The last seal of the Chapter of Glasgow. This is the first ecclesiastical seal on which the different emblems associated with the city's coat of arms appear together, although not in heraldic form. The tree, the bell and the fish, and possibly a bird, are depicted in the doorway of a church building. It is thought that the seal's design was derived from the arms of the city, rather than copied from the arms of a bishop.
The last public act of the Chapter was to petition the Holy See to appoint to a vacancy in the See of Glasgow. The document of 27 Feburary 1549 gives the names of several of the canons whose recommendation for the appointment of James Beaton was accepted by the Pope. Beaton was appointed in 1551 and consecrated in Rome in 1552. He was to be the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow and fled to France in 1560 during the Reformation.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC 941.435 REN
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
archbishops, bells, birds, canons, Chapter of Glasgow, churches, fish, Roman Catholic Church, salmon, seals, trees
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