THE CONQUEROR'S SEAL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 147, 23 June 1928, Page 20

THE CONQUEROR'S SEAL

SOME FOKGED; CHARTEKS. Pew "finds" among tho civic archives a-t Gjuildha'll of recont years havo been so interesting as that of tho great seal attached by William the Conqueror to-lus-'eharter to :.!says the "Baily 1" Tinie . Uiifortu: n'atoly has saved only part of it, and that in fragments. The five, small pieces of white wax. were pieced to^ gether by the great skill of Mr. A. 11. Thomas, M.A., the Clerk of the Eoeoi'ds,"and' tho Seal was identified by him. ' The. printed report by Mr. Thonjas says thai it has been ".surmised, from, the fact, that this is"• King ,William 's second; sealj-.that :this famous- London charter was not issued immediately after' the ■ Conquest, as was previously: supposed. Bishop William, to whom, among others, the charter was addressed, died in 1075. The, firstrknown use of the sepond Seal was in 1069. Accordingly,1 London's charter may have boon (rtvoii'botween those dates. Even .so, Mr. •Thomas points out, it may. well have boeii granted in. fulfilment <pf some, proniisQ made when the City \ surrendered to tiic Norman invaders. ' ' ■ Alniqst contemporary evidence exists [that;tlio Conqueror felt himself undor th'e'mticessity of placating the citizens, and that soon atfpr.his coronation in tji'p dpnfesspr's then newly-built Abbey Cliurch of Westminster, lie adopted measures that conferred advantage aj(d'dignity, upon tho. city. The grantr ing of i,he charter fqjlowed ns a nat.ural coiisequenco.: In the history of the city, privileges %vere frequently conferred on the citizens and duly exercised, the formal warrant in the form of, a charter being issued later. ;,Tho'Teport lists five first seals of William the Conqueror that are known. One of thes,e is at the British Museum; a sec-

6'ri'd* is among the muniments of .Westminster. Abbey. lii both.,discs.tUp sen's are attached, to fo'vgod' charters.' .It was an old :trick-, to remove ; .tho .authentic wax seal from its original parchment ifiid ■ attach .-it 'to a spurious charter 'that was much more generous ill its gifts.