Recording seal matriceson the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s database

CPAT-0791F5

+ S’: MADOC: F’: WIL

Recording principles for the PAS database

• The record replaces the object itself, just as a context record replaces a dug-away archaeological context

• The record must give enough evidence to allow the reader to mentally re-identify the object, just as a well-published archaeological site allows the reader to mentally re-excavate it

• The record must be consistent with other records, so that we can be sure of retrieving every record that we need, even from a really giant database

Total number of medieval

seal matrices recorded

during 2012:

322

Seal matrices

Use the term ‘SEAL MATRIX’ – don’t use ‘SEAL’

Seal: A piece of wax, lead, paper etc, with a stamped design, attached to a document as a guarantee of authenticity.

Seal matrix: The object used to make impressions in wax as seals.

Definitions from the ‘scope notes’ on the mda/English Heritage Archaeological Objects

thesaurus

Don’t use ‘SEAL’ for a cloth seal

either – use ‘CLOTH SEAL’

Signet rings – use FINGER RING, with ‘signet’ in the classification field

NMS-7021D8

SF-91E9C6 IOW-49E466

The Finds Recording Guide:

• short

• doesn’t cover every aspect

• often out-of-date

Consulting other records: • gives useful comparanda/context• improves consistency (although beware of ‘drift’)

HANDOUT 5: MODEL OBJECT DESCRIPTION

N.B. NOT ALL OF THESE ASPECTS CAN BE RECORDED FOR ALL OBJECTS.THIS MODEL DESCRIPTION DOES NOT REFER TO A REAL OBJECT.

• identification• material (of each component, including rivets)• surface treatment• method of manufacture• shape• size and weight (measurements in mm and g)• decoration• reverse• completeness• wear• wear on the breaks• colour of the metal• corrosion and loss of surface• components• date and period• parallels

These aspects do not, of course, have to be recorded in this order.

HANDOUT 5: MODEL OBJECT DESCRIPTION

N.B. NOT ALL OF THESE ASPECTS CAN BE RECORDED FOR ALL OBJECTS.THIS MODEL DESCRIPTION DOES NOT REFER TO A REAL OBJECT.

• identification SEAL MATRIX• material (of each component, including rivets) MADE FROM COPPER ALLOY• surface treatment GILDED ON THE REVERSE• method of manufacture MADE BY CASTING AND ENGRAVING• shape POINTED-OVAL IN SHAPE, FLAT IN CROSS-SECTION• size and weight (measurements in mm and g) 23mm LONG AND 12mm WIDE• decoration WITH THE CENTRAL MOTIF OF A SIMPLE ENGRAVED CROSS• reverse WITH A RAISED LONGITUDINAL RIB ON THE REVERSE ENDING IN A ROUNDED PIERCED LUG• completeness ONE END BROKEN AWAY• wear NO OBVIOUS WEAR• wear on the breaks FRESH BREAK• colour of the metal GREY-GREEN GLOSSY PATINA• corrosion and loss of surface WITH A FEW GREEN CORROSION BUBBLES• components • date and period MEDIEVAL, 13TH CENTURY• parallels COMPARE NMS-123456, DENO-987654

HAMP-71E530

DOR-9A4472

NMS-1D5176

A variety of conical seal matrices

LIN-EAD042 KENT-A8BAC7

SF-014730

IOW-7AA036

Orientation marks

Common and rarer shapes for flat seal matrices

Circular

Pointed-oval (not vesica-shaped, and certainly not vessica-shaped)

Shield-shaped (describe the shape of the shield)

Lozengiform or lozenge-shaped

(not diamond-shaped)

ESS-6BE1D6 silicone-based

dental impression compound

WMID-CB9991 Fimo baked in

oven

Impression materials

IOW-1F1242 and SUSS-E2E004 Dass air-drying clay

Why not take four or five impressions while you have the Dass out of its bag, or

the oven on for the Fimo?

One for the finder

• One for yourself to keep, or to deposit in your museum

• One to send to Helen

• One to give to John Cherry to thank him for all his help over the years

• One more just in case

LVPL-A19123

Dry and cracked Dass, making the impression harder to read

S’hENRICI’ FIL’ MVRAG (?)

NCL-EBD002

..PELLI TOMNE…

BUC-6E6D40 HAMP-CED0B0

NLM-EA2BD4SWYOR-C76613

Agnus Dei (Lamb and Flag) motifs

LIN-D66B72 S'ROBERTI PELERIM

NARC-750251

KENT-95C138

IOW-1F1242

Four-petalled flower. Four-leafed clover. Quatrefoil. Four beech leaves. Four-armed folate cross.

SUSS-386942

SF3906S' WILL: LE. OFFICIEL

Found at Blaxhall, not far from the Suffolk coast

LVPL-9E9384

S’. ROB’. FIL’. AL’. PILAT (Seal of Rob[ert] son of Al[an] Pilat)

engraved groove on the matrix, ridge on the impression

BH-2577D5

PUBLIC-2A4516WMID-4439E7

Roman capitals

Lombardic lettering

Black-letter script Renaissance

capitals (post-medieval)

Extracts from an article in Archaeologia vol. 79 (1929) on the lettering of seal matrices, by H. S. Kingford

blown up and reversed

LON-865A52

Ligated letters A and L, and F and R

NMS-DE4EB2 ·: seel : sitte : : dalemaigne : (Seal of ?Seth D’Allemagne)

WILT-5F2594 sigillum sub decanat ecclie sari (Seal of the sub-deacon of the church of Salisbury)

Black-letter seal matrices of the late 14th to early 16th centuries

HESH-F166B5

You can search here for first names, even if you can only read ‘S’ and a few other letters

Thanks to Andrew Rogerson for finding this website!

By-names can be family names (like modern surnames) or nick-names

including:

• patronymics (Roberti fil’ Johis, Marie fil’ Willelmi)

• place-names (Robert de Dunham, Henrici d’Esex)

• occupations (Justin le Coteler, Walteri Clerici)

Reaney and Wilson Ekwall

Harvey and McGuinness’s list of anonymous mottoes on seal matrices

…The inscription reads x PRIVE SV (I am private).

KENT-0E2BC3 NCL-779217

…The inscription reads +. SIGILL' . GERARD FIL. MABILE (Gerard son of Mabel).

In the text: + S’GALFRIDI. MVI (or L) ChE (Seal of Geoffrey Muiche or Mulche)

In the inscription field simply repeat the inscription: + S’GALFRIDI. MVI (or L) ChE

Unfinished seal matrices

LON-37E577

SWYOR-3A9A82

40 records use the word ‘unfinished’

53 records use the word ‘blank’

LIN-D693A7

LVPL-35AD66: a copper-alloy mould for making conical seal matrices

LON-476DD1: a mis-cast matrix

SUR-8A3643 BUC-E18B17

IOW-CFD665

WMID545

LVPL2064

WILT-0274F8

HESH-F1566B5

NMS-C007E1

Cut and cancelled

Photographing seal matrices

• make the lighting as good as possible

• light and photograph the impression separately if necessary

• check that the projection is correct

• check that the images are the same size

HAMP-DF3F47

ESS-EAFDE5

Bad lighting

Good lighting

Photographing seal matrices

• make the lighting as good as possible

• light and photograph the impression separately if necessary

• check that the projection is correct

• check that the images are the same size

When combining views onto one image, check that they are all the same size….

IOW-54F605

Basic set of views projected correctly…

…plus a ‘flipped horizontal’ version (mirror-image) and the photo of the impression

Don’t include just the flipped image without comment, as we might think that the matrix was carved backwards….

How to search easily for seal matrices

• start with words from the description field in the simple search box

• then filter by object type (SEAL MATRIX) and period (EARLY MEDIEVAL)

• add other filters e.g. county, material

+ S’: SABINE: VXOR: IOhIS (Seal of Sabina wife of John).

NMS-F81B75