Rights Holder: Somerset County Council
CC License:
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Unique ID: SOM-BAC303
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A post Medieval Russian flax bale seal dating to the year 1793. The lead seal is a thick disc with two horizontal perforations running through the centre from edge to edge to accommodate a cord or wire which would have been used to attach the seal to a bale of flax.
Kindly identified by Ged Dodd from the Peacehavens Project and also recorded on their website (IDS 1000): A flax seal from the Baltic inspected by Inspector V.Shchorolev working out of 62 post under Russian government supervision in 1793. The Grower/Owner/Agent/ initials are MM with 12 flax plants in the bale
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries Russia was a prominent exporter of flax Lead bale seals were used as a means of identification and as a component of regulation and quality control. Russian seals of this type were used as a means to monitor and ensure the quality of flax hemp products from Russia. They were applied individually by a port inspector and gave unique information like the inspector's name, the post where they worked, the name of the port, the initials of the previous grower/owner or agent, the quality and grade of the flax and the date it was graded (Sullivan 2000:211-227).
It is 21.1mm in diameter with a thickness of 5.8mm and a weight of 12.29g
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Exactly AD 1793
Date to: Exactly AD 1793
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 5.8 mm
Weight: 12.29 g
Diameter: 21.1 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 1st January 2016 - Thursday 20th October 2016
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Other reference: SCC receipt 017439
4 Figure: ST4715
Four figure Latitude: 50.93200129
Four figure longitude: -2.75556519
1:25K map: ST4715
1:10K map: ST41NE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sullivan, J. | 2002 | Lead Seals of Russian Origin |