Seals: stamps of authority
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`January 2010
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`Seals, both public and private, reflect the world of medieval power, art
`and culture in miniature.
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`attached by their silken cords. Even documents of a lesser nature
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`All official documents from the twelfth to the nineteenth century
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`carried a wax impression of an appropriate seal to authenticate them.
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`Many of these charters, acts and agreements still carry their seals
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`would often have a seal impression attached by cord or a strip of
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`parchment for identification or guarantee of the issuer.
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`Seal attached to the Roy 211
`Letters Patent of Henry VI,
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`Seals typically bear their owner's likeness, emblem or coat of arms and
`were used to endorse documents just as the signature is today. They
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`1442 (KCE/134)
`113559559959
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`were also used to literally ‘seal' documents, fulfilling the same role as glue on envelopes now.
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`By virtue of their fragile nature, many of these seal impressions survive in only fragmentary condition.
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`The images presented here represent a selection of important seals held within the College's archive.
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`The seal impressions were made with metal stamps called 'matrices'. The design and production of
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`seal matrices was a specialised practice, requiring much skill in reproducing the image and lettering
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`required in reverse to produce the appropriate positive image. Seals survive both as matrices and as
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`impressions, though impressions are more common.
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`Matrices were a variety of shapes and sizes. Seals of royalty, great aristocrats and important
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`institutions, such as King's College, usually used a circular matrix. The matrix for the college seal is
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`held in the archives. Pointed oval or vesica seals were commonly used by high ranking ecclesiastics
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`(such as the seal below, belonging to Romero, a papal chaplain).Sometimes there were two matrices,
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`a seal and a counterseal, so that the wax impression which resulted would be two-sided, with a
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`different design on each side.
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`The Great Seal of England typically portrayed the king on horseback, with drawn sword and a shield
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`bearing the royal arms on one side and on the reverse the monarch would be enthroned with the
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`crown and sceptre of state. Private seals may identify not only the owner and images relating to his
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`trade or profession but they may also depict images relating to his personal interests and benefactions.
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`Many seals are tiny works of great beauty which chronicle the transactions of all levels of society -
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`from the aristocracy to the lowly merchant. They can be used to discover important and interesting
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`things about historical events or agreements or to reveal intriguing details about the people who used
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`them. Whatever their size or import they all have a pictorial story to be read and historically
`unravelled.
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`Click on an image to enlarge it and start a slideshow:
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`Seal attached to a Charter of
`King Step hen, granting a
`market and fairs to Bricett
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`Manor, 1152 (GBR/22)
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`Reverse of King Stephen's seal
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`Seal attached to a confirmation
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`by the Empress Matilda of a
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`grant, 1141-1143 (SIP/19)
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`Seal on the Letters Patent of
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`Reverse of Edward l's seal
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`Seal on Henry V's Charter
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`Edward I, 1305 (GBIU57)
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`upon an Act of Parliament
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`confirming grants, 1449
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`(KCE/990)
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`1?
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`Seal on the Royal Letters
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`Seal of Romero, Papal
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`Seal on an Order of Elizabeth I,
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`Patent of Henry VI, 1442
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`Chaplain on a citation from the
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`1501 (COL/544)
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`court of Rome, 1463 (FOR/50)
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`Useful links
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`I Introduction to Medieval Seals, the Medieval Libary, University of Notre Dame
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`Enquiries
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`If you have any queries about the information in this page please contact the Archivist
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`(archivist@kings.cam.ac.uk).
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