The Riddell Collection of Wax Seals:
Seal Life Stories: the remarkable careers of 23 individuals from the Riddell Collection of Wax Seals
16: edinburgh and leith (and the secretary of the post office)
The arms of the City of Edinburgh
The Seal of the City of Edinburgh
Town seals have been in use in Western Europe since the late C12, Each council using a seal bearing the town’s coat of arms in order to authenticate official letters and documents. The use of the seal would be under the control of the Town Clerk. The design would be updated with changes in material technology and the heraldry used to represent each town.
This seal is decorated with arms most likely dating from 1732, the year in which the coat of arms was formally granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
The castle in the coat of arms represents Edinburgh Castle, with an anchor above for the Lord Provost, who is also Admiral of the Firth of Forth. The woman to the left symbolises the ‘Castle of the Maidens’, as Edinburgh Castle was known until the C16, while the doe represents St Giles, patron saint of Edinburgh.
The motto is ‘Nisi Dominus Frustra’, meaning 'Except the Lord in vain', a shortened version of a line from Psalm 127: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain".
The heraldic arms of the Port of Leith
The Arms of the Port of Leith
The seal in this instance is a copy of the Seal of Leith, which dates from 1563 at a moment when Mary Queen of Scots was supporting the port’s ambition to become an independent Burgh. Leith was historically a separate town, its earliest mention being in the twelfth century, and only merging with Edinburgh on 1st November 1920.
The arms feature a ship holding the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, masts with flags at each end, on the sea, with a covering/small cloud above their heads. The motto is ‘Persevere’.
There is debate as to whether the woman in the boat represents Mary Magdalene, who has a stronger connection to the sea and Europe than the virgin Mary. However, South Leith Church was originally a Chapel dedicated to St Mary and the ship motif may be purely a reference to Leith as a port.
These arms have appeared on the Leith flag since at least the twelfth century, but after the amalgamation of Leith with Edinburgh, the rights to the arms fell into disuse and returned to the Crown. After the successful campaign of a local businessman, the rights were returned to Leith and are now the property of the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership.
The Seal of the Secretary of the Post Office
During the period in which the Riddells were collecting, the post of Secretary to the Post Office would have been held by Sir Francis Freeling, 1st Baronet (25 August 1764 – 10 July 1836).
Freeling was born at Redcliffe Hall near Bristol in1764. He began his career in the Post Office in 1784, where he witnessed the successful trial John Palmer’s scheme for a mail coach service. Being promoted in 1785 to assist Palmer, he went on to become permanent head of the Post Office in 1798, until his death in 1836. In this role he oversaw many reforms to the organisation, such as the growth of the Penny Post and the use of rail transport rather than road.
During his spare time, Freeling built an impressive library, was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1801 and was one of the original members of the Roxburghe Club.
Freeling was also part of a group of government officials opposed to the radical movements of the time, being well placed to monitor postal communications. He contributed to the founding of the the Sun evening newspaper in 1792 (no relation to the modern tabloid).