Exchanging Medieval Material Culture Studies on archaeology and ...

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3.12 Turnhout
Th is town produced linen textiles recorded as being traded to
London in 1567-1568 under the name ‘Turnhout ticks’, which
were used for bedding50. Th e arms on the stamps are the former
ones of the town. A detailed report on the Turnhout seals
found in Britain is in preparation51. Two basic varieties are
known in England. Imprints on both are of a twilled fabric.
◉ Small seals (fi g. 2: 3) of which several variants are known (production
values for the engraving of the dies were not high, and
the legend can be very diffi cult to read):
shield with pale, tvrnovt around (blackletter) // hexagram
with pellets in the triangles
50 Deetz 1972, xvii & 3 no. 18.
51 Egan forthcoming c.
52 e.g. Egan forthcoming a, ABO92 .
53 Idem 2001a, 72-73 & 85 fi g. 26 nos. 161-162.
54 Idem forthcoming b.
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7
3
55 Here the legend is so stylised as to be
indecipherable, (published on a postcard from
the early 1900s).
56 Idem 2005, 232 fi g. 6 no. 6.
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<strong>Medieval</strong> and later trade in textiles between Belgium and England 59
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6
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Fig. 2 Basic stamps and seals:
1: Mechelen (drawings
© Museum of London);
2: Tournai (from Wahlöo 1987);
3: small Turnhout seal (drawings
by N. Griffi ths); 4: large
Turnhout seal found on the
Isle of Wight (drawings by
F. Basford); 5: Wervik seal
stamps (from Egan 1995,
© British Museum); 6: Ypres
seal from Romney Marsh, Kent
(photograph by B. Castle);
7: possible Flanders or Tournai
seal from London; 8: possible
Diksmuide seal from London
(drawings by Lisa Humprey,
© British Museum). Scale 1:1
(2, 4, 6-7); scale approx. 3:2
(1, 3, 5, 8).
Several seals are from London52. Outside the capital, two were
found in Salisbury (Wiltshire)53 and single examples are known
from Kingsholm, Gloucester (Gloucestershire)54, King’s Lynn
(Norfolk)55 and Brightstone (Isle of Wight)56. Th e devices are
similar (but diff er in details such as the shape of the shield and
the number of the star’s points) to those for petits scéaux on a
matrix formerly in a local collection57. Peter was the town’s
patron saint.
◉ Large seals (fi g. 2: 4):
standing, long-robed fi gure of St Peter holding two keys,
(p)i(eter...) around // ornate shield with pale, (t)vrnhovt
around
57 Fierlandt 1853, pl. facing 245. Th e present
whereabouts of the items referred to is unknown
(Harry Kok, archivist of Turnhout, pers. comm.).