
Elizabethan
Great Seal
Designed
by Nicholas Hilliard in 1584 and used from 15861603
With permission of the Folger Shakespeare Library
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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.
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