Waxing Lyrical: The Joy of Medieval and Early Modern Seals

The National Archives holds thousands of wax seals dating from the 11th to 20th centuries. Before the signature became the most commonly accepted method of validating and authenticating a record, the seal – produced by the making of a personal, often artistic, mark in a soft material by the use of a hard, engraved negative – held sway. Even as the signature began to take over, the seal still retained an important place in legal written culture.

Principal Medieval Records Specialist Dr Paul Dryburgh will introduce seals, sealing practices and how sealing changed over time, with an accompanying document display highlighting some of the finest examples in our collection.

Doors will open 15 mins before the advertised start time. The talk is expected to last 1 hour (including a Q&A), followed by a document display.