Cloth Seal, Gloucestershire, Alnage, Stuart Arms, Image & Found by Jason Sandy.
Found on Thames foreshore near Swan Lane between London Bridge and Cannon Street Bridge, 37 x 23mm.
blank // off struck unknown markings GLO ... E(T?)+ around // arms of Stuart Britain // missing
Remains of a four part county alnage seal for Gloucestershire and possibly Somerset also as they were combined for alnage purposes at times, see seals 593, 2102, 4597 and 4664 on p.121, Provenanced Leaden Cloth Seals by Geoffrey Egan, Sub-Department of Medieval Archaeology, University College, University of London, submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 1987. "There is a notable series of dated four-disc alnage seals from the 17th century. The earliest ones are from the reign of Charles I and are for the alnager NB: -//NB, : GLOSTE(R)SO... (E)RSET around // 162.. over arms of Stuart Britain, CR to sides //- , No. 2102 has 32 on the first disc and no. 4597 has 74 here, probably for the weights of the cloths in pounds. These seem to be seals for Gloucestershire and Somerset together. They may have been for the fabrics woven in an industrial area comprising north Somerset and part of Gloucestershire, as well as Wiltshire."
