They are found on rings, seals, oak chests, doors, windows, and panels of old houses, painted on windows, and engraved on brasses. They were used on the Continent and by wine merchants in Oporto and Lisbon. When the younger sons of the nobility or others bearing arms engaged in trade, they often had on their tombs their paternal coat of arms as well as their merchant's mark, impaled or on separate shields. In 1459 one Robert Thompson was appointed tokener to seal all cloths called Norwich cloth with a lead seal or token after being found of correct measurement, and the woollen weavers were obliged to bring in a roll of the names of their craft with each man's token, by which the goodness of the cloth might be known by the mark as the measurement was by the token. Sometimes the Merchant Adventurers Arms, or the arms of the city company to which the merchant belonged are found in connection with his mark." The accompanying plates contain Merchants' Marks, the majority of which are to be found on the seals attached to deeds belonging to the Corporation of Salisbury, but it by no means. follows that the seal contains the mark of the person who executed the deed, as it is evident in many cases that it was engraved for his ancestors. The Rev. E. E. Dorling, late incumbent of Burcombe, drew to uniform size the whole of the marks engraved for this paper. A KEY TO THE PLATES. Unless otherwise stated these are from seals attached to documents amongst the municipal records, Salisbury. In this list the persons to whom I have assigned the marks are, in many cases, not the persons using the seal and executing the documents. the other hand, where the seal itself gives no evidence to the contrary, it is assumed that it belongs to the person using it on the document. This attribution, however, must not be regarded as always certain. Around this is inscribed SIG. AEDELEFVZ* IEOAVY1 Isabella de Lavington is inscribed round this Thomas le Eyr executes this document but it will be observed the initials on the mark are I. E. 8. 1383. 9. 10. Reginald Tudeworth. Mayor 1297, 1306, 1310, 1312. M.P. for Salisbury, 1306. 1383. Johis Surmen or Gurmen. 1387. Robert Player. Mayor 1386-7. 11.- 1387. Henry Gille. Tanner. Andrew Fostebury. 14.- 1416. 15.- 1431. Richard Gatour, of New Sarum. Mayor 1430-1. 16.—,, M.P. 1433. 1431 and 1443. John Noyle, of Sarum. 1447. William Devenysh. Silversmith. John Wyse. Draper. Mayor 1460, 1461, 1470. Church, Salisbury, on the beams and in the east window of south aisle. He was mayor 1444, 1454, and 1477. M.P., 1460. 21.- circa 1500. Webbe. Wool merchant. Webbe. Wool merchant. On a corbel in the library of the Church House, Salisbury, and in St. Thomas' Church. The impression of this seal is very indistinct but apparently is as here given. It is attached (without the horizontal line at the bottom) to documents of Reginald de Tudeworth. |