Cloth Seal, Squirrel, Crowned Letters
Cloth Seal, Squirrel, Crowned Letters, Image by Derfel, Found by Andrew Bryson.
Found on Thames Foreshore, 23mm.
D Y R all crowned // squirrel on branch L below
The crowned letters appear to have been stamped individually. Further examples are known on the Continent (Euro-Plombs).
Unidentified parallels of this seal are shown on PAS:- NMS-692F70 and NMS-E24AC6 and NMS-E8A18C.
Michel Royer suggests it is probably a canting reference to the surname of Squirrel, "The initials under the squirrel (I.S. on my 2 lead seals only the first letter is visible on one of the two, it is an I, possible J also in the writing of the time). Also it may therefore be cantings arms for I (first name in I or J) and nom "Squirrel" (the lead seals with the cantings arms of the owner are quite frequent at the time). I found a John Squirrel draper in the 19th century, here the lead is older but it is possible that a draper of the 18th is also bears this name."
See also BSG.CS.00881.
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