in England are usually of the same shape and size as the seal proper;
the pendant cake of wax thus showing two complete impressions, one on
each side.
Edward the Confessor and his successors have continuously used them;
but among subjects they do not appear before 1130--excepting, perhaps,
that remarkable instance of two seals conjoined back to back on the
charter of Odo, Bishop of Baieux in 1075. See _Archæologia_, vol. i, p.
335.
Nobility of the blood royal, their wives and daughters, seem to have
used counterseals pretty generally from the middle of the twelfth
century. The greater titular nobility also adopted them occasionally
during that century; but in the next, and until the Baron's letter
(1301), a much larger number occur. Their use, however, was very
irregular: many prominent titular nobles neglected them, and, on the
other hand, we find many families of only moderate territorial position
placing secreta on the back of charter seals. I notice as quite
remarkable how many ladies who had come to represent a manor, about the
middle of the thirteenth century, when the fashion was at its height,
at once beautified or safeguarded their seals with a secretum.
After 1301 such extra sealing almost disappears, but there are some
very late instances. Humfrey Earl of Stafford and Perche, 1438, placed
on the back of his splendid seal a smaller one--the Stafford arms on a
heater shield, within a decoration of three Stafford knots, but without
any inscription (_Archæologia_, vol. xxxviii); and some of those large
and pretentious seals mentioned as appearing 1450-1475 were used with
small counterseals.
Many ecclesiastical communities used counterseals, also the old Cinque
ports and other ancient boroughs. Ancient official departments too,
such as the Norwich Staple, 1272-1307: these having begun, of course
continued their use as an established form.