John de Lausele's 'quality' medieval seal declared treasure

A silver seal used to sign documents in the medieval period belonged to a significantly wealthy owner, a treasure inquest heard.

The seal matrix was found near Nayland-with-Wissington, Sufoflk, in October 2017 by a metal detectorist.

Suffolk coroner Nigel Parsley was told it was thought it had belonged to a man called John Lausele - or John de Lausele - and dated back to between 1300 and 1350.

Mr Parsley declared it as treasure.

The inquest in Ipswich heard a seal matrix would have been used to make an impression on a wax seal, to authenticate a document or to fix it closed.

According to the report which went before the coroner, the seal matrix found was of a "very high quality" and its owner was "evidently of some means".

Investigations found there were two references to a John de Lausele in Suffolk on subsidy rolls for 1327, one in Sudbury and another in Bury St Edmunds, where a shilling in tax was paid.

The surname Lausele is the old name for the Suffolk village of Lawshall and likely to be where the owner came from, the inquest heard.

The seal will now go to the Moyse's Museum Hall in Bury St Edmunds.

Ron Murrell, a heritage officer from the museum, said some some seal matrices were "quite rare" and would indicate "wealth and status".