CLXXII ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



longing to a late mediîBval period. Two of the MS. chronicles which 

 have come under my notice refer to the fact that, in the year 1499, the 

 king, Henry YIL, granted a new charter to Bristol, and also that he pre- 

 sented his own sword to the mayor to be borne before him on all occa- 

 sions of state. The origin of this sword has hitherto been spoken of 

 as unknown. This seems to be a fitting occasion for throwing out the 

 suggestion that in this " Lent sword " we have the one that was pre- 

 sented by Henry YII., just two years after John Cabot's great discovery, 

 and that both charter and sword may be regarded as tokens of the king's 

 gratitude for the success of the expedition which Bristol sent forth. 

 Last, but by no means least, in point of size, there is the gigantic sword 

 now commonly in use. In the Georgian days of extravagance and dis- 

 play, the corporation seem to have thought that the old historic swords 

 were not "up to date," so the}- acquired by purchase a brand new one 

 in 1753. 



The present mayoral chain dates back only to 1828, the time of George 

 IV., but previous chains of office were in use, as, in the language of an old 

 chronicle, the civic procession which met Queen Anne, consort of James I., 

 on the occasion of her visit to the city in 1612, was headed by the mayor, 

 who " did ride bareheaded with a chain of gold about his neck." The 

 use of this appendage to the office of mayor does not, however, seem to 

 have extended back to the fifteenth century. 



The ancient seals of the city of Bristol are also a most important part 

 of its insignia. In these days a damp wafer and a lever press are deemed 

 sufficient, but these ancient seals are real works of art. They represent 

 the imiDortance of the city in its early stages, and are in themselves the 

 evidences of its exceptional privileges. It cannot be said when a seal 

 first came into use : certainly there did exist a seal or seals before the 

 oldest of those that now remain. The oldest of these dates from Edward 

 I. Most of the seals relate onlj^ to the performance of the ordinary 

 duties of the executive authority, such as the burgess and mayoral seals, 

 but there are others that relate to the performance of special duties, and 

 the enjoyment of privileges that belonged only to the favoured few 

 among the towns of England in the fifteenth century. Of the latter 

 class is the seal of the mayor of the Staple. In the exercise of the mon- 

 opoly confeiTcd upon the city at this period, the mayor controlled the ex- 

 tensive trade carried on in wool, wool-fells, skins, lead, and tin, wool 

 being by far the most important. Such goods were examined and 

 weighed on shipment, or arrival, and all questions arising from these 

 transactions were settled at a court held by the mayor, called the Staple 

 court. It will be readil}^ understood how, in the exercise of the privileges 

 of a staple town, the trade of Bristol at this early period very rapidly in- 

 creased. 



Another important seal is the one known as the Admiralty. It is 

 made of lead and has the appearance of great antiquity. In 1462 under 



