Seal Matrix
Cromarty Courthouse Museum

This is a very fine bronze seal matrix, shown with its wax impression. It would have been used by a wealthy and influential person to apply a wax seal to important documents and letters.    

Probably dating from the sixteenth century, its loss would have been felt as significant by its owner. It was found in the fields where the medieval fair was held.   

For centuries, wax seals were an effective way to seal correspondence whilst also ensuring the confidentiality of letters’ contents. Once open, letters cannot be resealed without damaging the motif on the wax.