English: An incomplete Post-Medieval lead alloy cloth seal of the Commonwealth, dating to AD 1657. It is part of a four-part cloth seal, but half is missing due to an old break, two discs remain. One side of the seal shows a plain cross with a ornate/foliate saltire possibly an oak leaf, the other a cockerel, advancing left, above a strung bow which is shown horizontally, string uppermost. The cockerel is flanked by two numerals, 5 and 7. 

Length: 19.87 mm
Width: 15.02 mm
Thickness: 4.27 mm
Weight: 2.9 g

Rod Blunt (via Stuart Elton), says: "The impression depicting a cock is unlikely to be from an official stamp of the Commonwealth, particularly as it had banned cock-fighting. The presence of a bow below the cock suggests that the device might be a rebus for the name 'Bowcock'. [The reverse can be described as showing...] a plain cross with a foliate ornament in each angle.[...] It is certainly a cloth seal, and the proposed date of 1657, within the Commonwealth period, is very probably correct, but any direct link to the state is very tenuous. The only potential link is that the plain cross might be associated with the cross of Saint George used on the Commonwealth arms. However, it is shown in a circle rather than on a shield, lacks the stippling indicating colour (as found on coins of the period), and has ornaments in the angles, which would change its heraldic interpretation."

This seal is also included on the database of the Bag Seal Gallery at <a href="http://www.bagseals.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=22192">http://www.bagseals.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=22192</a>, where it is suggested that the 5 and 7 may represent the date 1657, which falls within the period when four disc seals were in common use (Egan, 1992, Finds Research Group, Datasheet 3, page 3).

A similar cloth seal is on the PAS database under: <a href="https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/751266">LANCUM-4AA23A</a> and <a href="https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/774821">SWYOR-1155B8</a>