The Riddell Collection of Wax Seals:

a capsule history of seal use, production and collecting

by Joanna Hockey

background and history

In 1893 a box of seals was presented to the Library of the Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet, along with papers belonging to the Riddell family in Haddington. The seals formed a collection made by James, John, and Robert Riddell between 1800 and 1817 when the boys were in their teens.

Rediscovered 200 years after its creation, the collection has a great deal to say about the Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet, correspondence practises in Northern Europe, social networks of the early C19, personal identity and authority, and the culture of antiquarianism.  

John and Robert Riddell went on to become lawyers, antiquarians and genealogists, while their brother James became a minister in Northamptonshire. They were born in Glasgow to Henry and Anne Riddell, a Glasgow merchant family, Anne being the daughter of John Glassford of Douglaston. Their other grandfather was John Riddell of Granton WS, their grandmothers being sisters of the family of Nisbet of Dean. Alexander Nisbet 1657-1725 (also of Dean) wrote ‘A System of Heraldry’, one of the most well regarded texts on the subject, and several members of the Riddell and Nisbet families were Writers to the Signet. This background and social network provided the perfect context for the Riddell brothers ‘ collection..  

seal collecting in historical context

Collecting seals was a well established interest in the early C19, in much the same way as stamp or coin collecting is today, popular across several generations and well within the reach of students and middle class children. It relates closely to the collection of book plates - fairly easy to acquire, a great variety of designs, and fuelled by the practice of swapping between collectors.

In conducting researching into the origins of this collection, the question of the boys’ intention was key. Whilst the similarities between this collection and collections of bookplates are very obvious, there are also parallels with the European Stammbuch or Album Amicorum.

Album Amicorum were the predecessors of Friendship Books and Autograph Books, originating in C16 Germany among students and other young people. They were used to substantiate friendships with signatures, drawings etc, and as an early form of social networking, by collecting signatures of prominent individuals.

Within aristocratic familes, these books would record genealogical information, family trees, arms etc. During the lifetime of the owner, the book would serve as means of introduction, a verification of the person’s social status and connections.

 The riddells as youthful collectors

The collection of seals was found stored in a modern box, which makes it difficult to guess the intentions of the brothers - would they have been displayed, for example, or stored away in boxes or drawers? The Riddell’s own index discusses a “box” without reference to its form. However we do know that the identity of the original owners was very important to the boys. Each seal has been glued to a card along with related seals (3 or 4 per card), with the name of the owners name in ink above it. The boys have also been very careful to record the owners titles and post nominal letters, suggesting an emphasis on status and genealogy, and crucially, recorded each seal in an index (found alongside the seals).

The brothers would have used their family’s social and professional networks to collect the seals. On examination it was found that many seals had been impressed directly onto a letter from which the seal has been cut out. We see snippets of text on the backs of the few seals in the collection which were not affixed to cards. It seems likely that the boys wrote to family members and friends requesting seals, perhaps offering others in return.

An interesting additional aspect of this collection is the use of contemporary playing cards by the boys as supports. Ephemera such as early C19 playing cards are relatively unusual survivors to the present day, giving the collection a lovely additional visual appeal. More than one pack of cards was required to mount the collection, with at least one pack identifiable as coming from the workshops of Hall and Son, a London manufacturer active c. 1804-1817 (Catherine Perry Hargrave A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming (Boston 1930).

The Riddell brothers would have been aware, growing up, of the family’s links with the WS Society. With a strong interest in antiquarian and genealogical activities, seals would have had a particular significance. The Signet was the private seal of the early Scottish Kings, and the Writers to the Signet were those authorised to supervise its use and, later, to act as clerks to the Courts. The earliest recorded use of the Signet was in 1369, and Writers to the Signet were included as members of the College of Justice when it was established in 1532.

The boys would have shown an interest in seals attached to the family’s letters, and from there the collection would have taken shape.

Each seal in the collection represents a person, an office or organisation, or possibly a place. The chosen design tells us about the owners identity, who they are as individuals, but also the identity they wished to project in the world. Most people use their family arms with initials, some highlight their achievements, while different colours have significance. Red is the most common colour, being traditional and proper at the time, while black is normally used by those in mourning.

Identifying the owners hints at the social network through which the seals were obtained – friends, family and colleagues. We know that one of the brothers became a minister in Northamptonshire and the collection contains several seals from ministers in this area. We have the invaluable index written by the boys to thank for revealing many of the identities and giving the collection its direct link to early C19 Scotland.

the chemistry of the seals

By the early nineteenth century when these seals were made, they would have used ‘sealing wax’ rather than beeswax. This change began in the mid C16 when shellac began to be imported from the East Indies, and used in new ‘tamper proof’ recipes.

There was a growing need for security in written communication at a time which saw travel and trade routes open up alongside a rise in literacy. Beeswax is soft enough to be removed from paper or parchment, and replaced without detection. Sealing wax which incorporated shellac was far more brittle – any attempt at removal would damage the seal or the letter.

the conservation of the seals

Very little conservation was required when rehousing the collection. The hardness and smoothness of shellac meant that they didn’t suffer in the same way as softer wax seals, which can develop mould and cam mark easily. The playing cards were surface cleaned, the cards ordered according to the Riddell brothers index, and were then placed in solander boxes lined with Plastazote, giving the collection excellent accessibility.

the seals in the modern world

In the twenty-first century, the visual qualities of a collection of seals is quite striking. We are aware that seals have been in use for at least 1000 years in this form, and are no longer part of everyday life. We get a sense of antiquity, authority, and authenticity. If we examine them more closely, we see the elements of personal and institutional identification. Heraldry, symbolism, and mottos have been sculpted by the engravers of the day, signifying the owners identity. Because the small size and sculptural complexity of the seals, photographing them is a difficult and imperfect business, but modern photographs bring the skill of the craft and the importance placed on a family’s heraldic inheritance once more to the fore.