Alleged counterseal of Earl Cospatric, from an antique gem matrix, depicting a figure milking a goat.
Image description (reverse)
Legend (obverse)
+ SIGILLV: ROBERTI LEL’ BERL (see notes).
Legend (reverse)
Catalogue
P/Dunb/10/1C
Notes
Dimensions: 1 × 7/8 in. (25 × 22 mm.).
This seal is much debated. Laing, Supplemental descriptive catalogue, no.808 summarises the arguments concerning the seal’s owner: the legend suggests that it was not the earl’s counterseal, and one possibility is that it pertained to Robert, bishop of St Andrews. Laing (and Stevenson and Wood), however, is not convinced by this, and the identity of the seal’s owner remains uncertain. That the use of a seal and counterseal belonging to two different individuals on the same piece of wax occurred is shown by the seals pertaining to the De Quincy family.
SW II, p.334.
Durham 2803 (2).