SEAL MATRIX

A copper alloy Medieval ecclesiastical or monastic seal matrix of notable quality. It dates from the 14th or 15th century and is a pointed oval in plan and is possibly of French or Belgian origin. It depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ child flanked by a fleur de lis on each side. The legend reads: "* S • beate • marie • de • villaincole" translating as The Seal of Saint Mary of Villaincole, though, as yet, Villaincole has not been identifed.

The matrix is very crisp and many small details can be seen. The legend starts with a star of six points. The lettering is in a gothic blackletter style, in lowercase except for the initial S. The space after the last letter is filled with a sprig of foliage. The legend is bordered by beaded lines inside and out. The Madonna is depicted (described from the impression) as a standing, draped figure with a halo and a crown (Mary as the Queen of Heaven) and long hair, facing slightly to the left side of the impression. She holds the infant Jesus on her right hip, on the left side of the impression. He faces towards Mary and is also nimbate.

The reverse of the matrix is also unusual, having a large central lug running the full length of the matrix. It is pierced by two attachment holes, both circular. The lower part of the lug is triangular in profile, with the hole in the apex, and the upper hole is through a trilobed, or clover leaf shape in profile. The central lobe of the trilobe is worn on the face towards the centre of the matrix, and the perforation is worn on the side closest to the matrix face. The reverse of the matrix and the sides of the lug are marked with faint striations, probably filemarks.

The finder has pointed out that the village near the findspot used to be occupied by Cistercian Monks from Byland Abbey in North Yorkshire. Harvey and McGuiness (page 99-100) note that all Cistercian seals from Britain in the 12th and 13th century conform to the rules of only showing the abbot or his hand grasping a crozier but from 1335 it was specified that the seals had to be round, show the image of the Virgin Mary and be struck from brass. Broadly these rules were followed, but most Cistercian seals were a pointed oval shape showing the Virgin Mary, and thus were impossible to distinguish from seals of other monasteries (ibid). It would thus seem that the matrix could be linked to the Cistercian Order but is not conclusively so.

The finder reports that it has been suggested to her that villaincole could be related to Hampole Priory or a variation of it.

In contrast, John Cherry suspects that villaincole may be a Latinised form of a French or Belgian place name. He also commented on the unusual form of handle, speculating that it may be foreign.

Georgina Arcroft of the British Museum has commented that the pointed oval design and form of inscription suggests it is ecclesiastical, perhaps being from a cathedral, church or a monastery. She adds that the Virgin and child motif is unusual in this context. She also noted that the double loop on the back is fairly rare.

Finally, Julian Gardner of Warwick University commented on the style of script, noting that it is likely to be later (15th century). He also reports that the church / priory named as villaincole does not appear in the standard repertory of Abbeys and Priories (L.H.Cottineau, Repertoire Topo-Bibliographique). He says: "The name Villa in Colle - effectively town or village on a hill is very common. However the 2 fleur-de-lys make me think it could be French".

The matrix is 33.71mm long, 22.93mm wide and 14.99mm thick. the matrix without the lug is 4.49mm thick. It weighs 23.32g.