Burse
1558-1603 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The burse for the Great Seal of England was a very special kind of ceremonial purse made of rich materials and decorated with the current monarch's arms and initials. It was used to contain the Great Seal, which symbolised the majesty of the law in the same way that the crown symbolises the monarchy.
Royalty
Elizabeth I had five chancellors during her reign (1558-1603), each with a different burse for the Great Seal.
Historical Associations
On 29 April 1587 the Queen appointed the Vice Chamberlain Sir Christopher Hatton as Lord Chancellor. While staying at the Archbishop of Canterbury's Palace at Croydon, she delivered the Seal in its velvet bag to Hatton, asked him to seal a writ of subpoena (a summons) with it and then declared that he was to hold it as Lord Chancellor. He died four years later at his London house, in the area now known as Hatton Garden.
The burse for the Great Seal of England was a very special kind of ceremonial purse made of rich materials and decorated with the current monarch's arms and initials. It was used to contain the Great Seal, which symbolised the majesty of the law in the same way that the crown symbolises the monarchy.
Royalty
Elizabeth I had five chancellors during her reign (1558-1603), each with a different burse for the Great Seal.
Historical Associations
On 29 April 1587 the Queen appointed the Vice Chamberlain Sir Christopher Hatton as Lord Chancellor. While staying at the Archbishop of Canterbury's Palace at Croydon, she delivered the Seal in its velvet bag to Hatton, asked him to seal a writ of subpoena (a summons) with it and then declared that he was to hold it as Lord Chancellor. He died four years later at his London house, in the area now known as Hatton Garden.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Velvet and satin with linen canvas embroidered with metal thread, silk thread, spangles and beads |
| Brief description | Burse for the State Seal of embroidered velvet and satin, made in England, 1558-1603. |
| Physical description | Burse for the State Seal, front of a rectangular burse. Dark red velvet with applied motifs of canvas, partly covered with red and blue satin, and embroidered with silver and silver-gilt purl, wire, strip and thread, and with some coloured silk thread, spangles and black beads. Laid and couched work over padding. Additional details in couched metal thread, spangles and purl worked directly onto the velvet ground. Within a narrow border containing stylised flower heads linked by curving leaves, a royal shield of arms for England with the initials 'E R' (Elizabeth Regina) below and a stylised Tudor rose between the two letters. Shield of arms quarterly for France, 1st and 4th azure, 3 fleurs-de-lys or 2nd and 3rd gules, 3 lions passant-gardent or (for England) supported by a lion and a wyvern. Above is a large crown. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Shield of arms and initials 'E R' (English (Elizabeth) and Latin (Regina))
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 1986/371. From its size, the burse is likely to have contained the Great Seal, in which case it must have belonged to one of Elizabeth I's five Lord Chancellors. The most likely is Sir Christopher Hatton (Chancellor 1587-1591). A miniature (c.1588-91) in the V&A by Hilliard (P.138-1910) shows him holding a large burse, which may have the right sort of decoration. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type The burse for the Great Seal of England was a very special kind of ceremonial purse made of rich materials and decorated with the current monarch's arms and initials. It was used to contain the Great Seal, which symbolised the majesty of the law in the same way that the crown symbolises the monarchy. Royalty Elizabeth I had five chancellors during her reign (1558-1603), each with a different burse for the Great Seal. Historical Associations On 29 April 1587 the Queen appointed the Vice Chamberlain Sir Christopher Hatton as Lord Chancellor. While staying at the Archbishop of Canterbury's Palace at Croydon, she delivered the Seal in its velvet bag to Hatton, asked him to seal a writ of subpoena (a summons) with it and then declared that he was to hold it as Lord Chancellor. He died four years later at his London house, in the area now known as Hatton Garden. |
| Bibliographic reference | Bags V&A Exhibition (Project)
Bags: Inside Out (2020) Lucia Savi, V&A Publishing, pg 80
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.40-1986 |
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| Record created | April 6, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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