ARMS, SEALS, INSIGNIA, AND PLATE
Several different coats of arms used by
Gloucester after its charter of 1483 depicted a
sword between horseshoes and nails, a reference
to the town's principal trade. One such coat was
displayed on a mayoral seal used in 1492 (fn. 2) and
another on the Crypt school building of 1539. (fn. 3)
The charges on the latter, a sword with a cap of
maintenance on the point, between two
horseshoes and six nails, were incorporated in
arms granted to the town in 1538. Those arms,
obtained through the efforts principally of Alderman Thomas Bell, also referred to Richard III
and his violent death and to the Lancastrian and
Yorkist houses. (fn. 4)
Another coat of arms, believed to have been
borne by Gloucester before 1538, was made up of
charges from the blazons of the de Clares, earls of
Gloucester, and of Worcester diocese. (fn. 5) It
appeared on the monument in Gloucester cathedral to John Jones (d. 1630), a former mayor, (fn. 6) and
was adopted by the corporation in place of the
Tudor arms in 1647. (fn. 7) In 1652 the city acquired a
grant of the new blazon, which had as supporters
lions rampant and guardant holding broadswords
and on the crest a third lion holding a sword and
a trowel, probably to recall Gloucester's part in
the Civil War. The motto fides invicta triumphat
was adopted at the same time. After the Restoration Gloucester continued to use those arms (fn. 8) but,
in the absence of any new grant, its right to crest
and supporters was challenged. (fn. 9) The full
armorial achievement was conferred on the city in
1945 and was confirmed at local government
reorganization in 1974 when Gloucester was
accorded honorary borough status. (fn. 10)
Figure 24:
Town of Gloucester. Vert, on a pale or a sword azure, bezanted, the hilt and pommel gules, upon the point a cap of maintenance purpure lined ermine, all between two horseshoes argent pierced sable, each between three nails in triangle argent; on a chief per pale or and purpure a boar's head couped argent, in his mouth a queen apple gules, between two demi-roses, the dexter gules, the sinister argent, both rayed or. [Granted 1538; surrendered 1647]
City of Gloucester. Or, three chevrons between ten torteaux, 3, 3, 3, 1, all gules. [Granted 1652, 1945, and 1974]
The town's common seal in use by
1245 (fn. 12) was round, 23/8 in. in diameter, with the
device of a triangular citadel by a river and the
legend, in lombardic lettering, SIGILLVM
B[VR]GENSIVM D[E GILDA MERC]ATO[RVM GLOVCE]STRIE. The seal remained in
use in 1364 (fn. 13) but had been replaced by 1398 by a
circular seal, (fn. 14) 2¼ in., bearing a similar device with
a castellated gateway and the same legend in black
letter. The latter seal was in use in 1550. (fn. 15) In 1564
the matrix was struck in silver for a new common
seal. (fn. 16) That seal, 25/8 in. in diameter, showed the
arms of the city on a shield between two pairs of
maces in saltire and bore the legend, in renaissance lettering, SIGILLVM MAIORIS ET
BVRGENSIVM DE GILDA MERCATORVM
CIVITATIS GLOVCESTRIÆ. (fn. 17) In 1654 the
corporation broke and sold the matrix (fn. 18) and adopted a new seal depicting the arms granted in 1652
and bearing a different legend. (fn. 19) Its matrix was in
turn sold in 1661 when the corporation made a
large oval seal, (fn. 20) 3¼ in. × 2¾ in., displaying the arms
on a shield with elaborate scroll work and the
legend, in renaissance lettering, SIGILLVM
MAIORIS ET BVRGENSIVM CIVITATIS
GLOVCESTRIÆ IN COMITATV CIVITATIS GLOVCESTRIÆ. From 1800 or 1801 (fn. 21)
the corporation used a smaller circular seal, 21/8 in.,
with the same legend and an unadorned blazon,
and at local government reorganization in 1974
the city council acquired a new seal showing the
arms on a shield and the legend THE COMMON
SEAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
GLOUCESTER. (fn. 22) In 1986 the city museum kept
the silver matrices struck in 1661 and 1800.
From 1565 the corporation used a new seal for
St. Bartholomew's Hospital, (fn. 23) which had come
under its control the previous year and remained
so until 1836. (fn. 24) The matrix, which was in the city
museum in 1986, was made of silver from a cup
given to the corporation by Sir Thomas Bell. (fn. 25)
The seal, 2½ in. in diameter, bore the legend, in
renaissance lettering, SIGILLVM HOSPITALIS SANCTI BARTHOLOMEI GLOVCESTRIÆ EX SECVNDA FVNDACIONE
ELISABETHÆ REGINE and depicted St. Bartholomew holding a large knife and a whip,
symbols of his martyrdom. (fn. 26) It was also used for
the hospitals of St. Margaret and St. Mary Magdalen (fn. 27) and was replaced in 1800 or 1801 (fn. 28) by a
smaller seal, 2 in. in diameter, bearing the same
device and legend. That seal was in use in 1818
but the corporation had adopted the city's
common seal for the hospitals by 1820. (fn. 29)
In 1302 the town's bailiffs used a circular seal, (fn. 30)
13/8 in., with the device of a castellated gateway by a
river and the legend, in lombardic lettering,
SIGILLVM PREPOSITORVM GLOVCESTRIE. By 1334 they had adopted an almost
identical seal (fn. 31) with the legend SIGILLVM
BALLIVORVM GLOVCESTRIE; its silver
matrix was preserved in the city museum in 1986.
A fragmentary impression of the mayor's seal,
presumably made when the office was created in
1483, is attached to a deed of 1492. The seal, also
employed in 1582 and 1609, (fn. 32) was round, 15/8 in.,
depicting a shield, charged with a sword in bend
between six horseshoes and ten nails, and a lion
couchant guardant and bearing the legend, in
black letter, SIGILLUM OFFICII MAIORALITATIS VILLE GLOUCESTRIE. The
matrix may have been replaced in the early 17th
century, for an old mayoral seal was for sale in
1642 to help pay for the city's fortifications, (fn. 33) and
one matrix was broken and sold in 1654. (fn. 34) In the
late 19th century the mayoral seal was a circular
one, 1 3/16; in., bearing as a device the city arms on a
shield and the legend, in roman lettering,
SIGILLVM MAIORATVS CIVITATIS GLOVCESTRIÆ. The matrix was in the mayor's
office in 1986. (fn. 35)
Gloucester was granted a statute merchant seal
in 1348. (fn. 36) Of the seal's two pieces that known as
the king's seal was round, 2½ in., and showed a
half-length figure of the monarch, full-faced and
crowned, with a border of annulets on the neck
and the lion of England couchant guardant on the
breast, and, in an allusion to Gloucester's trade,
two horseshoes and thirteen nails in the field. The
legend, in lombardic lettering, was SIGILLVM
EDWARDI REGIS ANGLIE AD RECOGNICIONEM DEBITORVM APVD GLOVCESTRIAM. The bronze or latten matrix was
in the city museum in 1986. Clerks were
appointed regularly to keep the smaller counterseal (fn. 37) and that used in 1590 was 7/8 in. in diameter
and bore a shield of the city arms granted in
1538. (fn. 38)
INSIGNIA.
The insignia include two swords, a
cap of maintenance, four serjeants' maces, chains
and badges for the mayor and sheriff, and an oar
for the water bailiff. The charter of 1483 provided
for a sword to be carried before the mayor in the
same manner as in other boroughs and cities. (fn. 39) A
sword had presumably been acquired by 1486,
when the office of sword bearer was mentioned, (fn. 40)
and the city had two swords by 1560. The
principal sword, which was redecorated to mark
the visit of Elizabeth I in 1574, (fn. 41) was lost in the
19th century. (fn. 42) The other sword, perhaps the first
acquired, was known as the mourning sword in
1584. (fn. 43) It is 3 ft. 11½ in. long and has been painted
black, retaining the original blade and hilt with
curved quillons. A third sword, made for the
corporation in 1567 and given a red scabbard, (fn. 44)
had become the principal sword by the mid 17th
century and was depicted on the monument to
John Jones (d. 1630). (fn. 45) It is 4 ft. 3½ in long and
retains its original blade and hilt. With the
scabbard it was altered in London in 1652 to carry
the Commonwealth arms. In 1660 those were
replaced by Charles II's arms and the scabbard
was partly redecorated, some royal badges being
reinstated soon afterwards. (fn. 46) A cap of maintenance, recorded on the arms granted to the
borough in 1538, (fn. 47) was replaced several times. (fn. 48) It
was identified, questionably, as the sword bearer's
hat by the mid 19th century and until 1933 when
W. L. Edwards, the mayor, gave the city a new
cap of maintenance. (fn. 49)
The town's two serjeants carried maces by
1392 (fn. 50) and their right to bear them before the
bailiffs within the precinct of Gloucester Abbey
was confirmed in 1429. (fn. 51) Under the charter of
1483 four serjeants-at-mace were appointed, two
to serve the mayor and two the two sheriffs. (fn. 52) A
mace was purchased for one of the serjeants in
1494 (fn. 53) and repairs to the maces were a frequent
item of expenditure for the corporation. (fn. 54) The
four maces depicted on the common seal used
from 1564 had conical heads and shafts with
central knobs. (fn. 55) By the 1620s another four silver
maces, having crested heads and long shafts with
central encircling bands, had been acquired, (fn. 56) and
the older set was sold in 1642 to raise funds for
fortifying the city. (fn. 57) The new maces were refashioned in 1652 as Commonwealth maces,
apparently by Thomas Maundy of London whose
mark appears on two of them. (fn. 58) Four little pocket
maces purchased for the serjeants later that year (fn. 59)
were sold in 1660 to help pay for the conversion in
London of the principal maces back to royal
maces by remaking the heads as open crowns
surmounted by orbs and crosses and decorated
with royal badges. (fn. 60) The maces, which are 2 ft.
5 in. long, were represented in a carving of the
city arms and insignia on the new Tolsey in
1751. (fn. 61) All four maces remained in use after the
reform of the corporation in 1835 when the
number of sheriffs was reduced to one. (fn. 62)
The mayor's gold chain and badge were bought
by subscription in 1870. The chain, formed of
two rows of links with a horseshoe motif, displays
the cap of maintenance on the ornament connecting it to the enamelled badge, which bears the
city arms with supporters. (fn. 63) The sheriff's chain
and badge, also of gold, were purchased by local
freemasons in 1883 for Henry Jeffs, who gave it to
the corporation at the expiry of his term of office.
Enamelled shields incorporated in the chain
include references to a bailiffs' seal and the arms
of Gloucester diocese and the enamelled badge
shows the city arms with crest and supporters.
Freemasons presented badges for the mayoress
and sheriff's lady in 1932, and in 1937 a badge was
provided for the deputy mayor. (fn. 64) The water bailiff's oar is 4½ in. long and of silver. It was made
in 1807 or 1808 for William Brown (fn. 65) and was
carried by his successors in that office. (fn. 66) It
belonged to Caroline Brain in 1852 when the
corporation hired it, probably for the presentation
of an address to Queen Victoria, then passing
through Gloucester. (fn. 67) Gloucester retained its
mayor and sheriff and the use of its civic insignia
following the local government reorganization of
1974. (fn. 68)
The corporation built up a collection of
plate mostly from gifts, the earliest known being a
cup from Sir Thomas Bell in 1563. (fn. 70) Pieces were
given by William Guise of Elmore in 1615, by
Thomas Varnam on his appointment in 1617 as
surveyor of the city's works, and by Walter
Huntley in 1625. (fn. 71) Alderman John Baugh (d.
1621) left a set of apostle spoons (fn. 72) and Richard
Keylock (d. 1637) £20 to buy plate for the
mayor. (fn. 73) Other donors at that time were Alderman
John Thorne (d. 1618), Gervase Smith (d. 1626),
Lady (Anne) Porter, James Clent, and John
Hanbury, M.P. for the city 1628–9. (fn. 74) In 1642 and
1643 the corporation sold several pieces to help
pay for the city's fortifications. (fn. 75) In 1648, when it
exchanged the two flagons remaining from Keylock's bequest for smaller vessels, (fn. 76) Captain John
Evans gave a bowl and Thomas Barrett, a local
cutler, a set of apostle knives. (fn. 77) The knives had
been lost by 1675. (fn. 78)
In 1700 the corporation bought a large salver
using the recorder's salary repaid by John
Somers, Lord Somers, for that purpose. (fn. 79)
Between 1742 and 1751 part of the plate,
including two salvers of 1743 obtained in
exchange for two bowls, was used for holy
communion in the corporation's Tolsey chapel. (fn. 80)
In 1767 Charles Barrow, M.P. for the city, gave a
loving-cup and the following year George Selwyn,
his fellow member, (fn. 81) presented a punch bowl, for
which a ladle was bought in 1790. The flagons
derived from Keylock's gift were replaced in
1713, (fn. 82) the apostle spoons were remade between
1729 and 1732, and the remaining pieces of plate
acquired before 1700 were sold or were exchanged
for sets of forks and spoons in 1818. (fn. 83) Among plate
acquired later by the corporation are pieces
originally presented to the prominent London
politician Sir Matthew Wood, Bt. (d. 1843), who
acquired an estate at Down Hatherley; (fn. 84) to Robert
Bransby Cooper, M.P. for Gloucester 1818–30; (fn. 85)
to David Mowbray Walker, a local newspaper
owner and civic leader, in 1857; (fn. 86) to James
Bruton, the mayor, in 1909; and to George
Sheffield Blakeway, the town clerk, in 1919.
Three silver-gilt roundels given to the corporation
in 1906 had evidently once adorned part of the
civic insignia or plate. Two display Gloucester's
Tudor arms, on one impaling an unidentified
blazon. The third roundel, bearing the arms of
Sir Thomas Bell and the date 1563, has an
inscription evidently marking his gift to the city of
a cup. The plate and insignia were displayed at
the Guildhall until 1986.