Medieval seals

• Tasks
• Background
• Teachers' notes
• External links
• Connection to curriculum

A medieval seal was used to prove that a document was really from the person or group that it said it was from. Not everyone sealed a document with their own personal seal. Seals have designs which show us what people wanted to say about themselves and the institutions that they were involved in.

This lesson looks at what seals can tell us about what it was like to live in medieval England and Ireland. It also explores why people from a range of social backgrounds might need or want to have a seal of their own.

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Tasks

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Background

During the ‘Middle Ages’ in England and most of western Europe, instead of signing important documents or providing your password to prove who you are, you would attach your seal to a document to prove your identity. Many people could not write their own names and so by using a seal, they could show that they agreed with the document’s contents in a way that could then be checked if needed. Sometimes people borrowed seals when they needed them rather than having their own, but what mattered was that the document was sealed in front of witnesses who could say that yes, the document was authentic and that its contents were correct.

Seals are usually made of beeswax (though the Pope used lead) and usually have a design on them, created by pressing a stamp known as a matrix into softened wax. Whoever was making the seal would heat the wax slightly so that it was about as soft as plasticine so then it could be pressed into the matrix. Some matrices were one-sided and quite small, for example, if they were set into a ring. Large double-sided seals were created by putting a disc of wax between two metal sheets with designs on them that were screwed together to imprint the design on the wax. Dyes could be added to the beeswax to colour it and make it more distinctive and look attractive and impressive.

Seal designs could be very personal and unique, or they could be bought ready-made. Personal designs tell us quite a lot about how people or an institution like a school or a hospital wanted to represent themselves on a public document. Sometimes, though, a seal might just be a blob of wax added to a document.

Medieval society was strongly hierarchical. At the top were the king and the nobility, who held large amounts of land in blocks known as manors from the king. The king had responsibility for justice and for war, and his government was based in London. The English king also claimed rights in France and Scotland and governed the lordship of Ireland, while from 1301 the heir to the throne was usually Prince of Wales. Other landowners who were not nobles were known as the gentry and were important in local government and Parliament. The land was worked by yeomen and peasants who might pay rent or who might owe a certain number of days work and other services and renders for their land. Customs varied across different parts of the country.

In addition to a hierarchy on the land, there were two other important areas of medieval society. Towns and cities had privileges of their own and were often independent of the surrounding manors. Here you would often find craftspeople and merchants, who were governed by guilds. A craftsperson had to pass a series of requirements to be accepted into them, so a goldsmith would have to prove his skill in making fine objects, including seal matrices, for example. Women might inherit family craft businesses and run them themselves. Women also traditionally made ale.

The final major part of medieval society was the Catholic Church, which had parish churches across Europe, where people were married, had their children welcomed into the church and where they were buried. Additionally, monasteries and cathedrals were large institutions where people came to pray, and which held large amounts of land themselves.

People could and did move around. They might seek work somewhere else or move down the road. Land and houses could be bought and sold. People could use the law-courts to argue about property boundaries or the terms of an agreement. Seals and the documents they are attached to tell us lots about changes in people’s lives and society at large.

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Teachers' notes

In this lesson students examine 5 seals from the medieval period and one from outside it. They belong to a range of people and reflect a mix of designs in order to give students an insight into medieval society.

The first seal that students examine belongs to a noblewoman, Nicholaa de la Haye who inherited the role of constable of Lincoln Castle and the role of sheriff of Lincolnshire in the late twelfth century. Her seal shows her holding a falcon, reflecting her interest in falconry. The second seal is that of Gerald fitz Maurice, the earl of Desmond, who worked for the king in Ireland as the chief governor at time of issuing his document with a seal. The third seal belongs to John de Warenne, earl of Surrey. Here, students can see a really detailed seal which demonstrates his role and position in society. The fourth seal is attached to a document concerning the property rights of a woman named Desiree. The fifth source is a very striking document with many individual seals attached to it. It is an agreement about land exchange in Lincolnshire for other common lands and pasture in the early 13th century. Our final seal from Canterbury Cathedral in 1534, although outside the medieval period, shows earlier events involving the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. It also gives opportunity to discuss its impact and how Canterbury Cathedral became a centre of pilgrimage.

Finally, full captions are provided to explain the context of each seal. Teachers may want to divide the sources in the lesson for students to work individually or in a pair/group. Students should also be encouraged to think about the value of looking at this evidence as part of their enquiry: What can seals tell us about medieval times?

Sources

Illustration image: Seal of John de Warenne, Catalogue Ref: E 26/1, B57
1. Seal of Nicholaa de la Haye, Catalogue ref: DL 25/2890
2. Seal of Gerald fitz Maurice, Catalogue ref: E 213/169i
3. Seal of John de Warenne, Catalogue Ref: E 26/1, B57.
4. Seal of Desiree, daughter of Ernulf son of Alulf, Catalogue ref: DL 25/127.
5. Sealed document agreement between the men of two Lincolnshire villages and the earl of Chester and Lincoln, Catalogue ref: DL 27/270.
6. Seal of Canterbury Cathedral, Catalogue ref: E 25/25.

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External links

An illustrated guide on seals at The National Archives which includes a searchable Seal Moulds database where you can view more seals:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/seals/

An illustrated article on medieval seals from the Museum of Wales:
https://museum.wales/articles/2165/Seal-Matrices/

The National Archives currency converter:
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/currency-converter-1270-2017/

 

Connection to curriculum

Key stage 3

The development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509.

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