British 2irtb;to(ogital 3csscrtiation. 1884. THK SEALS OF HENRY VI AS KING OF FRANCE. BY THE i. ATE A. R. WYON, Es CHI: II OF HKR ': 275 THE SEALS OF HENRY VI AS KING OF FRANCE. BY THE LATE A. B. WYON, ESQ., CHIEF ENGRAVER OF HER MAJESTY'S SEALS. (Read 6 Feb., 1884.) Ix a recent paper I attempted to reduce to order the hitherto confused history of the Great Seals of Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI, for England. It seems desir- able to supplement that attempt by a short account of the Great Seals and Seals of Absence used by Henry VI as King of France, with which the history of the Great Seals of England is somewhat intertwined. This seems the more desirable inasmuch as no work hitherto pub- lished contains a complete enumeration or description of the seals in question. The Tresor de Numisiiiatique gives 1 but one seal only of Henry VI for France, and one seal for England ; 2 the latter not being the seal of Henry VI, but of Henry VII, for France, as I will afterwards show. The former seal is engraved, and described by Speed 3 and by Sandford. 4 The same seal is described by Wailly, 5 who was unaware that Henry VI used any other seal for England, and referred to by Willis, 6 in his often quoted paper, as Seal K. By none of the above writers is any other seal of Henry VI for France mentioned. Doue't d'Arcq, 7 how- ever, describes three seals of Henry VI for France, viz., the seal already mentioned, an earlier Great Seal, and a Seal of Absence. But this enumeration is still incomplete, for there are yet two more seals, of which incomplete impressions exist in the British Museum, which claim to be included in the category, and whose claims at least deserve examination. 1 Tresor, etc., " Sceaux de France", Plate xi, f. 3. 2 Tresor, etc., " Sceaux des Rois et Reines d'Angleterre, Plate x, f. 1. 3 Speed, Hist, of England, pp. 810, 820. 4 Sandford, Gen. Hist., pp. 246, 294, 5 Wailly, El. de Palaeographie, vol. ii, p. 115. Arch. Journ., No. 5, 1845. 7 Collection des Sceaux, Nos. 10,041, 10,042, 10,043. 18" 209708 ~, 276 SEALS OF HENRY VI I propose, therefore, to give a short description of each of these five seals, of which I exhibit casts. FIRST GREAT SEAL. A. (See Plate opposite, fig. 1.) Diameter, 96 millimetres. The King seated in majesty, crowned, and holding in the right hand a long sceptre ending in a flowery ornament ; in the left hand a shorter sceptre, at the end of which is a hand in the attitude of benediction, and which is usu- ally described as "the hand of justice". 1 Over the King's head is a canopy of three ogival, pointed arches, the central arch being very wide, and. low in proportion. From the sides of the King's seat spring two arms curving upwards, and terminating in a kind of fleur-de-lis ornament, sustaining two shields surmounted by two crowns ; the dexter shield bearing the arms of France alone, and the sinister bearing quarterly, first and fourth, France ; second and third, England. The crown over the shield of France is of the type borne by the Kings of France and England alike, until this period, having three fleurs-de-lis, with two intermediate points on which are usually two -smaller fleurs-de-lis. The crown over the shield of England, however, has three crosses in place of the three fleurs-de-lis. This is deserving of atten- tion, as I believe it is the earliest appearance of the three crosses in the royal crown of England, excepting the similar crown in the contemporary Seal of Absence, which I will presently Describe. The third seal of Edward IV is the earliest Great Seal of England in which we find the three crosses separated by two fleurs-de-lis, as on the seal now described. The King's feet rest on two lions, couchant, regardant. Legend : HENRICV[S DEI GRACIA] FRAN CORVM ET ANGLIE REX. Counterseal. (See fig. 2.) Diameter, 34 mm. An angel winged, holding two sceptres, and also two shields, the latter filling the lower half of the circle. The sceptre in 1 A golden sceptre with an ivory hand, which would seem to be that represented in this and the following seals, is exhibited in the Musee du Louvre, Paris, as " the sceptre of the hand of justice", and is attri- buted to the Kings " du troisieme race". AS KING OF FRANCE. 277 the right hand appears to have a fleur-de-lis at the end, while that in the left hand ends in a cross. (Douet d'Arcq incorrectly describes the latter as "the hand of justice".) The two shields are charged respectively with the arms of (l), France, and (2), France and England quarterly, as on the obverse. This seal has hitherto been unknown in England, by any cast or representation. The only reference to it in any work that I am acquainted with is in Doue't d'Arcq, as above stated ; and from the description of it there given it is difficult to determine whether after all it might not be the same type as the well known seal (K of Willis) engraved in Tresor de Numismatique, in Speed and in Sandford ; the only difference mentioned being a slight difference of size, which might possibly be ac- counted for by unequal shrinking of the wax in different impressions. With a view to determine this point, I visited the Archives Nationales at Paris, and ascer- tained by examination of the original impression that this seal is of a distinct type. I obtained two casts of the seal ; one of which I had the pleasure of presenting to the British Museum, and the other I now exhibit. The impression of this seal in the Archives Nationales at Paris, is, so far as I can ascertain, the only impression known. It is attached to a charter (J. 153, No. 20b), dated at Paris, 28th June 1425, in the third year of the reign of Henry VI, and is attested "Par le Roi & la Relation du grant conseil tenu par Fordonnance de Monseigneur le Regent de France Due de Bedford." SECOND GREAT SEAL. B. Diameter, 100 mm. This seal, which is that engraved in Tresor de Numismatique, in Speed and in Sandford, and is Seal K of Willis, has a general resemblance at first sight to the seal last described. But the differences between these, two seals, which a very hasty comparison reveals, are so marked, that the description given of it by Doue't d'Arcq, " Type de majestd, comme au sceau precedent," is decidedly misleading. Besides the slight difference of size, already noted, there is a striking difference of relief; that of the second seal being 278 SEALS OF HENRY VI decidedly bolder, and more handsome in general effect. The following points of difference are also to be noted : (1) The crown surmounting the sinister shield, that of England, charged with the arms of France and England, quarterly, instead of three crosses, has three fleurs-de-lis, precisely like the crown of France on the dexter side. (2) The three arches of the canopy are more equal in size, the central arch being narrower, and the side arches wider, than in the former seal. (3) The arches are of the simple pointed form, not ogival, as in the first seal. (4) The lions couchant, under the King's feet, are gardant, not regardant. (5) There is a circle of small cusps, with trefoiled points, just inside the inner border of the legend. (6) The legend is divided at the base as follows : " HENRICVS DEI GRACIA FRANCORVM ET ANGL1E REX;" the division being after the word-" GRACIA", instead of after the first syllable of the word FRAN-CORVM. Counter seal. Diameter, 35 mm. The device generally resembles that of the seal last described. The relief,, however, is much bolder, and the following points of difference may be observed : (1) The sceptre in the left hand of the angel has the (so-called) hand of justice at its end, not a cross, as in the last. (2) The ends of the two sceptres project beyond the wings of the angel, whereas in the count erseal last described they are in- cluded within the outline of the angel's wings. Doue't d'Arcq's brief description, " Le meme qu'au sceau precedent", is again more concise than accurate. The impressions of this seal which I have examined are six in number, arid extend over a period of twelve years, viz., from 1429 to 1440. A list of these impres- sions will be found in the table annexed to this paper. As the impressions of this seal are not only more numerous, but also of later date, than those of any other type described in this paper, I see no reason to doubt that, as Willis suggests, the original matrix of this seal was that " third seal of silver of a smaller form" which we find mentioned in three separate documents quoted by Rymer, as in the keeping of the English Chancellor on three different occasions, after the final loss of the French dominions. 1 1 Hynior, turn, xi, pp. 344, 080, 45!" i . AS KING OF FRANCE. 279 FIRST SEAL OF ABSENCE. C. (See fig. 3.) Diameter, 81 mm. Half-length figure of the King, standing ; crowned, and holding in the right hand a long sceptre, at the end of which is a large ornament, consisting of a central flower between two foliated branches ; in the left hand, a shorter sceptre, at the end of which is the (so-called) " hand of justice". The lower half of the figure is cut off by a crenellated wall, pierced in the centre by a gateway with a portcullis. In front of the wall, on either side of the gateway, is a lion couchant, regardant. On either side of the King, and partly covering the crenellated wall, is a shield, sur- mounted by a crown ; that on the dexter side being the shield of France, charged with three fleurs-de-lis ; and that on the sinister side being the shield of Eng- land, charged with the arms of France and England, quarterly. The crown above the shield of England, like that in the Great Seal first described, has three crosses, instead of three fleurs-de-lis, on the three principal points. And as this seal is of at least as early a date as the Great Seal first described, it must, I think, share with that seal the distinction of being the first in which the three crosses appear in the royal crown of England. Legend : " SIGILLVM REGIVM IN ABSE[NTIA] ORDINATVM." Counterseal. (See fig. 4.) Diameter, 28 mm. The design is similar to that of the counterseal of the first Great Seal. The sceptre in the left hand of the angel has a cross at the end ; not, as Douet d'Arcq says, incor- rectly, " the hand of justice". Only- one impression of this seal, so far as I can ascertain, is known. It is attached to a document in the Archives Nationales at Paris, dated' at Mantes, in February 1422. 1 Like the first Great Seal, this has hitherto not been described in any English work, and has been unknown by any cast or representation until quite recently, when I presented the British Museum with a cast, a duplicate of which I now exhibit. 1 Old style ; 1423, new stylo. 280 SEALS OF HENRY VI SECOND SEAL OF ABSENCE. D. (See fig. 5.) Diameter unknown. This seal is known as yet by one impression only, and that very imperfect and fragmentary ; so much so, indeed, that a complete description is impossible. It appears, however, to repre- sent the King seated in majesty, as on the two Great Seals already described, the King's feet resting on two lions couchant. The right hand of the King is brought in front of the middle of the body, which at once dis- tinguished this seal from the three seals already described. Both hands appear to hold sceptres, of which the ends, however, are wanting ; as also are the head of the King and about half of the seal. No portion of the legend remains. The counterseal (see fig. 6) measures 47 mm. in diameter, being of much larger size than the other counterseals described in this paper. No description can be given of its device, which has the appearance of having been deliberately rubbed and scraped, while the wax was warm, so as to obliterate it. The solitary impression which is known of this seal is attached to a document in the British Museum, of some historical interest. It is an order of Henry King of France and England to the Treasurer General of Nor- mandy for repayment to Jehan Stanlawe, Treasurer, of the amount advanced by him to the Earl of Arundel, for the suppression of the insurrection in the Bailliage of Caen. The document is dated as follows " Donne a Rouen le xxij jour d'Avril 1'an de grace mil cccc trente et cinq. Soubz n're seel ordonne en 1'absence du grant, et de n're regne le xiij me ." " Par le roi a la rel'on de mon- seigneur le gouvernant et regent de France due de Bedford." ^he words quoted show that the seal used was a Seal of Absence. The document gives a concise but graphic account of the principal facts connected with the insur- rection in Normandy, which is described by Speed, by Monstrelet, 1 and Sismondi. 2 A review of these four seals naturally raises the ques- 1 Monstrolot, vol. i, p. 632. 2 Sismondi, vol. xiii, p. 241. 1U AS KING OF' FRANCE. 281 tion, why were the first Great Seal and the first Seal of Absence superseded, as we see they were, by the second ? I have been unable to find any evidence to supply an answer to this question. I think, however, it is worth notice that the crosses on the English crowns, and also the cross on the end of the sceptre in the left hand 01* the angel, in both the first seals, have disappeared in the second Great Seal ; the crosses on the crown being re- placed by the fleurs-de-lis, and the cross on the sceptre by the so-called hand of justice. It may be that these crosses, which were at all events novelties, did not fijid favour. The sceptre with the hand of justice so called, is a distinctively French emblem, appearing on all the Royal Seals from the time of Louis X (1314-1316) to the Second Empire, and appears on the obverse of each of the first two seals of Henry VI' in the hand of the King. The sceptre with the cross at the end is not found on any of the French royal seals, except these two. The fifth seal (see fig. 7) which claims our attention, as purporting to be one of Henry VI as King of France, is one attached to a document in the British Museum (Add. Ch. 11,547), described in the Catalogue of Addi- tional Charters as "Letters patent of Henry King of France and England, confirming the grant by Charles VI, late King of France, to the late Chariot Mansergent, of the land of Quinquernon, in the Bailliage of Evreux (Normandy), in favour of Jehan Mansergent, the son, dated 7th December 1425." The charter is dated at Paris, 7th December 1425, and the following words in the charter, " En temoing de ce nous avons fait mettre notre seel a ces presentes", would naturally lead us to expect to find attached the Great Seal of the King. We should not expect it to be either of the Seals of Absence, because whenever the Seal of Absence is used, we find words expressly mentioning the fact in the document itself. The impression is fragmentary, and the device is difficult to trace. A first glance, however, shows it to be clearly and strikingly unlike either of the royal seals already described. The device is that of a mounted warrior, galloping to the right, holding a shield in front of his body. The general outline of the warrior's head and figure, of his shield, of the horse's head, neck, and body, 282 SEALS OF HENRY VI the reins, and the flowing folds of the horse's caparison, may be traced ; and also the general outline of a small shield in the field, behind the horseman. The portion of the seal where we would expect to find the legend has the appearance of having been rubbed or scraped away, so as to remove the legend ; and a circular line has been cut or pressed into the wax near the circumference, as if for the purpose of restoring some appearance of a border, after the removal of the proper border and legend. The counterseal (see fig. 8) is 38 mm. in diameter. This also has the appearance of having been purposely obliterated, with the exception of the border, which consists of a narrow moulding, containing a series of very small fleurs-de-lis. The. fact of the device of the seal being equestrian, at once excludes it from the category of the royal seals of France, which invariably represent the monarch seated in majesty, and never on horseback. The undoubted Great Seals of Henry VI, which we have described, are no exceptions to this rule. The fact of the counterseal being of much smaller size than the obverse, equally excludes it from the category of royal seals of England. For these reasons, this seal cannot be a true seal of Henry VI, or a royal seal at all. The questions then remain (1), what seal can it be ? and (2), how comes it to be attached to letters patent of Henry VI ? I believe the answer to the first question is, that the seal of which this is an impression is that of Philip Duke of Burgundy. I formed this opinion on comparing this seal with an engraving of the I)uke of Burgundy's s.eal in Wailly, 1 and this opinion has been confirmed beyond a doubt by a further comparison with a cast of the seal referred to by Wailly, which I have obtained from the Archives Nationales at Paris. The measure- ments of such parts as are measurable in the British Museum impression, absolutely agree with the Paris im- pression. And many points which are undistinguishable in. the former, when looked at alone, become quite recog- nisable when compared with the latter. For example, (1), the links of the chain which form the lower half of 1 El. de Pal(eo'jrai>]tic, vol. ii, PI. N, f. 3. AS KING OF FRANCE. 283 the bridle, the upper half being the usual leather strap ; (2), the left hand of the warrior holding the reins ; (3), the outline of the front of the saddle. The fleurs-de-lis on the horse's caparison covering the neck, and especially the inverted fleurs-de-lis behind the horse's hind quarter, are also points of identification which cannot be mistaken when once perceived. The reader will be able to test the identity for himself, by comparing figures 7 and 8, which represent the seal in the British Museum, with figures 9 and 10, which represent the seal of the Duke of Burgundy in the Archives Nationales, Paris. The impression of the seal in the Paris Archives is attached to a document, dated 1424, which proves that the seal was in use by the Duke of Burgundy in the year previous to that in which these letters patent of Henry VI are dated. And Wailly states that this seal con- tinued to be used by the same Duke of Burgundy until March 1429. Having identified this seal with that of Philip, Duke of Burgundy, we still have before us the second question, namely, how comes it to be attached to these royal letters patent ? It may to some extent help us if we remember the principal facts which connect the history of this powerful noble with that of Henry VI. This Philip was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 to 1467 ; that is, throughout the whole reign of Henry VI. He was nominated Regent of France by the dying voices both of Henry V of England, and Charles VI of France ; and although he declined that post in favour of John, Duke of Bedford, who became his brother-in-law, he was virtually the arbiter of the destinies of France. His alliance was the mainstay of the English power in France, until his quarrel with the Duke of Bedford, and his desertion of the English cause in 1434, turned the scale of fortune in favour of Charles VII, and led to the expulsion of the English. During the twelve years which preceded this desertion, we find the English Kegent constantly apprehensive of such an event, straining every nerve to conciliate the Duke of Bur- gundy, bestowing upon him one town after another, 1 and enormous sums of money. 2 In 1429, the government and 1 Micliolet, Hist, dc France, vol. v, p. ( J'2. - Bui-ante, vol. v, p. 70. 284 SEALS OF HENRY VI the guard of Paris were confided to him, by royal letters under one of the Great Seals we have described. This was shortly followed by other royal grants, also referred to in the annexed table, conferring upon him the rich counties of Champagne and Brie. It is even stated by some historians (although I am inclined to doubt their accuracy on this point) that at this date, 1429, the Regency itself was conferred on him. 1 These and other facts, which it would be tedious to enumerate, show that this Duke of Burgundy occupied a position of extra- ordinary power, probably far greater in reality than that of either of the rival contending kings, and not very unlike that occupied by the celebrated Earl of Warwick, the " Kingmaker", towards the end of Henry VI's reign in England. At the date of the document before us, 7th December 1425, the English Regent, whose name does not appear in it, had just left Paris for England, whither he had been urgently summoned to appease the quarrel between the Bishop of Winchester and the Duke of Gloucester, leaving the Earl of Warwick in command, during his absence. I find no positive record of the Duke of Bur- gundy's presence in Paris at the precise date in question ; but Barante states that he went there after the battle of Verneuil, which was fought in August of the same year, 2 and was present at a succession of fetes which then took place. It may be that the Regent's sudden departure made the Great Seal difficult of access. It is also possible that the state of disorganisation in which we find the Paris law courts in 1429, already existed. 3 It may be that the person in whose favour this title deed 1 Barante, vol. vi, p. 54; Sismondi, vol. xiii, pp. 155, 174. 2 This date is given by Speed, following the chronicles of Hall, Stow, Polydore Virgil, etc., although Monstrelet seems to place the battle in 1424. 3 Michelet, Hist, de France, vol. v, p. 91, says, " Le regent ne pou- vait payer son parlement, cette conrs cessa tout service, et 1'entree meme du jeune Roi Henri ne put etre selon 1'usage ecrite avec quelque detail sur les registres, ' parceque le parchemin manquait.' ' Ob defec- turn pergameni, et eclipsium justiciae.' Eegistre du parlement cit6 dans la preface du t. xiii des Ordonnances, p. Ixvii, pour escripre les plaidoieries et les arretz ... plnsieurs fois a convenu par necessite ... que les greffiers ... a leurs despens aient achete et pay6 pour le parche- min." Archives registres du parfemenf, Samedi, 20 Janvier 1431. AS KING OF FRANCE. 285 was drawn was in the favour, or under the protection of, the Duke of Burgundy ; and it is conceivable that in the eyes of such a person, and of Frenchmen generally, the seal of the great Duke would be of at least equal value with the royal seal itself; possibly even of greater value in the event of a change of king. It is true that these suggestions do not explain the difficulty of the apparently deliberate removal of the legend from the impression in question. The facts before us remain sufficiently curious to invite further elucidation. But whatever may be the final explanation, the seal before us, taken in connection with the charter to which it is attached, must ever remain a striking and curious illustration of some of the principal facts of the history of that time ; bringing vividly before us the disorganised condition of France, as a result of several distinct causes, viz. : the war between two rival kings for its sovereignty ; the government by a Regent on behalf of a minor and absentee king ; the further confusion caused by the enforced absence of the Regent himself, when sorely needed at his post, in consequence of fatal disunion in England itself; and the extraordinary power and prestige, which this combination of causes augmented, of the great feudatory prince, the Duke of Burgundy. Before leaving the subject of the Great Seals used by Henry VI in France, I may mention that I find one of the documents in the Archives Nationales at Paris, re- lating to the grant of the counties of Champagne and Brie to the Duke of Burgundy, sealed with the Great Seal for England ; that, namely of the Bretigny type, which was the seal in ordinary use throughout this reign in England. The last seal to which I have to refer is one which I think it necessary to mention, because it is erroneously given in the Tresor de Numismatique as the only seal of Henry VI for England. Wailly describes this seal 1 as that of Henry VII, and Willis, following Wailly, also so describes it, naming it Seal N. As neither of these authors refers to any dated impression, I think it desirable now to state that I have ascertained by personal examina- tion that the single dated impression which is known of 1 Wailly, vol. ii, p. 116. 286 SEALS OF HKXRY VI this seal is attached to a document in the Archives Nationales at Paris, 1 thus described on the document itself, " Lettres du Roy d'Angleterre confirmative du trait e fait entre le Roy nostre sire et lui a Etaples." It is dated at Calais, llth November, A.D. 1492, "in the eighth year of our reign." This proves the seal to be that of Henry VII for French affairs. It follows the French type, representing the King seated in majesty on the obverse ; the counterseal being small, and similar in device to the (French) counterseals of Henry VI. A comparison of the obverse of this seal with that of Henry VII for England, shows great similarity of style, as will be seen in the casts which I exhibit. I annex a table of the impressions which I have examined of the seals of Henry VI, described in this paper ; and also an analysis of the various documents of Henry VI relating to French affairs, to which I have found such seals, or other Great Seals, attached. Analysis of Charters relating to French Affairs, under the Great Seal, or Seal of Absence, of Henry VI as King of France. 1. First Seal of Absence, dated at Nantes, Feb. 1423 (New Style). Paris, Arch. Nationales, V 2 , 2 (formerly V, 587, No. 1201). Letters patent of Henry VI of England, confirming privileges granted to the Secretaries of the King by Charles VI, 25 May 1405. " Donne a Mante an mois du fevrier 1'an de grace mil quatre cent vingt et deux, 2 et de nostre regne le premier. Scelle de nostre seel ordonne en 1 'absence du grant. " Par le Roy a la relation de Monseigneur le regent de France, due de Bedford." (Signed) MILET. II. First Great Seal, dated at Paris, 28 June 1425. Paris, Arch. Nat., J. 153, No. 20b. Order of Henry VI of England to his Gentlemen of the Parliament, and of the Provostship of Paris, to annul the procedure in a trial between Guillaume Languin of the one part, and Pierre Chaussee, Librarian of the University of Paris, of the other part, on the subject, among other matters, of a book entitled Tristan de Lyonnais, etc. 1 Arch. Nat., J. 648. - Old style. AS KING OF FRANCE. 287 " En temoing de ce, nous avons fait mcttre noire seel a ces presentes. Donne a Paris le 28 e jour de juing, 1'an de grace 1425 et de nostre regne le tiers. " Par le Roy a la relation du grant Conseil tenn par 1'ordonnance de Monseigneur le Regent de France due de Bedford." (Signed) CALOT. III. Seal of Philip Duke of Burgundy, used instead of the Royal Seal. Dated at Paris, 7 Dec. 1425. British Museum, Add. Charters, 11,547. Letters patent of Henry King of France and England, confirming the grant of Charles VI, late King of France, to the late Chariot Man- sergent of the land of Quinquernon, in the Bailliage of Evreux, Nor- mandy, in favour of Jehan Mansergent, the son, on payment of an annual rent. " En temoing de ce nous avons fait mettre noire seel a ces presentes. Donne a Paris le vij e jour de Decembre 1'an de grace mil cccc vingt et cinq de no+.re regne le iiij me . " Par le Roy a la relation du grant conseil." (Signed) MILET. IV. Second Great Seal, dated at Paris, 13 Oct. 1429. Paris, Biblio- theque Rationale, Chartes de Colbert, 534. Letters patent of Henry VI, King of France and England, confiding to Philip Duke of Burgundy the government and the guard of Paris. V. Second Great Seal, dated at Eltham, 8 March 1430 (New Style). Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, Chartes de Colbert, 535. Henry VI, King of France and England, grants to Philip Duke of Burgundy, in appanage, the counties of Champagne and Brie. " Donne a notre manoir de Eltham, le 8 e jour de Mars, 1'an de grace 1429, 1 et de notre regne le 8 e ." VI. Second Great Seal, dated at Eltham, 8 March 1430 (New Style). Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, Chartes de Colbert, 536. Henry VI grants to Philip Duke of Burgundy the taxes, imposts, etc., of the counties of Champagne and Brie. " Donne en nostre manoir de Eltham, le 8 ve jour de Mars, 1'an de grace 1429 1 et de nostre regne le 8 e ." VII. Great Seal for England (=G 4 of Willis), dated at Westmin- ster, 12 March 1430 (New Style). Paris, Bibliotheque Nati- onale, Chartes de Colbert, 537. Letters patent of Henry VI concerning the above mentioned con- cessions. " Datum in palatio nostro Westmonasterii 12 die Marcii, anno reg- norum nostrorum Francie et Anglie 8." 1 Old style. 288 SEALS OF HENRY VI AS KING OF FRANCE. VIII. Second Great Seal, dated at Rouen, 2 Sept. 1430. Paris, Arch. Nationals, J. 211, No. 48. Confirmation by Henry VI of letters of Henry V of England, given at Menorval, near Dreux, 20 August, in the ninth year of his reign, declaring the fiefs and lands of Orbec, Auge, Pont Anthon, and Pont Audemer, which had been granted to Thomas Duke of Clarence, re- united to the duchy of Normandy after the death of the said Thomas Duke of Clarence. " Datum in villa nostra Rothomagense, die 2 a monsis Septembris anno domini mille'simo quadringeutesimo trigesimo, et regni nostri octavo." " Per regem ad relationem sui magni consilii penes eum existentis." Note. The King was then at Rouen, before his coronation. IX. Second Seal of Absence, dated at Rouen, 22 April 1435. London, British Museum, Add. Ch. 11,847. Order of Henry VI, King of France and England, to Pierre Surreau, Treasurer General of Normandy, for repayment to Jehan Stanlawe, Treasurer, of the amount advanced by him to the Earl of Arundel for the suppression of the insurrection in the Bailliage of Caen, in January last past. " Donne a Rouen le xxij jour d'Avril 1'an de grace mil cccc trente et cinq. Soulz noire, seel ordonne en I' absence du grant de notre regne le xiij me ." " Par le Roy a la relation du monseigneur le gouvernant et regent de France, due de Bedford." (Signed) BROWNTING. X. Second Great Seal, dated at Rouen, 22 Nov. 1436.- London, Brit. Museum, Add. Ch. 131. Letters patent of Henry VI appointing Emond Bron, Viconte, and Emond Hauton, salt-storekeeper, of Verneuil, and comptroller of the garrison, by the advice of Richard Duke of York, Lieutenant-General and Governor of France and Normandy, to take and receive the mus- ters of the Sire de Fauquemberge Captain of the town and Castle of Verneuil, and to certify the same, under his hand and seal, to the Treasurer and Receiver General of Normandy, making oath before the nearest sheriff (viconte) to the truth of the said musters. " Donne a Rouen le xij me jour de Novembre 1'an de grace mil quatre cent trente six et de notre regne le quinzieme." " Par le Roy a la relacion de Monsr. le due de York, lieutenant gene- ral et gouverneur des royaumes de France -et cluchie de Normandie." XI. Second Great Seal, dated at Rouen, 26 Sept. 1440. London, Brit. Museum, Cott. xii, 72. Confirmation by Henry VI of a grant by John de Beaufort (first) Dulte of Somerset, Lieutenant and Governor General of France and Nor- mandy, to Richard Nortton, Esq., of the possessions of Colin de la Croix, Esq., a rebel. " Donne a Rouen le xxvj e jour de Septembre 1'an de grace mil quatre cent quarante, et de notre regne le dix huitiesme. " Par le Roy a la relation du grant conseil." 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