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| The seal is attached sideways by tags to the document. The figure in the middle represents St Edith with one hand raised in benediction and the other holding a book. According to a somewhat dubious 15th century chronicle, Wilton was refounded or rebuilt several times after its initial establishment as a nunnery around 800. Edith was the child of Wulfrid, who was carted off from Wilton by Edgar, king of the English (944-975), but who refused to marry him and returned to the nunnery where her baby was born and took the veil as a child. Edith purportedly rebuilt the church at Wilton, became its chief patron and perhaps the abbess, and died young. After a few handy miracles at her tomb, she became the patron saint of the monastery. Monastic chronicles are wondrous sources of origin myths, and this aspect of them could well be studied from an anthropological perspective. | |
| Although the document is 13th century, the seal matrix from which the seal was made supposedly dates from the 10th century. The inscription around the seal is partially destroyed, but pass the cursor around the edge of the circular part of the seal to see what can be decoded. | |
| 13th century charter of the abbey of Wilton (British Library, Harleian Charter 45 A36). All images by permission of the British Library. | |
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