Historic seals conserved

The WS Society’s Conservator Jo Hockey has recently completed the conservation and rehousing of a second collection of historic wax seals and seal casts. Jo’s 2019-2022 work on the vast Riddell Collection of seals, one of the largest in private hands, can be seen at https://www.wssociety.co.uk/ws-society-seals-history . 

The new collection, which is believed to have been  first brought to the Library by Dr. Charles Malcolm (Signet Librarian between 1935 and 1961), include in wax the royal seals of King George II and Queen Victoria and the seal of the Royal Company of Archers. The sulphur casts of seals include the medieval seal of Robert II (1371-1390) and Dryburgh Abbey (1527), the Privy Seal of Mary Queen of Scots and the seals of a number of Scottish Renaissance-period noblemen and gentlemen. Jo has built special cases for the seals which will ensure their preservation and also allow for their appropriate display.