Russian Lead Seals
Cromarty Courthouse

Cromarty Courthouse has one of the largest collections Russian lead seals in the country. This is because Cromarty was a centre for the manufacture of hemp sacking and rope during the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century.

The raw materials were imported from ports in Russia, including St Petersburg. The bales of raw hemp were graded and lead seals were attached with their dates in a Cyrillic script, to be discarded later.