seals of yeovil borough
Common seals of Yeovil
Examples of Portreeve's Seal 1815 and Borough Seal 1877
Yeovil
was officially
designated as a
Borough in 1854
and at left is an
example of the
Seal of the
Borough of
Yeovil used by
the Corporation.
It is from a
document in my
collection dated
1877 and is
based on the
original
fourteenth
century town
seal used by the
town's Lord and
his
Portreeve.
The main shield depicts Saint John the Baptist, standing beneath an arch with trees either side. He is holding a shield with a representation of the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God.
The seal is a device for making an impression in wax, or other medium, and is also the impression thus made. The purpose was to authenticate the document.
The sealing process is essentially that of a mould, with the final image represented on the device for making the impression by a mirror-image design, incised in sunken relief, or intaglio. The seal-making device is also referred to as the seal matrix or die; the imprint it creates as the seal impression.
The seal impression in this photograph measures three inches (75mm) across and is reproduced here almost actual size (depending on your screen resolution). Impressed into red candle wax, it was placed on a bright green silk square attached to the vellum (calfskin) document.
The Portreeve's Seal photographed below, is from a document of 1815.
From my
collection
