Medieval European seals

Forms of medieval seals

Seal matrices may be single or double, thus producing an impression on either one or both sides of the wax. Single matrices, the older type, often have a ridge along the back and end in a loop. Double matrices, known from the 11th century onward, are flat, with two to four projecting lugs pierced with holes in which vertical pins keep the halves aligned.

Sealing both sides of the wax makes detaching the seal more difficult, and so in medieval times the reverse was often sealed by a counterseal for greater security. The official seal of an institution was often countersealed by the seal of an official, such as a town by its mayor. Single seals were often fitted with a handle; the most common type was a six-sided cone ending in a trefoil. In some matrices the centre screwed outward, enabling the device to be used without a legend. On many seals the back was marked with a cross to indicate the top.

Seals could be either applied to the surface of a document or appended from it by a strip of material. Application was the earlier system, although papal bulls were always appended. Appended seals appeared in England in the 11th century and in France in the 12th; seals were appended either on a tongue of parchment cut across from the bottom of the document or on a tag of parchment, leather, or silk inserted through a cut in the document. Some documents had many seals. Seals were often protected by woven bags or by boxes of wood, metal, or ivory known as skippets.

The legend, often abbreviated, usually declared the name of the owner or institution; it often began with a cross and the word sigillum, followed by the name in the genitive case. Latin remained in fashion for inscriptions, though English and French are occasionally found from the 13th century, more frequently on personal seals. On English seals roman capitals were used in the 11th and 12th centuries and Lombardic ones in the 13th and early 14th centuries. Black letter (Gothic script) was first used in England in the 14th century and was quite popular in the 15th century, although Lombardic often continued for capitals. Roman capitals reappeared in the 16th century.

Royal and official seals

The great seal, or seal of majesty (a round seal showing the seated ruler with the royal insignia), first appeared in Europe on the seal of the emperor Henry II of Germany (ruled 1002–24), in France on the seal of Henry I (ruled 1031–60), and in England on the double seal of Edward the Confessor (ruled 1042–66). The seal of William I of England (ruled 1066–87) had the King on one side and an equestrian figure on the other. The kings of France adopted double seals under Louis VII (ruled 1137–80).

The development of lesser royal seals can be illustrated by the growth of English government. Deputed great seals were used for the major legal courts and for France, Ireland, and Wales. The expansion of the kings’ affairs caused the addition of smaller, more personal seals, such as the signet. The Chancery did not control these seals, and this freedom led to the evolution of autonomous offices. The privy seal appeared early in the 13th century in the custody of the clerks of the king’s chamber. It was soon transferred to the wardrobe clerks, and gradually its importance increased until by the early 14th century the keeper of the privy seal was the third minister of state. The keepership gained further prestige in midcentury, when the great seal was entrusted to the keepers who went abroad with Edward III. As the privy seal grew in importance, the king preferred another small seal for authenticating correspondence and warrants. Under Edward II (ruled 1307–27) there was a secret seal distinct from the privy seal. By 1400 the signet, as the secret seal was then called, was in the charge of the king’s secretary. The signet rather than the privy seal became the originating force in administration, and from 1540 there were two secretaries, each with two signets. The privy seal and signet seal were both single armorial seals.

Royal officials had their own seals. Circular admirals’ seals, dating from the late 14th century to the 17th century, include a fine group of 15th-century bronze matrices. The seals show ships in great detail, with the sails displaying the arms of the admiral.

Religious seals

The principal episcopal seal was the seal of dignity, always a pointed oval. From the 11th to the 14th century it usually depicted the standing figure of the bishop, from the 13th century with a canopy above him. In the mid-14th century the standing figure was often replaced by a saint or a religious scene, with the bishop praying beneath—a form that had been used earlier on episcopal counterseals. The seal of Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury (1396), depicts the martyrdom of Becket in the centre of an elaborate series of niches, with the archbishop below.

Monastic seals, usually double-sided and of high quality, normally show the buildings of the monastery, religious scenes, or the patron saint. They were distinct from abbots’ and priors’ seals, which were similar to those of bishops. Notable was the elaborate four-part matrix of Boxgrove Priory (mid-13th century). The seal of Merton Priory (1241), considered the finest English medieval seal, had the Virgin and child on one side with St. Augustine of Hippo on the other.

Papal bulls were doubled-sided lead seals appended to the document on strings. The earliest known is that of Deusdedit (reigned 615–618). The usual design, with the head of the Apostles Peter and Paul on one side and the pope’s name on the other, first appeared under Paschal II (reigned 1099–1118). Although this style of portrayal of the heads was changed in the Renaissance, the design has not been altered.

Town seals

The possession of a common seal was an important part of a town’s independence. Town seals were almost always round and often double. Many towns still possess their original matrices. The earliest in England date from around 1200, when many towns received their charters. The seal of Exeter has been dated to c. 1180. Maritime towns often depicted a ship with a furled sail; inland towns often showed the guildhall or the town itself. The seal of Rochester depicted the Norman castle within a wall. Counterseals often bore the figures of saints. Later medieval town seals were less common and beginning with the 14th century were often single seals.

Commercial seals

Commercial seals in England were considerably increased during the reign of Edward I, when double-sided bronze dies occurred for various customs, subsidies, and the delivery of wool and hides. Their obverse displayed the arms of England, and the reverse had the same device without the shield. The seals of merchants and craftsmen often displayed either merchants’ marks or tools connected with their trade.

Personal seals

The earliest class of personal seals was that of greater barons of the 12th century, who used the device of a fully armed equestrian knight. Their shields often provide the earliest evidence for the use of heraldic charges. Some greater barons used a double seal with an equestrian obverse and an armorial reverse. The most usual type of personal seal was a single seal with the arms of the owner. Women’s seals were usually pointed ovals and showed the lady standing, sometimes between shields. Nonheraldic personal seals displayed a variety of devices, such as stars, fleurs-de-lis, armorials, and religious subjects. The inscription sometimes indicated the owner, although it may simply have related to the device, as on those that bore the device of a squirrel and the inscription “I krack nuts.”