- Museum number
- 1888,1110.10
- Description
-
Oval silver seal-matrix with a long socket, engraved on sides with wyvern, lion's head, ram's head and bull's head. Above and below are legends. A shield of arms with fifteen quarterings, with crest, a wyvern on helmet, mantling and a motto on scroll. Fitted with moulded crystal handle ending in flattened hemisphere. With wax impression.
- Production date
- 17thC(early)
- Dimensions
-
Length: 2.80 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
-
- Curator's comments
- Text from 'Catalogue of British Seal-Dies in the British Museum', A.B. Tonnochy, London 1952, cat. no. 472.
From the collection of Octavius Morgan, Esq.
The seal has been fitted with a moulded crystal handle ending in a flattened hemisphere.
Sir Robert Naunton (b. 1563) came of an ancient Suffolk family. He was knighted by James I, by whom he was made Secretary of State in 1618, an office which he held until his death in 1635. He was the author of 'Fragmenta Regalia', an account of the courtiers of Queen Elizabeth, compiled about 1630, and frequently printed after his death ('D.N.B.').
The shield of arms is in fifteen quarterings; 1, sable, three martlets argent (Naunton); 2, quarterly, in the first quarter a lion passant gules (Boivile); 3, argent, a chief indented azure (Glanvile or Glanvil, Suffolk, and Broomhall, Yorks.); 4, or, an eagle displayed between six torteaux; 5, argent, a lion rampant sable and a chief gules (Ashby of Loseby, Leics.); 6, azure, two bars or (Burdett or Bordet, Leics.); 7, azure, ten bezants (Zouch, Lubbesthorpe, Leics.); 8, ermine (Conan, duke of Brittany); 9, three fleurs-de-lis; 10, a lion rampant between four crosses crosslet (Brewes?); 11, gules, two bends the upper or, the lower argent (Milo Fitzwater); 12, three fusils conjoined in fess; 13, gules two bends wavy or (Brewer, Devon); 14, a gryphon segreant or; 15, four chevrons.
A shield with all the quarterings of Naunton impaling Perrot at Letheringham Priory, Leicestershire, is quoted by J. Nichols, 'History and Antiquities of Leicestershire', vol. iii, pt. 1, p. 514. London, 1800.
Thefollowing information provided by Malcolm Jones (Email, pers. comm. 2021) - Naunton's seal is shown lying on his table in the 2 states of his portrait engraved by S. van de Passe (1841,0809.97 and 1848,0911.489) -- but the matrix is circular not oval, the device looks rather like a wyvern, and the handle of the matrix seems to terminate in a (hemi-)sphere. If we reverse the engraving of the matrix the opening of the circumferential legend is clearly the expected SIGILLV (but 5th & 6th letters garbled).
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1888
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1888,1110.10