Cloth Seal, Norwich Weavers Company Seal, 1689, Image by StuE, Found by Nasher.
Found in North Hertfordshire / Cambridgeshire area, 18mm, 6.2g.
NO / RWI / CH // GG / WCBB / RCEB / W(L)
This seal is a Norwich Weavers' Company seal with the initials representing the surnames of the twelve wardens of that year who were responsible for supervising the standard of the cloth produced. The year the seal was issued was found by matching the surname initials with the annual list of wardens in the Norwich Mayor's Court Book held at the Norfolk Record office under reference: NCR Case 16a/24.
It matches those shown for 1689 (fol. 251v) and with the help of a transcription found in Provenanced Leaden Seals, Geoffrey Egan, Department of Medieval Archaelogy, University College,University of London, 1987, the names that year for the Norwich wardens were - George Gynne, Stephen Gynne, John Wythe, Wm Clarke, Tho Blythe and Wm Blythe, and for the rest of Norfolk, Thomas Rye, Colvey Chamberlaine, Samuel Elis, James Bircham, Jacob Webster and John Laurence. Also from this reference see seals 2035 and 3969 for matching seals.
See Nos.81-85 Figs.21-22, Egan, Lead Seals and Related Items in the British Museum.
Also see the 'Worsted Reformed' seals on this Gallery that were attached to the other end of these cloths.
