WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

DISCOVERY OF SEAL. CLERK'S SUCCESSFUL SEARCH. An interesting discovery has just been made by Mr. Thomas, the records clerk of the Corporation of London, at Guildhall. It is the seal which was originally attached to the Charter of William tho Conqueror, and which, it has always been assumed, had been lost beyond hope of recovery.

The loose strips of parchment at the foot of the charter are present, but the seal has long been absent. Mr. Thomas always considered, however, that the seal might be in existence somewhere among the records, and he was the more inspired to search because the documents and possessions of .the records office still remain only partially indexed and arranged. Among an old miscellaneous collection of various articles, Mr. Thomas discovered a red bag containing pieces of wax labelled " fragments of an old seal," and this he fully investigated. He attempted to piece the fragments together, and with the assistance of experts of the British Museum, he ultimately managed to arrange the fragments and place them in a bed of wax. The result, it is stated, is beyond doubt the centre of the seal of William the. Conqueror so long missing. The corporation is rich in seals. The mayoralty seal, which was only taken out of use a few years ago because of its great value, dates from 1381, while the obverse of the common seal (still doing duty) was made in 1225, and tho " new" reverse in 1539.