,illustration3 ,,fifteenth-,,century    
,,shield    7,hewitt's ,ancient ,arms   
and ,armour1 vol4 ii1 p4 #dif74         
,see page #fj4                          
99       99       99       99       99  
,,the ,,dates ,,of                      
,,variously-,,shaped ,,shields1         
,,with ,,coincident ,,dates             
,,and ,,examples4                       
,illustration                           
,,enlarged                              
,,from ,a ,,paper ,,read ,,before       
,,the ,,historic ,,society ,,of         
,,lancashire ,,and ,,cheshire4          
4                              7,herod4 
vi4 #abd47                              
,,by                         ,,george   
,,grazebrook1 ,f4,s4,a4                 
,,liverpool3                            
,,printed ,,for ,,private ,,circulation4
                                        
#ahij4                       99       99
       99       99       99             
,illustration3 ,t4 ,,brakell1 ,,typ41   
,,liverpool4    ,illustration           

,,preface4      ,in venturing to place  
before the public this little           
work--which  takes up a line of enquiry 
never before attempted1--,i would       
solicit  criticism1 not of that slashing
 condemnatory kind which destroys a     
statement without pointing out its      
correction2--that would only break  my  
head1 and make no one the wiser6--but ,i
 hope that antiquaries who  have more   
knowledge than ,i1 may1 when pointing   
out errors1 also explain  what such     
statements ought to be1 and give exact  
references in proof4    ,with the help  
of such criticism 7and the more severe1 
the more valuable  it will be7 ,i trust 
that another perfected issue1 by myself1
 or by some  other more qualified       
writer1 may eventually appear as a      
handbook--most  useful to the student1  
the antiquary1 and the traveller4    ,it
 is now a subject for much regret to all
 of us that the great  knowledge of     
seals 7the chief source of evidence as  
to ancient shields7  acquired by the    

late ,mr4 ,albert ,way1 ,f4,s4,a41 and  
by the late ,mr4  ,charles ,spencer     
,perceval1 ,f4,s4,a41 has passed away   
with them1 never  having been recorded2 
and it seems very desirable that a      
classified  body of such knowledge      
should be drawn up and                  
available--enabling us  to date with    
some certainty 7within the limit of a   
few years7 seals  pendant to undated    
charters1 stone carvings on ancient     
buildings1 and  illustrations in ,,mss41
 which are now labelled circa4    ,in   
the course of my researches ,i have     
noticed a number of cases  where        
incorrect dates have been supposed1--and
 from some of these  deductions have    
been drawn1 which are consequently all  
wrong4    ,in the following treatise    
each century from the eleventh to the   
fifteenth is separately dealt with2     
after that date the nomenclature of     
shields devised by my friend ,mr4 ,j4   
,paul ,rylands1 ,f4,s4,a41 is followed1 
and the earliest and latest examples    

found of each shape adduced1--thus      
showing the range of time when that     
variety was most commonly in use4       
,references are given for every         
statement4    ,mantlings1 torces1       
wreaths1 palm branches1 and other       
adjuncts are  discussed under their     
several headings--with descriptions and 
dates of  any varieties found4    ,in   
conclusion a concise index is given1    
which1 it is hoped1  sufficiently       
focuses the whole book for ready        
reference4    ,illustration             
,illustration          ,,an ,,attempt   
,,to ,,classify ,,and ,,date ,,the      
,,various ,,shapes ,,found ,,in         
,,heraldic  ,,shields--,,principally    
,,in ,,england1 ,,with ,,incidental     
,,datings4#a      ,it seems necessary1  
by way of introduction1 to say a few    
words on the  circular convex shields   
used from very early times by our ,saxon
 and  ,norman ancestors4 ,these were of 
wood1 with a central boss of bronze1    
and were sometimes of very large size2  

frequently1 if we may judge from        
contemporaneous illuminations1 as much  
as four feet in diameter4 ,across  the  
inside of the boss a handle was fixed1  
and the shields1 which were  thus held  
out almost at arm's length1 as          
represented in many ancient  ,,mss41    
must have been most cumbersome4 ,it is  
hard to see how the sword  or lance     
could have been conveniently used4 ,the 
round shape must have  interfered       
greatly with the view of one's opponent1
 and a bungler would  inevitably slice  
pieces from off his own shield while    
attacking his  enemy4 ,moreover1 such   
shields must have been lightly made3 we 
know  exactly how the bosses were       
fastened with rivets through the shield1
  for they are constantly found in      
,anglo-,saxon grave mounds1 and the wood
  is thus known to have been of some    
thickness4 ,but we can obtain from      
contemporary writings many more         
particulars4    ,by the laws of ,gula   
said to have been established by ,hacon 

the ,good1  who died #ifc any possessor 
of six marks was required to furnish    
himself with a red shield1 of two boards
 in thickness1 a spear1 and  an axe or a
 sword4    ,in the history of the same  
king ,heimskringla1 vol4 i1 p4 #aee he  
is  thus described3 he put on his tunic 
of mail 7brynio71 girded round  him his 
sword called quern-bit i4e41            
millstone-biter1 and set on  his head   
his gilded helmet4 ,he took a spear in  
his hand1 and hung his  shield by his   
side4    ,again1 in the same book       
,heimskringla1 ii1 #ceb1 in the         
description  of the ,battle of          
,sticklastad1 where ,olaf ,king of      
,norway1 called the  ,saint1 was slain  
#ajcj1 the monarch is said to have worn 
a golden  helmet1 a white shield1 a     
golden hilted and exceedingly sharp     
sword1  and a tunic of ringed mail      
7hringa brynio74    ,again1 in the ,edda
 ,gunnar one of the ,reguli of ,germany 
says1 ,my  helmet and my white shield   
come from the ,hall of ,kiars4    ,these

 quotations are hardly sufficient       
evidence of it perhaps1 but it  seems as
 if in the tenth century white shields  
were borne by leaders  and red ones by  
the common soldiers1--every one who     
possessed six  marks4    ,supplementing 
these and completing our description1   
,saxon poetry  tells us that the wood   
was by preference the lime tree4 ,i need
 not  give quotations2 they will be     
found in the several works on ancient   
arms and armour4 ,beowulf line #ebae    
describes how ,wigluf seized his        
shield--the yellow linden wood4 ,again1 
these lines occur ,poem of  ,judith1    
,thorpe's ,analecta1 p4 #acg3--         
,the warriors marched    ,the chieftains
 to the war    ,protected with targets1 
,with arched linden shields4    ,it     
seems almost as if linden trees were    
cultivated with this view1 for  the     
,saxon ,chronicle1 under anno #icg1     
tells us how ,king ,athelstan and  his  
heroes          the board walls clove1  
,and hewed the war lindens4    ,but     

certainly on one occasion remains of oak
 timber were found in  connection with  
the bronze boss of an ,anglo-,saxon     
shield4    ,occasionally rims of metal  
have been found with such remains1 but  
such  protecting edgings do not seem to 
have been the usual custom4 ,the laws   
of ,gula1 quoted above1 mention two     
boards in thickness1 that is1  glued    
crossways1 to prevent warping or        
splitting4 ,such a formation in a       
convex shield would show a very great   
amount of skill in the working of  wood 
at this early date4 ,leather seems to   
have been sometimes stretched  over the 
shield2 because the laws of ,athelstan  
forbade the use of  sheepskins for the  
purpose1 under a penalty of #cjs43 a    
very large sum4  ,had skin coverings    
been common1 remains of such skins would
 be found  still attached inside the    
bronze bosses2 but only one skin-covered
  shield has been found at ,linton      
,heath1 in ,cambridgeshire1 and in that 
the skin covered the boss also1 having  

been stretched over the whole  shield4  
,lastly1 red seems to have been at least
 a favourite colour1 for  ,smund's ,edda
 mentions a red shield with a golden    
border1 and  ,giraldus de ,barri says   
the ,irish carried red shields1 in      
imitation of  the ,danes4    ,the boss  
was often carried out into a sharp      
spike1 and the shield could  thus be    
used for offence as well as for         
protection4 ,but perhaps such  points   
were also found of use in stopping the  
cut of a sword1 which  might otherwise  
slip down the shield and find a         
resting-place in the  leg or other      
exposed part4    ,illustration3 ,date   
#adgc4    ,we shall see as we proceed   
that such circular shields or targets   
constantly appear till the middle of the
 seventeenth century1 borne by  foot    
soldiers1 with pikes1 halberds1 and     
swords1 and sometimes as large  as two  
feet in diameter4 ,frequently foot      
soldiers are represented with  a small  
target1 ten or twelve inches in         

diameter1 wherewith to receive  their   
opponent's cut1 while the other arm     
wields a huge broadsword4  ,such were in
 later times called targetiers4 ,their  
small targets were  hooked to the side  
when not in use1 and one is represented 
in #adgc  which projects to a point     
7,hewitt1 ii1 #dhh71 while others are   
flat and  studded with nails1 or        
otherwise ornamented1 such as appear    
among the  ,scotch and ,irish till a    
much later date4 ,small shields of a    
square  form1 and ten inches square1    
were used by fencers with rapiers in the
  sixteenth and seventeenth centuries4  
,such is a hasty sketch of the circular 
shields4 ,they were used by all  ranks  
of the ,saxon nations--among whom1 of   
course1 were those we call  ,normans--to
 the end of the tenth century4          
,fitness for the purposes of defence is 
the prime governing law in such         
matters4 ,we shall see this leading to  
many strange alterations of shape  in   
after centuries1 and1 at the date at    

which we have now arrived1  7the first  
half of the eleventh century17 a perfect
 revolution in the  appearance of       
shields took place within a space of    
about fifty years4    ,meyrick explains 
how the ,normans who were engaged in the
 conquest of  ,apulia1 in the south-east
 of ,italy1 about the beginning of the  
eleventh  century1 learned there the    
advantages of long and narrow shields1  
such  as were then in use among the     
,sicilians1 and states that about fifty 
years before the battle of ,hastings    
they received from ,melo1 the chief  of 
,barri1 supplies of such vastly improved
 arms4 ,the intimate relations  with    
,normandy at that time1 and under       
,edward the ,confessor1 led to  their   
prompt adoption in ,england also2 and   
hence in the ,bayeux tapestry           
kite-shaped shields ,no4 #c are         
universal among horse soldiers1 both    
,anglo-,saxon and ,norman4 ,some ,saxon 
foot soldiers bear the old round        
shields1 and one square-shaped one      

appears on that roll4    ,there is a    
very amusing picture of ,harold and his 
companions  proceeding1 in company with 
,william of ,normandy1 to the conquest  
of  ,britanny4 ,they came to the little 
river ,cosnon1 where1 the tide being    
out1 the river-bed was an expanse of    
slippery mud4 ,the prudent ones         
dismounted and led their horses across2 
but one horse is represented  coming    
down and the rider falling over his     
head1 while his shield flies  through   
the air attached to his neck by the     
guige ,bruce's ,bayeux  ,tapestry1 p4   
#fa4 ,this guige was another most       
valuable improvement  which probably    
came from ,sicily with the new shape of 
shields4 ,it was a  leather strap       
sufficiently long to let it hang from   
the neck1 and so1  when two hands were  
required to wield a battle axe or heavy 
weapon1  the shield could be flung loose
 and recovered again4 ,i am aware that  
in ,cotton ,,ms4 ,cleopatra1 cviii1     
written early in the eleventh century1  

a group of ,saxon horsemen is           
represented on a journey1 and the round 
shield of one hangs from his back1      
looking like the beehive which the      
knight in ,alice in ,wonderland thought 
might some day prove useful4 ,it  has1  
it will be seen1 an absurdly awkward    
appearance ,hewitt1 vol4 i1  p4 #gg2    
,cutts1 p4 #cac4    ,illustration       
,the principle1 then1 of the kite-shaped
 shields which we see in the  eleventh  
century was that1 with as much          
compactness as possible1 they  should   
protect the body with the wider part1   
while the extended point  was sufficient
 to defend the leg2 and following so    
nearly the shape of  the body the knight
 had his sword-arm free4 ,they seem to  
have been  five feet long or even more1 
for they served as a bier whereon to    
carry  away the slain or wounded4#b ,it 
is amusing to see ,goliath represented  
with a kite-shaped shield1 while the    
little ,david on the top of him  tries  
to wield his huge sword4 ,this appears  

in a ,latin ,bible of #aagj4  ,brit4    
,mus41 ,add4 ,,ms4 #adghi1 fo4 #aj2     
engraved1 ,hewitt1 i1 #acd4             
,illustration    ,a remarkable          
recrudescence of old ideas both in the  
shapes and sizes  of shields occurs from
 time to time as we proceed4 ,at times  
they seem  to have been nearly as much  
as five feet long--and then1 as         
protective  mail became more perfect1   
and probably the varying style of       
fighting  required it1 they were greatly
 reduced4 ,king ,david and his followers
  appear ,cutts1 p4 #cce1 on their      
expedition against ,nabal1 in full mail 
of the end of the thirteenth century1   
with shields scarcely eighteen  inches  
long--just sufficient to prevent the    
point of a lance reaching  some flat or 
dangerous or vulnerable spot from whence
 it would not  readily glide off1 or to 
receive the blows of an assailant's     
sword4  ,nor can we suppose that one    
scale of size1 or indeed one exact shape
  of shield1 reigned universal at any   

one period2 every knight had his  own   
fancies as to which best suited him2 and
 at length we find many  illuminations  
of the sixteenth century in which       
knights appear jousting  and fighting   
without any shields at all4 ,they were  
hung up1 to show  the heraldry1 on their
 tents1 and the massive body-armour     
alone was  considered sufficient        
protection4           99       99       
99       99       99    ,these few      
explanatory words are necessary to      
introduce upon the scene  the various   
shaped shields occurring during the     
centuries which follow4  ,while         
considering these variations we must    
bear in mind that they are  strongly    
marked into two great divisions1 viz41  
before the sixteenth  century1 when     
shields were in actual use and any      
alteration in their  outline was        
considered to be an improvement to meet 
some freshly  noticed want2 this will be
 further referred to as instances occur4
  ,during and after the sixteenth       

century1 shapes were selected in an     
arbitrary way1 as a matter of taste     
alone2 and hence earlier examples  were 
sometimes exactly adopted1 while at     
other times details and  alterations    
were introduced1 just to suit the fancy 
of the purchaser or  artist and the     
conventional style of the times4    ,as 
references for what has already been    
said1 ,i would name the works of        
,meyrick and ,hewitt1 ,planch's work on 
,costume1 ,strutt's ,horda1 and a       
learned paper on shields1 by ,sir       
,frederick ,madden1 in ,archologia1     
vol4 xxiv4 ,this1 although primarily    
discussing the chessmen found  in the   
,island of ,lewis1 contains the results 
of wide researches as  to shields in the
 eleventh and twelfth centuries4 ,there 
is also a  valuable and well illustrated
 book1 ,scenes and ,characters of the   
,middle ,ages1 by ,a4 ,l4 ,cutts1       
published by ,messrs4 ,virtue and ,co41 
#ahgb4    ,the principal authority for  
the accurate dating and classifying of  

shields is the immense number of medival
 seals attached to deeds  and charters1 
and with dates exactly known4 ,if it    
were practicable  to arrange in         
chronological sequence illustrations of 
a sufficient  number of these1 we should
 at once have the classification of     
dates1  styles1 and shapes1 which would 
be so very valuable1 and which it is    
the attempt of this paper to display4   
,hence it is that to the end of  the    
fifteenth century seals form so large a 
part of the evidences  submitted4 ,the  
certainty of such records is            
unsurpassed3 we have a  parchment1      
itself dated1 or the date of which in   
very early instances  can be otherwise  
closely ascertained2 and attached to    
this we have a  seal with the shield2   
and1 to make it perfectly certain1 we   
have the  owner's name inscribed around 
it1 and so we know he is not using some 
one else's seal1 found or come down to  
him from earlier times4 ,such  instances
 frequently occur1 and are at once in   

this way detected4 ,there  are instances
 where the same seal1 acquired in early 
life1 continued  to be used for over    
fifty years2 but that is the extent to  
which such  valuable proofs can wander  
from the actual prevailing type and     
date4    ,besides seals1 the many       
invaluable illuminations in the ,british
 ,museum  and ,bodleian ,libraries1 and 
in the great ,continental ,libraries1   
furnish numberless pictures of knights  
and their accoutrements1                
contemporaneously executed1 and with the
 most manifest exactness  in every      
detail4 ,many of these have been        
engraved in our popular  literature1 as 
well as in the learned works named      
above2 but to enable  the mind to form  
correct conclusions these should be all 
cut out and  arranged in groups of exact
 dates1 or drawn as they are in a       
student's  note book4    ,the earlier   
monumental effigies afford many valuable
 examples of  shields1 and after they   
cease to be represented by the side of  

the  figure1 such often appear among the
 architectural details1 giving the      
shape of shield1 with an exact date     
attached4    ,monumental brasses give   
evidence to a later date1 and the canopy
 work  introduced often carries         
ornamental shields4    ,architectural   
stone carvings frequently give data of  
great value4 ,i  need only refer to     
those put up in ,westminster ,abbey     
about #abfj1 which  show the exact shape
 and proportions of some of the shields 
then used1  and are represented as      
hanging by their guiges from stone      
projections  carved into various        
devices4 ,but representations in stone  
and in  stained glass1 especially those 
of later date1 seem to be greatly       
influenced by their surroundings1 and   
cannot therefore be implicitly  relied  
on as proofs of style and date4 ,they   
are often found not to  correspond      
exactly with other examples2 indeed it  
is a curious fact1  which all my fellow 
students will vouch for1 that these     

two--stone and  glass--seem of all      
materials most liable to err4 ,the good 
name of many  a respectable family has  
been ruined by the bend sinister        
introduced  through the ignorant        
determination of some stone-carver2     
while in  glass1 colours are altered1   
and impaled shields have been turned    
round  and so reversed2 while1 in the   
particular subject under discussion1    
viz41 the exact shapes of shields which 
obtained at various dates1 we  find in  
both stone and glass that their shapes  
follow the necessities  of the rest of  
the design1 and are made to fit into    
them4    ,illustration3 ,plate ,i4      
,,shapes ,,of ,,shields    ,printed     
books supply many shields from the end  
of the fifteenth  century1 showing the  
artistic taste in such matters which    
prevailed  from that date to the        
present4 ,printers' marks begin still   
earlier1  and are often contained in    
shields2 but these usually show a spirit
 of  exaggeration1 and convey the       

impression that such would not be found 
elsewhere1 and hence they are not of    
much use to us in our present  purpose  
of laying down exact dates4    ,grants  
of arms and book-plates come in to      
continue our information1  giving shapes
 and the decorations surrounding them4  
,book-plates are  usually efforts of art
 and taste at the dates when they were  
executed1  and these two occur just at  
the time when other evidences fall      
short1  and so they are peculiarly      
valuable4    ,in the following remarks  
,i shall gladly avail myself of the new 
system  of nomenclature devised and     
introduced by my friend1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,paul 
,rylands1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,i welcome it as a  
most valuable desideratum1 by means  of 
which ,i hope to make my subject        
intelligible4 ,without such a system  a 
still greater number of illustrations   
would have been required1 and ,i  should
 like to bear my small testimony to its 
very great and1 ,i expect1  increasing  
usefulness4 ,it is not everyone who has 

the ready hand to  dash off the correct 
outline when seeking to communicate the 
style of a  shield1 or a book-plate1 and
 here we have a simple alphabet of      
shapes  which can be read and           
understanded of all men1 and which will 
certainly  be found so convenient that  
it will come into general use4          
,,eleventh ,,century4    ,our examples  
of shields show very few varieties1     
nearly all seem to  follow the long kite
 shape or ,norman pear ,nos4 #c and #d4 
,the great  seals of ,william ,i41      
,william ,rufus1 and ,henry ,i4 all show
 this shield1  also that of ,ilbert de  
,laci ,archological ,journal1 vol4 iv1  
p4  #bdi1 while the ,bayeux tapestry1   
worked at the end of this century1      
represents them exactly4 ,seeing1 as we 
do in the seals of this date1  which    
mostly represented mounted horsemen1 the
 inside only1 it may be  noticed that   
all seem to be strengthened round their 
edges4 ,in those of  ,william ,i4 and   
,ilbert de ,laci a metal rim is shown2  

in that of ,william  ,rufus two of such 
strips1 while in that of ,henry ,i4     
rivets appear to  fasten a similar rim  
on the other side4 ,in the ,bayeux      
tapestry some  round shields with       
pointed bosses appear1 and one of a     
square shape  rounded at the corners4   
,illustration    ,in seals the lettering
 of the inscriptions is in plain ,roman 
capitals1  while longobardic letters for
 ,g ,e ,a and ,d appear sometimes1 but  
in  several seals preserved from this   
early date the inscriptions have        
unfortunately decayed away4             
,illustration3 ,gilbert de ,gant1 ob4   
#aaef4      ,,the ,,twelfth ,,century   
exhibits several varieties of shape1    
,norman and the ,norman convex at  the  
top 7,nos4 #a1 #b1 #c1 and #d72 and many
 of these are curved1 so as to          
partially surround the body4 ,the great 
seal of ,stephen represents a  pointed  
boss and a shield almost pear-shaped4   
,one very curious seal1  that of        
,richard ,basset1 about #aade1 merits a 

full description4 ,he  appears bearing a
 kite-shaped or very elongated          
pear-shaped shield  7,no4 #c71 about    
four feet long1 and carried down to a   
sharp point4 ,the  top is bi-lobed1 like
 a heart1 and it is strengthened all    
round by  a metal rim1 while further    
strength is imparted by a boss or figure
  like a simple escarboucle1 carried out
 to the sides4 ,he wields a  very       
powerful sword1 with an extraordinarily 
heavy hilt1 and with it  he cuts off the
 large duck-like beak of a formidable   
rampant-winged  animal like a dragon1   
and1 apparently1 thus frees a human     
figure held  in its beak4 ,this curious 
seal is attached to a charter printed in
  ,blomefield's ,history of ,norfolk    
7see ,no4 #dd74 ,the seal of ,gilbert   
de ,gant1 who died #aaef1 presents a    
shield more triangular than ,no4  #b1   
and in the centre is a sharp pointed    
boss ,top4 and ,gen41 i1  #cag4 ,the    
same boss appears in the seal of ,ralph 
son of ,william1 of  ,dimsdale-on-,tees1

 #aagd-hj 7,herald and ,genealogist1 i1 
#bbg72 also in a  good many             
contemporaneous seals1 and it was       
evidently meant for use as  an offensive
 weapon4 ,it is noteworthy that on the  
first seal of ,richard  ,i4 a spike is  
shown on the shield2 his first          
coronation was in #aahi4 ,on  the second
 seal there is none2 his second         
coronation took place on #agth  ,april1 
#aaid4 ,this may show the date when this
 fashion was discontinued4  ,in the seal
 of ,sewal de ,ethindon1 about #aafg1   
the curved shield of  ,norman form1 ,no4
 #b1 runs down into a long point1       
somewhat twisted  round1 so as to show  
down on the right side of the rider4 ,it
 does not  protect his leg at all2 in   
fact1 the arrangement1 to our eyes1     
seems  awkward and most embarrassing to 
the mounted knight 7engraved ,nicholas  
,upton1 p4 #hd2 see ,no4 #de74 ,while in
 that of ,sayer de ,quinci1 towards  the
 end of this century1 a heater-pear     
shield ,no4 #f appears4 ,this is        

engraved in ,spelman's ,aspilogia1 p4   
#fg4    ,illustration    ,illustration3 
,plate ,,ii4    ,illustration           
,illustration    ,the men's seals of    
this date which present their shields   
for our  consideration usually show them
 on horseback1 fully caparisoned2 and   
many interesting details of spurs1      
swords1 and arms are represented1 as    
well as the furniture for their horses4 
,we are able here to show the  two seals
 of ,malgerus le ,vavasour1 #aadj-ej1   
showing heater-pear1 almost             
heart-shaped shields4 ,see ,collect4    
,topog4 et ,genealog41 vol4 vi1 p4      
#abg1 where the deed to which these are 
attached is supposed to date  between   
#aahj-f2 but ,malger's son1 ,william    
,vavasour1 was a judge #aaff-hd         
,itinerary of ,henry ,,ii41 and ,sir    
,robert1 the grandson1 paid a heavy     
fine--#abjj marks and two palfreys--in  
#i ,john1 #abjg-h1 that ,maud his       
daughter and widow of ,theobald ,walter 
might marry ,fulke ,fitzwarine3  we have

 thus no difficulty in proving that the 
date of this seal is  circa #aadj to    
#aaej4 ,we also give the beautiful seal 
of ,egidius de  ,gorram1 #aage-hj       
,collectanea ,topog4 et ,genealog41 vol4
 v1 p4 #ahg4  ,the unmounted knight is  
represented in scale armour1 kneeling1  
and  holding a sort of heater-pear      
shield1 ,no4 #f1 with a pointed boss4   
,illustration    ,the fields of seals   
are now quite plain1 except sometimes in
 those of  ladies4 ,in the first seal of
 ,roheis de ,gant1 ,countess of ,lincoln
 before  #aaef1 lilies are introduced1  
to fill up what would otherwise appear  
too  great a bare space4 ,this is       
engraved in ,topog4 and ,genealogist1   
vol4  i1 p4 #cah4    ,illustration      
,in counterseals of this century heater 
shields appear such as  are common      
during the next century4 ,a most curious
 instance of a  pear-shaped curved      
shield1 having a bouche cut into it for 
the  introduction of the spear1 occurs  
in the seal of ,theodoric ,count of     

,flanders1 #aaei1 who wears tegulated   
armour4 ,it is engraved in ,oliver      
,vredius1 p4 #ag 7see ,no4 #df74 ,so far
 as we know1 this useful bouche1 as  a  
resting place for the spear1            
disappeared--to crop up again1 as an    
improvement and novelty1 in the middle  
of the fourteenth century4              
,illustration3 ,harl4 ,,ms4 ,y4 #f4     
7,see p4 #ah47    ,the marvellous set of
 chessmen found in the ,isle of ,lewis  
afford us  a most interesting series of 
shields of this century4 ,they are fully
  illustrated1 ,archologia1 vol4 xxiv4  
,they give us the long ,norman  pear or 
kite-shaped ,no4 #c1 the ,norman convex 
,no4 #d1 also a flattened  convex with  
rounded corners1 and these shields are  
all long and  narrow1 just wide enough  
to cover the body4 ,there are many      
instances  of exactly similar shields4  
,in ,harl4 ,,ms4 #bhjc1 a ,bible1       
written about  #aagj1 ,goliath of ,gath 
bears a shield exactly resembling them2 
and in  the most interesting monumental 

effigy of ,william1 ,count of ,flanders1
  son of ,robert1 ,duke of ,normandy1   
who died in #aabg1 engraved in ,oliver  
,vredius' ,seals of the ,counts of      
,flanders1 #afci1 p4 #ad4 ,he apparently
  was a very old man at his death4 ,he  
bears a shield exactly like the  ,lewis 
chessmen in shape1 but the face of it is
 filled up with an  elaborate           
escarboucle1 carried out and attached to
 the rim1 which  wholly surrounds the   
shield4 ,shields with the flattened     
convex top and  rounded corners1 but of 
much shorter proportions1 occur in      
,harl4 ,,ms4 ,y4  #f4 7engraved ,hewitt1
 vol4 i1 p4 #abg71 written at the end of
 the twelfth  century1 and one clearly  
shows the curved formation which is     
indicated  in numberless seals and      
illuminations of this date4    ,the     
inscriptions are in ,latin and in       
longobardic characters1 but ,gothic     
letters are sometimes alternated1 while 
in others plain ,roman capitals  still  
occur4 ,i have noticed one remarkable   

instance of an inscription  of this     
century1 in ,norman-,french1 around the 
seal of ,alanus fil4  ,adam1 temp4      
,henry ,,ii4 ,the deed to which it is   
attached is printed in  ,collectanea    
,topographica et ,genealogica1 vol4 v1  
p4 #aaf4      ,,thirteenth ,,century4   
,in the earliest years of this century  
,norman shields curved round  the body  
still continue2 while in seals1 which at
 this date are  our principal source of 
evidence1 animals1 such as dragons1     
appear  to fill up the field1 and       
especially to support a plain shield in 
large counterseals2 also distinctive    
badges are introduced1 such as          
cinquefoils1 estoiles1 mascles1 boars'  
heads1 lions1 c42 but sometimes  in     
character they follow greatly the       
pattern obtaining at the end of  the    
twelfth century4 ,heater-pear ,no4 #f   
occurs1 and frequently such a  shield   
stands in the centre of a circular seal1
 merely surrounded by  the inscription  
in longobardic4 ,the heater shield is   

now rather more  pointed than it appears
 in later examples4    ,illustration    
,a very curious triangular shield ,no4  
#a also now appears1 as in the  seal of 
,johannes fil4 ,galfridi de ,edinton1   
such a triangular shield  on a plain    
circular field1 around which is the     
inscription1 in plain  ,roman capitals4 
,this is engraved in the ,visit4        
,hunts41 #afac1 p4 #ajj4  ,another seal1
 ,nigellus de ,amundeville1 is entirely 
three-cornered1 a  little longer than an
 equilateral triangle2 the shield is of 
the same  contour1 and shows three      
chevrons1 while the edging leaves space 
for  the inscription round the three    
sides4 ,this is also engraved in the    
,visit4 of ,huntingdon1 #afac1 p4 #aba1 
published by the ,camden ,society4      
,this shape of triangular seal seems to 
have been more common than was          
supposed4 ,the curious seal of the      
,treverbin family of ,cornwall is       
engraved1 ,archological ,journal1 vol4  
x1 p4 #aej2 but1 as it shows no  shield1

 it stands outside our present subject4 
,another curious shield is figured in   
,nicholas ,upton1 ,de ,usu ,militari1   
,bisse edition1 #afed1 p4 #cg1 and of   
date #abeg 7see ,no4 #dg74 ,henry de    
,fernbureg stands with a square shield  
in his left hand4 ,it is about  two feet
 long1 considerably curved1 and appears 
to be very thick4 ,in  his right hand he
 holds a hammer extending into a sharp  
spike at the  back4 ,square shields very
 much like this1 but more oblong in     
shape1 and  with a round boss projecting
 from the middle1 occur in the very     
curious  illustration of a wager of duel
 in the ,miscel4 ,rolls1 temp4 ,henry   
,,iii41  and therefore of date #abaj-ej4
 ,each duellist carries such a shield2  
they must be over two feet long1 and are
 much curved2 while with the  other hand
 he wields an awkward looking hammer1 or
 more properly a  pick1 as it is pointed
 at both ends2 while1 after the manner  
of ancient  pictures1 the vanquished    
7and therefore the guilty one7 is seen  

hanging  up in the background4 ,this is 
engraved in ,hewitt's ,ancient ,armour1 
vol4 i1 p4 #cge1 also in ,madox's       
,history of the ,exchequer1 p4 #chc4    
,illustration    ,in the very curious   
instance of the seal of ,thomas         
,furnival1 his arms  are shown in a     
lozenge-shaped shield4 ,this is of date 
#abgd-i1 and is  engraved in ,herald and
 ,genealogist1 vol4 iii1 p4 #ccd4 ,even 
at this  early date such a shape seems  
to have been usually reserved for       
ladies4  ,sir ,george ,mackenzie quoted 
in ,guillim's ,display1 ed4 #agbd       
mentions  that ,muriell1 ,countess of   
,stratherne1 bore her arms in a lozenge 
in  #abhd4    ,illustration    ,another 
very curious shield of ,helie ,count de 
,maine is reproduced  in ,montfauon's   
,monarchie ,franaise4 ,this is a        
wedge-shaped or  triangular shield1 but 
the top has square corners and is peaked
 7see  ,no4 #dh74 ,the seal of ,turstan 
,dispensator ,regis1 about #abaj1 shows 
the  heater-pear with the upper corners 

slightly varied4 ,this is engraved  in  
,collect4 ,top4 et ,gen41 vol4 iv1 p4   
#bci4 ,the ancient arms of  ,despencer  
are said to have been ,ermine1 a chief  
,gules2 but this seems  to represent 444
 six cloves1 four and two1 and a chief2 
and to fill up  the space three         
cinquefoils are introduced in the field4
    ,but1 as before laid down1 the      
general shapes of shields in this       
century  are the ,norman ,no4 #b1 often 
of very long proportions1 as shown in   
,william de ,longespee1 ,earl of ,sarum1
 #abbf1 and the statues at ,wells       
,cathedral1 #abcj2 the heater-pear ,no4 
#f1 and the plain heater ,no4 #e1       
rather long and pointed4 ,a ,clifford   
seal given in ,nicholas ,upton1 p4  #ia1
 of date #abbj1 has a heater-pear shield
 on the seal1 and an ordinary  heater on
 the smaller counterseal 7see ,no4 #di74
 ,we may remark that  on the tomb of    
,queen ,eleanor1 in ,westminster ,abbey1
 appears1 on a  long-shaped heater      
shield1 the first example of quartering 

in ,england  which just comes within the
 limits of the thirteenth century4 ,this
  represents the two kingdoms of        
,castile and ,leon1 but it was          
undoubtedly  the example which          
afterwards led to regular quarterings of
 arms by  families4    ,it is noticeable
 that during the latter half of this    
century shields  begin to be shown in   
seals1 suspended by the guige1 which is 
passed  round a tree or other device    
from which it can hang4    ,flowers1    
leaves1 and even architectural details1 
enarching1 c41 now  begin to appear1 to 
fill up the field1 and the whole tone   
approaches  the style prevailing in the 
following century4    ,it may be as well
 to remark in this place that milled1   
dotted1 or roped  lines around seals are
 no indication of date4 ,they appear in 
all these  varieties as early as        
,william the ,conqueror1 and extend to  
the latest  times1 according to the     
fancy of the artist4    ,inscriptions   
are in longobardic1 with plain ,latin   

capitals often  alternated2 and in the  
seal of ,henry ,,ii4 the letter ,r has a
 line across  the tail1 signifying a    
contraction--,,henr for ,henrici4       
,until the end of this century a cross  
is used at the beginning of the         
inscriptions1 but about #abge stars     
appear1 and in the next century         
trefoils and other devices are          
frequently introduced instead of        
crosses4      ,,fourteenth ,,century4   
,this century opens with that most      
valuable fund of information the        
celebrated ,baron's letter1 #acja1 the  
seals attached to which are  beautifully
 engraved in the ,monumenta ,vetusta of 
the ,society of  ,antiquaries1 vol4 i1  
plates #bh-cc4 ,a large number of these 
show heater  shields1 some more and some
 less pointed4 ,the beautiful round seal
 of  ,simon de ,montacute shows a square
 shield1 ,no4 #g1 with a pointed ,french
  base2 while to represent the curving  
of the shield the top is concave4  ,the 
side spaces in the field1 as is         

frequently the case with seals of  this 
date1 are filled up with two grotesque  
animals or worms1 while  in the place   
where a crest would be appears a large  
castle1 c4 ,the  counterseal to this is 
square1 representing a griffin segreant1
 not in  a shield at all1 but surrounded
 by a bordure4    ,badges or portions of
 armorial bearings obtained from        
heiresses now  frequently appear on the 
fields1 to fill up2 being the way in    
which  such intermarriages were shown   
before the general introduction of      
quarterings4 ,flowers in the field1 also
 enarching and architectural  details1  
are freely used to fill up the blank    
spaces1 and in one of the  seals        
attached to the ,baron's letter--that of
 ,hugo ,bardolf1 of ,wormgay  7see ,no4 
#ej7--no room is left outside the       
architectural embellishment  for an     
inscription4 ,seals also occur shaped   
entirely like a heater  shield2 with a  
similar shield in the centre containing 
the arms1 as in  that of ,matthew ,fitz 

,john1 where the three lions rampant    
appear1 while  the space beyond is      
filled up with the inscribed name of the
 owner4 ,see  ,no4 #ea4    ,illustration
    ,the seals of this whole century are
 most beautifully designed and          
executed1 and almost universally show   
the heater shape2 pointed  in the       
earlier decades1 and becoming gradually 
shorter and more  square-shaped say     
about #acgj4 ,the secretum of ,robert   
,braybroke1 ,bishop  of ,london         
#achb-adja1 well shows this squareness4 
,it is engraved in the  ,proceedings of 
the ,society of ,antiquaries1 #ith ,dec1
 #ahfi1 also #crd  ,feb41 #ahhg4 ,to the
 same deed1 dated #bast ,may1 #acib1 is 
also attached  the seal of ,sir ,gerard 
,braibrok the younger4    ,illustration 
,the fields are beautifully decorated1  
being diapered or filled up with        
architectural or ornamental             
details--lines1 dots1 and flowers2 while
  frequently crests1 with helmets and   
mantlings1 occur2 and sometimes two  of 

such helmets are placed as supporters on
 each side of the shield1 or  two       
grotesque animals hold up the helmet and
 crest1 while the shield of  arms       
appears in the base4    ,illustration   
,gothic lettering in the ,latin         
inscriptions now first appears1 although
  more frequently longobardic1 and      
occasionally still the plain ,roman     
capitals4 ,frequently the whole face of 
the seal is so filled up that  the only 
spaces left for the inscription are on  
the edges1 above and  below the arms4   
,the seal of ,edmund of ,arundel1       
#acja-bf1 shows this  arrangement4 ,it  
is from ,herald and ,genealogist1 vol4  
ii1 p4 #ef4  ,now1 also1 two1 three1 or 
more shields appear1 conjointed or      
standing  side by side4 ,the earliest   
instance ,i have noticed is ,sigillum   
,ide de  ,clinton1 #abih-acjj1 with     
three heater shields1 points to the     
centre  ,nicholas ,upton1 p4 #hb4       
,towards the middle of the century they 
are  frequently found4    ,illustration 

,in the curious seal of ,rich41 fil4    
,ricardi de ,beyvill of ,wodewalton1    
which is heater-shaped1 and attached to 
a deed #acdi1 a square heater  shield   
shows a chevron between three roundels1 
and is supported by two  worms or       
dragons1 while across the top of the    
seal appears the name  ,beyvil4 ,this is
 engraved ,visit4 ,huntingdon1 p4 #aaf4 
,besides the curved heater of the last  
century1 which appears in the  great    
seal of ,edward ,,ii41 #acjg1 and in    
several monumental effigies1  others of 
,norman heater form ,no4 #b appear with 
the upper corners cut  off and sometimes
 rounded4 ,refer to an effigy in ,norton
 ,church1 ,durham1  engraved in ,surtees
 ,history1 vol4 iii1 p4 #aee 7see ,no4  
#eb71 while in  illuminated ,,mss4      
shields occur with the bouche deeply cut
 and the base  of the shield curved     
outwards4 ,this curved outward turning  
will be  discussed while speaking of    
similar shields found in the next       
century4  ,two which occur in ,bamberg  

,cathedral are engraved ,archological   
,journal1 vol4 ii1 p4 #bag1 and in      
,hewitt's ,armour1 vol4 ii1 pp4  #ach-i1
 and are specially curious 7see ,no4    
#ee72 and several are shown  from ,harl4
 ,,ms4 #adcgi1 and engraved in ,cutts1  
p4 #dcd4    ,illustration3 ,plate ,,iii4
      #ei see ,plate iv4    ,shields on 
monumental effigies almost1 if not      
entirely1 disappear  in the course of   
this century1 and in battles and        
tournaments in  ancient ,,mss4 of this  
date the knights are more usually       
represented  without shields4 ,such is  
the fact2 the reason being that         
defensive  armour had been added to and 
improved1 and increased in respect of   
weight1 as experiences of war showed the
 contingencies against which  it was    
desirable to be protected4 ,the shield1 
therefore1 became an  encumbrance to the
 mounted knight1 while so perfect was   
his case of  steel1 and so admirably    
fitted and designed1 that the shield was
 no  longer required4 ,we notice that   

this general discarding of shields by   
mounted knights begins about the latter 
half of this fourteenth century  among  
the wealthy and powerful1 who could     
procure expensive and perfect  suits of 
mail4 ,it is in memory of such only that
 costly monumental  effigies were       
erected1 and1 as a consequence1 the     
shields formerly  shown carved by the   
side of the knights now entirely        
disappear from  effigies4 ,the reasons  
here put forward are quite borne out by 
other  evidences4 ,monumental brasses1  
which now lend their assistance to our  
search1 were far less costly memorials  
than such effigies4 ,some of  the       
earliest of these represent the dead    
knight as he appeared in his  life1     
with1 his shield upon the arm2 but in   
the course of the following  fifteenth  
century these1 too1 follow the fashion  
we find prevailing in  ,,ms4            
illustrations1 and the shields are only 
used for the purposes of  heraldry1 and 
are relegated into the corners of the   

brass1 or up among  its tabernacle work4
    ,while on this subject of suits of  
mail1 ,i may with advantage overstep    
the limits of this century--as1 indeed1 
,i have already done--and  mention that 
such went on increasing so greatly in   
protective  perfectness1 and1 pari      
passu1 in their oppressive weight1 that 
a knight falling off the horse upon     
which he had been placed lay  perfectly 
helpless2 and history records many times
 that they were slain  by clowns and    
boys while lying helpless on the ground4
 ,when the style  of protective armour  
became so exaggerated1 a man so hampered
 could do  little more than hold his    
spear and guide his horse4 ,until at    
last1  about the year #afjb1 ,king      
,james ,i4 summed up the past experience
 of  armour thus3--,it was an admirable 
invention1 which preserved a man  from  
being injured1--and made him incapable  
of injuring any one else4    ,in some   
books it is stated that the introduction
 and gradually  increasing use of       

gunpowder in war led by degrees to the  
abandonment  of shields2 but the above  
evidences completely refute such an     
idea4  ,heavy mail armour1 exaggerated  
into an absurdity--as pointed out by    
,king ,james--did so disappear when it  
became evident that such afforded  no   
protection whatever against a small bit 
of well-directed lead4 ,but  shields had
 already been abandoned by the          
knights1--long before1 at a  period when
 gunpowder was as yet a great and rare  
mystery4    ,besides1 we find round     
shields were still in continued use by  
the  foot-soldiery1 when every          
battlefield was contested with fire and 
sword--the smoke as well as the din of  
battle4    ,moreover1 examples have come
 down to us of such shields with fixed  
pistols projecting through1 and with a  
peep-hole for sighting4 ,thus  shields  
were made the handmaid of gunpowder2    
and1 as a matter of  fact1 they were in 
use by foot soldiers so late as the     
middle of the  seventeenth century4     

,illustration    ,we noticed that the   
heater shields which obtained so largely
 during  this century1 and grew less and
 less pointed as it progressed1 at last 
became much squarer4 ,the seal of       
,edmund ,mortimer1 ,earl of ,march1     
#acgb1  might well be taken for the     
fifteenth century2 the square heater1   
with  blunt-shaped base2 the inscription
 in ,gothic1 and curiously placed at    
the top and bottom2 and the two         
supporting helmets1 with mantlings and  
huge panaches1 out of which appear below
 the hinder half of the bodies  and legs
 of two animals1 the rest of their      
carcasses being crammed  inside these   
helmets4 ,this is taken from the        
engraving in ,herald and  ,genealogist1 
vol4 ii1 p4 #ef4    ,illustration       
,but from about this date downwards we  
can perceive much more  discriminating  
taste exercised in designing seals4 ,the
 seal of  ,richard ,earl of ,arundel1   
#accj-gf1 from the engraving in ,herald 
and  ,genealogist1 vol4 ii1 p4 #ed1 is  

an example of such beautiful design  and
 execution4#c    ,the small seal of     
,matilde ,fraunceys1 relict of ,simon   
,fraunceys1  citizen of ,london1        
attached to a deed #cc ,edward ,,iii4   
#acei1 is a  characteristic example of  
ordinary small well-executed seals      
prevailing  in this century4 ,the       
engraving is from the ,proceedings of   
,society of  ,antiquaries1 #aath ,dec41 
#ahef4    ,illustration    ,some        
families seem to have taken a special   
pride in their seals4 ,those  of the    
,bardolfe family of ,wyrmegeye1         
,norfolk1 continue pre-eminent  for     
several generations4 ,occasionally one  
member of a family shows  a seal of     
extreme beauty1 the work of some        
,strongitharm or ,wyon  of those days1  
and in this way the centuries may       
frequently seem  to overlap each other4 
,such exceptional seals show an         
execution1  shape of shield frequently1 
and design somewhat later than their    
art-date1 in the sequence we are        

endeavouring to lay down4 ,other such   
overlappings occur from the great age of
 the seal user4 ,elianor ,ferre  uses on
 a deed1 #acdh1 a dimidiated seal1 which
 was surely made about  #abij4 ,she     
died1 a very old lady1 in #acdi4 ,this  
seal is engraved in  ,archological      
,journal1 vol4 xi1 p4 #cge2 and if you  
will refer to  ,herald and ,genealogist1
 vol4 i1 p4 #dhe1 you will see a seal of
 ,clare  and ,fitzgerald dimidiated on a
 shield of apparently identical date4   
,the  inscription is                    
,sigill-,elianore-,ferre2 so she used   
her own seal made  in early life1       
perhaps dating from her marriage4 ,the  
seal of ,isabella  de ,fortibus1        
,countess of ,albemarle1 used in #abib1 
is another dimidiated  heraldic seal1   
almost identical4 ,see ,no4 #ec4        
,illustration    ,pointed heater shields
 with concave tops1 suggesting their    
curved  shape1 are not uncommon in this 
century1 and inscriptions in ,gothic    
type became much more frequent4    ,the 

description of a shield which used to   
hang1 before the ,great ,fire1  in old  
,st4 ,paul's1 ,london1 will be an       
interesting illustration of how  shields
 were made in the fourteenth century4   
,this was the shield of  ,john of ,gaunt
 7or ,ghent1 as it was originally       
spelled71 our ,duke of  ,lancaster1 the 
third brother of ,edward the ,black     
,prince1 and father  of ,henry ,,iv4 ,he
 was born #acdj1 and died #acii1 so we  
may assign #acgj  as about the date of  
its manufacture4 ,in shape it is an     
oblong square  with rounded corners and 
hollowed-out sides and base1 while a    
very  deep bouche is cleft into the     
dexter chief4 ,it much resembles the    
,gothic-rounded ,no4 #ab1 but the base  
is flat and hollowed out4 ,i am  quoting
 from ,bolton's ,elements of ,armories1 
#afaj1 p4 #fi3--;,it is  very convex    
toward the bearer1 whether by warping   
through age1 or as  made of purpose4 ,it
 hath in dimensions more than           
three-quarters of a  yeard of length and

 above halfe a yeard in breadth3 next to
 the body  is a canvas glew'd to a      
boord1 upon that thin board are broad   
thin  axicles1 slices or plates of horne
 nail'd fast1 and againe over them  #bj 
and sixe peeces of the like all meeting 
or centring about a round  plate of the 
same in the navell of the shield1 and   
over all a leather  clozed fast to them 
with glew or other holding stuffe1--upon
 which  his armorie was painted1 but now
 they with the leather itself have  very
 lately and very lewdly bin utterly     
spoil'd4 ,this is engraved in  ,bolton's
 ,elements1 in ,willement's ,regal      
,heraldry1 in ,randle ,holme's          
,academy1 and in several other heraldic 
works4 ,there is also engraved  in      
,bolton's ,elements1 p4 #fg1 the shield 
of ,edward the ,black ,prince  hanging  
over his tomb at ,canterbury4 ,this was 
of the egg shape ,no4 #ce2  and in a    
circle in the centre were1 on a heater  
shield ,no4 #e1 the arms  of ,france and
 ,england quarterly with a label of     

three points2 while  around this circle 
the rest of the shield was embossed or  
tooled with  an elaborate filagree      
pattern1 and a narrow plain rim extended
 round  the outer edge4    ,the         
inscriptions in this century continue to
 be in ,latin and in ,roman  letters1   
but sometimes ,gothic lettering is used4
      ,,fifteenth ,,century4    ,our    
materials for proof during this century 
are peculiarly numerous  and rich4      
,there is great store of beautiful      
seals1 many of them highly  decorated1  
and preparing us for their decay and    
disappearance after  about #adij4 ,then 
again1 ,,ms4 illustrations of           
tournaments show the  shaped shields of 
the knights hung up on tents or         
elsewhere1 and  adorned with their      
heraldry2 and occasionally1 and in one  
case as late  as #adhj1 two knights     
appear on horseback1 jousting and       
bearing shields2  also1 in some cases1  
combats on foot1 where the knights carry
 shields4  ,we have also stained glass  

with shields1 which1 at this early time1
  seem more closely to follow the shapes
 of those actually in use4    ,grants of
 arms now begin to supply shapes of     
shields1 and towards the  end of the    
century printers' marks appear1 although
 these last seem to  be affected by a   
fanciful exaggeration4    ,illustration3
 ,add4 ,,ms4 #ae1dgg--;date #acfj4      
,as a case of recrudescence of old ideas
 we must refer to the instance  of a    
bouche1 in which to rest the spear1 so  
early as #acfj1 in ,add4 ,,ms4  #ae1dgg1
 in the ,british ,museum 7,hewitt1 vol4 
ii1 p4 #bca72 indeed one is  represented
 vastly earlier1 in #aaei1 in the seal  
of ,theodoric ,count of  ,flanders1     
engraved in ,oliver ,vredius1 p4 #ag    
7see ,no4 #df74 ,such shields  are now  
very frequent1 except upon seals1 where 
they seldom occur2  and the reason is1  
no doubt1 that they would have          
interfered with the  heraldic charges1  
which now begin to be multiplied4       
,heater shields1 and sometimes pointed1 

just as they appear at earlier  dates1  
are still continued2 but in most cases1 
and especially towards  the middle and  
end of the century1 they become much    
more square and  blunter at the base4   
,seals of the more important families   
are filled up with elaborate            
decorations--diapering on the fields1   
leaves and mantlings filling up  the    
whole space1 and supporting animals1    
finely and boldly designed1  are        
introduced2 and several concentric      
lines1 differently ornamented1  with    
quatrefoils1 crosses1 mullets1 and stars
 upon these circular bands  sometimes   
occur within the inscription4           
,illustration    ,from about #adbj a    
custom began1 and is occasionally       
adopted in the  larger seals1 to        
represent as scrolls those bands upon   
which the  inscriptions of name and     
title1 c41 were written1 while the ends 
were  ornamentally unfolded and loose4  
,to show exactly what ,i mean ,i would  
refer to the seal of ,john de ,clinton  

de ,say1 #adch1 ,no4 #ed1 engraved  in  
,archologia1 vol4 xxxviii1 p4 #bgb1 and 
to that of ,sir ,john  ,pelham1 #adfi4  
,this is engraved in ,archological      
,journal1 vol4 vii1  p4 #cbc2 the       
,sussex ,archological ,society's vol4   
iii1 p4 #bbj2 also in  ,historical and  
,genealogical ,notices of the ,pelham   
,family1 privately  printed in #ahgc by 
the late ,mr4 ,m4 ,a4 ,lower4    ,many  
of these seals are marvels of design and
 execution4 ,at the very  end of the    
century we notice so much is sought to  
be represented that  the designs in     
consequence become flat and weak1 losing
 much of their  character and boldness1 
and thus preparing us for the startling 
change  in the following century4       
,another noticeable circumstance is that
  such splendid and pretentious seals   
are not confined to the greatest        
nobility or people of vast territorial  
influence4 ,many untitled  families     
towards the end of the fifteenth century
 showed seals not  quite so large1 but  

fully equal in workmanship and beautiful
 design to  those of the house of       
,lancaster1 the ,nevilles1 ,lords of    
,abergavenny2  the ,dukes of            
,buckingham1 and other great titled     
nobles4 ,through the  kindness of ,mr4  
,h4 ,s4 ,grazebrook ,i am able to show  
the seal of ,richard  ,dudley of        
,clapton1 ,northants2 the arms of       
,dudley quartering ,hotot see  ,william 
,salt ,society vol4 x1 p4 #ed4 ,this    
seal was exhibited to the  ,heralds at  
their ,visitation of ,northants1 #afah1 
antiquum ,sigillum  argenteum1 and is   
tricked in their original ,,ms4 ,as its 
date is between  #addj and #adge1 ,i    
have no doubt it was made for that      
,richard ,dudley of  ,clapton who       
condidit testamentum #adfe4             
,illustration    ,we must now take up   
those curiously curved outward shields1 
alluded  to as shown in ,harl4 ,,ms4    
#dcgi1 of a date about #acfj1 see ,no4  
#ee1 and  again at ,bamberg ,cathedral1 
#acgj page #bd1 see ,no4 #ee;,a and ,no4

 #ee;,b4  ,we may lay it down as an     
axiom that every alteration in the      
shapes of  shields at these early dates1
 and therefore for actual use1 arose    
from  some apparent advantage to be     
gained by it4 ,hewitt1 vol4 ii1 p4 #cad1
  engraves a curved shield1 about the   
end of the fourteenth century1 from  an 
ivory chessman4 ,in the ,archological   
,journal1 vol4 ix1 p4 #aai1  there is   
one1 from stained glass1 of early in the
 fifteenth century4  ,this is a square  
parallelogram with a bouche1 and the top
 and bottom  are projected forwards1    
while the intermediate portion is flat4 
,this  shield is of considerable        
thickness1 see ,no4 #ef4 ,in the statue 
of ,henry  ,,vi4 at ,westminster1 of the
 date #adbb1 a similar shield appears   
without  any bouche1 but with the top   
and bottom ends similarly projected and 
the middle portion flat1 see ,no4 #eg4  
,this is engraved in ,meyrick's         
,ancient ,armour1 plate #db4 ,a similar 
shield1 from an ancient chest in  ,york 

,minster1 is shown in the same book1    
vol4 ii1 at p4 #abd4 ,in the  grant of  
arms to the ,ironmongers' ,company1     
#adee1 and in many other  instances1 a  
bouched shield1 deeply engrailed at top 
and bottom1 has  both ends similarly    
projected1 the middle portion being     
curved1 but to  a lesser degree4 ,this  
is engraved in ,herald and ,genealogist1
 vol4 i1  p4 #cg1 and the same shield of
 arms is illuminated in the margin of   
the  charter granted to the ,ironmongers
 in #adhc4 ,it seems evident that the   
intention in thus hollowing out the face
 of the shield was to receive  and to   
retain the spear point with greater     
certainty upon that part  of the shield2
 as in combat it was found to slip off  
above or below1  and search out for     
itself some dangerous resting place on  
the helmet  or other vulnerable part of 
the armour4 ,this shape could not       
readily  be shown in front view on      
seals1 but such shields curved outwards 
appear frequently with great clearness  

in illuminations where a side  view is  
commonly given1 see an engraving of men 
at arms in fourteenth  century in       
,cutts1 p4 #cci4 ,i am also able to show
 a most interesting  illumination of a  
knight of the fifteenth century bearing 
a very  curious shield4 ,this is from   
,cutts1 p4 #cih4    ,illustration3 ,date
 #adth century4 ,cutts1 p4 #cci4        
,illustration3 ,grant of ,arms to the   
,ironmongers' ,company1 #ast            
,september1 #adee4    ,from ,herald and 
,genealogist1 vol4 i1 p4 #cg4           
,illustration    ,round shields borne by
 foot soldiers appear curved and bulged 
out in  the same way4 ,i annex the      
representation of a soldier with a spear
 and  such a round shield from ,cotton  
,,ms4 ,claudius1 ,d4 ii1 fol4 #cj4 ,this
  dates from the earlier part of the    
fourteenth century1 and is engraved  in 
,hewitt1 vol4 ii1 p4 #aad4 ,this        
formation is apparently meant to  give  
strength1 and to ensure a cut or thrust 
gliding off1 rather than  resting upon  

the shield4    ,illustration    ,the    
reasons for some other alterations are  
not so apparent2 for  instance1 in the  
seal of ,ralph ,shelton1 circa #adfj1   
see ,no4 #eh1  a curious projecting     
point is shown in the right hand base   
called  sinister in heraldry of the     
shield1 and a similar projection occurs 
in the beautiful escutcheon of          
,elizabeth of ,york1 wife of ,henry     
,,vii41  #adhe1 see ,no4 #ei1 engraved  
in ,willement's ,regal ,heraldry4 ,a    
stone  carving of a bouche1 with a very 
similar formation and of the same  date1
 and bearing the ,tilney arms1 is found 
upon ,shelly ,hall1 ,suffolk1  and is   
etched in the ,anastatic ,drawing       
,society's volume for #ahga4 ,it  seems 
probable this was originally meant to   
protect some part of the  left leg or   
ankle which was liable to be injured in 
combat4 ,another  shield here shown     
gives with great clearness this curious 
point4 ,it is  engraved in ,mr4 ,cutts' 
book1 p4 #djb1 and taken from ,harl4    

,,ms4 #dibe1 fo4  cxxx4 ,this1 however1 
is too small to protect the leg4        
,illustration    ,many shields now occur
 with hollowed-out sides1 and engrailed 
at the  top and base1 and are classed in
 our plate under the various forms  of  
,gothic 7,nos4 #i to #ab74 ,sometimes   
the top is straight1 while the  sides   
and base are engrailed out1 and in      
instances1 perhaps under  ,german       
influence1 the bases are rounded4 ,the  
endless variety of these  beautiful     
,gothic shields is most fascinating4    
,the wonder is that they  lasted for so 
very short a time1 from the middle of   
this fifteenth  century to the first few
 decades of the sixteenth4    ,in       
,cutts' valuable book1 p4 #ded 7see ,no4
 #ei71 two unmounted knights1  from an  
engraving by ,hans ,burgmaier1 are      
represented in combat1 about  #adej1    
carrying two very curious shields1      
somewhat similar in idea to  these      
,gothic shields4 ,being divided         
lengthways into three partitions2  both 

are broader at the top and narrowed at  
the lower end1 and they  seem to be     
about #c feet #f inches long4 ,one is   
convex at the top and  engrailed1 with a
 bluntly-pointed base2 the other is flat
 but slightly  engrailed1 and the       
rounded base somewhat broken by the     
three divisions1  which evidently       
suggest that these shields were curved  
round the body4  ,but the old plain     
heater continues as by far the most     
prevalent shape  throughout this        
century4 ,it is usually very square1 and
 in several  instances there is an      
approach to the ,french base of ,mr4    
,rylands'  nomenclature4    ,as already 
remarked1 foot soldiers of all ages1    
down to the middle of  the eighteenth   
century1 appear with round shields4     
,during this century  and the next these
 are shown with handsome decorations1   
but never with  heraldry on the face3   
foot soldiers1 perhaps1 were not        
considered  heraldically armigerous4 ,in
 an ,italian painting of this century1  

foot  soldiers are represented with     
square and diamond shaped shields1 each 
side shaped out in curves2 and in one   
heraldry is painted2 perhaps he  was a  
dismounted knight and the others only   
retainers4 ,this may be seen  engraved  
in ,jacquemart's ,history of ,furniture1
 p4 #bd 7see ,no4 #fj74    ,in many     
other shields at the end of this century
 the heater shape has  gradually arrived
 at what is named square ,no4 #g1 and in
 the charter  granted to the            
waxchandlers1 #adhd 7see ,no4 #fa71 and 
in many other  instances1 these shields 
were very long in proportion to their   
width4  ,the same elongated shape       
appears in a shield on ,christ ,church  
gate1  ,canterbury1 date #aeag2 engraved
 ,archologia1 vol4 xvi1 p4 #aid4        
,illustration3 ,plate ,,iv4             
,,mantlings4    ,the first observed     
instance of a mantling or lambrequin1 as
 it  was then called1--a term still     
applied to it by the modern ,french     
heralds1--occurs in the large seal of   

,ralph de ,monthermer1 ,earl of         
,gloucester and ,hertford1 #abii4 ,this 
is engraved in ,nicholas ,upton1 ,de    
,usu ,militari ,bisse edition1 #afed1 p4
 #fc4 ,in ,planch's ,poursuivant  the   
helmet and mantling alone are engraved  
from this seal4 ,it is  represented as a
 square handkerchief or shawl fastened  
at one end  under the crest1 and flying 
out loose behind4 ,there is no hacking  
7see  ,no4 #fb74 ,ralph de ,monthermer  
was a plain esquire1 but attracted the  
attention and secured the love of ,joan 
of ,acres1 daughter of ,edward ,i4  and 
relict of ,gilbert de ,clare1 ,earl of  
,gloucester4 ,may we be allowed  to     
fancy we see here the kerchief of the   
fair lady whose favour led  to his      
advancement1 and whose marriage         
eventually brought him his  title8 ,his 
second wife was also a widow1 namely1   
the relict of ,john de  ,hastings and   
sister of ,aymer de ,valence1 ,earl of  
,pembroke4    ,in ,planch's ,poursuivant
 is engraved another very similar1 from 

the seal of ,thomas1 ,earl of ,lancaster
 7see ,no4 #fc74 ,he was beheaded  by   
,edward ,,ii4 7#acba74 ,this seems to be
 of some thick material and  bordered4  
,it is better shown in the full-sized   
engraving in ,sandford's  ,genealogical 
,history1 p4 #ajb4 ,boutell 7,heraldry1 
p4 #bab7 describes  ,no4 #fd as a       
contoise1 and says it was used until the
 middle of the  fourteenth century4     
,these seem to have been stiff to stand 
out1 but  ,i have not found             
representations of any more of them4    
,mr4 ,boutell  refers to two effigies   
showing them in ,exeter ,cathedral1 and 
another  in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,in the
 seal of ,john de ,tilneye to a deed1   
#acec  engraved in the ,visit4 ,hunts41 
p4 #bi1 a voluminous and square  folded 
mantling1 without any hacks1 is extended
 out to the inscription  on each side1  
and is fixed under a broad-brimmed hat  
which stands  on the top of the helm1   
and on this hat is the crest1 viz41 a   
tree  supported by two lions gambs4     

,there is another instance on the       
monument  at ,norton ,brize1            
,oxfordshire1 to ,john ,daubygn1 #acdf1 
where the  mantling is extended out     
square in folds1 without any hacking1   
and  hangs on each side of the helmet1  
while below is placed the shield4  ,this
 is engraved in ,boutell's ,heraldry1 p4
 #aef 7see ,no4 #fe74 ,another  such    
squarely-folded and unhacked mantle is  
shown on the seal of  ,elizabeth de     
,lucy1 #aced1 with a man's helmet and   
crest 7667--see ,no4  #ff--;and yet     
another in that of ,sir ,william de     
,lucy1 #acib4 ,both of these  are       
engraved in ,nicholas ,upton1 p4 #gc    
7see ,no4 #fg74 ,but these must all  be 
taken as rare exceptions4 ,usually      
mantlings of so early a date as  the    
fourteenth century are of very small    
dimensions1 hacked and lying  close on  
their helmets1 clinging to them1 as it  
were1 and so fastened  under the crest  
that they could not hang otherwise4 ,as 
we see in the  seal of ,richard1 ,earl  

of ,arundel1 about #acej-gj 7illustrated
 at p4 #bg71  also in the seals of ,sir 
,thomas ,bysshe1 #acha ,nicholas ,upton1
 p4 #ec1  see ,no4 #fh2 and in that of  
,john de ,clinton1 #achf ,nicholas      
,upton1 p4  #hb1 see ,no4 #fi2 but seals
 of the fourteenth century more commonly
 show  no mantlings3 they were only just
 beginning to be introduced4            
,illustration    ,illustration    ,at   
the beginning of the fifteenth century  
the same small hacked  mantlings1       
hanging closely upon their helmets1     
still continue1 and  become the rule2 it
 was the exception to have any mantling 
at all in  the fourteenth4 ,about #adbj1
 however1 they begin to spread over the 
field of the seal1 in free and bold     
curves and waves4 ,in the seal of       
,john1 ,lord ,clinton de ,say1 #adch    
7,no4 #ed71 and in that of ,humphrey1   
,earl of ,stafford and ,perche1 #adch1  
both engraved ,archologia1 vol4         
xxxviii1 p4 #bgb1 they are seen hacked1 
wandering away from the helm1  and half 

way down the shield4 ,but a noteworthy  
characteristic of  the mantlings of this
 early date1 and one to which ,i must   
draw your  particular attention1 is     
that1 although stretching their arms    
boldly  about the field1 and in ,,mss4  
where space will allow1 they may extend 
down below the base of the shield1 they 
are not1 perhaps never1 seen  to hide   
themselves behind it6 ,the spirit of    
those old times when the  mantling would
 probably be the gift of some fair lady1
 perhaps her  kerchief or mantle1 and   
borne with chivalrous fervour through   
the many  adventures in which the knight
 of those days sought to gain fame and  
experience--this spirit of honouring the
 mantlet still remained burning         
brightly2 a fold was therefore too      
precious to be hidden behind the        
shield4 ,when we come to consider such  
decorations in later times1 when  such  
sentiment had departed1 you will see why
 beyond the valuable  indication of date
 supplied ,i have drawn your attention  

particularly  to this peculiarity to be 
noted in the fifteenth century4 ,the    
seal of  ,thomas ,strange1 #adai1 shows 
a curious arrangement of mantling4 ,this
 is  engraved in ,miscell4 ,genealogica 
et ,heraldica1 #ahhd1 p4 #ei4 ,in the   
very curious and interesting seal of    
,sir ,john ,pelham1 #adfi1 engraved  in 
,archological ,journal1 vol4 vii1 p4    
#cbc1 and already illustrated  on p4    
#cb1 the field of the seal is filled up 
with bold contortions of  the hacked    
mantling1 while on the helmet appears   
the most extraordinary  crest--a large  
birdcage which is higher than the helmet
 itself2 it is  divided into three tiers
 of wickerwork1 and has a pointed roof1 
while  on the field appear two buckles4 
,sir ,john ,pelham1 at ,poictiers in    
#acef1 personally assisted at the       
capture of the ,french ,king1 when the  
honorary distinction of the buckle as a 
family badge was accorded to  him4 ,his 
descendants sometimes used the birdcage 
crest1 in remembrance  of the same      

exploit and the imprisoned king4    ,in 
illuminations of this date1 say of the  
latter half of the fifteenth  century1  
we see the same characters--the         
mantlings so divided into  narrow       
ribbon-like folds1 much hacked and      
twisted to show the lining1  and thrown 
out into bold arms around the shield and
 extending some  way below it with fine 
artistic effect4 ,i would refer to the  
grant of  arms to the ,fellowship of    
,ironmongers of ,london1 #ast           
,september1 #adee1  already illustrated 
on p4 #ce1 also to the shield of ,edward
 ,,iv41 #adfj1  in ,willement's ,regal  
,heraldry4 ,there are also two beautiful
 specimens  engraved in ,boutell's      
,brasses2 one1 the stall plate at       
,windsor of ,sir  ,humphrey ,stafford1  
,k4,g41 #adfj1 at p4 #bai 7see ,no4     
#gj71 and at p4 #bjg  the brass of ,sir 
,william ,say1 at ,broxbourne1 ,herts1  
#adgc 7see ,no4 #ga73  the mantling in  
the last ends in four tassels2 this     
addition of tassels  becomes the        

ordinary usage in the ,,ms4             
illuminations and in grants of  arms1   
but not in seals of the sixteenth       
century4    ,i refer to ,no4 #gb for the
 lithograph of that very curious        
mantling  carved in stone at ,wyverton1 
,nottinghamshire 7,thoroton's ,history1 
p4 #ih71 which displays three tassels4  
,this stands with two other  helmets1   
each over its respective shield of      
heraldry1 and on  examination ,i am able
 to declare their date to be about      
#addj-ej4    ,licence of free warren and
 to make a park here was granted #bd    
,henry ,,vi4  7#adde71 at which time    
,thoroton supposes this house was built4
    ,following our entirely different   
lines of enquiry1 ,i am able to state1  
to within twenty or thirty years1 the   
date of these carvings2 and ,i  would   
further say that as to one of the       
quarterings displayed1 the  ,chaworth   
family did not inherit the right to bear
 it until #adbb2 thus  confirming very  
exactly ,thoroton's date4    ,perhaps   

the first appearance of a tassel on a   
mantling is on a monument  to --        
,harsyck in ,southacre ,church1         
,norfolk1 #achd2 engraved in ,boutell's 
,heraldry1 plate ,i 7see ,no4 #gc74     
,this is also interesting as being a    
very early example of the wreath or     
torse which supports the crest1         
consisting of a twisted cord of silk of 
two colours4 ,in a brass to ,sir  ,hugh 
,hastings1 at ,elsing1 co4 ,norfolk1    
#acdg1 the same is shown4 ,in  the      
effigy of ,sir ,richard ,pembruge1      
#acge1 now in the nave of ,hereford     
,cathedral1 the crest and helmet are    
attached with a wreath of leaves1  above
 which rises a great panache of         
feathers4    ,the earliest instance of a
 date upon the face of a shield is said 
to  occur about the middle of the       
thirteenth century1 but such are very   
uncommon until the sixteenth century1   
when they are found both on  personal   
and official seals4    ,the inscriptions
 on ,english seals of this fifteenth    

century are almost  universally in      
,latin and in ,gothic lettering4 ,i     
have1 so far1 only  noted one seal with 
,roman letters1 and that occurs in      
#adjc4      ,,sixteenth ,,and           
,,following ,,centuries4    ,before     
entering upon our subject during this   
period1 it is necessary to  consider the
 great changes1 social and legal1 which 
passed over ,england  from say #adej to 
the end of the reign of ,henry ,,viii4  
,events for thirty years before the     
accession of ,henry ,,vii4 7#adhe7  had 
been gradually reducing the power of the
 nobility4 ,enactments  had been passed 
which facilitated the transfer of lands2
 and the  disastrous wars of the ,roses1
 in which the blood of the nobility     
flowed like water1 brought also the     
dispersion of a large portion of  their 
estates1 and the consequence was that   
when ,henry ,,vii4 began his  reign1 and
 the conflicts between the rival ,houses
 of ,york and ,lancaster  were          
completely hushed say #adhe1 he found   

himself in possession of  the sole      
power4 ,the great nobles who had        
hampered the actions of his             
predecessors had disappeared from the   
scene4 ,at his first ,parliament  ,henry
 ,,vii4 only summoned twenty-eight      
peers2 and so gradually did this  class 
recover itself that we find at the first
 ,parliament of ,henry  ,,viii4 only    
thirty-eight peers were summoned to     
attend4    ,we can thus understand how  
those seals of exceeding size and       
magnificence1 which we found prevailing 
during the middle and third  quarter of 
the fifteenth century1 entirely         
disappear4 ,the greater  nobility1 as an
 assertion of their dignity and         
importance1 had then  attached to their 
charters seals of great pretensions1 and
 gradually  increasing in size until1 as
 ,sandford ,genealogical ,history1 p4   
#ajh remarks of those of the ,dukes of  
,lancaster1 they rivalled or  even      
exceeded in size what were used by the  
crown itself4 ,had their  embarrassed   

affairs allowed them to enter again into
 mutual rivalry1  the stern government  
of ,henry ,,vii4 would have regarded    
such an  assumption of dignity as       
treason to the throne1 and therefore we 
can  fix the date #adhe for the         
disappearance of such large and splendid
  seals4 ,only occasionally do they     
continue to appear1 and within the      
limit of ten years after this time4     
,the landed gentry1 the descendants in  
many instances of a much earlier  feudal
 aristocracy1 had suffered almost as    
much from the rivalries and  conflicts  
which had devastated the country4 ,they1
 too1 laboured under  the same          
depression and necessity for retirement2
 and hence1 if we  take up a bundle of  
deeds1 say of the third quarter of the  
fifteenth  century1 we shall find them  
loaded with large and beautiful seals1  
while in a similar parcel1 dated early  
in the sixteenth1 small bits  of wax    
only are found1 many of them bearing one
 or more initials1 or  a crest          

surrounded by a circle of large dots1   
and the coats of arms1  which do occur1 
are altogether small and insignificant3 
in fact1  personal seals are now reduced
 in size to what may be conveniently    
hung  on a watch chain1 or worn as a    
somewhat large signet ring4 ,i annex    
some  heraldic seals just to show what  
after this time are looked upon as      
unusually fine4 ,they are a very great  
contrast to those we have been          
considering4    ,illustration3 ,ivory   
,thumb-ring ,signet of ,francis1 #eth   
,earl of  ,shrewsbury1 #aede4           
,proceedings of ,society of             
,antiquaries1 #bbnd  ,december1 #ahei4  
,illustration3 ,robert ,ap ,rece1 #aedh4
 ,engraved in ,visit4 of ,hunts1  #afac 
,camden ,soc41 p4 #cb4    ,illustration3
 ,seal engraved by ,thomas ,simon for   
,sir ,edward ,nicholas1  ,secretary to  
,charles ,i41 circa #afdi4 ,collect4    
,gen4 et ,topog41 vol4  viii1 p4 #bad4  
,illustration3 ,thomas ,bate1 of        
,ashby-de-la-,zouche2 born #afdh1 died  

#agjg4    ,but still further reasons    
have to be considered4 ,the ancient form
 of  drawing charters was gradually     
disappearing1 which after declaring  the
 transaction1 ended with the            
all-important seal1 put on in the       
presence of such responsible witnesses  
as could be got together1 and  who were 
afterwards always to be found to come   
forward and vouch for  the transaction4 
,writing also now1 early in the         
sixteenth century1 was  becoming much   
more common1 and the sense of the nation
 showed that a  deed signed and sealed  
by the parties was much more            
satisfactory than  any number of        
witnesses1 the limit of whose testimony 
was bounded by  that of their lives4 ,i 
am only putting into few words what is  
ably  pointed out by ,williams in his   
work on ,real ,property1 ed4 #ahhb1 p4  
#aec1 and by ,blackstone in his         
,commentaries1 ed4 #ahbc1 book ii1 p4   
#cje4 ,but the curious thing is that    
this change seems to have gradually     

taken place without any enactment       
directing it4 ,the ,statute of ,frauds  
and ,perjuries1 #bi ,charles ,,ii4      
7#afgg-h1 cap4 #e71 is the first        
instance  where it is expressly declared
 by act of ,parliament that all devises 
of  lands or tenements must be in       
writing and signed by the party and     
three  or four credible witnesses4 ,such
 had already been occasionally the      
practice for at least two hundred years1
 for ,i find a deed of gift of  ,thomas 
,hoo to the ,abbot of the ,monastery of 
,battle is thus established  ,sigillum  
meum1 una cum subscriptione propria manu
 et signo manuali  apposito2 the date is
 #bast ,september1 #adhj ,thorpe's      
,battle ,abbey  ,deeds1 #ahce1 p4 #abd4 
,occasional instances occur of the old  
system  of sealing only before a number 
of witnesses1 but after say #aebj the   
almost universal method of executing    
deeds was by sign manual and seal1  and 
two or three attesting witnesses4       
,the earliest instance ,i have noticed  

of executing a deed by sign manual  is  
as above1 in #adhj4 ,the latest which ,i
 have met with1 in which the  ancient   
form of execution had been followed1 is 
a charter printed in  the ,salop        
,archological ,society's vol4 x1 p4     
#bbb3--,thomas ,scriven1  armig41 grants
 a yearly payment of #h_/ sterling out  
of his meadow at  ,coleham1 juta sive   
prope ,ville ,salop1 hiis testibus c4   
c41 dat4 ,salop  #beth ,sept41 #aj      
,henry ,,viii41 #aeah2 but probably yet 
later instances may  be found4    ,the  
further reason1 lying at the root of the
 whole matter1 was the  wonderful       
expansion of trade1 wealth1 and         
intelligence which broke  upon ,england 
at this time1--the ,english renaissance1
 as it is called1  and which culminated 
in the brilliant company of poets and   
authors of  ,elizabeth's reign4         
,following upon the breaking-up of the  
old nobility1  and the resumption of    
peace at home1 wealth was rapidly       
accumulated  by many self-made men1 and 

by many younger sons of old families1   
who  entered into trade4 ,these         
purchased lands and became the county   
gentry4  ,so expansive was this spirit  
of trade1 that ancient towns like ,york1
  ,chester1 ,lancaster1 ,coventry1 and  
,lincoln1 where long-established  guilds
 restricted trading to the burghers     
alone1 fell off in population  and      
importance1 while new districts without 
such restrictions1 such as  ,manchester 
and ,birmingham1 as rapidly increased4  
,in an act1 #cc ,henry  ,,viii41 c4 #ae 
#aeda1 it is stated that the people of  
,manchester were  then well set to work 
in making of cloths1 as well of linen as
 of  woollen1 whereby the inhabitants of
 the said town have gotten and come     
into riches and wealthy livings3 and by 
reason of great occupying1 good  order1 
strict and true dealing of the          
inhabitants of the said town1  many     
strangers1 as well of ,ireland as of    
other places1 had resorted  thither4    
,illustration3 ,plate ,v4    ,over all  

this boiling-up of busy-ness sat ,henry 
,,vii4 and ,henry ,,viii41  as almost   
irresponsible sovereigns1 and out of it 
grew the ,commons of  ,england6 ,the    
population meantime increased with      
wonderful strides4 ,in  #acgg the       
population of ,england and ,wales did   
not exceed #b1ejj1jjj4 ,by  the military
 musters1 taken #aegd-e1 there were     
#a1agb1fgd of able men  for service1    
which it is estimated would give a total
 population of  about #d1gjj1jjj4 ,this 
astonishing revolution of trade and     
learning is  so remarkable that ,i must 
quote a portion of what old ,harrison   
says  on the changes he had noticed     
within fifty years4 ,his most curious   
,description of ,britain was printed    
with ,hollingshed's ,chronicle  in      
#aehf1 but was probably written some ten
 years earlier3 an exacter  date ,i have
 not yet been able to fix4 ,there are   
old men yet dwelling  in the village    
where ,i remaine which have noted three 
things to be  marvellouslie altered in  

,england within their sound remembrance3
 and  other three things too1 too much  
increased4 ,one is the multitude of     
chimnies latelie erected1 whereas in    
their young daies there were  not abouve
 two or three1 if so many1 in most      
uplandish townes of the  realme the     
religious houses and manor places of    
their lords alwaies  excepted1 and      
peradventure some great personages1 but 
eche one made  his fire against a       
reredosse in the haull where he lived   
and dressed  his meat2 secondly1 the    
bedding now feathers and comfort1 c41   
then  straw or wood only1 c42 thirdly1  
the exchange of vessells as of  treene  
platters into pewter1 and wooden spoones
 into silver or tin4 ,so  common were   
all sorts of treene stuff in old time1  
that a man should  hardlie find four    
pieces of pewter of which one was       
peradventure a  salt in a good farmer's 
house1 c41 c41 c4 ,whereas1 in my time1 
altho' peradventure #d of old rent be   
improved to #dj1 #ej or #ajj1 yet  will 

the farmer1 as another palm or date     
tree1 think his gaines verie  small     
toward the end of his term if he have   
not six or seven years'  rent lieng by  
him1 therewith to purchase a new lease1 
besides a faire  garnish of pewter on   
his cupbord1 with so much more in od    
vessell going  about the house1 three or
 four feather bedds1 so many coverlids  
and  carpets of tapistrie1 a silver     
salt1 a bowle for wine if not an whole  
neast1 and a dozzen of spoones to       
furnish up the sute4    ,but1 alas1     
there is another side to all this       
national prosperity4 ,from  this time1  
also1 agriculturists--required in fewer 
numbers under the  new styles of        
cultivation 7which aimed at grazing and 
the production of  wool7--crowded into  
the towns in hope of work1 and large    
portions of  the population began to    
sink into the lowest depths of poverty4 
,in our researches as to the shapes of  
shields we have now1 therefore1  lost   
that rich body of evidence supplied by  

the seals on charters1  which extended  
to nearly the end of the fifteenth      
century1 and the  ,,ms4 pictures of     
knights and tournaments4 ,the evidences 
now available  consist of pedigrees1 the
 smaller heraldic seals attached to     
documents  and deeds1 heraldic          
visitations and grants of arms1 printed 
books  on heraldry1 which begin #adif1  
stained glass1 the stone carvings  on   
buildings1 tombs1 and ledger stones1    
and1 from the end of the  seventeenth   
century or a little earlier1            
book-plates4 ,coins1 too1  now prove of 
some value to us1 showing what were     
prevailing types of  shields4    ,but   
inasmuch as there were no shields       
actually in use1 the shapes  prevailing 
now became entirely a matter of fashion 
and taste4 ,randle  ,holme prints       
sixty-five varieties of shields1 and    
remarks 7p4 #aj in his  ,academy of     
,armoury1 ,chester1 #afhh73--;,but as to
 the former shield  so to this1 a       
question may be made1 whether such an   

one was used by  him1 or only the       
invention of the cutter8 ,if so1 then   
the shapes and  forms of shields1       
targets1 and bucklers would be as many  
as carvers1  stone cutters1 engravers1  
and painters please4 ,gerard ,legh gets 
the  credit of having greatly           
multiplied1 in his ,accedens of         
,armoury1  #aefb1 the fanciful shapes of
 shields2 and later writers on heraldry 
seem to have followed him4 ,herald and  
,genealogist1 vol4 i1 p4 #aia4  ,but an 
examination of the ,wappenbch1 published
 in ,germany in the  sixteenth and      
seventeenth centuries1 and similar      
heraldic drawings of  ,italian coats1   
have opened out to me a vastly wider    
field for variety  than old ,randle     
,holme ever supposed4 ,i have before me 
a copy of ,virgil  ,solis1 which was    
published at ,nurnberg in #aeee4 ,this  
contains hundreds  of coats1 in shields 
of an endless variety of shapes and     
great boldness  of design2 and when we  
come to critically compare these shields

 with  one another1 we discover that    
their outlines depend upon the charges6 
,these were first laid down with        
grotesque boldness1 and the outline  of 
the shield to bear them was then drawn  
around them1 to the artist's  fancy of  
what best suited the bearings and would 
most reduce the  amount of empty field4 
,this is1 after all1 only reversing the 
ancient  method1 where a lion was       
distorted to suit a pointed heater2 and 
it is  suggested that a pale1 for a     
similar reason1 might sometimes be      
pointed  into a pile4 ,with this        
revelation from ,virgil ,solis1 we can  
detect  that the same method of         
designing prevails elsewhere4 ,we must  
therefore  multiply ,randle ,holme's    
carvers1 stone cutters1 engravers1 and  
painters by the possible variety of     
their fancies1 and then multiply  the   
quotient by the number of all the       
heraldic bearings--plus all the         
positions and forms they may be made to 
assume--if we wish to arrive at  the    

variety of shields possible during the  
period we are now about to  consider4   
,in deference to this unanswerable      
position1 ,i find it necessary to  alter
 entirely the classification pursued in 
the earlier centuries--to  take ,mr4    
,rylands' drawings seriatim1 and to give
 for each shape the  earliest and latest
 dates at which1 in my limited          
researches1 ,i have  found them in use4 
,this method of treatment eliminates    
from our enquiry  all strictly fanciful 
shields which did not gain a hold on    
public  taste1 and leaves us still with 
a sufficiently heavy list of variations 
to which it is possible1 from their     
frequent recurrence1 to attach the      
dates4    ,a few leading remarks on     
points bearing on our subject will prove
  useful at this stage of our enquiry4  
,before watches became common1 seals    
were sometimes attached to the  arms1   
like bracelets4 ,in ,mercurius          
,rusticus1 ,no4 #cj 7for #ai_/bj ,july1 
#affj71 an advertisement appears for a  

gold seal1 being a coat of arms1  cut in
 a piece of gold1 in the form of a      
lozenge1 fastened to a black  ribband to
 tye about the wrist4 ,in the           
,visitation of ,essex1 #afcd  ,harleian 
,society1 p4 #dee1 appears the following
 certificate3--,this  coate is          
certiffied by ,thomas ,scott to bee by  
him seen on a seale some  #dj years     
since1 and to be the seale of armes of  
,thomas ,moore ,esq4  father of the said
 ,hunting ,moore1 and that ,robert      
,scott his father did  weare the same   
about his neck in a scarffe about xx    
yeares--in witnes  whearof ,i have sett 
to my hand4 ,tho4 ,scott4 ,robert ,scott
 had married  ,anne1 daughter of        
,richard ,hunting and relict of ,thomas 
,moore1 of  ,orsett1 co4 ,essex4 ,this  
seal was1 of course1 a ring4            
,watches1 which naturally suggest small 
attached seals1 were1 however1  in      
pretty general use in ,queen            
,elizabeth's reign4 ,in ,shakespeare's  
,twelfth ,night1 ,malvolio says3--,i    

frown the while1 and perchance  wind up 
my watch1 or play with some rich jewel4 
,a watch was found  upon ,guy ,fawkes1  
#c ,james ,i4 7#afje_/f71 which he and  
,percy had bought the  day before1 to   
try conclusions for the long and short  
burning of the  powder4--,stow's        
,chronicle1 p4 #hgh1 and introduction to
 ,mr4 ,reuben  ,burrow's ,almanac for   
#aggh4      ,,lines ,,for ,,tinctures4  
,the first ,english examples of seals   
with lines in the engraving1 to         
indicate the tinctures1 are said to be  
on some of those attached to  the death 
warrant of ,charles ,i41 #afdh-i        
,planch's ,pursuivant of  ,arms4 ,now1  
as this system was unquestionably first 
devised by ,father  ,silvester de ,petra
 ,sancta--whose two books1 ,l',armorial 
ou la ,science  du ,blason1 #dto1 and   
,soumaire ,armorial1 #dto1 were both    
published  in ,paris #afch--;it seems   
curious that within ten years we should 
find  such conventional lines in use in 
,england2 and it follows1 also1 that    

such of these seals as were so treated  
in #afdh must all have been  recently   
cut6 ,a diagram1 showing the colours so 
indicated1 is given  by ,sir ,edward    
,bysse in his edition of ,nicholas      
,upton's work1 ,de ,usu  ,militari1     
published in #afed4 ,the earlier works  
on heraldry1 which ,i  have been able to
 consult1 have the illustrations in     
somewhat rough  wood blocks--it would   
have been difficult and expensive at    
that time  to have got finer work in    
wood2 but we must remember that         
,sylvanus  ,morgan1 in his ,armilogia1  
published #afff1 refers to ,silvester de
  ,petra ,sancta's ,epistles1 and       
elaborately describes--as if they were  
something quite startling and new--why  
the several conventional lines  were    
selected4 ,john ,gibbon1 in his         
,introductio ad ,latinam ,blazoniam1    
published ,london #afhb1 p4 #aeb1 says1 
for the distinction of colours  in arms 
which was devised by the ,rev4 ,father  
,s4 de ,petra ,sancta1  and he 7,gibbon7

 frames some ,latin verses for the      
better remembering  thereof2 but in the 
woodcuts which adorn his book he does   
not follow  the system which he         
recommends4 ,the earliest ,english book 
which shows  them in the copper plate   
engravings is ,bysse's edition of       
,nicholas  ,upton1 published1 as already
 noticed1 in #afed4 ,i am aware that    
,boutell1  in his ,heraldry1 chap4 v1   
says that such lining may be            
occasionally  found before #afcj4 ,now  
there seems no manner of doubt as to the
  inventor2 and any references with     
dates1 which ,mr4 ,boutell could have   
given1 would have been valuable indeed6 
,at present we are involved in  a       
paradox3 if ,father ,silvester invented 
the idea2 did he discuss it  for years1 
perhaps before committing it to print1  
and having his own  beautiful copper    
plate illustrations so drawn in #afch8  
,i point out this  interesting question4
 ,any instance of a seal or engraving so
 treated  with the proper lines to      

represent tinctures and occurring before
 #afch  should be carefully noted with  
the exact dates2 and ,i venture to think
  any such solitary instance would prove
 to be purely accidental4 ,the  seal of 
,sir ,edward ,nicholas1 secretary to    
,charles ,,ii41 engraved for  him by the
 celebrated ,thomas ,simon1 does not    
show any tincture lines  7see the       
woodcut at p4 #de74 ,in this seal the   
second and third quarters  are the      
paternal arms of ,nicholas1 while in the
 first and fourth are  displayed that   
honourable augmentation granted to ,sir 
,edward in #afdi4  ,we may safely       
conclude that this seal was cut         
immediately after he  received that     
distinction4 ,particulars of ,sir       
,edward's career may be  learned from   
,manning and ,bray's ,history of        
,surrey1 vol4 iii1 p4 #dj2  also from   
,hoare's ,south ,wiltshire1 p4 #hh4 ,he 
was ,secretary to ,charles  ,i41        
followed ,charles ,,ii4 into exile1 and 
was continued by him in his  post of    

,secretary4 ,he eventually returned with
 him1 and died in #affi1  at the age of 
seventy-seven4    ,i regret ,i have     
never had the opportunity to examine for
 myself the  original death-warrant     
which was carried out on that chill     
thirtieth  day of ,january1 #afdh-i2 and
 so ,i am not able to say with exactness
  which of the seals show tincture      
lines1 as it is said they do4           
,,chaplets ,,or ,,wreaths4    ,about the
 end of the fifteenth century1 arms are 
frequently found  surrounded by a wreath
 of laurel or bay leaves1 usually1 at   
this  date1 divided into four parts by  
ribbands4 ,menestrier gives the date    
#adhj as the earliest instance he has   
found his most learned works  seem too  
little known by ,english heralds3 the   
,origine des ,armoiries  was published  
in ,paris #afgi1 and the ,origine des   
,ornemens des  ,armoiries in ,paris     
#afhj4 ,we see an example in the tomb of
 ,margaret1  ,countess of ,richmond1    
#aeji1 in ,westminster ,abbey 7engraved 

,sandford's  ,genealogical ,history1    
#afgg1 p4 #cbf7--see ,no4 #gd4 ,we find 
similar  wreaths or garlands in         
,sylvanus ,morgan's ,sphere of ,gentry1 
published  #affa1 vol4 i1 p4 #bb1 and   
vol4 ii1 p4 #fh2 and engravings of      
several  fanciful varieties are also    
there given4 ,wreaths of olive1 formed  
of  two branches tied at the top and    
bottom with ribbands1 appear several    
times surrounding coats of arms in ,w4  
,hollar's beautiful engravings in       
,thoroton's ,history of                 
,nottinghamshire1 published #afgg 7see  
pages #aii1  #bjj1 #bjc1 #caj1 #dhf and 
#dhg74    ,after a while1 such wreaths  
were frequently introduced in the outer 
edge surrounding official and also      
personal round seals1 and so  arranged  
that they more resemble bell-shaped     
flowers of three leaves  7like the side 
view of blue bells71 and without any    
dividing ribbands4  ,the annexed        
wood-cut of the ,statute ,merchants'    
seal of ,carlisle1 #afgj1  will show    

this4 ,this seal was in two halves to be
 kept in separate  custody1 and when    
used1 these were screwed together into a
 handle to  make it complete before     
affixing to any deed4 ,the seal and     
handle are  here shown from the         
engraving in the ,proceedings of the    
,society of  ,antiquaries1 #afth ,may1  
#ahhi4 ,throughout the eighteenth       
century1 the  blue bell ornament appears
 in corporate seals1 and book-plates    
about  #ahjj are found surrounded by    
such oval bell-flowered wreaths4        
,illustration      ,,palm ,,branches4   
,menestrier ,origine des ,ornemens1     
published #afhj writes3--,now           
aujourd'hui persons of quality1         
particularly married ladies  femmes1    
place two palms together on the         
escutcheon of their arms1  which makes  
an agreeable ornament1 and is1 at the   
same time1 the  symbol of conjugal love1
 which the ancients have represented by 
the  palms1 male and female4 ,the       
earliest instance ,i have noted in      

,england  is on the cups of ,sir ,e4 ,b4
 ,godfrey1 who died in #afgh engraved in
  ,gentleman's ,magazine1 #ahdh1 and in 
,topographer and ,genealogist1  vol4 ii1
 p4 #dfg4 ,they occur beneath a shield  
of ,bridgeman1 ,bart4  7the plain arms  
not impaled71 in ,sandford's            
,genealogical ,history1  #afgg1 p4 #bbh2
 also on a monumental slab1 #afga1      
engraved in ,miscell4  ,genealogica et  
,heraldica1 #ahhd1 vol4 i1 p4 #aea4     
,about #agfe we see  two palms          
extensively used as decorations below   
,georgian shields 7see  the plates in   
,dugdale's ,warwickshire1 #agfe2        
,hasted's ,kent1 #aggh2  ,rudder's      
,gloucestershire1 #aggi2 and ,hutchin's 
,dorsetshire1 #aggd74  ,such are        
extensively seen throughout the         
seventeenth and eighteenth  centuries1  
and were frequently painted1 as a       
pleasing decoration1  below the arms on 
carriage panels1 almost to our own      
times4 ,but they  must have lost the    
original symbolism1 for they occur      

constantly on  ledger tombs see         
,miscell4 ,genealogica et ,heraldica1   
,mar41 #ahhe1 p4  #bcc2 dated #afif1 and
 must then refer to the resurrection    
life4 ,they  are found in book-plates in
 the middle of the eighteenth century1  
and continue down to #ahjj or later4    
,the ledger tomb to ,ashley ,palmer  and
 his wife at ,hawstead1 dated #agib1    
shows a pleasing example4 ,this         
engraving is from ,miscell4 ,genealogica
 et ,heraldica1 #ahhe1 p4 #cjg4         
,illustration      ,,supporters4    ,it 
is hard to say when we may so name the  
grotesque animals1  which first appeared
 to fill up the fields in seals even    
earlier  than the fourteenth            
century--see that of ,ralph de          
,monthermer1  ,earl of ,gloucester and  
,hertford1 #abii engraved1 ,nicholas    
,upton1  edition #afed1 p4 #fc1 and     
several of those attached to the        
,baron's  letter1 #acja 7,monumenta     
,vetusta1 vol4 i74 ,these gradually1 as 
the  fourteenth century progresses1     

assume an appearance on seals exactly   
corresponding with our modern           
supporters4 ,we have ,s' ,fratris ,thome
  ,archer1 #acbe 7,nicholas ,upton1 p4  
#gc71 supported by two lions rampant    
counter-regardant 7see ,no4 #ge72       
,sigillum ,petri de ,veel1 #acfa 7on    
the same page7 supported by two helmets 
with panaches1 very similar  to those of
 ,edmund de ,arundel still earlier      
#acja1 given on p4 #bc1 and  ,edmund    
,mortimer1 #acgb1 engraved on p4 #bf2   
and we have two griffins  supporting the
 helmet in the seal of ,richard1 ,earl  
of ,arundel1 #accj-ge1  see p4 #bg4 ,in 
the next century1 supporting animals    
appear on many of  the large and        
beautiful seals3 two greyhounds in that 
of ,john1 ,lord  ,clinton de ,say1 #adch
 7see ,no4 #ed72 two horses in that of  
,john1 ,earl of  ,arundel1 #adae-ba 7see
 ,herald and ,genealogist1 vol4 ii1 p4  
#ee72 two  heraldic antelopes support   
the crest of ,humfrey1 ,earl of         
,stafford and  ,perche1 #adch           

7,archologia1 vol4 xxxviii1 p4 #bgc72   
and many others  might be quoted4 ,it is
 quite impossible to say when we may    
begin to  call such decorative adjuncts 
supporters4 ,planch 7,pursuivant1 p4    
#agg7 says that at the close of the     
fourteenth century1 in one instance1    
,richard ,,ii4 7#acgg7 used two white   
harts1 his favourite badge1 as          
supporters2 but that those of ,henry    
,,vi4 7#adbb7 are considered to begin   
the ,royal series4 ,in ,france1 one     
supporter is frequently seen and is     
then called a tenant4 ,in ,scotland1    
where ,french influence is in many  ways
 visible1 we frequently meet with seals 
where a single tree1 man1  bird1        
fabulous beast1 c41 c41 supports the    
shield of arms4 ,menestrier  ,origine   
des ,ornemens1 p4 #ic traces many of    
these grotesque  animals to the         
attendants at tournaments who paraded in
 such disguises1  carrying the shields  
and weapons of the knights4             
,supporters also occur in illuminations 

and carvings1 and not being  then       
confined within the narrow sphere of a  
seal1 they stand much as  in modern     
drawings--see the arms of ,edward ,,iv41
 #adfj1 in ,willement's  ,regal         
,heraldry2 also the carving on the      
,founder's pew in ,north ,witham        
,church1 co4 ,lincoln1 being the arms   
and supporters of ,sir ,thomas de la    
,laund1 #adgj 7,archological ,journal1  
vol4 ii1 p4 #hg74    ,from the above    
remarks it will be seen that no datings1
 at any rate in  the earlier centuries1 
can be deduced from the presence of     
supporters2  indeed1 there are instances
 of stone carvings on dwellings1 in     
which it  seems to me that the cutter1  
as in early seals1 has added supporters 
merely to beautify his design and       
balance his shield1 without any         
heraldic intention or authority         
whatever4 ,heraldry was a mystery  as   
well as a science1 and if the cutter had
 placed supporters1 when  decorating the
 mansion of a neighbouring lord1 he     

might1 in the same  way1 balance his    
design on the house of some obscure     
gentleman4      ,,mottoes4    ,called in
 ,french ,devises or1 when of ancient   
origin1 ,cri de guerre4  ,menestrier    
7,origine des ,ornemens7 traces such to 
very ancient1 even  ,roman1 times4      
,these arose from various circumstances1
 often accidental  and frivolous1 and as
 fresh mottoes were frequently assumed  
by ,english  families1 it is sometimes  
possible to establish an approximate    
date by  discovering when the           
accompanying motto was adopted4         
,,helmets1    sometimes1 on early seals 
and carvings1 are valuable as           
indications of  date and examples of the
 types then prevalent2 but1 in other and
 later  instances1 they seem to be      
fancifully treated1 and so would not be 
reliable4 ,they form too large a subject
 for discussion here1 and one  that has 
been most ably and exhaustively treated 
in works on ,armour4           99       
99       99       99       99    ,i now 

proceed to consider the shapes as       
sketched1 taking the several  numbers by
 the groups into which they naturally   
fall4 ,many more  instances might have  
been quoted for the various shapes1 but 
,i have  selected these to show1 so far 
as ,i have been able to gather them1 the
  extreme range of dates4    ,perhaps ,i
 may venture here to remark that the    
search for ancient shapes  of shields1  
with a view to their slavish            
reproduction1 which is now so  usual1   
does not seem to have been so prevalent 
before about the year  #ahdj4 ,this is  
the date which seems generally accepted 
as that when  originality in the matter 
of seals and book-plates ceased1 and    
every  variety of old examples began to 
be sedulously searched out and copied4  
,all of these shields are subject to    
slight variations of outline1  according
 to the fancy of the artist and their   
necessary adaptation to  their          
surroundings4    ,no4 #h in the         
accompanying plate of shapes appears in 

stained glass  to the memory of ,sir    
,wm4 ,berdwell 7will1 dated #adcd71     
,blomefield's  ,norfolk1 vol4 i1 p4     
#bjc4    ,an ,irish instance1 but of    
very ungraceful proportions1 date #aejg1
 is  engraved ,archological ,journal1   
vol4 xv1 p4 #ahh4    ,it also occurs in 
the mantelpiece at ,helmdon1 ,northants1
 #aecc2  described in ,archologia1 vol4 
xiii1 plate #ab4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,nos4 #i1 #aj1  
#aa1 and #ab all occur on the beautiful 
monument to ,abbot  ,thomas ,ramrage1 in
 ,st4 ,alban's ,cathedral1--of the date 
#aebi2 ,boutell's  ,heraldry1 p4 #ceg4  
,engravings of which may also be        
frequently found  elsewhere4    ,no4 #aj
 occurs in a small signet seal1 two     
impressions of which are  attached as a 
counterseal to a lease by the ,priory of
 ,dartford1 co4  ,kent1 bearing date    
#bdth ,december1 #aebi4 ,this sealing on
 the back  rendered it impossible to    
detach the large wax seal and apply it  
fraudulently to another document4 ,this 

is engraved ,proceedings of the         
,society of ,antiquaries1 #bgth ,may1   
#ahge4    ,illustration    ,occurs also 
in a brass1 ,okeover impaling ,aston1   
date #aebj 7,boutell's  ,brasses1 p4    
#abg71 see ,no4 #ge4    ,also in another
 brass1 at ,sprouston1 ,norfolk1 dated  
#aeei4    ,no4 #aa occurs without the   
bouche on a chimney-piece at the        
,episcopal  ,palace1 ,exeter1 #adhf4    
,with the bouche1 in the ,ramrage       
,chantry1 ,st4 ,alban's ,abbey1 of about
  the same date 7,boutell's ,heraldry1  
p4 #ih74    ,also in heraldic drawings  
of #aecf1 in ,willement's ,regal        
,heraldry4    ,no4 #ab1 but without the 
bouche1 occurs in ,henry ,,vii4's chapel
  7,archologia1 vol4 xvi1 p4 #aid74     
,the annexed engraving shows a most     
interesting knightly shield of the      
,schutz family1 of ,shotover1 co4       
,oxford1 dating from the fifteenth      
century4 ,it is #b feet #h inches long  
by #a foot #a inches broad1 and  was1   
when ,mr4 ,hewitt wrote his book1 in the

 possession of the ,rev4  ,j4 ,wilson1  
,president of ,trinity ,college1        
,oxford4 ,it is engraved and  described1
 ,ancient ,arms and ,armour1 vol4 ii1 p4
 #dif4    ,it will be remembered that   
,john of ,gaunt's shield1 described at  
p4 #bi1  very closely resembles ,no4    
#ab4           99       99       99     
99       99    ,nos4 #ac1 #ad1 and #ae4 
,no4 #ac is shown in the seal of the    
,free ,school of ,richmond1 ,yorkshire1 
founded #aece-f 7,gale's ,registrum     
,honoris de ,richmond1 p4 #bed74    ,in 
an old engraving1 showing ,henry ,,viii4
 and his ,parliament1 in ,hall's        
,chronicle1 published #aedh1 a shield of
 this shape appears on the  curtain     
extending behind the throne4    ,no4    
#ad--;,in a heraldic drawing1 #aeeh1 of 
the arms of ,elizabeth1 in  ,harl4 ,,ms4
 #fjif1 three of these shields are      
grouped 7,willement's ,regal            
,heraldry74    ,annexed engraving of an 
enamelled plaque1 supposed to have      
formed  originally the centre of a large

 salver or dish1 is taken from          
,proceed4 ,soc4 ,antiq41 #gth ,dec41    
#ahgf1 and shows our shield ,no4 #ad    
with the date #aefc4 ,sir ,thomas ,bell 
died in #aeff2 he was thrice ,mayor  of 
the ,city of ,gloucester1 and also      
represented it in ,parliament4          
,illustration    ,a ,scotch seal1       
,francis ,earl of ,bothwell1 #aehg      
7engraved ,herald and  ,genealogist1    
vol4 iv1 p4 #ai74    ,another ,scotch   
seal1 the ,earl of ,eglinton1 #afbj     
7engraved ,herald and  ,genealogist1    
vol4 iv1 p4 #ah74    ,engravings in ,the
 ,english ,baronetage1 #agda1 show the  
same4    ,also in ,principal ,historical
 and ,allusive ,arms1 by ,de la ,motte1 
#ahjc1  which work1 indeed1 aims at     
variety in its shapes and designs4      
,no4 #ae--;,in the printer's mark of    
,ant4 du ,ry1 of ,leyden1 #aebe4    ,in 
the shield of ,anne ,bullen1 #aecc      
7,willement's ,regal ,heraldry74        
,also a seal1 #aege1 ,miscell4          
,genealogica1 vol4 ii1 p4 #agj4         

,these shapes lend themselves           
particularly to decorations in stained  
glass1 where variations may be          
constantly found1 but it is generally   
difficult in such cases to give an exact
 date4    ,from all which it appears    
that these shapes--,nos4 #ac to         
#ae--;began about  #aebj1 and prevailed 
till about the third quarter of the     
sixteenth  century2 and from their      
beautiful outlines1 they occasionally   
are used  even to the present day4      
,during the sixteenth and seventeenth   
centuries  they may often be found      
hacked and scrolled4           99       
99       99       99       99    ,no4   
#af occurs in a monument to ,raynes1    
#afhi 7engraved in ,drake's  ,eboracum1 
p4 #eae74    ,this is a shape which     
would lend itself peculiarly to         
monuments or  stained glass4    ,the    
shields engraved in ,chauncey's ,history
 of ,hertfordshire1 #agjj1  are of this 
shape1 slightly eared1 and very slightly
 hollowed out in  the sides4            

99       99       99       99       99  
,nos4 #ag and #ah4--;,in these a        
decidedly ,german influence is visible4 
,they occur in the ,german book of      
,virgil ,solis1 #aeee4    ,the earliest 
,english instance of ,no4 #ag which ,i  
have noticed appears  in the ,visit4    
,hunts1 #afac 7,camden ,society71 p4 #d1
 with the arms of  ,clifton1 but no     
exact date is attached4    ,in the #agbd
 edition of ,guillim's ,display similar 
shields are  engraved1 with scroll work 
round the edges4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,nos4 #ai1 #bj1 
#ba1 and #bb4    ,no4 #ai is found on   
the tomb of ,margaret1 ,countess of     
,richmond1 in  ,westminster ,abbey1 who 
died #aeji 7,sandford's ,genealogical   
,history1 p4  #cbf71 see ,no4 #gc4      
,illustration    ,again in a ledger tomb
 at ,brent-eleigh1 in memory of ,mrs4   
,sawyer1 and  dated #agcd 7,miscellanea 
,genealogica et ,heraldica for ,january1
 #ahhf74    ,also in the engravings in  
,blomfield's ,norfolk1 #agci1 with a    

shaped  base4    ,no4 #bj1 may be seen  
in stained glass1 in ,grappenhall ,old  
,rectory  window1 of date about #aebg4  
,again in a brass in ,antringham        
,church1 ,suffolk1 dated #aefb4    ,no4 
#ba1 a brass at ,st4 ,mary ,quay1       
,ipswich1 #aebe 7,boutell's ,brasses1   
p4 #acb74    ,also on a seal1 #aege     
7engraved1 ,miscell4 ,genealogica et    
,heraldica1  vol4 ii1 p4 #agj74    ,also
 on a seal1 #aegh1 in ,oliver ,vredius  
7,seals of the ,counts of  ,flanders74  
,again in a grant of arms1 #agae        
7,miscell4 ,genealogica et ,heraldica1  
second series1 vol4 i1 p4 #ahh74    ,a  
ledger at ,kelston churchyard1 ,gibbes  
quartering ,harrington and  ,specott1   
#agcj 7engraved in ,miscellanea         
,genealogica et ,heraldica for  ,jan41  
#ahhd74    ,illustration    ,thus       
showing that its present use so         
extensively by the ,college of ,arms  is
 a return to an old pattern existing at 
any rate since #aeji4    ,shields very  
similar occur in ,the ,ancient ,order of

 ,prince ,arthure1  published by ,r4    
,robinson1 #aehc2 also in ,sylvanus     
,morgan's ,sphere of  ,gentry1 #affa2   
while the ,college of ,arms shield ,no4 
#bb appears in the  ,great ,seal of     
,edward ,,vi41 #aedg4    ,this group1   
therefore1 extends from about #aejj to  
the present day4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,it is          
convenient to take ,nos4 #bc and #bd    
,stuart1 together with #be and #bf  the 
,georgian4    ,no4 #bc1 the annexed seal
 of ,robert ,greysbrooke of ,middleton1 
is  appended to his will1 dated #ast    
,september1 #affh1 and printed ,miscell4
  ,genealogica et ,heraldica for #ahgh4 
,illustration    ,it appears very       
constantly in seals from about #afaj to 
#afid4    ,the shape is used in ,sir    
,peter ,leycester's ,historical         
,antiquities of  ,cheshire1 published in
 #afgc4    ,again in ,sylvanus ,morgan's
 ,sphere of ,gentry1 published #affa4   
,no4 #bd appears in stone carving at    
,penshurst ,place1 ,kent1 showing the   

arms of ,edward ,,vi41 #aedg4 ,the side 
points are curled round1 and the  centre
 one is capped with a fillet and half   
globe3 an improvement by  the stone     
cutter 7,willement's ,regal ,heraldry71 
see ,no4 #gg4    ,it is found in the    
seals and in the crown-pieces of the    
,commonwealth1  dated #afej4    ,taking 
then the ,georgian ,no4 #be--;,in       
,willement's ,regal ,heraldry1 the  arms
 of ,henrietta ,maria1 the wife of      
,chas4 ,i41 #afbe1 are reproduced in    
this shape4    ,it becomes very frequent
 #aghc-ib1 and up to #ahjf in monuments 
and  book-plates--see page #ef4    ,the 
shield is used in a work published at   
,worcester #agie1 ,historical           
,anecdotes of ,heraldry and ,chivalry4  
,very many of the bulky seals so common 
during the last thirty years of  the    
eighteenth century display coats of arms
 on shields of this shape1  which seems 
to have been much used about this date4 
,the ,liverpool  halfpenny1 #agia1 see  
,no4 #gh2 the ,leeds halfpenny1 #agia2  

and the  ,cronebane halfpenny1 #aghi2   
and no doubt many other copper tokens   
show  ,no4 #be4    ,no4 #bf is figured  
by ,randle ,holme 7,academy of ,armoury1
 #afhh71 who  took it from ,sylvanus    
,morgan's ,sphere of ,gentry1 #affa4 ,he
 explains it  is from old and decayed   
monuments4 ,it is really adapted from   
ancient  shields1 which were used by the
 ,amazons1 and they are constantly      
represented with such shields and with  
double-headed battle axes on  ,greek    
coins 7see ,petiti de ,amazonibus       
,dissertatio1 #afhg1 p4 #ahj1 c47       
,the only change noticeable in these    
shields is that the ,stuart1  which     
extended down to certainly as late as   
#afid1 have perpendicular  sides1--with 
an occasional exception1 as that quoted 
#afbe1--while in  the ,georgian the     
sides are always more or less bulged    
out4           99       99       99     
99       99    ,nos4 #bg1 #bh1 #bi1 and 
#cj1 with which may conveniently be     
taken the tops1  designated eared       

couped4    ,no4 #bg--,this shape occurs 
in ,brussels tapestry1 dated #afaj4 ,the
 sides  are more hollowed-out1 and the  
ears more projected 7,jacquemart's      
,history of ,furniture1 p4 #ajb1        
,english translation74    ,very         
frequently in ledger tombs1 #agah1      
#agdi1 #agej1 and in #afhj 7see         
,miscell4 ,genealogica et ,heraldica1   
,november1 #ahhd1 p4 #agb74    ,in a    
,,ms4 dated #agaj2    ,also in the      
,radcliffe book-plate1 circa #agbj1     
engraved in ,mr4  ,rylands' ,notes on   
,book-,plates1 #ahhi1 p4 #cj4    ,no4   
#bh--,the arms of ,caroline of          
,brandenburg1 wife of ,george ,,ii41    
#agbg1  are given on this shield in     
,willement's ,regal ,heraldry4    ,no4  
#bi--,several of the engravings in      
,guillim's ,display1 edition #agbd1  and
 in ,the ,english ,baronetage1 #agda1   
partake of this character1 thus  giving 
a range from #afaj to #agda for this    
group4           99       99       99   
99       99    ,no4 #ca is a shield very

 extensively used in ,germany and       
,holland4    ,it first appears in the   
seals of the ,counts of ,flanders       
7,oliver  ,vredius7 in #adgg and #adhg1 
and disappears in #afjb4    ,it is      
figured fo4 #a;b in the ,nuremberg      
,chronicle1 published #adic4    ,it may 
be constantly found at all dates1 and   
down to the present day in  ,german     
heraldry4           99       99       99
       99       99    ,nos4 #cb1 #cc1   
and #cd4    ,no4 #cb--,this shield has a
 very extensive range of date2 the first
 ,i  have noticed is on the tomb of     
,anne of ,cleves1 in ,westminster       
,abbey1  #aeci 7engraved in ,willement's
 ,regal ,heraldry74    ,engravings in an
 illustrated edition of ,ariosto1       
printed ,venetia1 #aegb1  repeat the    
same shape4    ,in ,bolton's ,elements  
of ,armories1 #afaj1 where such arms as 
those of  ,paracoussi1 ,king of ,plate1 
,the ,navatalcas1 early ,mexicans1 and  
the  ,incas of ,peru1 are placed in such
 shields4    ,the sixpences and ,york   

half-crowns of ,charles ,i41 #afad1 and 
the arms on  his ,great ,seal1 #afbg    
7,sandford's ,genealogical ,history1 p4 
#eae74    ,in a ,,ms41 #afeb1 reproduced
 in ,miscell4 ,genealogica for ,january1
 #ahhe1  p4 #bjd4    ,the ,great ,seal  
of ,charles ,,ii41 #afec 7,sandford's   
,genealogical ,history1  p4 #eag74      
,the seals of the ,commonwealth in #afea
 and #afef4    ,engravings in ,bisse's  
edition of ,nicholas ,upton1 published  
#afed2    ,also in ,sandford's          
,genealogical ,history1 #afgg4    ,in   
the seventeenth and eighteenth          
centuries1 seals with this shape  are   
common enough1 many of most beautiful   
execution1 supported by  cornucopi1     
fruit and flowers issuant therefrom2    
these extend from #afgj  to #agjj4 ,we  
need only look at our ,britannia's      
shield in a modern penny  to see the    
same1 adapted from that coin of         
,antoninus ,pius where occurs  the first
 representation of the figure of        
,britannia1 ,a4,d4 #ach4    ,no4        

#cc4--,the earliest ,i have noted is on 
the seal of ,sir ,thomas de  ,bikenore1 
,knt41 attached to a charter1 s4d41 but 
about #acjj2 this is  engraved          
,archolog4 ,cantiana1 vol4 ii1 p4 #da4  
,it occurs upon the seals of the ,counts
 of ,flanders from #adjc to #afbc       
7,oliver ,vredius72 it also appears     
elsewhere in his work4    ,it is also on
 the tomb in ,maidstone ,church to ,john
 ,wotton1 #adag 7,arch4  ,cantiana1 vol4
 i1 p4 #aha74    ,it may be seen in the 
printer's mark of ,richard ,pynson1     
#aecj4    ,i have also noticed ,no4 #cc 
in one of ,camden's grants1 dated #bnd  
,may1 #afjh1 to ,james ,master of ,east 
,landen1 ,kent3 this is engraved        
,archologia ,cantiana1 vol4 v1 p4 #bch4 
,no4 #cd is1 ,i think1 chiefly          
restricted to foreign seals and         
engravings4  ,i have not1 so far1       
noticed an ,english example4            
99       99       99       99       99  
,nos4 #ce1 #db1 and #dc4    ,no4        
#ce--;,egg-shaped may be regarded very  

much as a variation of ,no4 #cb1  some  
artists considering it more graceful and
 better adapted to hold  the arms and   
leave less of the field vacant4 ,the    
shield of ,edward the  ,black ,prince1  
preserved at ,canterbury1 and already   
noticed at p4 #cj1  was of this shape4  
,he died #acgf 7,bolton's ,elements1 p4 
#fg74    ,but there is a large number of
 such seals as may be described         
egg-shaped1 with hollowed-out sides1 and
 frequently framed in scrolls2  these   
are classed as cardioid ,nos4 #db and   
#dc1 the outlines having been  altered  
by scroll work1 although sometimes the  
scrolls are omitted4    ,these occur in 
,divi ,britannici1 by ,sir ,winston     
,churchill1 #afge2    ,in monuments of  
#afhd1 c41 in ,blomefield's ,norfolk2   
,and of #afii1 ,miscell4 ,genealogica et
 ,heraldica for ,december1 #ahhd1 p4    
#ahe2    ,again in #agae1 ,herald and   
,genealogist1 vol4 ii1 p4 #bcj2 and they
 are  constantly to be found in         
monumental tablets4    ,very frequently 

the bases of shields with hollowed-out  
sides are  turned either to dexter or   
sinister1 as noticed in seals throughout
  the eighteenth century2 and in some   
later ,jacobean1 and in ,chippendale    
book-plates say from #agbj to nearly the
 end of the century4    ,illustration3  
,seal of ,bartlett of ,marldon and      
,exeter1 co4 ,devon  7,miscell4         
,genealogica et ,heraldica for ,june1   
#ahhg74    ,illustration3 ,seal of      
,michael ,grazebrooke of ,audnam3 born  
#agbc1 died  #agff 7,miscell4 ,gen4 et  
,heraldica for #ahgh74    ,illustration3
 ,seal of ,joseph ,palmer1 ,king's      
,messenger3 born #afhc1 died  #agei     
7,miscell4 ,genealogica et ,heraldica1  
second series1 vol4 i1 p4  #hf74        
,illustration3 ,seal of ,joseph ,siket  
to his will1 #ageh 7,herald and         
,genealogist1 vol4 iii1 p4 #caf2 also   
vol4 vi1 p4 #baa47    ,no4 #cf--;,french
 shields1 so constantly represented in  
,french heraldry1  appear also in       
,english grants of arms1 #aeeg1 #aefa1  

#aehb1 #afab4    ,this is just an       
ordinary square shield1 ,no4 #g1 with a 
pointed ,french  base4    ,this shield1 
however1 may be found at much earlier   
dates--see remarks  on ,simon de        
,montacute's seal to the ,baron's       
letter1 #acja1 on p4 #bb2  also the very
 curious brass formerly in ,st4         
,nicholas' ,church1 ,lynn1  to ,thomas  
,waterdeyn1 ,mayor of ,lynn in #acig and
 #adjd4 ,this shows two  shields1 ,no4  
#cf1 which bear his merchant's mark1 and
 stand on either  side of a tree4 ,he   
was alive in #adaj 7see engraving1      
,archologia1  vol4 xxxix1 p4 #eje74     
99       99       99       99       99  
,no4 #ci4--,this curious ,italian shield
 occurs in ,gerard ,leigh's ,accedens   
of ,armoury1 #aefb4    ,also with       
curious scroll-work1 dated #aehi1 in a  
timber house at  ,norwich1 engraved1    
,archologia1 vol4 xvi1 p4 #aid4    ,in  
the ,great ,seal of ,charles ,i41 #afdj1
 ,sandford's ,genealogical  ,history1 p4
 #eaf4    ,in the halfpenny of ,charles 

,,ii41 #affj4    ,in the halfpenny of   
,james ,,ii41 #afhe4    ,randle ,holme1 
book i1 p4 #f1 would have us believe    
this was the  veritable shape of the    
,christal shield given by the goddess   
,minerva to  ,perseus1 to enable him to 
slay the ,gorgon ,medusa1 and which was 
after  dedicated to ,pallas1 and this   
conceit may account for a monster's head
  introduced in the ,great ,seal of     
,charles ,i41 #afdj4    ,grotesque      
shields1 somewhat of this shape1 are    
given to ,ancient  ,britons1 as in      
,speed's ,theatre of ,great ,britain1   
#afgf1 and in ,,ms4  pedigrees of early 
seventeenth century1 for the arms of    
,welsh princes  and early potentates4   
,randle ,holme 7,academy of ,armoury7   
gives one of  these as from the monument
 of ,mahomet1 ,emperor of ,turkey1 and  
another  from the monument of           
,tamerlane1 ,emperor of ,tartaria4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,nos4 #dj and #da actually do occur     
frequently in ,roman bronzes and        

monuments1 and are reproduced in        
engravings in ,bolton's ,elements of    
,armories1 #afaj1 p4 #adg1 c4 ,bolton   
explains that it 7#da7 occurs on the    
,column to ,antoninus at ,rome1 but     
later discoveries have shown that this  
column was really erected to ,marcus    
,aurelius ,antoninus in #agd ,a4,d4     
,illustration    ,nos4 #db and #dc      
cardioid shields 7see the remarks upon  
#cc1 #cd and  #ce74--;,i think these    
arose from the decorative scroll-work   
placed around  egg-shaped shields1 and  
especially in late ,jacobean and        
,chippendale  times1 when they may be   
found in monuments and book-plates4 ,the
  earliest mural tablet ,i have noticed 
is dated #afii1 at ,winchester          
,cathedral4 ,this is engraved           
,miscellanea ,genealogica et ,heraldica 
for  ,december1 #ahhd1 p4 #ahe4    ,the 
engravings in ,divi ,britannici1 noticed
 under the variations of  #ce1 nearly   
approach these4           99       99   
99       99       99    ,instances of   

pure heart-shaped shields occur in the  
brass to ,willem  ,wenemaer1 slain      
#acbe4 ,this is in the vestibule to the 
hospital which he  founded at ,ghent    
7,archological ,journal1 vol4 vii1 p4   
#bhg72    ,illustration    ,also in a   
monument at ,st4 ,margaret's1 ,hertford1
 #afia-b1 shown in the  annexed         
illustration4 ,this is from ,miscell4   
,geneal4 et ,heraldica1  ,january1      
#ahhg1 p4 #aig2 and the shape may also  
be found at later dates4    ,my readers 
will also refer to that very interesting
 seal of ,richard  ,basset1 about #aade1
 described at p4 #ac1 and ,no4 #dd3 it  
is heart-shaped1  greatly lengthened    
out4    ,a very curious heart-shaped    
shield1 with the point turned round and 
scrolled1 appears in the wooden effigy  
to one of the family of ,oglander  in   
,brading ,church1 ,isle of ,wight4 ,this
 is supposed to be of sixteenth         
century4 ,it is engraved in the         
,anastatic ,drawing ,society's vol4 for 
#ahhc4    ,a curious instance of the    

recrudescence of early forms occurs when
  ,sylvanus ,morgan1 vol4 i1 p4 #bg1    
places the arms of one ,gill in a       
triangular shield1 such as we noticed in
 the thirteenth century1 and  figured   
,no4 #a in the sheet4    ,again1        
heater-pear shields1 ,no4 #f1 frequently
 occur in early monuments1  as they     
accorded well with the style of         
decoration--see the monument to  ,henry 
,willoughby1 #aeha1 at ,wollaton        
7,thoroton's ,notts1 p4 #bg72 also  that
 to ,richard ,mansfield1 #afbd1 at ,west
 ,lake ,church 7,thoroton1 p4 #bg72     
also that to ,thomas ,atkinson1 #affa1  
at ,newark-on-,trent 7,thoroton1 p4     
#bjj72 also in a monument to the        
,clifton family1 about #afgj1 engraved  
p4  #fa in the same book4           99  
99       99       99       99    ,it    
would be possible to give much more     
fully the exacter history of  several of
 these shields1 showing their various   
slight variations  prevailing at        
different dates1 but such would extend  

my attempt  beyond a convenient length4 
,i have1 however1 selected one of the   
most common occurrence1 feeling  sure   
that its history will therefore be the  
more interesting4 ,in ,a  ,glossary of  
,terms used in ,british ,heraldry1      
published by ,parker1  ,oxford1 #ahdg1  
the date #agbd is given as the earliest 
shield that has  been noticed of this   
tasteless1 though still prevalent form1 
,no4 #ha4    ,now1 here is the exact    
sequence with the small variations which
 ,i have  been able to trace3--     ,no4
 #gi--,occurs in a book printed by ,w4  
,rastell in #aecc1 quoted in   ,parker's
 ,glossary4     ,in an inlaid           
chimney-piece at ,bolsover ,castle1 with
 the arms ,cavendish   impaling ,ogle1  
and therefore the date is #aeij-afjj4   
,also in a ,,ms4 pedigree of ,howard1   
date #aehj1 in the possession of ,col4  
,crosse at ,shaw ,hill1 co4 ,lancaster4 
,the next instance ,i have found is     
carved on a pew in ,warrington          
,church1 and bears the inscription      

,richard ,massye1 #afag4 ,this shows    
arms quarterly1 7#a7 ,rixton of ,rixton1
 7#b7 ,mascy of ,rixton1 7#c7           
,warburton 7871 see ,historic ,society  
of ,lancashire and ,cheshire vol4       
xxxix1 p4 #aed1 where this quartering is
 discussed2 7#d7 ,horton of   ,horton4  
,the same shaped shield appears in a    
monument to ,richard ,wiatt1 who   died 
in #afai4 ,this stands in ,isleworth    
,church1 and is engraved in   ,herald   
and ,gen41 vol4 iii1 p4 #ejj4     ,no4  
#hd--;,is frequently found in ,,mss4    
about #afbj4 ,i can refer to the        
pedigree of the ,holland and ,dukenfield
 families1 which is dated #afbb4        
,the same shield is used in ,bysse's    
edition of ,nicholas ,upton1 which   was
 published in #afed4     ,also in a     
certificate of arms by ,segar ,garter1  
#afbe1 ,historic ,society   of          
,lancashire and ,cheshire1 vol4 xxxviii1
 p4 #gb4     ,it is also carved in oak  
in ,prescot ,church1 with the arms of   
,ogle of   ,whiston quartering ,bertram1

 and the date #afej4     ,it again      
occurs on the gravestone of ,richard    
,clegg1 ,vicar of ,kirkham2   the       
earliest date on which is #afgg         
7,chetham ,society1 vol4 xcii1 p4       
#abh74     ,the same1 but more slightly 
eared1 occurs frequently with the       
dedicatory arms of the donors of the    
plates to ,sandford's   ,genealogical   
,history1 published #afgg4     ,a ledger
 stone1 dated #afij1 with the ears still
 less strongly marked1   is engraved    
,miscell4 ,genealog4 for ,february1     
#ahhe1 p4 #bdb4     ,no4 #hb--,occurs in
 a grant of arms1 dated #afhd1 ,miscell4
 ,genealogica1   second series1 vol4 i1 
p4 #cig4     ,the same shield appears in
 a grant1 dated #afif1 printed in the   
same   work1 first series1 vol4 ii1 p4  
#aia4     ,such shields with very       
slightly marked ears1 and with pointed  
or   angular1 also with ,french bases1  
are found very frequently in            
book-plates of #agjj and for ten years  
or so later1 and sometimes with   the   

sides very slightly hollowed-out4       
,no4 #hc--;,is a shield with ,queen     
,anne's arms1 #agjf1 engraved in        
,willement's ,regal ,heraldry4     ,no4 
#hj--,may be seen in the monument to    
,tho4 ,norreys1 #afbd1 in ,rainham      
,church1 ,kent 7,archologia ,cantiana1  
vol4 vi1 p4 #bie74     ,a grant of arms1
 dated #agbj1 is engraved in ,miscell4  
,genealogica1   vol4 ii1 p4 #beb1 and   
shews the same shield4     ,seals about 
the year #agah appear with this same    
shape1 of rather broad   proportions1   
and with ,french bases rather flattened4
     ,no4 #ha--;,in ,wright's edition of
 ,peter ,heylin's ,helps to ,history1   
published #aggc1 this variation is used1
 but of rather longer   proportions4    
,about #aghj1 seals are noticed to      
follow the same character1 and with     
angular or ,french bases1 just as we see
 them prevailing even to the   present  
day4    ,illustration3 ,plate ,,vi4     
,this shield therefore1 with slight     
variations in the ears1 may be found    

from #aecc to the present day2 and the  
date given in ,parker's ,glossary  was  
fixed upon insufficient research4       
,,counterseals    in ,england are       
usually of the same shape and size as   
the seal proper2  the pendant cake of   
wax thus showing two complete           
impressions1 one on  each side4         
,edward the ,confessor and his          
successors have continuously used them2 
but among subjects they do not appear   
before #aacj--;excepting1 perhaps1  that
 remarkable instance of two seals       
conjoined back to back on the  charter  
of ,odo1 ,bishop of ,baieux in #ajge4   
,see ,archologia1 vol4 i1 p4  #cce4     
,nobility of the blood royal1 their     
wives and daughters1 seem to have  used 
counterseals pretty generally from the  
middle of the twelfth  century4 ,the    
greater titular nobility also adopted   
them occasionally  during that century2 
but in the next1 and until the ,baron's 
letter  7#acja71 a much larger number   
occur4 ,their use1 however1 was very    

irregular3 many prominent titular nobles
 neglected them1 and1 on the  other     
hand1 we find many families of only     
moderate territorial position  placing  
secreta on the back of charter seals4 ,i
 notice as quite  remarkable how many   
ladies who had come to represent a      
manor1 about the  middle of the         
thirteenth century1 when the fashion was
 at its height1  at once beautified or  
safeguarded their seals with a secretum4
    ,after #acja such extra sealing     
almost disappears1 but there are some   
very late instances4 ,humfrey ,earl of  
,stafford and ,perche1 #adch1 placed  on
 the back of his splendid seal a smaller
 one--the ,stafford arms on a  heater   
shield1 within a decoration of three    
,stafford knots1 but without  any       
inscription 7,archologia1 vol4 xxxviii72
 and some of those large  and           
pretentious seals mentioned as appearing
 #adej-adge were used with  small       
counterseals4    ,many ecclesiastical   
communities used counterseals1 also the 

old ,cinque  ports and other ancient    
boroughs4 ,ancient official departments 
too1  such as the ,norwich ,staple1     
#abgb-acjg3 these having begun1 of      
course  continued their use as an       
established form4      ,,secreta    were
 usually small1 and inscribed ,secretum4
 ,the first ,i have noticed  is that of 
,seherus de ,quenci1 created ,earl in   
#abaj--,secretum ,comitis  ,wintonie4   
7,spelman's ,aspilogia1 p4 #fg47 ,john  
de ,busli1 however1 is  even a little   
earlier2 ,secretum ,johannis de ,bueli  
7,the ,earls of ,eu1  by ,chester       
,waters1 p4 #cc74           99       99 
99       99       99    ,after a careful
 examination ,i have come to the        
conclusion that no  regulations         
restricted their use1 but counterseals  
and secreta were  adopted or not1       
according to taste4 ,some regarded them 
as an accession  of dignity1 and some as
 a safeguard3 there seems no doubt it   
was for  the second reason that that    
signet was placed1 in #aebi1 on the back

  of the ,dartford ,priory ,seal 7see p4
 #fj72 and ,i find another instance1    
where a seal of the same ,priory1 in    
#aecd1 had as a counterseal the         
impression of a small signet with the   
letters ,i ,f1 being apparently the     
initials of ,isabel or ,joan ,fane1 the 
prioress at that time4    ,it will give 
some idea as to the prevalence of       
counterseals if ,i say  that to the     
,baron's letter1 #acja1 are appended    
ninety-five seals of the  principal     
nobility4 ,seventy-nine have no         
counterseals3 to sixteen such  are      
attached2 namely1 eight of the same size
 as the seals1 and eight  greatly       
smaller4 ,two of these smaller ones are 
not inscribed 7,william  de ,brehouse   
and ,simon de ,montacute71 and one only 
is called ,secretum  7,walteri de       
,teye74 ,i think this shows they were   
less commonly used in  #acja than about 
#abej4      ,,mantlings ,,from ,,the    
,,sixteenth ,,to ,,the ,,nineteenth     
,,century4    ,it is somewhat difficult 

to treat distinctly of the mantlings    
prevailing since the beginning of the   
sixteenth century2 but as  they afford  
indirect evidence of date1 ,i venture to
 draw up the  following short           
description of their variations2 and ,i 
do so with some  diffidence1 in the hope
 that fellow-students may add to my     
feeble  effort1 and that thus we may    
presently arrive at a perfect and dated 
scheme of these changes4    ,i am       
obliged to treat seals separately from  
drawings and stone  carvings1 because   
the circumscribed space in a seal seems 
to have  prevented some of the          
variations noticed in the others4 ,at   
the same  time1 several characteristic  
changes are found to occur1 and at      
tolerably distinct dates2 and so it is  
possible to lay down very  clearly1 as  
to seals1 the current of progressive    
change4           99       99       99  
99       99    ,by far the greater      
number of heraldic ,,seals at the       
beginning of the  sixteenth century have

 no mantling1 but display only a bare   
shield1  without ornament--unless some  
scroll-work or architectural lines1 to  
fill up the space within the dotted or  
plain circles4 ,such seals occur        
constantly till the end of the          
seventeenth century4    ,about #aeej    
helmets with mantlings1 open and rather 
sparse1 and kept  high up on the top of 
the shield1 appear4 ,these mantlings are
 rather  flat1 so that a good space is  
left for the crest1 which thus stands   
out  distinctly4 ,as a specimen1 see    
,wm4 ,lambarde's seal1 #aeeb            
7,archologia  ,cantiana1 vol4 v1 p4     
#bef74    ,although a good many seals   
continue still with the mantlings kept  
up about the top of the shield 7while   
sometimes a motto1 c41 is  introduced   
below71 it is observed that a little    
after this date  mantlings gradually    
creep downwards1 perhaps to two-thirds  
of the  depth of the shield4 ,see a seal
 of the ,throckmorton family1 #aegf     
7,visitation of ,warwick1 #afai1 ,harl4 

,soc472 also those of ,lord  ,chancellor
 ,bromley1 #aeha 7,herald and           
,genealogist1 vol4 v1 p4 #e72 ,john     
,ogle1 #aeig 7,mascy ,charters1 plate   
,c1 ,historic ,society of ,lancashire   
and  ,cheshire for #ahhg72 and ,edward  
,osborne1 #afah 7,herald and            
,genealogist1  vol4 iv1 p4 #bda2 also   
,archologia ,cantiana1 vol4 v1 p4 #bcd74
    ,this is the character of many      
examples occurring down to about the    
year #afej1 when a greater profusion of 
mantling began to be shown3 of  this the
 seal of ,sir ,edward ,nicholas1        
engraved on p4 #de1 is a good  example2 
and it is the first instance ,i have    
noticed in which the folds  of the      
mantling come out from behind the       
shield1 thus marring its  distinctness4 
,usually1 although the volume of        
foldings increases1 they  are kept away 
from it1 so as to leave the impression  
of the shield  standing out and quite   
clear4 ,in this1 too1 the folds extend  
higher up  on either side of the crest  

than is usual in earlier examples4      
,it may be interesting here to note that
 of the fifty-nine seals  attached to   
the death warrant of ,charles ,i41 in   
#afdh-i--;following the  very accurate  
engraving in ,monumenta ,vetusta1 vol4  
ii1--twenty-one  show mantlings1 eleven 
are distinctly without1 ten are         
doubtful1 and  the remaining seventeen  
seals are quite illegible4    ,from     
about #afej many beautifully cut signets
 are found--the arms1 with  helmets1    
crests1 and mantlings1 the points of    
which rise up on either  side of the    
crest1 thus filling up that empty space4
 ,the seal of the  ,cordwainers of      
,oxford1 made in #afhj1 is a favourable 
example of the  date 7,arch4 ,journal1  
vol4 vi1 pp4 #aei and #bgi74    ,about  
#afhj ,i have observed tassels sometimes
 appear as a finish to the  lower ends  
of mantlings1 as in the seal of ,thomas 
,bate1 engraved on p4  #de2 also in a   
signet of #afhc1 in ,miscellanea        
,genealogica et ,heraldica  for #ahhf1  

p4 #adc2 and elsewhere4    ,shields set 
in frames of scroll-work1 without       
mantlings1 were prevalent  from the     
beginning of the seventeenth century4   
,for an example1 see a  signet of       
,fetherston1 #afch1 engraved in the     
,visitation of ,warwick  7,harleian     
,society74    ,from about #afgj         
cornucopi1 with flowers1 c41 appear1    
supporting  shields more or less        
egg-shaped2 and some of them are most   
exquisitely  engraved4 ,but even at so  
late a date1 ,i have not observed       
tincture  lines introduced4    ,i have  
noticed very few seals about this time  
in the ,jacobean taste4  ,probably no   
room was left in so confined a space for
 scroll-work around  the base of the    
shield4 ,but mantlings--rather heavy1   
although not  voluminous1 and kept up   
pretty high--are found towards the end  
of this  seventeenth century4 ,in many  
cases also1 at this time1 plain         
,georgian  shields occur1 without       
mantling4    ,early in the eighteenth   

century seals are found in late         
,jacobean  frames1 open and with        
trellis-work1 adorned with rushes and   
flowers1  and without mantlings4    ,the
 influence of ,chippendale taste        
strongly affected seals from about      
#agej to #agge4    ,many followed in the
 style of ,adam1 with ribbons and       
festoons of  flowers1 and sometimes     
lightly scrolled frames4 ,these1 of     
course1 are  without mantlings4    ,we  
are thus brought to the end of the      
eighteenth century4 ,only  occasionally 
have ,i met with mantlings between about
 #agdj and #ahjj2  but ,i must explain  
that it is very difficult to get        
together a body  of examples of the     
eighteenth century3 such are not old    
enough to be  figured in engravings1 and
 documents likely to bear them are not  
of  sufficient interest to be examined  
for any other purpose4 ,i trust         
fellow-students who read this book will 
sketch1 with their dates1 all  instances
 of this epoch3 it is only in that way  

we can get together a  body of evidence4
    ,it seems to have been very common1 
also1 for successive generations  to    
repeat the style of their seals1 as if  
that were as important as  the heraldry 
displayed2 and thus instances of the    
several variations  occur1 perhaps1 much
 later than their legitimate dates--as  
classified  above1 from many examples4  
,i know one family whose seals from     
#agah to  #ahdj show1 with only one or  
two exceptions1 the tasteless though    
still  prevalent form ,no4 #hj1 and     
without any mantlings4           99     
99       99       99       99           
,although taking ,,drawings and ,,stone 
,,carvings together1 there are  certain 
differences observable in each2 for     
instance1 we constantly  find1 in       
monumental sculptures of the sixteenth  
century1 designs with  mantlings above  
and scroll-work below1 which very       
closely correspond  with ,jacobean      
book-plates and engravings such as did  
not appear till  about #agbj4 ,i would  

refer to ,thoroton's ,history of ,notts1
 p4 #bbg2  where is engraved a monument1
 at ,wollaton1 to ,henry ,willoughby1   
who  died #aeha1 which is quite         
,jacobean in taste and treatment4       
,another  equally so is at              
,newark-upon-,trent ,church3 this was   
erected in #affa1 to  ,thomas ,atkinson 
7,thoroton's ,notts1 p4 #bjj74 ,another 
with cornucopi  and scrolls stands in   
,west ,lake ,church1 to the memory of   
,richard  ,mansfield1 who died #afbd    
7,thoroton's ,notts1 p4 #bg74 ,this last
 exactly  corresponds with some of      
,hollar's beautiful designs1 in         
,sandford's  ,genealogical ,history1    
published in #afgg2 and it is very      
remarkable  that these are a distinct   
advance upon ,hollar's own designs in   
the  preface and dedication to the      
,bysse edition of ,nicholas ,upton1     
which  he engraved in #afed2 while for  
nearly fifty years this monumental      
example had stood in ,west ,lake        
,church1 and we know it was only one of 

many similar ,english works4 ,i have    
many times noticed that sculpture       
precedes engravings or paintings4 ,it   
is1 ,i think1 inherently so3  designing 
in the round comes first1 to be         
afterwards translated1 by  skilful and  
artistic and educated shading1 into the 
flat4    ,through the kindness of ,dr4  
,jackson ,howard1 ,maltravers ,herald1  
and  ,messrs4 ,mitchell and ,hughes1 ,i 
am able to shew the engraving 7from     
,miscell4 ,genealogica et ,heraldica for
 #ahhd1 p4 #ii7 of a very unusual       
mantling from the ,confirmation of ,arms
 in #aebf1 by ,thomas ,hawley1          
,clarenceux1 to ,francoys ,galuerdet1 a 
native of ,rhodes1 and ,receiver        
,general in ,england for the ,hospital  
of ,st4 ,john of ,jerusalem4 ,this      
mantling is unusually small2 there is no
 helmet1 and the torce is  beautifully  
worked compare the brass to ,sir ,wm4   
,say1 lithograph ,no4  #ga4 ,i put this 
forward first because of its early date1
 and it seems  that at this time        

mantlings in heraldic drawings1 grants1 
c41 were  kept very small4              
,illustration    ,it will be convenient 
to describe1 and in a numbered list as  
follows1  the variations observed at    
successive dates4    #a4--;,from #aeej  
to #aegj there is a tendency to keep the
 greater portion  of mantlings above the
 shield4 ,they are of smaller volume1   
and one  fold is allowed to wander down 
on each side1 ending in a tassel about  
one-third down the depth of the shield4 
,a very characteristic example  is      
engraved in ,miscell4 ,genealogica et   
,heraldica for ,june1 #ahhg1  being the 
grant to ,thomas ffletewood1 of ,london1
 #ast ,june1 #aede4 ,in the  grant to   
,john ,lambard1 #aeth ,january1 #aeea   
7engraved in ,archologia  ,cantiana1    
vol4 v1 p4 #bdg71 such a mantling has   
four tassels1 two above  carried up     
somewhat high1 and two below standing   
about one-third down  the shield4 ,the  
mantling to the arms of ,goodricke1     
engraved in ,gerard  ,legh's ,accedens  

of ,armory1 edition #aefb1 is of the    
same character1  but without tassels4   
#b4--;,a little later the number of     
folds is observed to increase1 and  the 
tassels are carried down further and    
turn inwards towards the base  point of 
the shield4    #c4--;,in a grant dated  
#aegb1 which is printed in ,miscell4    
,genealogica et  ,heraldica1 vol4 i1 p4 
#cba1 occurs the first instance ,i have 
noticed of  the foldings coming from    
behind the shield1 and the same may be  
seen in  a grant of #aege1 printed in   
,sylvanus ,morgan's ,sphere of ,gentry1 
lib4  ii1 p4 #gd4    #d4--;,from about  
#aeij to #afcj a return to the simpler  
style is  observable2 a single fold     
wandering away from the body and        
reaching  with tassels to the base of   
the shield4 ,occasional instances return
  wholly to the descriptions given under
 #a and #b4    #e4--;,after about #afbj 
the volume of mantling gradually        
increased1 and  seemed to be purposely  
so arranged as to come out from behind1 

probably  because it was found in       
drawings to give artistic relief to the 
shield4    #f4--;,by about the year     
#afgj mantlings are frequently found of 
excessive  volume1 and in a mass1 which 
would be solid were it not skilfully    
broken by lighter hackings appearing in 
the central portions2 the  folds come   
down in heavy masses1 sometimes like    
great sausages or  cucumbers1 to the    
bottom of the shield4 ,examples of such 
may be seen in  ,sandford's             
,genealogical ,history1 #afgg1 and in   
book-plates engraved  in ,miscell4      
,genealogica et ,heraldica1 ,december1  
#ahhf1 p4 #ahd1 and  elsewhere4 ,the    
skill of the artist affects wonderfully 
the quality of  these designs2 it is not
 only the chiaro-oscuro1 but the turning
 of a  line may often sparkle with      
genius4 ,sometimes they are extremely   
flat  and heavy1 for instance1 in the   
map attached to ,thoroton's ,notts1     
#afgg1 may be seen a specimen1 which is 
a great contrast to ,hollar's  designs  

in ,sandford's ,genealogical ,history1  
published in the same  year4 ,again1 the
 frontispiece to ,carter's ,honor       
,redivivus1 published  in #afgc1 shows  
flat waves1 and behind the shield1      
coming out two-thirds  down its length1 
the edges rippling into leaves and      
hackings1 while  the folds extend down  
to a boldly hacked and curled cartouche 
for the  motto1 out of which spring two 
branches of olive4    ,instances of this
 style continue to occur down to #agej4 
,we find  them so engraved in ,guillim's
 ,display1 #agbd1 also in the ,english  
,baronetage1 #agda1 and in some of the  
engravings in ,atkyn's                  
,gloucestershire1 #agfh4    #g4--;,about
 the year #agjj appeared for a few      
years1 perhaps we may say  till about   
#agbj1 book-plates and dedicatory arms  
with great hacked  foldings twisted     
round and looking something like        
,catherine-wheel  fireworks4 ,two or    
four of these occur in book-plates1 and 
sometimes as  many as six1 three on each

 side4 ,we notice that these are        
conventional  exaggerations of the less 
pronounced circular foldings and        
turnings  seen so early as #afgg in some
 of ,hollar's engravings in ,sandford's 
,genealogical ,history4 ,an engraving at
 p4 #ahe in ,chauncey's ,history  of    
,hertford1 published in #agjj1 is       
especially interesting2 it shows  a     
monument1 dated #affb1 to ,hewytt1 in   
,sawbridgeworth ,church1 where  the     
carver has struggled to avoid the long  
ugly folds 7cucumbers71  and has        
introduced very vigorously twisted      
leaves and hacks which  almost approach 
those conventional ,catherine-wheel     
fireworks as found  in book-plates of a 
later date1 say from #agjj to #agbj4 ,i 
would point  out that all the armorial  
engravings in ,chauncey's ,herts are    
well  worth studying3 the mantlings are 
hacked all over1 and extend about       
four-fifths down the shields in endless 
small and vigorous twists1 the  shields 
themselves being variations of ,no4 #af4

 ,some of the engravings  in ,plot's    
,natural ,history of ,oxfordshire1      
published in #agje1  show the same      
character1 also some of those in        
,atkyn's ,history of  ,gloucestershire1 
published in #agfh4    #h4--,the rebound
 from this taste led to small mantlings1
 kept a good  deal at the top of the    
shield1 even although there were no     
supporters1  as in a peer's coat of     
arms1 to prevent their downward flow4   
,these  occur also when the bases of the
 shields in ,jacobean book-plates are   
finished off with scroll work1 trellis1 
scales1 c41 c42 the upper  part of the  
shield being ornamented with such       
smallish mantlings4 ,in  ,blomefield's  
,norfolk1 #agci1 ribbon scrolls extend  
all round some of  the shields in the   
place of a mantling2 while in what is1  
,i suppose1  a book-plate1 ,holland     
impaling ,upton1 printed in the         
pedigrees at the  beginning of vol4 i1  
acanthus leaves occur in the base1 and  
break out  occasionally1 where          

convenient1 from such scrolls1 which are
 arranged  round the upper part of the  
shield4 ,scrolls are strictly           
architectural  ornaments1 and not       
vegetables4 ,these correspond to the    
,french style  called ,bomb1 in which   
curves and undulations of surface in    
ribbons1  c41 were rolled and tossed    
about for artistic effect4 ,but with our
  ,english examples of monuments of the 
sixteenth century in the same  taste    
7see p4 #hj71 we need not consider that 
our ,jacobean style was  borrowed from  
the ,french1 although that nation1 for a
 full century1  ending in #agij1 guided 
the artistic tastes of ,europe4         
#i4--;,during the ,chippendale fashion  
all martial elements disappear1  helmets
 and mantlings are swept away1 and we   
see the style of ,louis  ,,xv4 borrowed 
from the prevailing ,french taste1      
broken shell-shaped  woodwork1 rocks1   
and shell curves 7rocaille coquille71   
hence called  ,rococo4 ,it was well     
enough in the frames of mirrors and     

furniture1  but seems strangely out of  
place around a cardioid shield of arms1 
with festoons of flowers and spikes of  
reeds or grass1 while perhaps  ,cupids  
or ,greek vases on brackets are         
introduced4 ,nevertheless1 the  genius  
of ,chippendale sublimated this into    
specimens of great beauty4              
,chippendale's ,books of ,designs were  
published in #agei1 i vol41 folio1  and 
in #agfb1 i vol41 folio4                
#aj4--,mantlings1 of course1 continued  
to be shown in grants of arms4  ,we find
 about #agge they appear to be smaller  
again1 and confined to  the top of the  
shield1 often being carried rather high 
up on each side  of the crest1 and      
frequently ending at the base in two    
tassels see a  grant #aggi1 ,miscell4   
,genealogica et ,heraldica1 second      
series1 vol4  iii1 p4 #da4              
#aa4--,this style continued to the      
beginning of the nineteenth century1    
when ,i have observed very light and    
graceful mantlings thrown about in  airy

 and much hacked foldings1 and generally
 ending in tassels 7see a  grant #ahjc1 
,miscell4 ,genealogica et ,heraldica1   
original series1 vol4  ii1 p4 #bj74     
,this character is also seen in many    
book-plates of this  date4    #ab4--;,i 
must now say a few words on the style   
introduced and skilfully  enforced by   
,robert and ,james ,adam4 ,they1 too1   
adopted from the ,french1  and by their 
skill and artistic taste developed to   
great perfection  the style of ,louis   
,,xvi4 7#aggd-ij74 ,the rage for this   
fashion arose  in ,europe upon the      
discovery at ,pompeii of ,roman frescoes
 preserved  in their original colours4  
,the brothers ,adam caught the exact    
spirit  of these1 and produced heraldic 
designs1 consisting of shell-fluted     
scrolls1 with light and airy festoons of
 flowers and ribbons1  surrounding      
shields almost invariably ,georgian ,no4
 #be4 ,the festoons  were frequently    
extended in graceful curves1 from pegs1 
just as we  see them in the recovered   

,roman arabesques1 or on the walls of   
the  ,petit ,trianon4 ,robert and ,james
 ,adam published their book in three    
vols41 imp4 folio1 #aggc-ahbb4 ,for     
examples of this style see ,dugdale's   
,warwickshire1 #agfe2 ,hutchin's        
,dorset1 #aggd2 ,hasted's ,kent1  #aggh2
 ,rudder's ,gloucestershire1 #aggi 7one 
specimen only72 ,nichol's               
,leicestershire1 #agie2 ,shaw's         
,staffordshire1 #agih2 ,manning and     
,bray's ,surrey1 #ahjd4 ,this long list 
will show how extremely popular  the    
,adam style continued to be for about   
thirty years4    #ac4--;,as early as    
#aejj1 a fan-shaped mantling with       
rounded base appears2  it was formed of 
an unhacked cloth with many closely     
folded rays1  and occasionally two      
tassels are attached to the upper       
corners and  hang down as supports on   
each side of the shield1 which stands in
 the  middle--see examples engraved in  
,herald and ,genealogist1 vol4 viii1  p4
 #bdg2 ,archologia ,cantiana1 vol4 v1 p4

 #bdh2 ,miscell4 ,genealogica  et       
,heraldica1 first series1 vol4 ii1 p4   
#ajj2 c41 c4 ,this design  is continued 
until after #agjj1 but seems less       
closely folded at the  later dates1 when
 they are often found in ornamental     
achievements in  pedigrees4    #ad4--;,a
 curious example of a mantling is       
engraved ,herald and  ,genealogist1 vol4
 viii1 p4 #bed1 in which a square sheet 
or cloth1  having no hacking1 and       
attached to the helmet1 is folded-in    
round the  edges2 through these a cord  
is passed1 ending in two tassels which  
extend a little below the bottom of the 
mantle4 ,this portion of the  cloth1 as 
well as the back1 hangs down straight   
without any folds4 ,the  result is that 
the shield stands out against the deeply
 shaded back  ground within these       
folded-in edges1 they being in high     
light4 ,the ,,ms4  from which this is   
taken is dated #afde1 and the shield    
displays the  arms of ,helsby4          
#ae4--,the earliest instance ,i have    

noticed of those large unhacked  square 
sheets or mantles called by ,porney     
drapery1 which are drawn up  through two
 rings or ribbons at the upper corners  
and fall in folds1  while in the middle 
stands the shield of arms1 occurs in a  
monument  at ,holme ,pierpoint to the   
,countess of ,kingston1 which bears date
 #afdi  7,thoroton's ,notts1 p4 #ij74   
,such are also engraved in the ,sphere  
of ,gentry1 #affa2 and in the ,english  
,baronetage1 #agda4 ,these are          
occasionally to be met with down to     
#ahdj4 ,in ,french heraldry they are    
commonly found4           99       99   
99       99       99    ,in ,archologia 
,cantiana1 vol4 x1 p4 #cbi1 is engraved 
a curious  tent-shaped drapery1 drawn   
over the helm and held there by a ducal 
coronet1 from which starts the crest1   
while beneath1 and in the middle  of the
 sheet1 stand the shield of arms and    
supporters4 ,this is from  ,the         
,confirmation of ,supporters1 ,crest and
 ,arms to ,sir ,edward ,dering1  ,knt4  

and ,bart41 by ,sir ,wm4 ,segar1        
,garter4 ,the first baronet was  created
 #ast ,feb41 #afbf1 and ,sir ,wm4 ,segar
 died in #afcc2 so the date of  this    
drawing is within those seven years4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,it must be evident that each artist    
gave a certain character and style  of  
his own to his work2 at the same time   
the various fashions noted  above are   
found strongly prevailing at the dates  
given4 ,they were what  was approved by 
the public taste1 and any variations    
only extend to  more or less skilful    
working out4 ,it will be noticed that   
public taste  has several times         
alternated between sparse and voluminous
 mantlings4  ,there are indications at  
the present time which seem to point to 
a  return1 within a few years1 of the   
massive convolutions seen during the    
last quarter of the seventeenth century4
           99       99       99       99
       99    ,in ledger stones and      
monuments from #afej the characteristics

  given above are followed until about  
#aghj1 when other kinds of              
decoration--palm branches1 festoons1 and
 scrolls--very largely  superseded      
mantlings4      ,,important ,,note ,,on 
,,tincture-,,lines ,,in ,,seals4    ,my 
readers would notice at page #eb and    
again at page #gi that ,i could  not    
accept the statements that seals so     
early as #afdh-i could possibly  show   
tincture-lines4 ,i therefore gave my    
authorities1 and showed pretty          
evidently that ,i could not1 in the face
 of other facts1 accept  them4 ,since   
the writing of those pages1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4
 ,st4 ,john ,hope has  very kindly      
examined for me the original document   
preserved among the  muniments at the   
,house of ,lords1 and reports that in   
none of the  seals attached to the      
death-warrant of ,charles ,i4 are the   
tinctures  indicated by lines4 ,it is   
not for me to explain how so accurate an
  observer as the late ,mr4 ,planch made
 such a mistake4 ,i think it is         

probable that the late ,mr4 ,bouttell   
followed him and enlarged somewhat4     
,the fact1 however1 is now definitively 
settled4    ,i had observed that in     
those earlier printed books which have  
copper  plates1 the invention of ,father
 ,silvester de ,petra ,sancta had been  
very  cautiously and undecidedly        
adopted4 ,in ,spelman's ,aspilogia      
included  in that small folio published 
by ,edward ,bysse in #afed1 and to which
 ,i  have frequently referred as        
containing also the works of ,nicholas  
,upton  and ,john de ,bado ,aureo most  
of the shields have tincture lines2 but 
in  some of the copper plates1 signs of 
various planets are given instead  of   
those letters for tinctures which are   
usually seen in tricks4      ,,note ,,to
 ,,page #cf4    ,i have no doubt that   
the curious projecting point to which   
the  attention of the reader has been   
drawn1 was meant as a protection        
against the ,coup de jarret1 that       
terrible feat of arms which aimed  at   

severing the muscles behind the knee1 a 
spot necessarily covered by  leather    
only1 and therefore peculiarly          
vulnerable4    ,illustration            
,illustration          ,,index4         
,,shields ,,figured ,,on ,,plate ,i1    
,,page #aa4      ,no4      ,pages4      
#a--ab1 #ah1 #ai1 #gb    #b--ab1 #ad1   
#ba1 #bd    #c--;,introduced #e1 #aa1   
#ab1 #ac1 #ag    #d--aa1 #ab1 #ag1 #bd  
#e--af1 #ba1 #bb1 #bd1 #bf1 #cb1 #ch    
#f--ad1 #ae1 #ah1 #bj1 #ba1 #gb         
#g--bb1 #bd1 #ch    #h--ei    #i--cg1   
#fj    #aj--cg1 #fj    #aa--cg1 #fj     
#ab--cg1 #fj    #ac--fa    #ad--fa      
#ae--fa1 #fb    #af--fb    #ag--fb1 #fc 
#ah--fb    #ai--fc    #bj--fc    #ba--fd
    #bb--fd    #bc--fe    #bd--fe       
#be--fe    #bf--fe1 #ff    #bg--ff      
#bh--ff    #bi--ff    #cj--444          
#ca--fg    #cb--fg    #cc--fg1 #fh      
#cd--fg1 #fh    #ce--fh    #cf--gj      
#cg--444    #ch--444    #ci--gj         
#dj--ga    #da--ga    #db--fh1 #ga      
#dc--fh1 #ga           99       99      

99       99       99      ,adam style1  
#hf      ,animals in the fields of      
seals1 #ah1 #bb1 #bc1 #bd1 #bg1 #cb     
,bosses in round shields1 #d2      in   
other shapes1 #ac1 #ad1 #af      ,bomb  
style1 #hd      ,bouches1 #af1 #bd1 #ca1
 #cg        ,chaplets or ,wreaths1 #ed  
,chippendale style1 #he                 
,counterseals1 #ge      ,crosses and    
other signs beginning inscriptions1 #ba 
,dates on seals1 #dc      ,death        
,warrant of ,charles ,i41 #eb1 #ed1 #hh 
,decorations on the field in seals1 #af1
 #ba1 #bc1 #cb      ,decline in the     
style of seals1 #bg1 #cj1 #cc1 #dd1 #di 
,guiges1 #f1 #ba      ,gunpowder1 use   
of1 #bf        ,helmets1 #ei            
,inscriptions1 style of1 given at the   
end of each century2      cross and     
other signs at their commencement1 #ba  
,ledger stones1 #hh      ,lines1 dots1  
ropes1 c41 surrounding seals1 #ba       
,mantlings1 #ci to #dc2      sixteenth  
century and later1 #gg to #hg2          
fan-shaped1 #hf2      square sheets1    

#hf1 #hg      ,mottoes1 #eh        ,palm
 branches1 #ee        ,rococo style1 #he
        ,seals sometimes used for a long
 period1 #i1 #bi2      lines1 dots1     
ropes1 c41 surrounding1 #ba2      time  
required in making1 #bg1 ,note2         
decorations on the fields1 #af1 #ba1    
#bc1 #cb2      animals in fields of1    
#ah1 #bb1 #bc1 #bd1 #bg1 #cb2           
inscriptions1 crosses1 and other signs  
at their beginning1 #ba2      unfolded  
scrolls in1 #cb2      counterseals1 #ge2
      secreta1 #gf2      dates on seals1
 #dc2      decline in style of1 #bg1    
#cj1 #cc1 #dd1 #di      ,secreta1 #gf   
,shields1 round1 #a1 #bf1 #cf1 #ch2     
laws relating to1 #b2      heart-shaped1
 #ac1 #ae1 #ga2      eared1 #gc to #ge2 
square1 #e1 #ai1 #bj1 #ch2              
lozenges1 #bj2      turned round at     
base1 #ad1 #fi1 #gb2      curved        
outwards1 #bd1 #cc to #cf2      curious 
point in sinister base1 #cf1 #hi2       
,john of ,gaunt's shield1 #bi2      the 
,black ,prince's shield1 #cj2           

length of shields1 #d1 #g2      their   
use abandoned in war1 #h1 #bd to #bf2   
introduction of gunpowder not the cause1
 #bf2      bosses in round shields1 #d2 
in other shapes1 #ac1 #ad1 #af          
,sources of information1 #i1 #di        
,supporters1 #ef        ,targetiers1 #e 
,tincture lines1 #eb1 #gi1 #hh          
,torces1 #dc1 #ha        ,wreaths or    
,chaplets1 #ed    ,illustration         
,illustration    ,illustration    ,being
 deeply impressed with the great value  
of a ,,corpus ,,sigillorum  which would 
bring together in one view a large      
number of ,english ,seals  of each      
century for the eye to rest upon and so 
to comprehend the  varying styles at    
different dates1 ,mr4 ,grazebrook puts  
forward the  following proposal to see  
if a sufficient number of ,subscribers  
will  be found to support him1 and meet 
the heavy expense of producing such  a  
work4 ,it is obvious that to lessen the 
number of illustrations would  impair   
its usefulness1 and ,mr4 ,grazebrook    

would not undertake the book  unless it 
can be thoroughly carried out4 ,what he 
contemplates would  show perhaps fifty  
selected characteristic seals for each  
century from  the eleventh to the       
seventeenth1 displayed in order of date4
 ,so large  a number would not be needed
 at the earliest or latest dates1 but   
for  some of the periods a greater      
number ought to be given4 ,students now 
get together such collections in        
tracings and drawings--as the labour  of
 years2 and it is feared very few have  
perseverance enough to carry  out fully 
their aim1 but without such exact data  
conclusions must be  guess-work4 ,mr4   
,grazebrook has such a collection for   
his own use1 and  knows from experience 
what a great advantage it is4    ,this  
proposed well-illustrated book would not
 only be most valuable  and instructive 
to the ,antiquary1 it would also possess
 a far wider  and general interest1     
because these are the highest specimens 
of ,art  remaining to us of the early   

times in which they were made4 ,seals   
at all dates are the results of the     
greatest skill and care to be  procured1
 according to the owner's means2 and    
many of them are  masterpieces1 both of 
design and execution4 ,they display the 
whole  career of ,art3 the simplicity of
 early times1 gradually developing and  
culminating in the perfection of the    
fourteenth century2 to be followed  by  
overloaded designs1 beautified by       
exquisite workmanship1 at the end  of   
the fifteenth4    ,such a pictured      
,history of ,art could not fail to be   
interesting and  attractive to many who 
would not care to study the subject from
 a  strictly antiquarian point of view4 
,this large collection of engravings    
would be accompanied by  explanations   
giving an account of most of the seals1 
the origin of  their decorations1 and   
other particulars involving a           
considerable  amount of genealogical    
research2 which1 even when epitomised1  
must form  a bulky volume2 and it would 

require a large body of ,subscribers at 
#cjs4 to cover the expense2 but the     
author trusts he may be encouraged  by  
such extended support that he may be    
able somewhat to increase  the number of
 illustrations--many of which must be   
reproduced from  the copper plates in   
old and rare works1 thus involving      
considerable  expense4    ,subscriptions
 payable when the work is completed4    
,gentlemen who would be willing to      
subscribe will please write to that     
effect to ,,george ,,grazebrook1        
,f4,s4,a41 ,oak ,hill ,park1 near       
,liverpool4    ,any suggestions for the 
improvement of the work would be        
esteemed4 ,the  author will confine     
himself strictly to     ,the ,art       
,history of those seals whose dates are 
accurately known2     ,the              
,characteristic ,styles prevailing at   
each period2 and     ,the various ,signs
 of ,date as they are developed4        
,,footnotes      #a ,i have to          
acknowledge the kind permission to use  

the following  illustrations--by        
,messrs4 ,virtue and ,co41 four blocks  
from ,cutts'  ,scenes and ,characters of
 the ,middle ,ages1 #ahgb2 by ,messrs4  
,mitchell  and ,hughes1 six blocks from 
,dr4 ,jackson ,howard's ,miscellanea    
,genealogica et ,heraldica2 by ,messrs4 
,nichols and ,son1 sixteen blocks  from 
,the ,herald and ,genealogist1          
,collectanea ,genealogica et            
,heraldica1 ,the ,topographer and       
,genealogist1 and ,the ,visitation  of  
,huntingdon1 #afac ,camden ,society2 by 
,messrs4 ,parker1 eight  blocks from    
,hewitt's ,ancient ,arms and ,armour and
 ,the ,archological  ,journal1 vol4 iv2 
by the ,society of ,antiquaries1 eight  
blocks  published in their ,proceedings2
 and by the ,royal ,archological        
,institute1 one block from ,the         
,archological ,journal1 vol4 xi4    #b  
,randle ,holme's ,academy of ,armoury1  
book i4 p4 #i1 tells us how  ,froissart1
 describing the battle of ,poictiers1   
says that the ,black  ,prince commanded 

the body of the ,lord ,richard ,duras to
 be laid on a  shield1 and that five men
 should bear the same to the ,cardinal  
of  ,peregorth for a present1 c4 ,also1 
that towards the end of the reign  of   
,edward ,,iii1 the ,frenchmen1 to save  
themselves from the liberal shot  of the
 ,english archers1 had shields made of  
elme-wood1 seven feet in  length and    
three in breadth and an inch in         
thickness1 which were made  sharp at the
 foot to pitch into the ground4    #c   
,it would be curious to ascertain1 if we
 could1 how long the die  sinkers in    
early times required to make these large
 and splendid  seals4 ,i have only noted
 a few instances which throw light upon 
it1  but1 no doubt1 a careful search    
might show the earliest dates after     
their succession when the several kings 
used their new great seals4  ,rymer's   
,fdera contains many orderings and      
surrenderings of such  seals2 the great 
difficulty is to connect the impression 
with the  thing ordered or dealt with4  

,blackstone ,the ,great ,charter and the
  ,charter of the ,forest1 #dto1 #agei1 
pp4 xxix and xliii informs us that  the 
great ,charter of ,henry ,,iii1 dated   
#abth ,november1 #abaf 7he was  crowned 
at ,gloucester1 #bhth ,october1 #abaf71 
was sealed--as declared  in the         
document--with the seals of ,gualo the  
,legate and ,william ,earl  of          
,pembroke2 ,king ,john's seal having    
been lost in passing the ,washes  of    
,lincolnshire1 and no new seal being    
made for ,king ,henry till two  years   
after4 ,about #fth ,november1 #abah1 a  
new great seal was made  for ,king      
,henry ,,iii1 and then began to be used 
in sealing writs1 of  course1 but was   
forbidden to be put to anything which   
might tend to  perpetuity till the king 
should arrive to full age2 and a        
footnote is  added1 ,it has not even in 
later times been altogether unusual for 
the  successor to defer for a while the 
making of a new great seal1--and  in the
 interim to use his predecessor's3--,the

 ,editor has met with a  patent of      
,richd ,cromwell1 dated #ah ,nov4 #afeh1
 #aa weeks after his  protectorship     
commenced which was sealed with         
,oliver's seal4 ,roger  de ,hoveden     
notes1 under the year #aaid1 that       
,richard ,i4 ordered a new  great seal  
to be made1 but the earliest deed to    
which it is known to  be attached bears 
date #ahth ,may1 #aaih--that is1 four   
years afterwards4  7,m4 ,deville's      
,treatise on the ,seals of ,richard ,i41
 and ,archological  ,journal1 vol4 iii1 
p4 #cgb47 ,among the ,standish ,deeds1  
which ,i had  lately the honour to lay  
before this ,society1 was one--a licence
 to  found a chantry at                 
,standish--granted by ,edward ,,iii4 on 
#abth ,february1  #acbh1 and with       
apparently an unfinished seal4 ,the     
impression is a bad  one1 but the lions 
afterwards on the horse clothing seem to
 be wanting4  ,he only ascended the     
throne #beth ,january1 #acbg4 ,on the   
fourth day of  his reign1 viz41 #bhth   

,january1 #acbg1 he delivered his great 
seal to  the ,bishop of ,ely as         
,chancellor1 two fleur-de-lys having    
been engraved  on the under side thereof
 7,rymer's ,fdera1 vol4 ii1 p4 #fhc74   
,this  was his father's seal1 thus      
slightly altered on one side4 ,in       
,october  of the same year ,edward      
,,iii4 stated by proclamation that he   
had a new  great seal1 different on both
 sides from the seal hitherto used2     
which  great seal was to have authority 
from #dth ,october1 #acbg4 ,rymer1 vol4 
ii1 p4 #gah1 records that the previous  
seal was broken up in the king's        
presence1 in his chamber in the ,castle 
of ,nottingham4 ,see ,professor  ,willis
 on the great seals of ,edward ,,iii41 a
 learned paper printed in  the          
,archological ,journal1 vol4 ii1 p4 #ad4
             99       99       99       
99       99    ,transcriber's ,notes3   
,the caret character is used to         
represent superscripts1 e4g4 ,richd4    
,both torse and torce were used in this 

book4    ,both scroll work and          
scroll-work where used in this book4    
,both wood-cut and woodcut were used in 
this book4    ,page #bd1 p4 changed to  
pp4    ,page #bf1 closing square bracket
 added after p4 #ahg4    ,page #ci1 #ae 
changed to by 7,he was beheaded by      
,edward ,,ii474    ,page #ea1 period    
added after sett to my hand4    ,page   
#ec1 ,,ii changed to ,,ii4    ,page #fj1
 closing parenthesis added4    ,page    
#fg1 cornucopia changed to cornucopi4   
,page #fi1 closing parenthesis added    
after p4 #baa4    ,page #gd1 closing    
parenthesis added4    ,page #hf1        
indroduced changed to introduced4       
,page #id1 period added after           
considerable expense4