 I must go on and introduce Rhino, who is an old friend of mine, I first met him I think in the 1980s or thereabouts, which must be about 40 years ago now, and we're all much older, and he has a distinction that he became a director of a national museum and the Irish had the good sense to appoint someone who knew about objects to be a director of a national museum, which is not as what happens elsewhere. But anyway, welcome Rhino and give us your take on Irish personal seals. Thank you, John. I think that's green up now. You're with me? Oops, share. Okay, yeah. Is this, can you see this? Hello? Yep, yep, yes, you're very clear. You've gone on to slide two. Okay, so I've just started the beginning. Okay, start the video now. Yeah, right. Okay, thank you very much, John, for that introduction, and it's good to see you after all these years. And I'd like to thank you for the kind invitation to speak at this conference, which I'm delighted to get back into the subject, which is a subject that I did some research on many, many months ago. What I'm talking about today is basically just a preliminary work towards what I hope will be a major project on the seals of medieval Ireland. Now, the study of Irish seals is one which has been neglected for over a century, and unconscious of this material will be, will not be, will be new to most people, including many Irish people. Therefore, what I offer here is a general overview of the subject as it currently stands. It's based largely on published sources and the few images of seal matrices which have been photographed, because this subject, as you'll see, is fairly poorly researched. The conclusions arrived at therefore must be regarded as preliminary, and from the first and form the first step in what I hope will be more comprehensive understanding of seals and seal usage in medieval Ireland. As elsewhere, the subject of seal geography was popular in Ireland in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but interest in the subject has waned thereafter. A large proportion of the surviving Irish seal matrices were collected at this time in the, during the 19th, early 20th centuries, most of which are now preserved in the collections of the National Museum of Ireland. The study of Irish seals reaches peak in the early 20th century, primarily to the work of E.C.R. Armstrong, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland. His monograph on Irish seal matrices and seals published in 1913 is still the only reference on the subject, covering seals from medieval through to the modern period. These came from cabinets of a small number of 19th century private collectors who seemed to have cornered the market in seals matrices. In his monograph, Armstrong listed 62 medieval seal matrices, of which three quarters were either ecclesiastical, heraldic or equestrian, and only a quarter could be classified as personal, so that's the top row there. This reflects an inherent bias in the interest of 19th century collectors, but the study of seals was largely confined to those by identifiable churchmen and institutions and the seals of lay sigilance with recognizable Irish names. They also reflect an interest in heraldry and in particular the question of when heraldry was adopted by the Irish. Since Armstrong's time, as further seal matrices have come to light, both as new finds and through literature search, it's been possible to get at least some indication of the range of medieval seal matrices which were used in medieval Ireland since Armstrong wrote and the profile of seals has changed dramatically. As you can see in the period since 1913, vast majority of seals, almost all, were personal seals and there is a further group of metal-detected seals which have yet to be examined, mostly of lead alloy. Consequently, today a total of around 140 matrices, medieval seal matrices are known from Ireland, to which may be added some 60 papal bullies recorded as having been found in Ireland, but I will be dealing with them here. The table here then shows that the total number of medieval seals since Armstrong's day has doubled. The number of personal seals has increased by a factor of five, accounting for almost 60% of the total and of course this raises the question of whether these seals were being found in the 19th century but not being collected or not being recognized. They certainly didn't enter public elections and no new equestrian or heraldic matrices have come to light since Armstrong's time and finally there's been a substantial increase in lead alloy seals since 1913, many of these amongst this metal-detected group which have yet to be examined. The holdings of the Dasher Museum of Ireland, I should say, also include several hundred wax seal impressions and cast collected by Armstrong which have yet to be catalogued. Only five seal matrices have been found from archaeological excavations, I think we heard that last week as well, and all our personal seals. Going through the only two Irish medieval matrices of bone, one of which is shown on the left, that of Adam the Chaplain, found in the course of excavations in Dublin Castle in dump ditch deposits and one on the right is from excavations at Grand Parade Cork, found again in a deep redeposit context. Around the Central Fleur de Lis, the Cork example has the name of the Sigeant Adam Gold and the Gold or Gold family were to become one of the principal merchant families in the city of Cork through the medieval and into the early modern period. So far I've been discussing matrices but coming to seals themselves, the situation is far more difficult. It is very difficult to get a sense of the numbers of extant medieval Irish seals that have been preserved in public archives and no comparable study to those such as by Lang or Birch have been undertaken for Ireland. A large proportion of Irish seal medieval records were lost when the record store in the public record office in Dublin was destroyed by fire in June 1922 during the course of the Irish Civil War. This was only the latest in a pattern of loss through fire damage and neglect to befall Irish medieval records. While a large number of these records were published both before and after 1922, the principal concern was to record their contents and the presence of seals was only noted in passing, if at all. It is also clear that seals had become detached or were deliberately removed from documents and that others survive in poor condition. The largest single collection of medieval records now extant in Ireland was that kept by the Butler Earls of Ormond collectively known as the Ormond Deeds now preserved in the National Library of Ireland. Though calendars, the seals have never been studied and only a few have been photographed. An estimated 1,300 seals survive, though many are damaged and fragmentary. The only substantial archive of ecclesiastical medieval records are those of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Dublin known collectively as the Christ Church Deeds. These however were destroyed in the fire of 1922, but luckily the principal deeds were copied in the 18th century and include drawings of some 50 seals which remain to be studied in detail. And you see at the bottom right there one personal seal of Richard, one Richard of Castle Martin attached to the age of 1220. Few parochial records survive, one set associated with the parish of St John in Dublin are now preserved in Trinity College Library. A selection of seals was drawn for publication by Armstrong when he wrote a note on the seals to accompany the calendar of the deeds which was published. I'll refer to these later in my talk. Smaller numbers of seals survive in other public archives including an estimated 300 Irish seals in the National Archives in Kew. The number of extant Irish seals of pre-1600 date is just thus a present unknown. The best estimate and it is only that is that it would be calculated in the low to mid thousands, possibly around three to four thousand. A number comparable to those catalogued in the seals of medieval Wales project. There are no certain instances of seals in Ireland before the 12th century. The earliest seal charters in the European tradition in Ireland were drawn up in favour of the Sturgeon Houses, the majority of which were founded from other houses in England. The use of seals certainly predates the Anglo-Norman conquest of Ireland in 1169 though the use of seals did not become widespread until the arrival of Anglo-Norman settlers and the retainers, many of whom became major landowners in much of the south and east of the country. Others would have settled in the major towns such as Dublin, Cork, Ekenny and Vada attracted by the rights and privileges grant to free purchases. It is no surprise therefore to learn that Ireland generally follows the development of seals in terms of form design and motifs found in contemporary England, Scotland and Wales. The scale of this settlement in the wake of the Anglo-Norman conquest is best reflected in the Dublin Guild merchant rolls shown on the screen here. A document listing those admitted as free men to the city in the 13th century. This map shows the geographical origin as recorded in the by names of those entered in the rolls and as you can see the preponderance of names of individuals from the south and west of Britain and from the Welsh marches in particular is clearly evident. One of these individuals was no doubt the owner of this council-led seal with the motif of a centaur with bow and arrow found during the course of excavations at High Street Dublin just close by the cathedral in the centre of medieval town. The citulence name Adam Birston suggests that he was originally from Boreston in structure and is surely his nephew Thomas who is recorded in the Dublin Guild merchant rolls. The earliest accent equestrian seals in Ireland are those of the Anglo-Norman knights who participated in the Anglo-Norman conquest such as this double-sided seal of Richard Fitzgillbert Clare on a strongbow Earl of Pembroke who is famously married to Eva, daughter of Dermot McMurray King of Leinster who is responsible for bringing the Anglo-Normans to Ireland in the first place. Along with the figure of the mounted baron on the right it carries a figure of the standing knight holding a shield for the arms of the Clare family. This would have been the seal that would have been used by Clare in both Britain and in Ireland. Other seals belonging to lesser knights like these attached to the characters of Duisk Abbey Kilkenny are smaller and are single-sided. In the cases out on the left though the legend is unclear it is interesting that the by-name of the citulence Adam Pettit is rendered in the accompanying deed using the Irish form Adam beg, beg the Irish term for small or young. This is a by-name commonly used by Irish kings and lords to donate to younger sons and represents an early example of cultural affiliation, a cultural accommodation found on seals. The use of the equestrian device was soon adapted by Irish provincial kings and local chieftains. One of the earliest is the silver matrix used by Filebo Conner king of the western province of Connacht on the left. The silver matrix was found in the early 17th century but is now only known from a drawing made by the Irish antiquian historian Sir James Ware. The seal would appear to be finally engraved and interestingly the king's forename Phelamed modern Phelan has been accurately rendered by the engraver along with his title as king of Connacht. Phelan had allied himself to powerful Anglo-Norman magnet in an attempt to secure his contested kingdom under threat from both Irish and Anglo-Norman rivals. His father had tried to secure his land by charter from the English king in an attempt to secure feudal succession for his heirs according to Ware an impression of this very seal attached to a letter from Phelan to King Henry III survived in the record in London although it can no longer be traced. Another royal equestrian seal matrix this time of copper alloy is that shown on the right of Brian O'Neill king of Tyrone who's given the title Regas the Kedal-Ogan which is the Irish rendering of the area under which he helps way. The equestrian device in a simplified and reduced form remained popular in Ireland especially among lesser kings and chieftains throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. Modest in size measuring five centimeters in diameter or less their use of silver indicates the importance of their owners though size does not necessarily equate with status. A group of these small silver matrices carry a variety of devices those of Donalogue MacCarty king of Desmond and Macon McNamara the two on the left who's styled as Duchess or Lord of Hicep of the Icassian in Canticlare his name rendered in a mixture of Latin Irish and English for a equestrian. The seals of Brian O'Brien and Donna O'Brien on the right carry images of a griffin and a galley respectively. It is unlikely that these latter are to be considered as heraldic devices but what is significant is the fact that in the 14th century there was a demand for seal matrices from local kings which were required to authenticate documents. As there was no tradition of the use of documents requiring seals between Irish kings or lords these seals were must have been used in land transactions with the church and with the administration. Returning to the range of personal seals now I illustrate here a number of the more interesting examples. This silver seal of Vivian de Aula found in County Meath contains a central device which is an obvious play on the name of the owner in this case a single roof building or hall or Aula. This is a rare survival of a silver matrix of an owner of Anglo-Norman origin and it may well have been brought to Ireland from England or Wales. The flower motif, the lead motif appears on a number of seals of individuals bearing both English and Irish names. In the case of the seal on the right the engraver rendered the first name of the sealant close to its Irish form Dominol for what would now be Donald or Donald rather than the Latinized Dom Naldos. By the surname Kimelach the modern cavena is expressed more phonetically so this this interesting play and use of the of language is found itself throughout as a motif throughout the period. A more elaborate design of fully rigged galley found on this impression of a lead alloy seal, metrics of Walter Champion, found at the poor town of Draude in the last century. The original is now lost but the reverse is described as bearing scroll rock decoration similar to that found on the Greek cathedral chapter sealed now in the National Museums of Scotland and we saw examples of such foliar decoration last week used on lead seals found in Britain. There's a number shown last week from the EPS database. The silver matrix of William's son of William of London found in Ireland and now in the British Museum is a more ambitious affair bearing the motif of a hawk seizing a bird. The question here again is whether William's seal was made in Ireland or was brought by him to Ireland. The fact that he's called William to London doesn't necessarily mean that he was actually physically from London he could have actually been based in Ireland. Another example interesting example in the British Museum is this anonymous matrix showing a spurred cock bearing the inscription immutable sign and then changing sign. It was discovered at Flood Street Kilkenny in 1859 and this was the site of a market in the Middle Ages in the town of Kilkenny and may represent casual loss on the part of its owner or perhaps even of its seller. Other small private seals from Ireland include seals with the more common legends such as Pri Vesu and Elastius Vipri. A couple of pages carrying the motif of paired peacocks fronting a tree across are known also. This example only known from a publication early in the last century carries the name of the owner Alexander whose by name is unclear and it could be the Irish surname or it could be the Rutland or Rutland or it could be Rutland it's unclear and without actually examining the origin it's very difficult to be certain. The second seal with a paired peacocks is anonymous bearing the legend Deo Servire Regnare est to serve God is to reign which ultimately is a quotation from the 11th century Benedictine Moe Peter Damien and it'd be interesting to know whether anybody has discovered a seal with a similar legend. Women's seals are far less common and no matrix of silver or copper isle has so far been found. Those that do survive can be pointed oval or circular in form. These I'm talking about both seals and seal matrices. However some seals of elite women such as the seal of Joan, wife of Hugh Le Bigot in the Ormond Deeds shows a standing figure in a long gown holding a lily in one hand by that of Amos wife of Walter Cusack also in the Ormond Deeds depicts a standing female with long dress and pillbox hat and veil. However these have not been photographed so I I'm only going by the description given in the calendar records. It is likely that these were of cast copper alloy if not of silver. Seal matrices of women of lesser status are of lead alloy and include this flirtaly as the central device on the seal of Maud and a metal detected fine from a lake dwelling in the Irish Midlands. While another belonging to Alex Fitzphilip also of lead and appointed oval bears a crescent moon and a star. Other women employed anonymous seals such as that used by Catherine Hannan on the right who sealed the deed in Galway in 1394 with advice bearing a chained how or is it after last week is it a lion. I leave that with you. Among the seals recorded but unfortunately not illustrated by Armstrong is that used by Johanna de Mosque Poulin in 1302 which bore the figure of a lion and the inscription in French just be ready to best I am the king of beasts. I'm also derived from the description of the lion in medieval best truth. There are some gem set seals which have an association with Ireland but in the absence of names it is unclear whether all of these were actually found in Ireland or represent collectors items. One such as this silver seal of unknown provenance in the National Museum of Ireland inscribed Eche Agnosti with the Cornelian gem engraved with the lamb and flag. Another is which will be very familiar to you is this example in the British Museum set with an antique sword bearing the head of Hercules. It is said to have been found in Ireland and is inscribed Kiemenpoch seal Lemus Eukaryospea fairs best it would be interesting to actually try and track down if more is known about this seal to establish whether indeed it was actually found in Ireland. Whatever about these there is no doubt however in the case of the silver seal matrix made for one Brian O'Harney which contains an inset gem with the head of the Helmut warrior or that of John styled Archdeacon of Cachell County Tipperary with the setting of a seahorse. However further study is required on these gem set rings to identify both the gemstones and also whether they are of antique or medieval manufacture. My final selection of seals are those attached to a set of deeds preserved in the Library of Trinity College Dublin dating from the 13th to the 15th centuries which I mentioned earlier. I have not yet been able to examine these but some were illustrated by Armstrong and given idea of the wide range of motifs employed by trade people and property owners these are from the deeds of the parish of Saint John in Dublin located in the town centre city centre under the shadow of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. These included seals with simple wheeled devices such as that of Thomas Leblon de Voxmans town or the more elaborate stag's head used by John the Butler. Richard Saint Olaf on the other hand chose a fish as a motif for his personal seal. And the reason for this may be the fact that Richard is recorded in the deeds as owning property in Fishamble Street in the parish and advice may indicate his occupation as a fishmonger. Religious imagery in the case of the parishes and John seals was preferred by ecclesiastics such as the seal used by Brother Adam Payne, a sub prior of Holy Trinity with an Agnes day within branches. By that of William Brown chapter carriage and effigy of Saint Catherine very, this is now Armstrong's drawing of the seal crowned with the wheel and pram branches and interestingly an inscription in English naming the saint Saint Catherine. However, there are other examples of seals with religious devices which were used by laypeople those not exclusive to enthusiastic. It is important in the case of seal matrices to recourse their history and provenance that I mentioned this earlier. Like medieval jewelry, the sheer mobility of seals, the fact they were highly sought after by collectors and that many carry universal designs, legends and names which could be found anywhere in Ireland or in Britain means that caution must be exercised in attributing an Irish provenance to those in our collections which have no known history. Seals of Irish ecclesiastics and nobles have also been found in England, but the seal matrix of Thomas Barry Bishop of Ulcerie 15th century Bishop of Ulcerie founded the River Thames at Southern Bridge down the Museum of London or that of Brian O'Neill King of Kineleon shown earlier found in the minstery yard in Beverly in Yorkshire. How these arrived in England we can only speculate they could be relatively modern introductions. On the other hand Barry may have visited London either in his capacity as bishop or as treasurer of Ireland and the loss may have occurred on one such occasion. Brian O'Neill if he did this matrix is his because there are several kings of Rome bearing this name and was killed by the English at the Battle of Down in 1260 and has been suggested that a seal may have been taken as a trophy or it may even have been lost at an earlier date when Brian is said to have joined Henry III's Fourth Indian Expedition against the Scots. In conclusion therefore this survey of personal seals demonstrates that the Irish series in general reflect those found elsewhere in England Scotland and Wales in terms of material shape size form of legend and motifs employed. Usage was confined largely to the anglicized parts of the country where seal usage was practiced. Apart from their use in the ecclesiastical context seals were used sparingly amongst the Irish and appear only to have been employed in dealings with the ancient administration whether in Dublin, London or with Anglo-Norman magnets and their successors. Much work remains to be done in particular in identifying the individuals mentioned on seals and most particularly in terms of the study of the seal oppressions attached to documents which have received no attention whatsoever. The corpus of seals remains largely untouched but there is now potential to build on the digital initiatives such as those of DigiSig and the Seals in medieval Wales project to develop a database for Irish medieval seals. It is timely that this renewed interest in Irish scig geography comes along at a time when work is currently underway on the completion of a project being developed by Trinity College Dublin in partnership with the National Archives in Dublin, Belfast and London entitled Beyond 2022. This aims to create an open access to digital reconstruction of the record treasury in Dublin destroyed in the 1922 fire and include a virtual reconstruction of the documents as far as it can. It is also fitting that this revised Irish seal studies comes at the centenary of the death of the father of Irish scig geography Edmund Tarnth Richard Armstrong in 1923. Thank you very much.