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click to zoomElizabethan Great Seal

Designed by Nicholas Hilliard in 1584 and used from 1586–1603
With permission of the Folger Shakespeare Library

 

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Folger Shakespeare Library
Washington DC
United States

Elizabethan Great Seal
1586

Elizabeth I acceded to the English throne in November 1558.

On display is the second Great Seal of Elizabeth I, larger and more elaborate than her first Great Seal. Designed by the miniaturist and goldsmith Nicholas Hilliard in 1584, and in use from 1586 to 1603, it portrays a strong but caring monarch. The inscription around the edge reads: 'Elizabetha dei gracia Anglie Francie et Hibernie Regina Fidei Defensor' ('Elizabeth, by grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith'). It depicts the monarch enthroned on the obverse (front) side and on horseback on the reverse, and is heavily allegorical, with emphasis on the divinity of the Queen's rule. The Great Seal served as the emblem of sovereignty and was used, sometimes in conjunction with a royal sign manual, to authenticate all major documents of state. The care and custody of the two-part silver matrix for the seal was assigned to the Lord Chancellor.

This Great Seal is attached by a parchment tag to a 'licence of alienation' dated 2 September 1586, granting Royal permission to transfer land in the parish of Kingswood, Wiltshire from John Poynte, esq. to John Bridges, the elder.