1.2 Medieval Seals found in Lanc. and Cheshire. ER EL 22. PLI of A. B. Walker Esq. now of Gateacre but formerly of Darnhall and Warrington. The estate, which was not copyhold, known recently as Daruhill Grange, was formerly— under the name of Darnhale—the site of an Abbey, founded by King Edward I for one hundred monks in 1266, whilst he was merely Prince. Subsequently, upon coming to the throne he resolved to found a still grander monastery in the same neighbourhood, which became the proud Abbey of Vale Royal, but as this took fifty-three years to build and fit up, Darnhale was mediately occupied by the religious.* During the winter of 1865-6 the sewerage of the township of Great Crosby, northward from Liverpool, was in course of being effected and when carried to the sea-beach opposite, a culvert of considerable size was here required. During construction, in January of last year, it was visited by Mr. Henry Green of Everton, who detected near the bottom of the cutting, i.e. below the primary sandy soil and secondary clay, and upon the sand-stone, a metallic object, which proved to be a well-wrought fifteenth century authentic or personal seal. (Pl. I, fig. 2.) It is composed of latten, the common brass of the middle ages, and stands nearly an inch and a quarter high, the round face measuring seven-eighths of an inch in diameter; the handle tapers hexagonally into a trifoliate head, perforated for suspension to the person. The face bears a coat of arms and superscription of good execution, enhancing the value of this relic and in some degree compensating for its not proving to have belonged to one of our historic Lancashire or Cheshire families, as was at first naturally anticipated from the place of its occurrence. The inscription runs-" + S' PIETER. VAN. DER. PIETE,” around a variously cusped triangular form, which encloses in the centre a spade-shaped shield vert; a chiefe indented or (or argent) charged with three flaming stars. Each of the See Gough's Camden, Vol. III, p. 57. small remaining angular compartments of this trifoliated figure contains a plain cross in relief, forming likewise a "cross of four fussils," or lozenges incuse. The writer has not had time as yet to consult many heraldic works, but he has hunted vainly through old Randle Holme's Academie of Armory and Blazon for any representation or even description of this particular coat, and consequently concludes that it is a rare if not a unique one. The surname Piete has probably been the Flemish or Dutch original of numerous more or less corrupted ones, as Vanderpant, Vanderpoorten and a French form Van De Pette, all which may be found in the London Directory of the current year. As, however, we find the Dutch painters Van De Eycke and Van Der Meer become reduced in ordinary parlance to Vandyke and Vermeer, it is palpable that our name may have branched into a numerous variety of Vans, whilst assuming the owner of the seal to have settled permanently in this country and for convenience dropped the prefixes Van and Der, the plain Peter alone may long ere this have taken half a dozen forms, as Petty, which, though the patronymic of one of our highest aristocratic families, is self-evidently a most villainous, despicable and petty English corruption. Whilst ringing the changes upon these surnames, the writer called to remembrance his boyish amusement at the title bestowed by Miss Martineau upon one of her admirable Illustrations of Political Economy, published about 1830-34, 66 Vanderput and Snoek," and hoping this marvellously gifted authoress by such selection might have known Dutch merchants of these names, he addressed an enquiry to her upon the subject, which was at once most courteously responded to. Political economists are, however, notoriously more utilitarian than imaginative, and Miss Martineau ingenuously confesses to having had recourse to the London Directory of the day for the Dutch patronymics of the chief actors in her story. The present Directory unfortunately contains no such name, the nearest forms being those already quoted. Thus foiled as yet upon every hand, the writer can only hope for better results to accrue from the exhibition of an impression of the seal among the first heraldic genealogists of Holland, the Netherlands and North Germany, and from a description of it to be published among the many descendants of old Dutch colonists of New York State. From the number of stars the heraldic "flames" of which any uninitiated person would suppose to be what they actually are, trefoils— this authentic in all probability belonged to the second son of some good family in the Low Countries. Whether, however, the original owner was a Dutch supercargo, shipwrecked upon what in those days was a dangerous sand-shoaled coast; or a skilful Fleming introduced by King Edward III to perfect our ancestors in his country's textile arts, will probably ever remain matter of opinion. The seal is now in the writer's possession, but he regrets that it came under his notice too lately for the ascertaining of its paternity in time for mention here. Since the above remarks were in type he has been kindly furnished by a friend with the following extract, which serves to confirm the impression of the seal having belonged to a member of a good old Flemish family :— "VII. Raphael Van Der Sacre, Avocat au Conseil de Flandres en "de Jean Van Der Piet." Vide—" Recueil Genealogique de Familles Orig. des Pays "Bas en y etablies." Amsterdam MDCCLXXV p. 152.* * Information has likewise just been received that descendants of this family are still living near Bruges and engaged in agricultural pursuits, implying a considerable decadence from the position held by at least some of its members four centuries ago. It is, however, interesting to note that these apparently lineal descendants of the early Van Der Pietes continue to use the identical orthography of their patronymic, although the final letter is dropped in the above extract. The origin and early history of the family and its connection, accidental or otherwise, with this part of the country yet remain to be traced out. N |