THE CONSERVATION OF THE ROYAL CHARTER AND GREAT SEAL OF QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY

References

• Queen's University Archives, QP-DOC Char-2.
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• A version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the IIC-Canadian Group, Quebec City, May 1990.
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• Lacquered tinned iron—tested with a magnet.
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• The larger sheet has two additional female figures included on the border (TLC and TRC) and the scale of the border is correspondingly enlarged.
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• Each tax stamp is blind stamped with the royal crest, the word ‘LONDON’ and the amount of tax paid. Handwritten graphite inscriptions near the upper right corner of each sheet also record the amount of tax paid: £20 for the two smaller sheets and £30 for the larger one. Tax stamps were a source of revenue for the British government. The fee was collected on many official documents.
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• Each has a crown in the centre, ‘LONDON’ printed above and the date ‘15.10.41.’ below.
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• It bears a printed crown, the initials and monogram VR and also the numbers 26 and 4.
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• This is the first Great Seal of Queen Victoria's reign.
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• Daniels , V. 1989 . ‘Oxidative Damage and the Preservation of Organic Artifacts,’ . Free Radical Research Communications , 5 ( 4–5 ) : 214
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• This imagery is thought to be of Anglo-Norman origin. Other classes of seals include deputed great seals, privy and secret seals, ecclesiastical seals, the seals of civil corporations, signet seals and so on.
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• Reid , David and Ross , Anne . 1970 . ‘Conservation of Non-Metallic Seals,’ . Studies in Conservation , 15 : 52
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• Robins , D. , Alstin , A. and Fletton , D. 1987 . “The Examination of Organic Components in Historical Non-metallic Seals with C-13 Fourier Transform-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy,” . In Preprints, ICOM Committee for Conservation, 8th Triennial Meeting, Sydney, Australia, 6–11 September, 7987 , Vol. I , 87 – 92 . Los Angeles : Getty Conservation Institute .
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• Jenkinson , Hilary Sir . 1954 . Guide to Seals in the Public Record Office , 17 London : H. M. S.O .
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• Boxes , Banjo . April 13 1989 . so-called most likely because of their shape, come in a variety of related formats; they are first used in the early eighteenth century. Verbal communication , April 13 , Public Record Office, Alan Alstin .
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• Fleetwood , Gustav . 1949 . “The Conservation of Medieval Seals in the Swedish Riksarchiv,” . The American Archivist , 12 : 166 f
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• Deterioration of Non-Metallic Seals, unpublished paper , 2 London : Public Record Office . [no date]
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• Kowalik , R. 1984 . ‘Microbiodeterioration of Library Materials, Part 2’ . Restaurator , 6 : 71 – 77 .
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• April 13 1989 . Verbal communication by Alan Alstin April 13 ,
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• Cassar , M. , Robbins , G. V. , Fletton , R. A. and Alstin , A. 1983 . ‘Organic Components in Historical Non-metallic Seals Identified Using 13C-NMR Spectroscopy,’ . Nature , 303 ( 5914 ) 19 May : 238 – 239 . D. Robins et al., op.cit., pp. 81–92
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• A solution of beeswax, turpentine and, often, additions of other solvents is described, for example, by David Reid, and Anne Ross, op.cit., p. 54. Such cleaning solutions are designed to dissolve the grime and hold it in suspension so that it may be wiped off with swabs. However, turpentine may dissolve the wax-resin so that delicate details are obscured and any beeswax left behind could fill fine crevices of the design. Because of the softening effect of some solutions, the seal must be left in the air to dry and reharden for several days after cleaning. Such solutions should not be used as part of a regular maintenance program.
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• Jones , Melvyn . 1976 . “Seal Repair, Moulds and Casts,” . The Paper Conservator , 1 : 13
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• April 13 1989 . Verbal communication by Alan Alstin April 13 ,
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• Refined yellow beeswax of a pharmaceutical or cosmetic grade is used. It has more tack and is less brittle than bleached white wax. Microcrystalline wax, available in a variety of hardnesses, might be used where the yellow colour of the beeswax makes it difficult to obtain the required tone—if the higher melting points can be accommodated to mending techniques.
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• The University's Sesquicentennial Committee funded the restoration of the Charter and Seal. The Arts and Science Undergraduate Society and the Commerce Society funded the production of a replica Charter and Seal and construction of a display case after the University Archivist declined the invitation to place the original document on permanent display in the John Deutsch Centre, the student union building. Prince Charles unveiled the replica on Oct. 16, 1991.
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• Stewart , J. D. and Wilson , I. E. 1973 . Heritage Kingston , 118 Kingston : Agnes Etherington Art Centre .
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