A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Edward Gee 1 721, dean of Lincoln 1722 



John Mandeville 1722, died 1 724-5 



Francis Lockier 1724-5, died 1740 



John Thomas 1740, bishop of St. Asaph 1743 



Robert Lambe 1744, raised to the see 1764 



Charles Tarrant 1764, died 1 791 



Charles Manners Sutton 1791, bishop of 



Norwich 1792 

 Peter Peckard 1792, died 1798 

 Thomas Kipling 1798, died 1822 

 James Henry Monk 1822, bishop of Gloucester 



1830 

 Thomas Turton 1830, resigned 1842 

 George Butler 1842 

 A. P. Sanders 1853 

 John James Stewart Perowne 1878, bishop 



of Worcester 1890 

 M. Argles 1890 

 William Clavell Ingram 1892 

 William Hagger Barlow 1901 



Of the first known seal, twelfth century, there 

 is a cast at the British Museum. ^ The obverse 

 represents the abbey church, under the square- 

 headed arch of the central tower, St. Peter 

 with nimbus is seated, holding in his right hand 

 two keys, in his left hand a book, a hand of 

 blessing is issuing in the upper left-hand corner. 

 In a niche or chapel on the left a saint, with a 

 cross on the tympanum of the arch ; on the right 

 a porch with door thrown open. 



The legend has been destroyed. 



The reverse, a smaller round counterseal, 

 represents a boat on waves with St. Paul holding 

 a sword, standing between St. Oswald on the left 

 and St. Peter with key on the right, each under 

 a dome-shaped canopy with round-headed arch. 

 The centre canopy has two pinnacles; in the 

 field two estoiles. 



Legend : [ — siJgnvm bvrgense crvce lave 



REFVLGET ET ENSE. 



A fine fragment, creamy white in colour, 

 similar in design to above is attached to a charter 

 of about 1200.' Attached to it also is the seal 

 of Abbot A. (Abbot Andrew 1194-1199 or 

 Abbot Acharius 1 200-1 2 10), very imperfect 

 and indistinct, representing the abbot full length, 

 in his right hand a pastoral staff curved outwards, 

 in his left hand a book. 



The second seal of the abbey, thirteenth cen- 

 tury, is round, light brown in colour, and fine.' 

 The obverse represents a boat on waves, the 

 figure head of an animal at each end, St. Paul 

 standing, in his right hand a sword erect by the 

 point, in his left hand a book ; on the left 

 St. Andrew with a cross saltire, on the right 

 St. Peter with keys and book. Each saint under 



1 B. M. xl. 6. 



* Cott. Chart, xvi. 5c. 



2 Add. Chart. 5,360. 



a canopy with trefoiled arch pinnacled and 

 crocheted. In the field on the left and over the 

 roof the letter R twice repeated, on the right the 

 letter F twice repeated. 



Legend ; 



+ SIGNVM : BVRGENS : CRVC : CLAVE 

 FVLGET : ET : ENSE 



The reverse represents St. Peter with tiara, 

 seated on a carved throne in a canopied niche with 

 ogee arch pinnacled and crocheted, holding in his 

 right hand a key, in his left hand a long cross, an 

 animal under his feet, close by on the left a king's 

 head. On the left, in a similar but smaller niche, 

 an altar with a chalice covered with a corporale, 

 and a triangular lamp or bell suspended over it ; 

 on the right an abbot, full length, in his right 

 hand a pastoral staff, in his left hand a book, over- 

 head the initial letter O. Outside on each side 

 a masonry buttress. Over the roof on each side 

 a shield of arms, two keys in saltire for Peter- 

 borough Abbey. The base ornamented with a 

 cusped corbel table and below it a row of small 

 quatrefoils. 



Legend : tv : pro : me : navem : hquisti : 



SVSCIPE : CLAVEM : 



A dark bronze-green, very fine and sharp, but 

 imperfect example of the above thirteenth-century 

 seal is applied by plaited cords of red and green 

 silk to a charter of 1304.* The dark bronze- 

 green pointed oval seal of Abbot Godfrey of 

 Crowland, 1299-1321, is attached to the same 

 deed ; it represents the abbot with embroidered 

 vestments standing on a carved corbel under a 

 canopy with trefoiled arch pinnacled and 

 crocheted, supported on two slender shafts ; in 

 his right hand he holds a pastoral staff, in his left 

 hand a book. Background diapered lozengy, 

 with a small rose in each space. 



Legend : s godefridi dei gra 



DE 



bvrgo 



. RI . 



Another example of the thirteenth-century 

 seal, light-brown in colour, much injured at 

 bottom by pressure, is attached to a charter 

 bearing date 1538.' 



There is a cast at the British Museum of the 

 pointed oval seal of Abbot Robert of Sutton 

 1262-1274," representing the abbot full length, 

 in his right hand a book, in his kft hand a 

 pastoral staff. 



Legend : sigill' rober i petri 



A cast of the seal of Abbot Richard Ashton (?) 

 is also at the museum ; '' it is very small, and the 



* Ibid. XV. 18. 



' Egert. Chart. 482. Another fine impression is 

 attached to the Acknowledgement of Supremacy, 

 No. 102" 



8 B. M. Ixix. 96. 7 Ibid. Ixix. 99. 



94 



