The Cloth Seal: A Mark of Quality, Identification, or Taxation?

This survey explores the origins of the lead cloth seal and its use in the primary production process of cloth making, secondary processes such as dyeing, and widespread application in the taxation and the regulation of trade. It concentrates especially on the discovery, study, and historiography of cloth seals in England and France, and explores how the study of such seals provides evidence for manufacturing and commerce in the medieval and post-medieval worlds