A collection of seals

For centuries, letters were secured with wax seals which were stamped with appropriate designs. Three seals survive, the oldest may indeed have started as a ring seal as the Ramsay unicorn crest and motto are carved into a yellow gemstone. The marriage of William Wardlaw to Elizabeth Balfour called for a new design, a combination of both their armorial bearings. The final seal bears a simple address, Whitehill Lasswade, and clearly dates to the second half on the 19c.

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