Wax seal and parchment

Hi all, I recently found this item. Looks interesting and OLD!!
The wax seal says Elizabeth and the first line of the text is also Elizabeth.
Do any members have any further Info?
thanks

 

A big problem with reading it, is that it appears to be in Latin. And that leaves out the issue of the orientation on the screen and the size of the letters too.

Welcome, Joey! Are you in the UK? Our UK members have said when presented with such documents that they are all over the place there and not generally of particular value. Yes it does "look interesting and old" but having the queen's name on it (often dates on docs reference the year as year X of the reign of the current monarch) usually has nothing to do with him or her.

 

Just in case this helps people view it:

 

Thanks for the reply, not interested in value just some background on an interesting find. Yes I’m in the UK.

 

Yes, Latin. Certainly looks authentic. And may be from time of Queen (16th century) since it looks like it has a seal of Elizabeth on it as well. The intact seal makes it a lot better than most run of the mill old documents. If you search on liveauctioneers you'll see several similar that have sold. Here's a link to one that seems to have similar text, though a somewhat different seal: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/18830718_elizabeth-i-queen-of-england-document-and-seal

A more recent one has sold for less, though still over $1000. In any case, if I were you I would take the time to transcribe and translate. And put it in a protective case! The kind of thing that auction houses would be interested in, so you can get their help with evaluating it.

 

Are you near a university with a good early English history department? You're going to need someone who can read documents of that age written in Latin.

 

I’m in Liverpool, I would have to research the English dept they have. My seal seems to differ from the one pictured and I can’t find a similar one when googling!! Although the text seems the same. thanks again

 

A lot of these documents covering the same kind of transaction or event will start with the same text and then go on to different words that are specific to the situation or people.

 

Caveat: these with seals were widely reproduced in the 19th C. It's possible someone at John Moores might be able to read it - not an history department, it needs the Classics department.

You really need someone well verse in antiquarian documents to verify it. I'd run it past the British Museum. Send a set of good images, see what they have to say. Might be worth asking the William Brown Museum.

 

Thanks for all the help, I have sent it to a friend of a friend who short of translated it (a bit!!) and seems to think it references John Churchill ( Muston) and thinks it dates to 1599??
Im currently looking for a suitable frame to mount it in to get it out of the Jiffy bag it’s currently in.

 

Thank you, I will do that tomorrow.

 

Do please let us know what you find out.

 

Of course. I also have some other great finds and now I’m a member here I can stop boring the wife and post them here. Thanks again.

 

A word on traditional sealing wax:

It's a mixture of colourant, beeswax, and shellac.

Shellac is the ingredient that makes the wax hard and brittle. This means that seals like this are VERY easy to break (which was their purpose, back in the day). So I'd be very careful with it. Personally, I'd get the document framed as soon as possible, to prevent potential damage. Once it's framed, and you can handle it safely - then you can start deciphering what it is.

 

Thanks, do you have any recommendations for something to mount it in or somewhere to take it to be mounted?

 

You need to look for a conservation or museum grade framer.

 

^^ What OBB said ^^

 

I’m searching as we speak

 

If you can't find one, phone the British Museum.

 

Be sure the framer has experience with parchment - it should not be treated the same as paper - no heat, no moisture, and no adhesives should be applied to the document itself.