Cloth Seal, Clothier's Seal, Tiverton, Thomas Carswell

Cloth Seal, Clothier's Seal, Tiverton, Thomas Carswell, Image & Found by Peter Eggers.
Found in De Rijp, Netherlands, 23.5mm.

22 // crowned heart T C to sides

Peter Maunder has identified the initials as Tiverton merchant Thomas Carswell, trading from 1690-1699.

The rivet seal shows signs of double stamping with the border design around the 22 appearing again in two or more places at the edge. The topmost one, near the joining strip, also shows the tail end of the last 2. Evans Type 4.4.1.*. This seal is also recorded as No.17 Fig.2 p.396, Maunder, P., Tiverton Cloth: The Story of the Town's Woollen Trade 1475 - 1815.

*A helpful classification system for these seals, devised by Jane Evans, can be found as an appendix to Peter Maunder’s comprehensive history of the Tiverton cloth trade.

The fullest collection of Tiverton cloth seals (about thirty) is on permanent display in Tiverton Museum.