THE SEAL OF RALPH. 



379 



remover dicel, obole; et pur fer de courser, ii deniers 

 obole ; et pur fer de destrer, iii deniers ; et pur removere 

 un diceux, i denier.' 



From Letter-Book G, dated from a.d. 1353 to a.d. 

 1375, and preserved in the Records of the City of 

 London, we make the following extract : 



' Item, qe Mareschal preignent pur ferure des chivalx, 

 cest assavoir, pur fer de viii clowes, ii deniers ; et de 

 meyns, i denier obole ; et pur remover, obole.' 



That the designation was general wherever the Nor- 

 mans had established themselves in England, is proved 

 by the accompanying drawing (fig. 144) from the brass 

 matrix of a curious seal 

 now in the possession 

 of Mrs Wooler, of 

 Darlington, and which 

 was found at Piers- 

 bridge, near that town. 

 A farrier displays a 

 horse-shoe, heavy and 

 clumsy, and pierced 

 with six almost square 

 holes, as well as a shoe- %■ 144 



ing hammer and two nails, as a badge of his craft, the 

 legend around them being S. Radul, Marcchal d' TEvechie 

 d' Dureme — which signifies that it was the seal of Ralph, 

 farrier to the bishopric of Durham. 



The word mareschal remained in vogue in England 

 long after the Norman French had ceased to be the popu- 

 lar or Court language, though it generally gave place to 'far- 

 rier,' ' ferrier,' or ' ferrator,' a designation which had also 



