SEAL OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

Evening Star, Issue 19798, 23 February 1928, Page 4

SEAL OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

DISCOVERY AT GUILDHALL A most interesting discovery has just been made by Mr Thomas, the Eeeords Clerk of the Corporation of London, at Guildhall, ft is- the seal which was originally attached to the Charter of -William tho Conqueror, and which, it bad always boon assumed, bad been .lost beyond hope of recovery. The loose strips of parchment at the foot of tbo Charter arc present, but (be seal has long been absent. Mr Thomas always considered, however, that the seat might bo in existence somewhere among tbo records, and lie was the more inspired to search because the documents and possessions of the Eeeords Office still remain only partially indexed and arranged. Among an old miscellaneous collection of various articles ho discovered a red bag containing pieces of wax labelled “ fragments of an old seal,” and this lie fully investigated. Ho attempted to piece the fragments together, and with the assistance of exports of the British Museum lie ultimately managed to arrange the fragments and place them in a bed of wax. The result is beyond doubt the centre of the seal of William the Conqueror, so long missing. A report on tho discovery is to bo made in duo course. The Corporation is rich in seals. The Mayoralty Seal, which was only taken out of use % few years ago because of its groat value, dates from 1381, while the, obverse of tho Common Seal (still doing duty) was made in 1225 and the “new” reverse in 1539.