Seals and Society

Senior school, college and university readership, as well as academic and specialist readers, and a wider public interested in the latest research on sigillography and aspects of medieval Wales and its place in a wider British and European context.Phillipp Schofield is Professor of Medieval History at Aberystwyth University; Elizabeth New is Lecturer in Medieval History at Aberystwyth University; Sue Johns is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Bangor University.

• IntroductionElizabeth A. New and Phillipp R. SchofieldChapter 1: Seals in medieval Wales and its neighbouring counties: trends in motifsJohn McEwanChapter 2. Seals: administration and lawPhillipp R. SchofieldChapter 3. Seals and exchangePhillipp R. SchofieldChapter 4: Ecclesiastical SealsElizabeth A. NewChapter 5: Seals and lordshipSusan M. JohnsChapter 6: Seals, women and identitySusan M. JohnsChapter 7: Seals as expressions of identityElizabeth A. NewConclusionElizabeth A. New and Phillipp R. SchofieldAppendixElizabeth A. New, John McEwan and Phillipp R. SchofieldBibliography

'This is a fine achievement. Emanating from the Seals in Medieval Wales project, it shines new light on all aspects of sigillographic study, from design and motifs, symbolism, iconography, fashion and production, to seal usage in terms of both law and administration (including the church), and expressions of personal and social identity. These four scholars, uniquely qualified for the task, have considerablyadvanced our knowledge of this subject andindoing so illuminated many aspects of the social historyof Wales and the Marches.' --Peter Coss, Cardiff University; 'This volume breaks new ground by providing the most comprehensive survey so far of seals used to authenticate documents in medieval Wales and its borders with England. Drawing on research that has identified almost 2,500 seals, the authors show how close study of these artefacts, attentive both to their particular form and to the contexts in which they were used, can offer fresh perspectives on many aspects of the history of medieval Wales. The result is an important contribution to our understanding of the significance of seals in the Middle Ages.' - Huw Pryce, Professor of Welsh History, Bangor University