WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20385, 17 April 1928, Page 12

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

DISCOVERY OF SEAL,

, Au interesting discovery Las just been . Siade by Mr Thomas, the records clerk ~ the Corporation of London, at Guila- ... hall. It is the seal which was originally attached to the Charter of William , the. Conqueror, and which, it has always been assumed, had been lost beyond hope , of recovery. The loose strips of parenment at the. foot of the charter arc present, but the seal has long been absent. Mr Thomas always considered, however, that the seal might .be in exist- ■ encc somewhere among the records, and .he was the more inspired to search because the documents and possessions of .. the records office still remain only parti-' ally indexed and arranged. .Among an old, miscellaneous collection of various articles, Mr Thomas dis- .. covered.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 v 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 -?■ cut 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 the “ now ” • reverse in 1539.