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Description: | An incomplete lead seal matrix of Medieval date (AD 1200-1300). The seal is pointed oval in form, and has a broken lug projecting from the top of its apex. The front of the die depicts a large central crescent moon with a five pointed star above, and is surrounded by an engraved linear border outside which is an engraved inscription. The inscription is partially obscured by damage, and the portion which remains legible is not easy to interpret. It appears to read + S' IOLECNE[---]V' (Seal of Jo[hn] the Knave?) - the I and L are uncertain, and both the E and C are retrograde.This must be a personal seal, but the name is very uncertain. 'Knave' in the medieval period probably denoted a servant; a John Le Cnave is recorded in the Assize Rolls for Warwickshire in 1221, and the word is also found in the combination Floureknave in 1309 and Horsknave in 1401 (Reaney and Wilson 1976, under Nave, Flower and Horseman respectively). Pointed-oval seals such as this appear from the early 13th century AD and were often used as seals for women (Harvey and McGuinness, 1996: 79-80).
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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