Apart from the Roman period, seals do not appear to be used until later-Saxon times and then only in the highest orders of medieval society. By the 12th century onwards however with the increasing role of central government in local affairs and the developing use of documents and deeds to prove rights of title etc., the ownership of personal seals became necessary. Thus a man or woman in medieval times, who possibly could not read or write themselves, had the means of putting their mark upon a document by means of a seal to authenticate it. There are many types of seal such as lead seals, generally used by the lower classes due to the low cost of the metal and being relatively easy to engrave. The higher class and religious seals are made of bronze and silver, the larger the seal the more important they seem to be, especially in the case of religious seal. Secret seals are rare and were used by the elite of society such as the King, nobles and personal staff of the king. Much diplomatic correspondence was issued under the privy and secret seals rather than the great seal in an effort to increase secrecy. Secret seals have the inscription S’S or other abbreviations of SIGILLUM SECRETUM before the name of the person or issuing council. Please find our selection of medieval seals for sale on the links below.

Please choose from the Links above to review our selection of Medieval Bag, Cloth, Document, Merchant, Personal Seals and Seal Matrix.

We are always adding to our collection of Medieval and Post Medieval Gold, Silver, Bronze and Lead Seals. Please ensure you re-visit to see the new Seals we have in stock.

An example of a Medieval Seal matrix we have sold recently: