City of London Common Seal

This is an impression from the Common Seal of the City of London, which would have been used to authenticate documents made by the City of London authorities. This is an impression of the reverse of the seal. It depicts Thomas Becket, the London-born archbishop of Canterbury who was killed in 1170. Becket is shown seated, wearing his archbishop's vestments. There is a crowd of people on either side of him and underneath him is the London skyline, including the City walls and the spires of churches. The legend around the edge reads '+ ME QUE TE PEPERI NE CESSES THOMA TUERI' (meaning ‘May thou never cease, O Thomas, to protect me who gave thee birth’). The original seal may date to around 1219 - see 'Age of Chivalry. Art in Plantagenet England 1200–1400', Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition Catalogue, ed. J. Alexander and P. Binski (London, 1987), pg. 273, no. 193.